Airports & Networks

Finnair said it would open a direct, year-round route between Helsinki and Minsk, Belarus as it continues its network expansion. The new twice-weekly Embraer E190 service will launch June 9.

A record number of nominations have now been received for the industry’s most coveted awards.

Foreign carriers are welcome to enter Ecuador market, the president of its national airline has said.

Jet Airways’ new chief executive Vinay Dube plans to take advantage of India’s strong economy and booming demand for flights.

There is a clear opportunity to develop the low-cost sector in Ecuador, delegates at Routes Americas 2018 were told, given that LCCs currently account for less than 2 percent of the market.

United Airlines plans to place its first Boeing 737-9s into revenue service June 7 on routes connecting its Houston Intercontinental (IAH) hub and five cities, including its summer seasonal-nonstop route to Anchorage, Alaska.

Airline Routes-Feb. 20, 2018

Delta Cargo has expanded its Pharma 4 program, bringing the shipment method for room-temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals and biotechnology products to an additional eight global destinations, the Atlanta-based carrier said Feb. 20.

Eurowings will expand services from its Dusseldorf base by 30%—to 1 million available seats per month—from summer 2018 when the Lufthansa LCC subsidiary will increase its based aircraft from 26 to 40.

Dubai-based Emirates Airline is launching a new route from Dubai to Auckland, New Zealand via Bali, Indonesia, as the second stage of the carrier’s overhaul of New Zealand services.

Southwest Airlines plans to start rolling out international cargo shipments in May, with Mexico City, Cancun, Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta at the top of the list, the carrier announced.

Singapore Airlines has revealed its route development plans alongside excellent financial performance.

Italian carrier Meridiana has outlined its strategy following Qatar Airways’ investment, which includes a rebrand, new routes and fleet expansion.

Las Vegas-based LCC Allegiant Air plans to designate Florida’s Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) as its 14th year-round base this summer.

Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos is keen to secure additional slots at London Gatwick, but there are very few available and he is not considering expanding to another London hub at this stage.

Lufthansa LCC subsidiary Eurowings will open a base in Nuremberg, Germany, at the end of March with a leased TUIfly Boeing 737-800.

LCC Norwegian continues its global expansion by launching a new Argentine airline in June and eyeing further growth in Asia and the Middle East.

European LCCs easyJet and Norwegian have yet to go fully live on their flight connections partnership, because of issues with booking on one another’s systems.

Panama-based Copa Airlines and Lufthansa Group have agreed to expand the scope of their existing codeshare to allow Copa to commercialize and market the Panama-Frankfurt-Panama route, which is operated by Lufthansa. Copa will now be able to codeshare the route with a Copa Airlines flight number.

Japanese LCC Jetstar Japan intends to ramp up its fleet expansion rate over the next few years, following a period of relatively low growth.

Passengers traveling through the non-public, post-security area of Munich Airport’s Terminal 2 in coming weeks will be met by a humanoid robot offering airport directions and information.

Key markets in the Asia Pacific region are helping to drive growth for Brisbane and the city is eyeing new international connections to China, Japan and India when Routes Asia 2018 lands in March.

Amid a recent flurry of activity in the low-cost, long-haul sector, one new operator stands out as relatively unknown on both sides of the Atlantic.

This week: French Bee is offering its first US service while Oman Air will expand its international network.

Ecuador and Guatemala are set to sign an agreement to strengthen tourism links between the two countries.