More European airlines have outlined how they intend to rebuild their networks over the coming weeks after the mass fleet groundings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Italian flag carrier Alitalia has suspended Milan Malpensa flights as part of efforts to control the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy. American Airlines and LATAM Airlines Group have also halted flights to Milan.
This week: Calgary to join Eurowings’ long-haul network; Alitalia to end service to Santiago, Chile; and Frontier Airlines further increases its presence at Ontario International.
As China Eastern schedules its latest new route to Western Europe, Routesonline looks at the growth of the market and the new services set to start in the coming months.
This week: El Al Israel Airlines adds more North American points; Hainan Airlines to open Shenzhen - Rome route; and Eurowings schedules Las Vegas service.
This week: Kenya Airways is returning to Rome after seven years away; Air New Zealand is set to add Christchurch – Singapore; and Swoop is upping trans-border capacity from Edmonton.
Routesonline's latest analysis of the European aviation industry, examining the top routes, airlines, airports and aircraft that are leading the market.
Cuba has long been a popular tourist destination for Italian holiday makers and is increasingly being added to cruise ship itineraries. And with trade growing between Italy and Cuba the new route should also attract business traffic with Italian exporters and for those looking to invest in the Cuban market.
The new link will not only support better aircraft utilisation of Alitalia’s short-haul fleet through the sector’s night hour operation, but will also bring increased connectivity options in and out of Cyprus via its Fiumicino hub.
Alitalia will offer a four times weekly service between Rome and Beijing from July 18, 2016 using a three-class, 250-seat Airbus A330-200. The Rome – Beijing city pair market has grown over the past ten years from around 50,000 O&D passengers to over 130,000 passengers last year.
The Dutch flag carrier is understood to have already held discussions with the Ministry of Roads and Urban Developments in Iran and is closely liaising with sister carrier Air France ahead of its own return to Tehran.
Rome is the airline’s largest destination in an Italian network that also includes Catania, Milan, Olbia, Palermo, Pisa and Venice. During the summer 2016 schedule it will account for 64.7 per cent of the airline’s total departure capacity in Italy, according to OAG data, offering around 520,000 seats in and out of Rome.
Air Canada will use its leisure airline, Air Canada rouge to add flights to Budapest, Glasgow and Warsaw and resume a link to Prague last served in the 1970s, while Air Transat will offer new flights from Canada to Glasgow, Nice, Pisa, Rome and Zagreb.
The arrival of the first A330-200 marks the latest stage of a fleet-renewal programme which will eventually include the arrival of new A350s and Boeing 777-300ERs. In February 2014, Kuwait Airways announced the lease of 12 Airbus aircraft including seven A320ceo (with first deliveries commencing late last year) and five A330-200s in addition to the purchase of 25 aircraft including 10 A350-900 and 15 A320neo Family aircraft.
easyJet will open the new base at Venice Marco Polo Airport from April 2016 with four Airbus aircraft stationed at the airport. The Italian city has for some time been a key network point for easyJet, having operated flights into and out of the city since 1998. It will also introduce three more aircraft at Milan Malpensa and a fourth jet at Naples.
