This week: Tributes paid to Southwest Airlines founder; Qatar Airways takes stake in China Southern; Neeleman’s latest venture firms up A220 order; VINCI Airports to make £2.9bn Gatwick investment and more.
What will the year ahead have in store for the commercial aviation industry? From further consolidation in Europe to a shake-up of global airline alliances, Nigel Mayes from leading consultancy ASM casts his eye on what might shape the aviation world in 2019.
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.
Hervé Pierret, the managing director of Air Corsica, has spoken to Routesonline about the success of the airline’s first scheduled flights to the UK and its long-term network ambitions.
This week: TAP Air Portugal to increase US routes; United to offer new Frankfurt connection; and Juneyao Airlines to deploy new 787-9 on Singapore service.
Bergen, a city on the south-western coast of Norway surrounded by mountains and fjords, has been revealed as the host destination for Routes Europe in 2020. Routesonline caught up with Jasper Spruit, vice president of traffic development at airport operator Avinor, to find out more about Norway’s year-round appeal.
Just hours after Icelandair called off its takeover of fellow Icelandic airline Wow air, the parent of US carrier Frontier Airlines has agreed in principle to invest in the low-cost carrier.
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.
Icelandair's planned takeover of low-cost carrier Wow air has been cancelled, with the interim president of Iceland’s flag carrier saying the collapse of the deal was "disappointing". The acquisition would have created a powerful force on Europe to North America routes via their Reykjavik hub.
Senior decision makers from the region’s leading carriers will be attending the most efficient European route development event in Hannover next April.
Routes between the UK and US - currently operating under the US-EU open skies agreement - will continue to enjoy the same access following the conclusion of a new deal between the two countries.
The expansion of Heathrow Airport will create billions of pounds in growth and generate thousands of jobs across the UK in the early years of Brexit, according to the man charged with driving the airport’s future strategy.
The airline model will continue to evolve over the coming years and airports must be ready to adapt, a senior delegate speaking at GAD World has stressed.
This week: Doncaster Sheffield to get a new link to Poland; Germania to operate Dusseldorf to Tirana; and Flybe switches Newquay Cornwall Airport route from Gatwick to Heathrow.
After mainly operating scheduled and charter flights in Scandinavia for the past 30 years, passenger and cargo airline DAT has spread its wings and headed for warmer climes in Sicily.
As regional airline Flybe seeks a buyer - and with Virgin Atlantic linked to a potential deal - Routesonline looks at the carrier's network, including the role it plays in UK connectivity.
UK-based regional airline Flybe is putting itself up for sale and warned of further flight capacity cuts in the face of ongoing challenges in the European short-haul market.