S7 new route

S7 Airlines will be launching flights from St. Petersburg to Belgorod starting 1 July 2018. The Russian airline will operate the route twice a week on Tuesday and Sunday and will take around 2 hours and 25 minutes.

“The new flight is part of the development of the S7 Airlines interregional transportation programme. I’m sure it will be in demand. We see a great interest in flights from St. Petersburg to Belgorod among business travellers. At the same time, passengers from Belgorod, who plan a sightseeing vacation in the Northern capital, will appreciate the convenience and comfort of the flight,” said Igor Veretennikov, the Commerce Director of S7 Group.

The airline plans to fly the route with its modern Embraer 170 aircraft with a configuration of 78 passengers in an all economy class cabin.

Turkish Airlines reached the highest ever load factor for the first five months of 2018

Turkish Airlines achieved the highest first five-month load factor (LF) in its history with 80.7% the airline has confirmed with its latest figures. 

Upon the double-digit passenger increases in the first four months of 2018, the total number of passengers carried went up by 4% reaching 6.1 million passengers, and Load Factor stood at %78.6 in May.   In May 2018, Total Load Factor improved by 1 point, with an increase of 3,6% in capacity (Available Seat Kilometer), while international LF increased by 1,7 points to 78% and domestic Load Factor stood at 83%. 

In May, cargo/mail volume continued the double-digit growth trend and increased by 22%, compared to May 2017. Main contributors to the growth in cargo/mail volume, are domestic lines with 35% increase, Middle East with 31% increase, N. America with 29% increase, Europe with 24% increase and Africa with 22% increase. In May, N. America, Africa and Far East showed load factor growth of 5 points, 3 points and 1 point, respectively. 

Tibet to get three new airports

Tibet is planning to build three new airports to promote tourism and economic growth, bringing the total of civil airports in the far west region to eight, according to Xinhua news agency.

Construction of the three new airports, all above the altitude of 3,900 meters, will begin in 2019 and create more opportunities for the nine airlines operating 86 routes out of Tibet, including an international one.

Tibet’s economy, the smallest among all Chinese provinces and regions, has recently expanded by 10 percent to 131 billion yuan ($20.46 billion) last year.  Tourism is the leading growth factor for the Tibetan economy and leaders are seeking to expand that to facilitate a greater income. 

Happy Birthday Gatwick

Today, 9th June, marks a significant milestone for London Gatwick, as the airport celebrates 60 years since it was officially opened in its current form. Opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 9th June 1958, Gatwick Airport became the first airport in the world to combine air, road and train travel in one close-knit single unit.

The £7.8 million construction project in 1958 transformed Gatwick into a global travel hub. Taking over two-and-a-half years to complete and marking a new beginning for air travel in UK, it became the first airport in the world to have a direct railway link, allowing passengers to enjoy a seamless journey from the moment their travels started.

Since then, Gatwick innovations include the opening of a second terminal, a new control tower, Gatwick Express and the airport’s iconic passenger bridge

Philippine Airlines’ A350 XWB completes first flight in Toulouse

Philippine Airlines new A350-900 has completed its first flight from the Airbus assembly line in Toulouse, France. The flight marks the start of the final phase of the production process, leading to customer acceptance and delivery in the coming weeks.

Philippine Airlines has ordered six A350-900s. The airline will use these aircraft on its premier long-haul services from Manila to destinations in North America and Europe.

More Moscow services from Dubai with Emirates

Emirates, the largest international airline in the world, will start a third daily service between Moscow’s Domodedovo (DME) Airport and Dubai, commencing on 25th October 2018.

Emirates has been serving the Russian market since 1st July 2003 and already flies twice daily to Domodedovo on Airbus A380 and Boeing 777-300ER and daily to St Petersburg (LED). Demand for travel has grown significantly over recent years, leading to the airline’s launch of this third flight to Moscow.

The new service will be operated by an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER in a three class cabin configuration, with eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy.

Air Canada Inaugurates Two New International Dreamliner Routes From Vancouver

Yesterday, Air Canada launched the first of two new international Boeing 787 Dreamliner routes to Europe with a celebration prior to the departure of the carrier's inaugural flight from Vancouver to Zurich.  Tomorrow, the airline will launch non-stop flights to Paris, marking five non-stop European routes from Air Canada's YVR hub.

"We are delighted to launch new non-stop flights from Vancouver to Zurich and to Paris, both onboard our state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The strategic addition of these seasonal international flights further strengthens our YVR hub which combined with our extensive North American network, provides excellent options for travelers from BC and the North American west coast to Europe, and as well as for European visitors and beyond to western Canada and the Pacific Northwest," said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada. 

Emirates celebrates new service into London Stansted

Emirates celebrated the inaugural flight of its new daily service from Dubai (DXB) to London Stansted (STN) today. The new service connects the region with over 155 destinations via Emirates massive hub in Dubai.

An Emirates Boeing 777-300ER touched down just after 1400hrs local time today and it marked out London Stansted as the 7th airport in the UK from which Emirates operates and brings to 10 the number of daily flights between Dubai and three different London airports, with Stansted joining Gatwick and Heathrow.

The aircraft deployed on the route is Emirates’ new three-class Boeing 777-300ER, featuring its state-of-the-art, fully-enclosed private suites in First Class, and refreshed Business and Economy Class cabins. With floor to ceiling sliding doors and sleek design features, the new First-Class suites take luxury to the next level. The aircraft also sports newly-designed seats and upgraded inflight entertainment systems in all cabins. The new offering was first unveiled at the Dubai Air Show in 2017 and this will the first time UK travellers are able to experience the updated product.

The month of May for United

United Airlines dropped its May 2018 operational results on the aviation world this week. The carriers consolidated traffic - revenue passenger miles - increased 6.7 percent and consolidated capacity - available seat miles - increased 4.2 percent from the same period last year. Load factor was also up on the 2017 numbers with figures showing a 2 percentage rise,

Big plans for Hainan

The fourth biggest airline in China, Hainan Airlines has revealed some pretty big expansion plans today. The airline says it will acquire aviation assets valued at 10.48 billion yuan ($1.64 billion) in five companies in order to boost its route network and competitive edge.

The carrier will issue shares to a maximum of 10 investors to raise around 7 billion yuan which it will then use to buy more aircraft and six other projects including pilot training and engine maintenance.

Not only does the airliner want to expand its network, it also wants to develop further in the aviation world through acquisitions. “With the acquisitions, the airline will be able to expand the routes, strengthen development in aviation maintenance, flight training and other services,” the airline said in a statement on the Shanghai stock exchange.

Air Canada Inaugurates Montreal-Bucharest Flights

The arrival of Air Canada flight 1928 at Bucharest's Henri Coandă International Airport marks the launch of twice-weekly Air Canada Rouge seasonal service to Bucharest, Romania. Flights will be operated with Air Canada Rouge Boeing 767-300ER aircraft featuring Premium Rouge and Economy class service and are timed to optimize connectivity from across Air Canada's network through Air Canada's Montreal hub.

WestJet's May Numbers

Today WestJet announced May 2018 traffic results with a load factor of 82.2 percent, an increase of 1.6 percentage points year over year. Revenue passenger miles (RPMs), or traffic, increased 7.5 percent year over year, while capacity, measured in available seat miles (ASMs), grew 5.4 percent over the same period. WestJet welcomed an additional 147,000 guests in May, a year-over-year increase of 7.5 percent.

"Although May presented extraordinary challenges, we are delighted that 2.1 million guests chose to fly with us," said WestJet President and CEO Ed Sims. "My sincere thanks go out to each individual WestJetter for their continued dedication to delivering our award-winning brand of friendly caring service."

Primera Air halts Birmingham long-haul services

It is bad news for Birmingham as the European low-cost carrier Primera Air put a halt to all its long-haul flights from the airport for this summer.

The airline claims the delays in the arrival of its new A321neo aircraft has left is the cause of the cancellation of the flight programme for summer 2018, but they do hope to reinstate the schedule when new planes arrive from next year.

The airline had been planning to fly between Birmingham and New York and Toronto for summer, but would now not be able to. The airline was, it said, arranging for all affected passengers to be offered alternative travel from Stanstead or given a full refund. 

JetBlue change 'support animals' policy

Support animals on aircraft in the US is common and JetBlue is joining a raft of other US carriers that are making changes to their policies following odd reports of a bizarre variety of animals being claimed as support animals - including peacocks and snakes!

JetBlue announced this week that from 1st July, it will require customers to submit forms from a veterinarian vouching for the animal’s fitness and vaccinations if they want to take the 'support' animal on one of the airlines jets.

Customers will be required to give JetBlue at least 48 hours in advance notice if they want to travel with a support animal. Customers will also have to accept liability if the animal hurts someone or damages property. This liability clause is rather similar to one introduced by United Airlines recently and also the tougher than wording deployed by Delta and American on their support animal policies. 

One of the major reasons the US has seen a major increase in support animals on flights is the fact that airline pet carriage fees are waived for support animals, plus support animals need no special training. The US government is now said to be considering new restrictions to curb the soaring numbers of animals in planes.  

Australia jails man over Malaysia Airlines plane bomb threat

Australian authorities have jailed a Sri Lankan man who threatened to detonate a bomb on a Malaysia Airlines flight in May of last year. 

The Airbus A330 was carrying 337 passengers and crew at the time of the incident and they had to endure a very traumatic experience, which continued even after the plane landed as police delayed boarding. 

Manodh Marks, 26, a passenger on flight MH128 heading to Kuala Lumpur from Melbourne, caused the crew to turn back to Melbourne after he tried to access the cockpit to hijack the plane. He was tackled by other passengers who bound his hands with cable ties. However, despite the threats, Marks was later found not to be carrying explosives and was under the influence of drugs. 

More flare for Flair as former Virgin exec joins the team

Flair Airlines is delighted to announce that David M. Tait OBE has joined Canada's only operating low fare airline in the capacity of Executive Chairman.

A Canadian, David brings a wealth of unique airline experience having worked with Wardair Canada in Toronto, Laker Airways in Toronto and Miami, Virgin Atlantic Airways in New York and Air Canada in Montreal.

United Airlines' First 737 MAX 9 Takes Flight from Houston's George Bush Intercontinental

Today, United Airlines became the first North American carrier to operate the fuel fuel-efficient 737 MAX 9 aircraft. The brand new plane entered service as United flight 686 between United's hub at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Orlando International Airport in Florida. The MAX is also scheduled to operate flights today between Houston and Anchorage, Alaska and Houston and Austin, Texas.

"The Boeing 737 MAX is a great addition to United's fleet, providing approximately 14 percent fuel efficiency compared to previous 737 generations and an improved customer experience onboard," said Rodney Cox, vice president of United's Houston operation. "As we begin the busy summer travel season, Houston is happy to be home for United's first MAX aircraft, as we launch initial 737 MAX service from here, and later this month, add MAX service on flights from Houston to L.A., Sacramento and Tampa."

The month of May saw rises for Aeromexico

Aeromexico today reported May 2018 operational results, which saw the carrier transport 1 million 824 thousand passengers during May; a 6.8% year-on-year increase. The International passenger numbers also increased, this time by 12.0%, while domestic passenger numbers increased by 4.2%.

Demand, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPKs), increased by 9.9%, year-on-year. Aeromexico's capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometers (ASKs), increased by 9.6% year-on-year.

SkyWest has crunched the numbers for May

SkyWest has reported 145,300 block hours in May 2018, compared to 155,800 block hours in May 2017, a decrease of 10,500 or 6.7%. The net decrease was consistent with SkyWest's fleet transition plan to improve the mix of aircraft in its fleet by adding new E175 aircraft while reducing its 50-seat jets.

The year-over-year net change was primarily driven by approximately 6,400 additional block hours from its E175 aircraft (includes the E175 aircraft and the E175 SC aircraft) and a decrease of approximately 16,900 block hours from its other aircraft types.

JetSuiteX Takes Off From Orange County To Vegas This Summer

JetSuiteX announced today that its semi-private flights will now be available between private terminals at Orange County's John Wayne Airport and McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas starting the week before July 4th. Jetting from SoCal's sandy beaches to Sin City is sexier and faster with JetSuiteX, as travellers avoid congested airports and fly with an unparalleled, semi-private travel experience.

Volaris sees passenger growth of 10% in May

Volaris the ultra-low-cost airline serving Mexico, the United States and Central America, reports May 2018 and year-to-date preliminary traffic results.

During May 2018 Volaris increased total capacity, as measured in Available Seat Miles (ASMs), by 7.2% year over year. Total demand, as measured in Revenue Passenger Miles (RPMs), in May 2018 increased 9.7% year over year, reaching 1.4 billion. Volaris transported a total of 1.5 million passengers during the month, an increase of 10.5% year over year. Year-to-date, Volaris has transported over 7.2 million passengers, an increase of 8.1% year over year. Network load factor for May was 85.8%, an increase of 2.0 percentage points year over year.

Frontier adds flights at Ontario International Airport

Continuing an unprecedented surge in growth at Ontario International Airport (ONT), Frontier Airlines announced this week it is adding daily, non-stop service to Orlando International Airport (MCO) this summer.

Frontier's move comes just a few months after it began service at ONT and is another powerful indication that Southern California's newest aviation gateway has become an attractive option for the region's air ttravellers The new flight will be the only nonstop to Florida from any airport in the L.A. area other than Los Angeles International Airport.

Southwest traffic stats for May

Southwest Airlines reported its May and year-to-date 2018 preliminary traffic statistics this week and showed that the airline flew 11.7 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs) in May 2018, an increase of 4.2 percent from the 11.2 billion RPMs flown in May 2017. Available seat miles (ASMs) increased 5.2 percent to 13.8 billion in May 2018, compared with May 2017 ASMs of 13.2 billion. The May 2018 load factor was 84.6 percent, compared with 85.4 percent in May 2017.

Emirates boss wants windowless planes in the future......

Virtual windows on Emirates

Emirates boss has told the BBC he wants windowless aircraft in the future as these will be faster, stronger and more fuel efficient. But, will passengers want to fly without windows to view the world outside?

Emirates president Sir Tim Clark thinks they will, his airline recently introduced a new first class suite that doesn't have windows, instead, it features what it calls 'virtual windows' which are just LCD tv screens in reality.

Instead of being able to see directly to the outside world, passengers actually see live images projected on the screens from fibre-optic cameras on the outside of the aircraft. Now, whilst it may sound a little strange and perhaps slightly odd, looking at the product and talking to people who have experienced the windowless suites, it seems like a great idea.

"It is absolutely amazing, it is all high definition and the picture is so sharp that it really is like a real window, only a bit better," Thomaz told us, having flown in the Boeing 777-300er. "I thought it would feel a little claustrophobic as it is a fully enclosed suite, with no real view of the outside, but that couldn't be further from the truth, it feels amazingly big and spacious with these virtual windows,  it is a super way to fly oh those unlike real windows, those virtual ones never get dirty."

Fiji Airways and British Airways announce new partnership

British Airways and Fiji Airways, Fiji’s National Airline, have today announced a new partnership which will open up more routes between London and the South Pacific than ever before.

With its idyllic beaches, world-famous dive sites and lush green forests, Fiji and its extremely popular island destinations are more accessible than ever before as customers in the UK will be able to travel from gateways in the U.S. and Asia to destinations that have previously been more difficult to access from the UK.

From today, British Airways will start selling flights between Singapore, Los Angeles and San Francisco and the Fijian gateway of Nadi direct on ba.com.

For the customer the partnership means an easy one-stop-shop booking experience and allows them to earn Avios loyalty points on both airlines. Customers can earn Avios points on the Fiji Airways sectors as well as British Airways services, and as always, can choose to cut the cost of flights by using Avios in part payment.

Air China and Air Canada Sign First China-North America Airline Joint Venture

Air Canada and Air China joint venture deepens longstanding partnership and provides customers with long-term benefits including an unparalleled range of flights, products and services

Today at a ceremony in Beijing attended by Jianjiang Cai, Chairman of Air China; Zhiyong Song, President of Air China; and Calin Rovinescu, President & Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada, Air China and Air Canada signed the first joint venture agreement between a Chinese and North American airline, deepening the two carriers' longstanding partnership. The joint venture enables the two countries' flag carriers and Star Alliance members to expand their existing codeshare relationship and deepen it by increasing commercial cooperation on flights between Canada and China and on key connecting domestic flights in both countries to provide customers travelling between the two countries with greater and sustainable benefits including an unparalleled range of flights, products and services.

Expanded cooperation supports the Canada-China Year of Tourism 2018, recognizing the importance of tourism and trade between the two countries

Norwegian carried almost 3.5 million passengers in May

The growing and friendly airline, Norwegian carried almost 3.5 million passengers in May, an increase of 17 percent compared to the same month previous year. During May, the capacity growth was 51 percent. The growth will gradually decrease during the autumn and into 2019. 

A total of 3,421,460 passengers chose to fly with Norwegian in May, 497,863 more than the same period last year. The total traffic growth (RPK) and capacity growth (ASK) both increased by 51 percent. The load factor remained unchanged at 86.5 percent.

Former BA pilot admits to being 4 times over the alcohol limit to fly - are drunk pilots on the rise?

A British Airways pilot turned up to fly a packed passenger jet to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius on the 18th January this year, whilst being over four times the legal alcohol limit for pilots! 

Julian Monaghan, 49, who no longer works for British Airways was arrested at Gatwick Airport after turning up drunk for the flight. Apparently, cabin crew members smelt alcohol on his breath and called the police, who attended the aircraft and arrested him. The flight eventually took off with a replacement pilot, some two hours late. 

Monaghan appeared at Crawley Magistrates Court this week which heard he had 86mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system, the legal limit for a pilot is 20mg.  Monagham admitted his guilt and will have to appear at Lewes Crown Court on the 12th June for sentencing.

It seems shocking that a highly skilled professional pilot should not only risk his career but also the lives of hundreds of passengers by turning up to fly a passenger aircraft under the influence of alcohol, yet it does happen, perhaps more frequently than we know.

More new routes for Frontier Airlines

The airline with the funky animal tails, Frontier Airlines has added another nonstop flight from Raleigh-Durham International Airport, this time the airline is heading over to San Diego.

The airline announced this week it will start the new San Diego flight on 15th August,  "This is an important West Coast connection for our region with many businesses, leisure and military ties," the airport boss Michael Landguth said "We're excited that once again Frontier Airlines continues to invest in Raleigh-Durham International Airport and the Triangle community."

The airline is also introducing other services from San Diego this August, including to Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Indianapolis and Milwaukee. These were just part of a raft of new routes announced by the low-cost airline, other services they plan to start are Las Vegas to  Spokane, Norfolk and Calgary.  

Orlando to Ontario and Orlando to Pittsburgh are part of 14 new routes the airline aims to start in August. Austin gets two new routes, one to Orange County and another heading to Louisville, San Antonio also has two new routes - Salt Lake City and Orange County.

Hong Kong Airlines Introduce Manila Servce

Hong Kong Airlines has celebrated the launch of its new direct service connecting Hong Kong with Manila. The daily service adds nearly 2,500 seats every week on this popular route, enabling the airline to meet the increasing travel demand from the Philippines and even destinations beyond its home base, including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver.

To commemorate the launch of the new service, a celebratory event was held at Hong Kong International Airport on Friday, 1 June 2018. Hong Kong Airlines Vice Chairman Mr Tang King Shing officiated the ceremony, together with the Consul from The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong, Mr Paulo V. Seret and representative from the Airport Authority.

Only a man can run an airline, says Qatar Airways boss who then blames the media for reporting the story

At a time when the global aviation industry is seeking to attract more women to its workforce, particularly in roles traditionally dominated by men. Indeed, it was a main theme at the International Air Transport Association annual meeting, however, it seems the new chairman has a different view.

Akbar Al Baker is also the chief executive officer of Qatar Airways speaking at the meeting told reporters and the media that only a man could do his job,  "Of course it has to be led by a man, because it is a very challenging position," Baker said.

The comments drew audible gasps and a few groans from those present, including many journalists who had recorded the meeting and the sexist comment.  Later he tried to backtrack, by mentioning that Qatar Airways was the first carrier in the Middle East to have female pilots and that the company had women in senior roles. 

Baker also said later that he would welcome a female ceo, but only if he could train her up, "It will be my pleasure to have a female CEO candidate I could then develop to become CEO after me," was his comment.

Former Singapore Airlines Airbus A380's to be stripped and broken up for parts.

The German-based Dr Peters Group have decided to effectively scrap the two Airbus A380's it received back from Singapore Airlines at the end of the 10-year lease the airline took the superjumbos on.

Singapore Airlines decided not to extend the leasing contracts on the A380's after the basic term of ten years, pas partly due to the high leasing costs as well as getting cheaper and more fuel-efficient newer models from the manufacturer, Airbus.

Following that decision, the Dusseldorf based Dr Peters looked for alternative options and had been in negotiations with a number of airlines who might have wanted to lease the first generation A380's including British Airways, Hi-Fly and Iran Air. However, as of yet, it had failed to find any interest, especially at the base lease prices they offered. Therefore, Dr Peters Group has decided to sell the aircraft components.

More losses expected for Qatar Airways

Losses look set to continue for Qatar Airways in 2018 says the airlines boss, CEO Akbar al-Baker, these would be on top of the  “substantial loss” the carrier made in 2017

Qatar Airway's cheif said the long running regional dispute with some of its near neighbours had taken a massive toll on the bottom line of the company.  The airline is effectively blocked from operating services to 18 cities in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt since the dispute started in June of 2017.

Air China restart services to North Korea

Air China have advised that they will be restarting commercial flights to Pyongyang, North Korea from Beijing.

Air China had suspended flights between the two cities back in November, at that time it said poor demand was the casue, however, there had been pressure put upon China to cut the service by the US to further isolate North Korea. It was also at a time of increasing US and UN sanctions. According to a spokesperson for Air China told the media that “market reasons” had dictated the reintroduction of the service.

Tickets for the new service which is scheduled to run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons were available to bookj on Air China's website. 

Hong Kong Airlines and EL AL Israel Airlines announce codeshare agreement

Mr Wang Liya, Hong Kong Airlines and Mr Michael Strassburger, EL AL
 sign the codeshare agreement

Hong Kong Airlines and EL AL Israel Airlines have entered into a codeshare agreement. Subject to government approval, Hong Kong Airlines will place its “HX” code on EL AL’s flights between Hong Kong and Tel Aviv. Reciprocally, EL AL will add its “LY” code on Hong Kong Airlines flights between Hong Kong and Auckland in New Zealand, Tokyo (Narita) and Osaka in Japan, as well as Seoul in South Korea.

In-flight WiFi is the new revenue stream, even for low-cost airlines. The cost of inflight WiFi

It seems hardly a week goes by these days without some airline somewhere in the world saying that they are bringing in-flight wifi to their fleet.  The last few weeks no exception with one of the latest airlines to tell the world about its future sky-high connectivity plans being the ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines in the USA. 

Recently the airline announced it has signed a deal with the Thales Group to introduce Wi-Fi on all of its planes by summer 2019, claiming to be will also become the first ultra-low-cost carrier in the Americas to offer Wi-Fi. 

“We’re thrilled to enhance the in-flight Guest experience with the addition of new-generation Wi-Fi,” said Ted Christie, Spirit Airline’s President. “By next summer, every plane in our fleet should be fully equipped to keep our Guests connected in the skies. It’s just one of the many investments we’ve made and will continue to make for our Guests.”  Of course, Ted's pleased with Spirit charging an average price of $6.50 for high-speed web browsing and streaming depending on route and demand, it represents a big revenue stream for the airline. 

Many other airlines, including low-cost ones, have already or are planning to introduce wifi capabilities to their aircraft as they hunt for even more of our pounds, dollars or euros.  Here's a brief example of airlines offering wifi onboard and some of the sky-high fees for connecting to the net at 10,000 feet and above!

Finnair and the Dragon roar.....

The delightful European carrier Finnair and the Hong Kong based sister airline of Cathay Pacific Airlines, Cathay Dragon, have signed a new codeshare cooperation agreement on the routes operated by Cathay Dragon, between Hong Kong and selected destinations in Asia. This new codeshare deal adds four new destinations to Finnair’s growing network in Asia.

Thanks to the new agreement, Finnair passengers will be able to connect with Cathay Dragon’s flights from Hong Kong to

Hanoi and Danang, Vietnam   

Yangon, Myanmar

Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, Cambodia     

These new codeshare-flights can be booked from today, 5th of June and the codeshare flights start on 15th June.

In addition, subject to regulatory approval, from 11th of July Finnair customers can connect from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur. Flights to Kuala Lumpur can be booked from 28th of June onwards.

“We warmly welcome this cooperation with Cathay Dragon and are delighted to offer our customers yet more destinations and smooth connections in Asia. Currently, Finnair offers ten weekly round trips from Helsinki to Hong Kong and adds a new frequency during this winter season,” says Philip Lewin, Head of Alliances and Partnerships at Finnair. 

Kenya Airways wants to run Nairobi Airport.

The financially troubled Kenya Airways looks all set to branch out into different areas of the whole aviation business as it gets ever closer to winning approval to run the country’s main airport in Nairobi!

The airline is looking to become more competitive with its rivals, perhaps by taking a page out of their book, its chairman said on Monday. Michael Joseph said he'd proposed forming a special side to the airline to work with state-run Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) to allow them to run Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for a minimum of 30 years.

The plan to run Jomo Kenyatta airport is vital for the national flag carrier’s survival as it has faced limited choices after last year’s financial restructuring, its boss said. “All our competitors are state-owned, state-controlled, state-subsidized and managed for the benefit of the airline. We are the odd one out,” he told media reporters.  

Wizz Air takes delivery of its 100th A320 Family aircraft

The rapidly growing low-cost European airline Wizz Air has taken delivery of its 100th A320 Family aircraft, an A321ceo, at an event in Budapest Airport. The celebration event was attended by Mr Levente Magyar, Hungary’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr. József Váradi, WIZZ’s Chief Executive Officer; Dr. Andreas Kramer, Airbus Vice President Sales Eastern Europe and Central Asia; as well as Mrs. Jessica Villardi, Pratt & Whitney Regional Vice President, Europe, Russia & CIS.

United Airlines Names John Slater Senior Vice President of In-flight Services

United Airlines today announced John Slater has been named senior vice president of in-flight services, overseeing United's 24,000 flight attendants. John previously served as vice president of United's in-flight team and brings with him decades of experience and a deep commitment to providing excellent customer service on board United's flights.

The new look World Airways

World Airways is the first ultra low-cost, long-haul airline headquartered out of the US, servicing under-penetrated routes between the US and far-off destinations around the world.

Today we’re introducing our updated brand. Our updated logo is a nod to the heritage of the original World Airways, leveraging an evolved version of the original titled globe, but is a unique mark that is inclusive, full of optimism, and celebratory. It doesn’t just celebrate our differences, it brings them together as one.

 

For us we’re not just flying a plane, we’re flying a flag. We’re going to help make the world a little smaller – for everyone. Let’s connect and help narrow the gaps between our cultures and global communities.

The playing field has been levelled. We’re in this World together.

Vietnam Airlines, the fastest growing flag carrier in Southeast Asia, expands partnership with Sabre

Vietnam Airlines and Sabre Corporation are delighted to announce an expanded agreement which reaffirms their long-term partnership. The carrier will leverage the breadth of SabreSonic, Sabre's passenger service system (PSS) that Vietnam Airlines is now operating on, to improve its retailing, distribution and fulfilment capabilities.

Delta's month of May

The US Republican supporting Delta Air Lines reported its May 2018 operating performance today in which the airline claims it carried 16.8 million passengers across its broad global network during May, which includes award tickets and staff repositioning.

Highlights for the month for Delta include the launch of new uniforms for the airline's 64,000 staff around the world. The new work outfits were created by acclaimed designer Zac Posen and made with Lands' End quality. 

Power outage closes Hamburg Airport

It has been a dismal and dark day for passengers at Hamburg Airport as officials were forced to evacuate the terminals and planes were diverted to other nearby airports.

The reason for this closure was an electrical short-circuit that had plunged the airport into darkness early on Sunday morning.  It was around 10am when the power outage began and at first it was thought would only be out for a short while, however even by afternoon the power was still out.  This evening, according to local media reports, airport officials still can't say when power would be restored and operations will resume. 

An airport spokesperson said the "Airport currently closed due to a power failure incident at, passengers should contact their airline for further Information. The airport is forced to suspend flight operations for the rest of today as it was not possible to correct the error. We apologize for the inconvenience to all passengers, collectors and relatives concerned"