From the outside little appears to have changed, however over the past 18 months Malaysia Airlines has been completely re-born as a business, and is now planning a growth trajectory across southeast Asia under the stewardship of former Ryanair executive, Peter Bellew.
Political instability and security fears have left a lasting impact on Turkey’s tourism industry during the past year, but has it had the same impact on the country’s general air transport sector?
Chengdu’s increasing accessibility and dynamic economy have ensured that it is now recognised as a leading centre for foreign investment and development. Tax and investment incentives for foreign firms, together with low labour costs and high growth markets, have equipped Chengdu with a competitive edge to rival its coastal counterparts Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong.
The new Virgin Australia service between Perth and Abu Dhabi will also open additional connection options for passengers travelling to and from the capital of Western Australia, with direct connections to 23 European, 15 Middle East and 10 African destinations.
Previously known as SATA Internacional, the Portuguese carrier Azores Airlines has been providing important connectivity in and out of the Azores since the 1990s, while also providing essential air services within the archipelago.
The 22nd annual World Routes forum will take place on 24 – 27 September. The city, which is the home of the giant panda, will see more than 3000 delegates in attendance at the weekend.
Star Alliance member, Austrian Airlines is to debut on the US west coast next year with the launch of a new service between Vienna and Los Angeles. The seasonal flight will operate on an up to six times weekly schedule from April 10, 2017 and will be flown using a Boeing 777.
Fly Kiss will operate under the auspices of SiAvia, a Ljubljana, Slovenia-based subsidiary of Enhance Aero with a fleet of 49-seat Embraer ERJ-145s which are already part of portfolio of the charter provider. Its initial network will include a mixture of non-stop and one-stop flights which it says will significantly enhance connectivity between city pairs that have limited or no current links.
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.
Flybe has shown its regional model and the use of efficient 78-seat Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 turboprops can provide sustainable air services in many UK domestic markets. It stepped in quickly earlier in the year to announce links between Cardiff and London during the six week closure of the Severn Tunnel.
This year Air Canada has already launched new international services to Brisbane and to Dublin from Vancouver, with new flights launching to Delhi in October. Air Canada has also launched new US transborder flights from Vancouver this year to Chicago, San Jose, and San Diego.
World Routes is the only route development forum operating on a global scale, providing a meeting place for airlines, airports, tourism authorities and governments that want to plan new air services.
Budget carrier Norwegian has this week announced details of its latest long-haul European base with transatlantic flights launching to five destinations in the United States of America from June 2017. Airports from across Europe continue to pitch in a competitive battle to make use of the carrier’s ever increasing Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet, but on this occasion it is Barcelona that has come out the winner.
Sun-Air will inaugurate an eleven-times weekly link between Bremen and Manchester and ten-times weekly operation to London City from October 31, 2016 and in the process will open a new operational base in Bremen to service the network.
As it celebrates ten years of operations in Romania, Wizz Air is offering the greatest connectivity between Romania and the rest of Europe and promoting economic development throughout the country with the introduction of new direct international services from an increasing number of regional points.
With as many as 305 flights a day scheduled between UK and USA this summer, the two nations remain well connected. However, there are growing signs that the UK’s referendum vote to leave the European Union in around two years is dampening business demand and creating an uncertainty that is forcing airlines on both sides of the Atlantic to reconsider their network plans.
As we approach this year's World Routes forum, we take a closer look at the main O&D markets from Chengdu, including a number of international destinations not currently served directly from the fast-growing city.
Scoot said the commencement of the service to Europe is part of the Singapore Airlines Group’s strategic move to “stimulate passenger traffic between Asia Pacific and Europe, as well as to boost connectivity through the Singapore hub”. It will be the only non-stop connection into the Asia Pacific region from Athens.
The Highlands and Islands make up half of Scotland’s land mass of 15,000 square miles and are home to a tenth of the country’s population. Regular, hassle-free access to the world from airports like Inverness is vitally important to the increasingly young and entrepreneurial population who live and work there. Half of inhabitants are under 44 and the region is home to 21,000 businesses, according to Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
The A330-300 Regional is optimised for missions up to 2,700 nm (5-hour flight) covering short to medium haul routes and offers significant cost savings through a reduced operational weight of around 200 tons. The reduction in fuel burn per seat and maintenance costs will result in an overall cost reduction of around 20% compared with today’s long-range A330-300.
In our regular Routes News series we aim to help the air service development community to better fulfil their jobs with guidance on industry trends and key topics.
As the world’s ninth largest country it is no surprise that Kazakhstan has a real diversity of cultures, climate and infrastructure. But a renewed focus on its aviation sector and investment in tourism means the country will soon be appearing on more airline network maps.
HNA Group’s airline operations are central to its expansion plans as it seeks investments to reach its goal of becoming a global top 50 company by 2030.
