Airports of Thailand (AOT) has given the go ahead for the ASA Group, which has offices in Dubai, to develop Thailand's first world-class fixed base operation (FBO) at Phuket International Airport. The state-of-the-art terminal and business centre will accommodate the swelling ranks of VIP visitors to Thailand each year and is expected to be operational by the end of summer.
Etihad Airways launched service from Abu Dhabi to Athens (thrice-weekly) and Istanbul Ataturk (four-times-weekly) aboard A320s. Athens service will become five-times-weekly in October and daily in January.
The Route Development Group (RDG) is due to hold its 4th Routes Africa event on 7-9th June in Marrakech, Morocco. The final in the series of Routes' regional events, Routes Africa caters especially for African and Middle Eastern airlines and airports, allowing them to meet and do business, before they head to World Routes in Beijing (13-15th September 2009), where the discussions and relationships forged at Routes Africa will be continued - with the emphasis steered towards global route development.
Delta Air Lines launched four-times-weekly Detroit-Shanghai flights on June 1. Service is operated by Northwest Airlines. Continental Airlines will launch daily Houston Intercontinental-Rio de Janeiro Galeao on Aug. 1 aboard a 767-200. Uzbekistan Airways started all-cargo flights with two A300Fs dry-leased from Korean Air. The service is based at Navoiy, where the airlines will partner in developing the airport into a logistics hub for central Asia. The freighters will operate to Bangkok, Delhi and Mumbai.
Delta Air Lines' new service from Atlanta to Nairobi (via Dakar), scheduled to launch yesterday, was postponed indefinitely because it did not receive US Dept. of Homeland Security approval. The June 8 start of its ATL-Cape Verde-Monrovia flight also will be pushed back pending approval. Air Canada launched daily Montreal-Geneva service aboard a 767-300ER. Swiss International Air Lines is codesharing. AC also began daily flights from Calgary to Whitehorse and London, Ont., aboard a CRJ-700 and an E-190 respectively.
The region's first airport exclusively for business aviation is expected to receive full certification this summer from the authorities according Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) reported The National.
