AeroLogic, the new joint venture between Lufthansa Cargo and DHL, is on schedule to begin flying in June from Leipzig/Halle. "There is no danger that there will be a delay in operations. We will get the first 777-200LRF in May and expect another three aircraft during this year," LHC Chairman and CEO Carsten Spohr told ATWOnline in Frankfurt. During weekdays, the aircraft will operate for DHL on routes to Singapore, Delhi, Hong Kong, Bahrain and Tashkent. On weekends the 777s will be handled by LHC and fly from Frankfurt.
As had been expected following its mid-December ruling on the matter, the UK Competition Commission is requiring BAA to sell both London Gatwick and Stansted and either Edinburgh or Glasgow International, reasoning that this is "the only way to address comprehensively the detriment to passengers and airlines from the complete absence of competition between BAA's southeast airports and between Edinburgh and Glasgow."
Flydubai said it will operate out of Dubai International's Terminal 2 when it launches flight operations later this year. Initial destinations will be within 4.5 hr. flying time and will be announced "shortly," the state-owned low-cost startup said ( ATWOnline, July 15, 2008).
Air Azul will operate thrice-weekly Toledo-Newark flights from June 1 aboard a 737-800. Finnair will increase service from Helsinki to New York JFK (to 10-times-weekly from seven) and Tokyo Narita (to daily from four-times-weekly) in June-September.
Ryanair and the European Commission are trying to mend their fractured relationship and said they have agreed to a series of discussions on "air traffic in Europe, the development of the aviation sector in the internal market and the role of regional airports." Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary and EC VP-Transport Antonio Tajani met recently in Brussels and agreed to conduct more detailed meetings starting next month ( ATWOnline, Feb.
Southwest Airlines said yesterday that it recently operated a 737 demonstration roundtrip between Dallas Love Field and Houston Hobby using Required Navigation Performance procedures, yielding 904 lb. of carbon dioxide savings, part of its $175 million program to implement RNP fleetwide that was announced last June at the Eco-Aviation conference presented by ATW and Leeham Co. ( ATWOnline, June 20, 2008).
Emirates will remove the two A380s operating its twice-daily Dubai-New York JFK service in April and use one to operate its thrice-weekly DXB-Toronto beginning June 1 and the second on one of its twice-daily DXB-Bangkok flights. A 777-300ER will replace the A380 on the DXB-JFK flight. President Tim Clark said the airline would like to fly to Toronto daily on the A380 and that there was enough demand to support a second daily 777 flight. EK said it also is interested in serving Calgary and Vancouver.
Turkish Airlines has launched a new service from Istanbul to Mashad in Iran, The flight between the two cities will operate three times a week and is Turkish Airlines third destination point in Iran.
Singapore Airways has selected National Air Services (NAS) to provide ground handling and support services for its flights into Kuwait International Airport.
Singapore Airlines Sunday launched a four-times-weekly Singapore-Abu Dhabi-Kuwait service aboard a 777-200. Wizz Air will launch flights from Prague to Liverpool (thrice-weekly on July 11) and Oslo Torp (four-times-weekly on July 12). Royal Jordanian will launch twice-weekly Amman-Benghazi flights on June 1. A fourth weekly Amman-Tripoli flight will begin on April 1. Turkish Airlines Sunday launched thrice-weekly Istanbul Ataturk-Mashad service.
Ryanair will reduce its operation at Dublin further from July in "response to the decision of the government-owned Irish Aviation Authority to increase ATC charges by 12% this summer, at more than 12 times the rate of inflation," the LCC said. It announced an initial cut at DUB last month and said Ireland's €10 ($12.92) passenger tax "and other government price hikes" contributed to a 12% fall in passengers at the airport in February ( ATWOnline, March 6).
Lufthansa said yesterday that it plans to implement short-time work for approximately 1,000 ground employees as an additional measure to counter falling passenger numbers. The reductions will not take place at its Frankfurt or Munich hubs and will affect those "mostly employed in service and support functions." The group transported 4.7 million passengers in February, down 9.3% year-over-year.
Worldwide Flight Services announced a two-year contract with American Airlines to provide cargo handling and cargo-related customer service at Toronto, taking over AA's 22,000-sq.-ft. cargo facility at the airport.
Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa will codeshare on flights between Brussels and Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover, Nuremberg and Stuttgart beginning March 29. The carriers intend to add Munich "at a later point." Air Nostrum will launch twice-weekly flights from Madrid to Bari on May 5 and to Palermo on June 4.
