As 2018 draws to a close, Routesonline looks at some of the biggest stories making the headlines this year. Part one of our review features the attempted takeover of Norwegian; an interview with British Airways boss Alex Cruz; the first non-stop link between the UK and Australia; and the fastest-growing airports in the world. Plus we were in Quito, Brisbane and Bilbao for the regional Americas, Asia and Europe route development forums.
The number of domestic departure seats in India is set to top 165 million this year, with such “unprecedented” growth driving the need for more than 2,300 new jets over the next two decades.
Peach will gradually take over Vanilla Air’s route network from next summer ahead of a full merger of ANA’s two low-cost subsidiaries being completed by late October.
Ahead of Routes Asia 2019, Erwin Balane, head of route development for The Philippine Department of Tourism, discusses why Cebu decided to host the event.
Saudi Arabia is one of the top five international travel markets from India, but a new codeshare deal between Jet Airways and Flynas will seek to improve connectivity even further.
The Indian Ocean may not be one of aviation’s busiest regions but these destinations' eye-catching tourist developments and proximity to rising economies in both Asia and Africa make them destinations to watch over the next few years.
This week: EVA Air is to resume flights between Taipei Taoyuan and Nagoya in Japan; WestJet is to launch a new daily summer service to Dublin; and Norwegian unveils plans to enter the Brazil market.
China Southern is deepening its ties with American Airlines just weeks after revealing plans to leave the SkyTeam airline alliance in order to pursue new partnerships.
Carriers around the world will face financial consequences and a customer backlash if they do not improve their working practices, a senior executive from Cathay Pacific has cautioned.
Days after announcing its planned exit from SkyTeam, China Southern has moved a step closer to setting up a subsidiary airline that will operate from Beijing’s new mega-airport once it opens next year.
On the 11th anniversary since it joined SkyTeam, China Southern has revealed it will leave the alliance next year to pursue new partnerships with airlines around the world.
Air New Zealand is boosting capacity on its Auckland - Gold Coast route by almost 60 percent from early next year at the same time as AirAsia X ends its service.
United Airlines is seeking to expand its footprint in China - and the move could have an impact on American Airlines’ hopes of temporarily suspending some services to the Asian powerhouse.
China Southern has applied to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to open four new international routes, including services to Madrid and Vienna. Juneyao Airlines is also seeking to launch a seven-weekly service to Helsinki from Shanghai.
AirAsia is continuing its rapid expansion in China as it uses its strong brand position to meet the growing demand in the country’s booming international market.
India plans to spend $60bn over the next 15 years to expand its airport infrastructure as growth forecasts indicate a trebling of passenger demand by 2037. The country’s government is also working on a relief package for struggling carriers.
