Air India restarts Delhi - Vienna route

Air India, India’s leading airline and a Star Alliance member, continues to spread its wings in the global network, having resumed non-stop flights between Delhi and Vienna,  the Music City of Austria, on 18th February 2023. 

Air India Flight AI153 now operates on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from Delhi, taking off at  1435 Hrs and arriving in Vienna at 1845 Hrs (local time). The flight is operated by Air India’s Boeing  787-8 Dreamliner aircraft with a two-class cabin configuration, featuring 18 Business Class and 236  Economy Class seats. With this service, Air India’s India-Europe frequency has now increased to 69  non-stop flights per week.  

Air India had suspended flights on the Delhi-Vienna-Delhi route in March 2020 following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Mr Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial and Transformation Officer, Air India, “A key element of Air  India’s Vihaan.AI transformation is to keep enhancing connectivity between India's major cities and leading global destinations. Adding this new service to Vienna, following the recent service to Milan  reiterates our commitment to this mission.” 

Frontier Airlines selects CAE for next-generation flight operations software

Frontier Airlines selects CAE for next-generation flight operations software

CAE Flight Operations Solutions announced that it has signed a 10-year agreement to equip Frontier Airlines with CAE's next generation of flight operations solutions. With implementation scheduled to begin later this year, CAE's cloud-based Operations Control, Crew Management and Flight Management solutions will support Frontier with the latest and most feature-rich operations software available today.

Frontier Airlines becomes the latest airline in North America to move to CAE's portfolio of next-generation solutions - the first since the acquisition of the Sabre AirCentre business in February 2022. CAE's solutions will enable Frontier to take advantage of the latest-available technology, driving step-change improvements in performance over legacy software in the optimization of flight plans, aircraft usage, and crew communication and engagement.

"We are thrilled to partner with CAE and begin integrating the latest versions of their industry-leading, comprehensive software solution," said Brad Lambert, Vice President, Flight Operations, Frontier Airlines. "As we have seen in the industry over the last few years, updating core operational software is imperative to optimize flight operations, identify flight planning efficiencies and more quickly manage disruptions and recovery."

United updates seating policy for families.......

The U.S. mega-carrier United is changing its family seating policy which it believes will make travelling with kids both easier and cheaper.

The change, which is currently being introduced, thanks to a series of investments in a new seat map feature that dynamically finds available adjacent seats at the time of booking, will make it easier than ever for children under 12 years old to sit next to an adult in their party for free.  

United customers travelling with kids under 12 will start to see more adjacent seat options immediately and the complete policy change is scheduled to go into effect in early March.

United says, in instances when adjacent seats are not available prior to travel - due to things like last-minute bookings, full flights or unscheduled aircraft changes – United's new policy also lets customers switch for free to a flight to the same destination with adjacent seat availability in the same cabin. Customers also won't be charged if there is a difference in fare price between the original and new flights.

"In an era where more families are working in a hybrid environment, they're travelling more often – and they're flying United," said Linda Jojo, Chief Customer Officer for United. "We're focused on delivering a great experience for our younger passengers and their parents and know it often starts with the right seat. We look forward to rolling out more family-friendly features this year."

United Polaris, United First Class and Economy Plus seats remain separate products and are excluded from this family seating policy change.

In short, this looks like a good idea, it will help make travelling cheaper for those travelling with their kids.  It should also reduce the amount of stress and aggravation at the airport and on flights for families as there should be no more split up parties,  no trying to swap seats with other passengers and less tantrums - hopefully!

Latin America and the United States are the focus for Iberia's summer 2023 schedule.

Iberia will consolidate its recovery after the pandemic in the summer of 2023, with a focus on its long-haul markets: Latin America and the United States.

For the airline sector, the summer season begins on March 25 and runs until October 28, six months in which Iberia's biggest bet will be concentrated in Latin America. After the recovery of its entire network of destinations, the airline has scheduled capacity increases in its most strategic markets in this region, will deploy marketing campaigns and other communication, public relations and sponsorship actions to increase its brand recognition in the 16 Latin American countries where it flies.

"Latin America and the Caribbean have always been at the center of our strategy but this year we will go further to have more presence in markets such as Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, strengthen our leadership in routes between Latin America and Europe and, at the same time, defend the position of Madrid airport as a bridge between both regions", commented Mª Jesús López-Solás, Commercial, Network and Alliances Director of Iberia.

It has already recovered its entire network of destinations and has scheduled for this summer about 280 weekly flights between Spain and Latin America, 23.4 percent more operations than in 2022 and already above 2019

With Mexico, Iberia already offers three daily flights, in Bogotá it will go from 14 to 18 weekly frequencies and in Lima it will grow another three frequencies, from seven to 10

In the U.S. it also increases its flights by about 15 percent compared to 2022, recovers the summer routes to San Francisco and Washington and will fly to Dallas every day.

It will offer its customers attractive summer destinations in Greece (Corfu, Mykonos and Santorini), Croatia (Dubrovnik, Split and Zagreb), Italy (Catania and Olbia) and Portugal (Faro)

In addition, it grows on other European routes such as Stockholm, Dusseldorf, Oslo and Venice, as well as Milan and Rome in Italy.

In Spain, the biggest bet continues to be the Air Bridge between Madrid and Barcelona, where Iberia has already scheduled the same capacity as in summer 2019

In the summer season, Iberia will recover all its pre-pandemic flight offer and has even scheduled a growth of its operations of 23.4 percent over 2022 and also above 2019: 2 percent more flights in the summer season, and five percent more than in the global year.

Specifically, it will offer about 280 weekly flights with 18 destinations in 16 Latin American countries:

Bogotá: Colombia is being one of Iberia's star markets. In the last year it has grown from 10 to 14 frequencies; From June, it will operate 18 frequencies and the company's intention is to offer 21 frequencies – three daily flights – from November, which would triple its capacity compared to 2019.

Buenos Aires: The two daily flights with the capital of Argentina are consolidated

Lima: Iberia grows from seven to 10 frequencies from June until the end of the year, with the intention of reaching the double daily flight.

Mexico: The three daily flights reached in December 2023 are maintained throughout 2022, already above the pre-pandemic capacity.

Quito: The six weekly frequencies are also consolidated -two more than last summer-, which are added to three other frequencies with Guayaquil.

Montevideo: Since January, Iberia offers up to seven weekly frequencies, which will be maintained for most of the year

In Santiago de Chile the daily flight is consolidated.

Rio de Janeiro: The operation continues with three weekly frequencies, in addition to another seven with Sao Paulo

In Central America, the increase in daily flight on the Guatemala-El Salvador route that occurred in December is consolidated, as well as in San José, Costa Rica. Panama will have between five and seven weekly frequencies throughout the summer, and daily flight from November.

Solar Orbiter............Discover UK involvement in the ESA Solar Orbiter mission to study our Sun.

Solar Orbiter was selected as the first medium-class mission of ESA’s Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 Programme. The programme outlines key scientific questions which need to be answered about the development of planets and the emergence of life, how the Solar System works, the origins of the Universe, and the fundamental physics at work in the Universe.

Solar Orbiter aims to make significant breakthroughs in our understanding both of how the inner heliosphere works, and of the effects of solar activity on it. Solar Orbiter will measure solar wind plasma, fields, waves, and energetic particles close enough to the Sun to ensure that they are still relatively pristine.

The mission orbit will take the spacecraft on an ellipse around the Sun that will take it up to the Sun’s higher latitude. This will allow the solar features to be kept in view and tracked for several weeks.

Launched on 10 February 2020, the mission will provide close-up, high-latitude observations of the Sun. Solar Orbiter will have a highly elliptic orbit – between 1.2AU at aphelion and 0.28AU at perihelion.

The nominal mission duration is seven years, with the option to extend the mission by a further three years.

Mission facts

The mission orbit is designed to be synchronous with the Sun’s rotation providing long duration observations for the first time. This will enable the mission to observe the build-up of events such as solar storms.

The instruments on board will undertake remote sensing observations of solar features and in situ measurements of the solar wind bombarding the spacecraft. This combination of remote and in situ instruments will enable in depth studies of the close link between the origin of solar features such as solar eruptions and their emergence into space. This unique mission could provide major breakthroughs in our understanding of how the inner solar system works and is driven by the solar activity.

The three-axis stabilised design of the spacecraft is being developed to withstand the scorching heat from the Sun that will hit one side and the cold of space on the opposite side which will usually be in shadow. The solar arrays are being engineered to provide the critical power supply without overheating.

Solar Orbiter is managed and financed mainly by ESA with strong international collaboration with NASA as part of the International Living with a Star initiative.

Work to refurbish Falkland Islands runway begins

Work has begun on a nearly £7m Defence Infrastructure Organisation project to extend the lifespan of the runway at the Mount Pleasant Complex (MPC) airfield in the Falkland Islands.

The project includes repainting runway markings in reflective paint, replacing airfield signage and adding lights, and coating the runway asphalt with a layer of bitumen. This protective layer will extend the life of the runway until it can be fully re-laid in the coming years.

The £6.96m project was awarded to Mitie in June 2022 and will be undertaken by sub-contractor Gatwick Construction.

The project team will work at night to add a protective layer to the runway to avoid disruption. Importantly, the team will liaise closely with MPC staff on a daily basis and the work has been carefully planned to ensure there is no impact on airfield operations and flights can continue as scheduled. This is particularly important given that Mount Pleasant Complex is used for the airbridge flights to and from the UK, for LATAM flights connecting the Falkland Islands to South America, as well as by the Falkland Island Government Air Service (FIGAS) which connects MPC with the outlying islands of the Falklands.

DIO Project Manager Robert Handford said: "It’s exciting to begin this important work at Mount Pleasant Complex. Infrastructure projects in the Falkland Islands are complicated by the need to transport the necessary equipment by air or container ship, adding complexity to the preparations and requiring meticulous planning. It’s a testament to great teamwork between DIO, Mitie, Gatwick Construction and MPC personnel that everything is going according to plan."

Brian Talbot, Managing Director, Central Government & Defence, Mitie, said:  "As proud supporters of the British Armed Forces, we are delighted to build on our long-standing relationship with DIO through the refurbishment of the Falkland Islands runway at the Mount Pleasant Complex. As a critical piece of infrastructure on the estate, our work on this project will help protect and extend the lifespan of the runway for years to come."

The project is expected to take about three months.

Major new Emirates sponsorship deal for Great Britain SailGP Team

Emirates, one of the most popular mega-carriers and the Great Britain SailGP Team have signed a new three-year sponsorship deal. Under the agreement, Emirates will become the sailing team’s first-ever Title Sponsor with the airline's signature “Fly Better” logo will be visible on the Great British F50 race boat, with prominent branding on the centre of the wing and hull. The airline’s iconic logo will also appear on the front and back of the team’s clothing, sailing apparel and equipment.

Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, said: “We’re delighted to announce our new partnership with one of the world’s most successful sailing teams. Emirates and the Great Britain SailGP Team share common values, ambitions, and drive – making this partnership a natural fit. Together, we’ll take the sport to new levels, bring fans closer to the action, and deliver world-class experiences to customers worldwide.

We also look forward to working closely with our partners on joint sustainability initiatives that will truly make an impact - on and off the water."

Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team CEO & Driver, Sir Ben Ainslie, said: “Myself and the rest of the Great Britain team are thrilled to have Emirates, one of the most iconic sporting brands in the world, on board this journey with us.

Sport has the ability to inspire like nothing else. At a time where the SailGP league is seeing unprecedented growth in the form of new race locations, teams, owners, and Season 4’s calendar revealing strong continuation of this trend, together as partners we will be able to take both the team and the sport to new heights. 

This is a pinnacle partnership, one that brings both commercial value as well as supports our sustainability ambitions to support three million young people to take climate action.”

Sponsorship rights and benefits

Under the sponsorship deal, the airline will enjoy a wide-range of benefits including: marketing, digital and social media rights; VIP hospitality tickets; meet and greet access to the athletes, including Sir Ben Ainslie and Hannah Mills, OBE, the world’s most decorated male and female Olympic sailors; and exclusive opportunities such as “sixth sailor experience” for Emirates fans to experience the action first-hand on the water.

Sailing into a sustainable future

In line with the UAE declaring 2023 as the “Year of Sustainability” – the new sponsorship will also open more opportunities for Emirates and the Great Britain SailGP Team to drive joint global environmental campaigns with the common goals of reducing emissions, consuming responsibly, and preserving biodiversity.

Emirates recently completed its first milestone demonstration flight using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in one of its GE90 engines on a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The airline also supports IATA’s collective industry commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050, and is exploring opportunities to enhance operational fuel efficiency, SAF, low carbon aviation fuels (LCAF) and renewable energy.

Emirates expands capacity to Cairo

Dubai-based mega-carrier, Emirates has confirmed it is boosting its operations to and from Cairo to 28 weekly flights, effective 29 October 2023. The additional flights provide more options for customers to connect to Dubai and beyond with enhanced schedules and the opportunity to enjoy more of the Emirates A380’s signature experience.

The operational boost will see Emirates operating four daily flights, thrice daily on the A380 and a daily service on the Boeing 777. Cairo has the highest deployment of Emirates A380 services in the MENA region, outside of Dubai. The additional services and upgrade of seat capacity  on the Dubai-Cairo route will help meet high demand to and from Cairo and support the country’s tourism revival with the addition of more than 2,200 weekly seats in each direction.

EK921 will now operate daily, departing at 1200hrs from Dubai to arrive at Cairo International Airport at 1415hrs. The return service EK922 will depart from Cairo at 1615hrs, to arrive at 2145hrs in Dubai.

Emirates’ third A380 service to Cairo, EK925 will depart Dubai at 20:40hrs landing at 22:55hrs. EK926 will then depart Cairo, the following day at 00:40 hrs, to arrive in Dubai at 06:10hrs.

The Emirates A380 experience remains highly sought after by travellers for its spacious and comfortable cabins, and signature products that offer travellers the best experiences in the sky like the Onboard Lounge, First Class suites and Shower Spa. The airline currently deploys its flagship A380 to 41 destinations worldwide.

Eight students graduate airBaltic Pilot Academy

Eight students graduate airBaltic Pilot Academy

Eight students graduated from the Latvian national airline’s airBaltic Pilot Academy, receiving a commercial pilot license upon completion of the full-time airline transport pilot program. In addition, already the 17th group of 17 students began their professional pilot studies.

Martin Gauss, President and CEO of airBaltic: “We are proud of the most recent graduates of the Pilot Academy. In order to join the team of airBaltic very soon, some of them will start further training this month. Highly-trained personnel is one of the key factors of successful operations at any airline. Also, we congratulate the young and determined students of the 17th group, who started their studies today.”

The latest graduates represent countries such as Germany, Italy, Lithuania, and Latvia. The 17th group represents Austria, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

Remembering those affected by air accidents

20th February is the International Day Commemorating Air Crash Victims and Their Families. The AAIB joins colleagues around the world in commemorating those affected by air accidents.

Today, the AAIB’s thoughts are with all of those affected by air accidents as we commemorate ICAO’s International Day Commemorating Air Crash Victims and their Families. This is a day of reflection within our industry, as we work towards making aviation safer and preventing accidents that can result in such tragedy.

Air Crash Victims Day is also an opportunity to advance our understanding of best practice when providing support to people who have lost loved ones. Family liaison is integral to the work of the AAIB and is something that has to be handled with great sensitivity. The AAIB is participating in an ICAO-led workshop in Milan today to learn more about providing assistance to air accident victims and their families.

As we remember those lives lost to air accidents, we redouble our efforts to help the industry to learn from these tragedies and make flying safer.

Metron Aviation demos fuel reduction tool at Airspace World 2023, Geneva

Metron Aviation a global leader in software solutions for Air Traffic Management (ATM) and Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) systems will exhibit at the Airspace World 2023 show in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Metron Aviation will showcase its Harmony System and Post-Operations Evaluation Tool for its primary audiences — airlines, airports, and air navigation service providers (ANSPs). Metron Aviation's smart software enables its users to better meet their environmental goals and have a neutral impact on our ecosystem while keeping their commitment to customer excellence.

The Harmony System is a comprehensive, integrated Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) solution that enables aviation authorities to proactively monitor and manage system-wide operations at local, national, and regional levels. Harmony provides stakeholders a common view of current and future air traffic conditions as well as advanced automation for identifying and managing a dynamically changing environment.

TAAG Angola Airlines eyes up South Africa as key cargo market.

South Africa is a key market within the cargo strategy of TAAG Angola Airlines the carrier has reported after transporting over 1.6 million kilograms of miscellaneous goods or cargo from Johannesburg to different parts of the world.

The airline believes South Africa will be a key strategic market for its expanding cargo operations and expects demand to increase dramatically.  TAAG Angola Airlines cargo director, Sajid Khan said: "South Africa is a key market within our cargo strategy and operational footprint. In 2022 we transported more than 1.6million kilograms of miscellaneous goods/cargo from Johannesburg to different parts of the world, and the trend is to increase the volume of cargo and demand for our services,"

South Africa is seen as a major arrival and departure point for international air cargo and TAAG is currently the only operator linking Africa with South America and the airline hopes to restart services to China in the near future. 'Re-establishing the routes with China will allow TAAG to offer long-haul links from Asia (China) to Africa (particularly South Africa) and South America (Brazil), with Angola (Luanda) as a stopover.' the carrier advised. 

"Cargo segment is nowadays strategic for TAAG, with a rising contribution to the company’s sustainability. Thus, I see positive synergies and benefits for the business regarding the New Luanda International Airport – Dr António Agostinho Neto – going live in the next years." said Eduardo Fairen, CEO of TAAG.

Leading cargo airline group Asia Cargo Network starts its MENA operations from Bahrain

The 135 million USD JV operations started with two aircraft and plans are on track to deploy up to five by the end of the year -

Southeast Asia's leading air cargo charter services provider, the Asia Cargo Network (ACN) group, and MENA Aerospace, a Bahraini aviation services provider, announced the start of their operations in the MENA region from the Kingdom of Bahrain.

As part of its growth plan, ACN placed an investment worth 135 million USD to become the biggest shareholder in MAE Aircraft Management (the aircraft and management division of MENA Aerospace) with a 49% stake during the 2022 edition of the Bahrain International Airshow. The partnership operations will be under the MENA Cargo brand, the freight cargo subsidiary of MAE, and will be fully managed by ACN moving forward as it holds an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) in Bahrain which allows for the expansion of routes to the MENA region.

The ACN-MEA strategic partnership deployed two units of B737-300F aircraft that are currently in operations across the MENA continents connecting the GCC and Africa. The Bahraini operator says that plans are on track to end the year with five additional freighter aircraft made up of few units of B737-800F and B767-300F aircraft that will provide the connectivity between the Middle East, Africa, all of Asia and European markets.

These long-range wide body B767-300F aircraft will increase Bahrain airport's cargo activities with transshipments from all over the world before regional distribution is performed with the operator's own narrow body freighters. The partnership is targeting to become the main cargo operator and develop extensive network cargo flights within the region to support the growing demands and enhance Bahrain airport's presence as a regional hub.

Emirates will soon build an advanced training facility to accommodate 6 Full Flight Simulator Bays (FFS).....

Emirates will soon build an advanced training facility to accommodate 6 Full Flight Simulator Bays (FFS) for its future Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X aircraft. The brand new, 63,318 sq. ft. facility is slated to open in March 2024.

Emirates invests US$ 135 million in new pilot training centre

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline and Group, said: “This US$ 135 million investment to build a new pilot training centre will ensure Emirates' readiness to commence its pilot training ahead of the delivery of its new aircraft fleet starting from 2024. The building will be equipped with the latest, technologically advanced simulators to provide the best training for pilots, while using solar power to reduce energy consumption.”

The new building will be adjacent to the existing Emirates Training Facilities in Dubai, which will provide a great integration and close proximity to all the other pilot training centres. 

Pilot trainees will also benefit from being able to set-up and configure the cockpit environment using bespoke devices as part of the pilot training module and upload the data to the Full Flight Simulator (FFS) prior to commencing their training session. This innovative, first-of-its-kind concept is designed to shorten the trainee’s preparatory time inside the simulator, help them maintain focus and take full advantage of the training duration.

With the addition of the new building to Emirates’ existing training colleges in Dubai, the airline will have the potential to expand its pilot training capacity by 54% per year. Across the airline’s training buildings, Emirates' pilots will have increased flexibility and facilities to hone their flying skills with 17 full flight simulator bays offering a capacity of more than 130,000 training hours a year.

In line with the scheduled delivery of Emirates’ first Airbus A350 aircraft, the airline’s newest training college will commence training its first batch of A350 pilots by June 2024.

Allegiant to launch 8 new routes.....

The U.S. low-cost airline Allegiant has announced eight new nonstop routes to what it calls some of America's premier vacation destinations. The Las Vegas-based operator has been flying since 1999 and specializes in linking travellers in small-to-medium cities to world-class vacation destinations with all-nonstop flights and industry-low-average fares. 

   

The routes, launching during this year's summer and fall travel seasons, will connect communities across the country to some of the most popular leisure hot spots, including Portland, Las Vegas, Myrtle Beach, Austin, Phoenix, Asheville, Chicago and Los Angeles.

"We continue to see historically high demand from leisure travellers, so we are thrilled to add these routes to our network and build on the success we've had in these markets," said Drew Wells, Allegiant senior vice president and chief revenue officer. "As travellers make their summer vacation plans, we know they will appreciate the low-cost, nonstop options offered by Allegiant."

The new route to Denver International Airport (DEN):

Allentown, Penn. via Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) – beginning June 15, 2023 with one-way fares as low as $59.*

 

The new seasonal route to Portland International Airport (PDX):

Appleton, WI. via Appleton International Airport (ATW) – beginning June 15, 2023 with one-way fares as low as $69.*

 

The new seasonal route to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS):

Omaha, Neb. via Omaha Airport (OMA) – beginning June 15, 2023 with one-way fares as low as $49.*

 

The new route to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX):

Asheville, North Carolina via Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) – beginning May 26, 2023 with one-way fares as low as $69.*

 

The new seasonal route to Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR)

Akron, Ohio via Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) - beginning June 1, 2023 with one-way fares as low as $39.*

 

The new route to Harry Reid International Airport (LAS):

Lexington, Ky. via Blue Grass Airport (LEX) – beginning June 15, 2023 with one-way fares as low as $69.*

 

The new route to Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW):

Provo, Utah via Provo Airport (PVU) – beginning June 16, 2023 with one-way fares as low as $59.*

 

The new seasonal route to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX):

Sioux Falls, S.D. via Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD) – beginning June 14, 2023 with one-way fares as low as $59.*

 

The new nonstop routes will operate twice weekly. Flight days, times and the lowest fares can be found only at Allegiant.com.

*About the introductory one-way fares:

Seats and dates are limited and fares are not available on all flights. Flights must be purchased by Feb. 21, 2023 for travel by Nov. 13, 2023. Price displayed includes taxes, carrier charges & government fees. Fare rules, routes and schedules are subject to change without notice. Optional baggage charges and additional restrictions may apply.