Fly Erbil to start Birmingham route in July

New airline Fly Erbil have confirmed they will be starting flights to Birmingham in July this year, with eyes also in London for future development. The company has received the backing of  Kurdistan Regional Government and had been due to start its operations in 2015, however, due to the fighting with so-called Islamic State terrorists the start was delayed.

The carrier inaugurated flights to Stockholm today, with Gothenburg starting on Saturday and is all set to start a service to Birmingham on 13th July via Kiev.  All services will operate from Erbil International Airport on a Boeing 737-300 from Bravo Airlines. 

New Zealand to tax tourists

Tourists who already contribute over $26 billion a year to New Zealand's wealth will have to pay a good deal more if plans for a new tourist tax are approved.

The new labour government are seeking to punish the international tourists for coming to their country because they say it is unfair for the locals to pay for the infrastructure that tourists also use. According to Kelvin Davis the Tourism Minister  "In many places, our tourism infrastructure is creaking at the seams. We don't believe that the financial burden should rest purely on the shoulders of New Zealanders. We do believe that visitors should pay their fair share. This levy is an important step in ensuring the growth is managed well."

In addition to the money tourists spend on accommodation, meals, tourist attractions and local businesses, they also take away with them some $14.5 billion worth of tourists exports, that's 20.7% of New Zealand's total export earnings.  Nearly 9% of all New Zeland jobs are directly related to the tourist industry, that's about 230,800 people.

Alaska Airlines releases its May operational results.

Alaska Air Group has reported its May operational results on a consolidated basis, for its mainline operations flown by subsidiaries Alaska Airlines Inc. and for its regional flying operated by subsidiary Horizon Air Industries Inc. and third-party regional carriers SkyWest Airlines and Peninsula Airlines.

On Jan. 11, 2018, Alaska and Virgin America consolidated their operations onto a Single Operating Certificate. Results for Alaska and Virgin America have been combined into a single mainline operation.

Bravo Airways MD83 skids off Kiev runway

An investigation is underway to find out why a Bravo Airways aircraft skidded off the runway at Zhuliany International Airport in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev on Thursday.

The airport was closed for some time while the aircraft was examined and then removed.  The flight, arriving from the Turkish resort of Antalya carried 169 passengers 6 crew at the time of the incident, it is believed that none have sustained injuries.   

Bravo Airways a Ukrainian charter airline said t was looking it the matter, which saw the MD83 main gear collapse during the runway excursion.  Local media reported that the plane came down short of the runway at first, then bounced into the air before coming back down.

Hi Fly is the newest member of the exclusive A380 operators group

This summer, Hi-Fly, the largest widebody aircraft wet lease specialist will be joining some of the world renowned premier global commercial airlines in becoming the most recent member of the exclusive A380 operators club!

Yes, Hi Fly have confirmed they will be the 14th A380 operator and the first leasing airline to fly this aircraft.

The addition of a former Singapore Airlines A380 puts Hi Fly at the forefront of the aviation industry, stepping up and inaugurating the second-hand A380 market. Identifying the latent potential of the world’s largest passenger airliner, Hi Fly has decided to take the initiative and give this remarkable airliner a new life.

LOT Polish Airlines will fly into London City Airport with brand new E190's

LOT Polish Airlines will introduce its 100th connection in its route network on January 7th 2019 when the respected Polish carrier will fly directly from Warsaw to London City, up to twice a day. For this special route to London City, LOT will acquire 4 brand-new Embraer 190 jets.

Flights from Warsaw to London City will be operated according to the following schedule: Departures to LCY daily (except Sundays) at 7:15am, arrivals at 9:00am and daily (except Saturdays) at 4:15pm, arrivals at 6:00pm. Departures to WAW are scheduled daily (except Sundays) at 9:30am, arrivals at 1:00pm and daily (except Saturdays) at 6:30pm, arrivals at 10:00pm.

The following schedule enables particularly business travellers flying from Warsaw, as well as Vilnius, Kiev, Lviv, Riga, Bucharest, Larnaca or Tbilisi to complete their journey within one working day. London City Airport, conveniently located in London’s Royal Docks, is the nearest airport to the business and financial centre of London, including the City of London just 6 miles away. It is also expected that the route will appeal to leisure travelers seeking city breaks in either direction.

The sky is the limit for new pilots at GoJet.....

GoJet Airlines has announced a new bonus package to attract the most qualified pilot candidates to its team.  Now with up to $56,000 in bonuses for new hire First Officers, total compensation for GoJet pilots is among the highest in the regional airline industry.

PSA Airlines crew and dispatch system malfunctions causing mass cancellation

Technical issues at PSA Airlines caused a raft of cancellations for American Airlines regional flight programme, on Thursday 275 flights cancelled, while on Friday that number is up to nearly 400.

The company has issued a statement which says that a technical issue in the crew scheduling and dispatch operations had been the root cause of the cancellations, but had now been resolved. However, hundreds of passengers have had their travel plans ruined whilst most are being accommodated on to other flights. 

Amex Centurion Lounge for LAX

American Express announced yesterday its plans to open the twelfth location of its signature airport lounge network, The Centurion Lounge, at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in 2019. Spanning more than 13,900 square feet, the new lounge will feature amenities inspired by Los Angeles, including a unique tranquillity area, spa, family room and custom, visual wall installations, in addition to the premium amenities found across Centurion Lounge locations. The Centurion Lounge at LAX will be located post-security in the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) and accessible to Terminals 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.  

Orlando soars as the Spirit rises

From a tranquil rainforest to a bustling metropolis, to the crystal waters of the Caribbean, the options for exotic culture and cuisine are endless as Spirit Airlines grows immensely in Orlando!  In an unprecedented expansion, starting October 4, 2018, Spirit will begin offering international service from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to 11 new destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as 3 more domestic routes rolling out through the fall.  The announcement marks one of the largest expansions in the airline’s history and includes service to the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Air Canada's Rouge to start seervice to Lisbon

Air Canada inaugurated today new summer seasonal service from Montreal to Lisbon, Portugal. The three-times weekly Air Canada Rouge seasonal Lisbon service begins June 15, 2018 from Montréal, with the last operation from Lisbon on October 27. Flights are operated with 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 hub in Montreal.

Flair Airlines Expands Network

Flair Airlines, Canada's only operating low-fare airline, today launches service from Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Calgary International Airport and Victoria International Airport. This marks Flair's commitment to expanding its route network as was announced earlier this year. With today's addition of Halifax, Calgary and Victoria - coupled with increased frequency on its existing routes - Flair has effectively doubled its flights and now has services stretching coast to coast.

Co-pilot seizure endangered aircraft

The UK's Civil Aviation Authority's Air Accidents Investigation Branch praised the pilot of a FlyBe Bombardier Q400 for his professionalism in coping with an incapacitated co-pilot on a flight from Inverness to Jersey last year.

In the AAIB report issued this week, into the incident of 5th August 2017 told how the co-pilot has suffered a seizure while the aircraft was flying at 25,000 feet with 43 passengers in the back of the Bombardier turboprop Q400. 

The co-pilots sudden and violent seizure had caused the autopilot to be disengaged and the co-pilots sudden movements affected the aircraft, a cabin crew member was knocked off her feet and helped up by a passenger on the flight.

LOT's new Dreamliner enjoys special celebratory livery

The leading Polish airline, LOT are celebrating the 100th anniversary of Poland's independence with a super new livery on SP-LSC the airlines latest Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

This special colour scheme takes its inspiration from the Polish flag as well as the movement of an aircraft flying through the skies at speed.  Proud of Polands Independence is emblazoned upon the rear part of the cabin fuselage, on one side is written in Polish and the other features the statement in English.

"2018 is a significant year for Poland due to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of regaining independence,” the airlines' corporate communication director, Adrian Kubicki, said at the unveiling, adding "LOT, as a national carrier, naturally acts as a Polish ambassador abroad.  - As a national carrier, we welcome in Poland guests from around the world, offering them almost one hundred connections within our network"

LOT's Boeing 787-9's typically feature a configuration of 24 business seats, 21 premium economy and 249 are normal economy seats and SP-LSC is the third of seven of the -9 variety of Dreamliners the carrier has on order.  The total complement of the popular airlines Dreamliner fleet will be 15 by the end of next year if all arrive as scheduled and will allow the airline to continue its expansion plans.

StarFlyer all male cabin crew flight to encourage more men to join the ranks

Star Flyer the Japanese airline recently featured a flight with an all-male cabin crew to both celebrate a popular manga series about a male flight attendant as well as encouraging more males to join the airline as cabin crew. 

In Japan, flight attendants are predominantly women, Kita-Kyushu based Star Flyer say that of its 150 or so flight attendants, less than 6 percent are males.

“We want to create an environment in which men are accepted as cabin crew members as naturally (as women),” said Atsushi Nishiyama, 37, one of the three male crew members aboard the special flight on 3rd June. “We hope more men will dream of becoming flight attendants.”

It was the airlines own cabin crew that came up with an 'all-male' flight between Kita-Kyushu and Haneda Airport in Tokyo to gain more attention for male cabin crew members.

The “Soradan: Men’s Flight” manga runs in Kodansha Ltd.’s Morning weekly comic anthology. It portrays the life of a rookie male flight attendant from a poor family. Soe passengers on the special flight were given a special signed copy of the manga signed by author Issei Itokawa.

Seattle-Osaka service announced by Delta in partnership with Korean Air in 2019

Delta, Seattle’s largest global airline, is adding nonstop service to Osaka-Kansai (KIX), Japan, starting sometime in 2019, complementing its existing international network.

“As Seattle’s global airline, Delta offers service to the top destinations throughout Asia, and additional access to Japan is important for our Seattle customers as well as the business community throughout Washington state and beyond,” said Tony Gonchar, Delta’s Vice President — Seattle. “We’re pleased to offer another key business destination with our new nonstop Osaka service from Seattle.”

Alaska Airlines announces new nonstop service between San Diego and Spokane, Washington

Spokane to San Diego is the latest daily nonstop service to be announced from Alaska Airlines, who say the service will start on 1st October this year.

"We're excited to add another connection between the Pacific Northwest and California with our new nonstop service between Spokane and San Diego, one of our key focus cities for growth," said John Kirby, vice president of capacity planning at Alaska Airlines. "Alaska continues to emphasize our commitment to continued growth and investment throughout the West Coast."

Start Date	City pair	Departs	Arrives	Frequency	Aircraft
Oct. 1	San Diego - Spokane	5:40 p.m.	8:25 p.m.	Daily	E175
Oct. 2	Spokane - San Diego	7:10 a.m.	9:55 a.m.	Daily	E175
Flight times based on local time zones.

Hainan Airlines successfully completes its inaugural Beijing-Edinburgh-Dublin flight

Hainan Airlines' flight HU749, which departed from Beijing, smoothly landed at Edinburgh Airport at 6:00 am on June 12, 2018. After a brief stop, it took off again and landed at Dublin Airport at 9:10 am local time on June 12. This was the first arrival of direct flight from mainland China at both Edinburgh and Dublin airports. The flight also marked the success of the maiden voyage of the carrier's route from  Beijing to Edinburgh and Dublin, the first nonstop service between mainland China,Scotland and Ireland.

Norwegian’s father and son pilots fly the Dreamliner to New York ahead of Father's Day

Norwegian mark’s Father’s Day by operating a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight from London to New York by a Captain and his co-pilot son. The flight is the first time the airline has had a father and son fly the 787 Dreamliner together from London Gatwick. Images available to download here.

Europe’s third-largest low-cost airline has more than 700 pilots based at London Gatwick to operate Norwegian’s affordable long-haul flights to the USA, Buenos Aires and Singapore. Norwegian has more than 28 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in its fleet, to serve all long-haul routes. British passengers can fly in the airline’s newest Dreamliners which are less than six months old and feature a larger 56-seat Premium cabin that offers passengers more than a metre of legroom.

Captain Sven-Bertil Johannson (61) and his son, First Officer Erik Johannson (27) piloted Norwegian’s popular London Gatwick to New York JFK service, carrying more than 320 passengers on 6 June. Sven-Bertil and Erik were on the same pilot training course when they both joined Norwegian together two years ago.

4600 jobs to go at Rolls-Royce

It has been confirmed that around 4,600 jobs are to go at the British engineering firm Rolls-Royce as they battle to save £400 million a year. 

Rolls-Royce said this latest restructuring and overhaul of the business, follows on from a previous announcement in January this year to bring down its five operating businesses to three core units. These new job cuts will mostly impact support operations as well as management roles. Many office jobs are to go at the UK head office in Derby, where morale among the 15,700 employed there is already low and unemployment levels above the national average.

The vast amount of jobs would go from within its UK workforce who will be told over the next two years. The company said it expected to axe a third of the jobs by the end of this year.  The chief executive Warren East said: “We have made progress in improving our day-to-day operations and strengthening our leadership, and are now turning to reduce the complexity that often slows us down and leads to duplication of effort.

Houston food bank to get $1 million from United Airlines

United Airlines announced this week a $1 million grant to the Houston Food Bank in support of their School Market program. The School Market program was specifically expanded to assist children attending Harvey-affected schools, which were among the hardest hit after Hurricane Harvey.

Icelandair's May numbers - 10% increase in passenger numbers.

The premier full-service Icelandic airliner, Icelandair released its May figures recently which demonstrated a massive increase in passenger numbers over the same period last year.

The number of passenger on international flights was 367 thousand in May and increased by 10% compared to May last year. The capacity increased by 15% and the passenger load factor was 77.7% compared to 81.2% in May last year. The number of passengers on domestic and regional flights were around 27 thousand, decreasing by 7% compared to May last year. 

Flights to Belfast, Aberdeen and between Keflavik and Akureyri stopped mid of May, explaining the reduction in the number of passengers.  The passenger load factor was 62.0%. Sold block hours in charter flights increased significantly, or by 40% between years, as a result of new long-term assignments. Freight increased by 11%. The number of available room nights at the Company’s Hotels was up by 6% from last year, mainly due to the opening of Reykjavik Konsulat Hotel in the centre of Reykjavik in March. The room occupancy was 72.8% compared to 77.0% in May 2017.

LATAM Airlines latest figures

LATAM Airlines,  the leading airline group in Latin America, today reported its preliminary monthly traffic statistics for May 2018 compared to May 2017.

System passenger traffic increased 3.4%, while capacity rose by 6.1%. As a result, the Company's load factor for the month fell 2.1 percentage points to 80.9%. International passenger traffic accounted for approximately 59% of the month's total passenger traffic.

Delta to begin nonstop service from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Seoul-Incheon in cooperation with JV partner Korean Air in 2019

Delta customers will have more access to Seoul, Korea and Asia via new Delta service from its Minneapolis/St. Paul hub to Seoul-Incheon beginning next year in partnership with joint venture partner Korean Air. 

Thanks to the joint venture, Delta customers can access over 80 destinations Korean Air serves in Asia and a world-class customer experience at Seoul-Incheon’s new Terminal 2, the home of Delta and Korean Air.

“Delta’s future is global and adding another nonstop flight to the joint venture’s Seoul-Incheon hub with Korean Air expands on our long-term vision,” said Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian. “This will be a great driver of international commerce for the Minneapolis/St. Paul community and the State of Minnesota, as well as benefiting our customers, our employees and our owners.”

Sunwing to fly Vancouver - Liberia Route

Candian holiday airline Sunwing will be offering a weekly non-stop direct flight service from Vancouver to Liberia in Costa Rica this coming winter. The flights will operate on Sundays between December 23rd, 2018 and March 31st, 2019.  The flight service is anticipated to be operated on the airline’s new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. Once it commences, Sunwing will be the only carrier offering this route direct from Vancouver.

President of Tour Operations for Sunwing, Andrew Dawson, commented on the news. "We’re very pleased to be introducing Costa Rica for the coming winter. As well as being renowned for its eco tours and adventures, this popular destination also stands out for the quality of its accommodation. With this new service, our Vancouver customers will be able to choose between two of our consistently most popular top-rated resorts, Riu Palace Costa Rica and Riu Guanacaste, or be among the first guests to experience the new Planet Hollywood Costa Rica, opening this fall.  As an added benefit, we will be operating the flight service on our new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aeroplanes. The improved fuel efficiency of the MAX will also enable us to offer an increased number of direct flight services from our Western airports."

Southend Airport to become 14th base for Ryanair

The low-cost-high-fee Irish carrier, Ryanair, has announced the opening of a new base in the UK from next year.

The budget airline has confirmed that it will base three aircraft and start operating over 55 flights a week from Southend Airport next year. It believes it will operate 13 routes from the Essex airport and carry around one million passengers each year.

This latest base will be the fourteenth base for the airline and they say, will create around 750 local jobs. The planned new routes include five flights per week to Alicante and Malaga in Spain, twice daily flights to Dublin and other flights to Portugal, Italy and Venice.

Warwick Brady, the chief executive of Stobart Group, which owns and operates London Southend Airport, said Ryanair's move would help the airport's strategy to welcome more than five million passengers a year by 2022.

Jetlines to lease two A320's from AerCap

Canada's newest airline, Jetlines has partnered with AerCap, a global leader in aircraft leasing, for the lease of two Airbus A320 aircraft. The aircraft are expected to be delivered by the first half of 2019.

AerCap’s President & Chief Commercial Officer, Philip Scruggs commented, “We are very pleased to welcome our new customer airline, Jetlines, and particularly pleased to play a role in the start-up of their new operations. We wish the board and management team every success and we look forward to working with the Jetlines team as they begin operations.”

The two committed Airbus A320’s are sister aircraft, having virtually identical conformity in design, features, and equipment, allowing Jetlines to expedite the necessary training and maintenance processes to commence operations at an earlier date. The sister aircraft are 12 years old.

Going to Greensboro! Spirit Airlines Lands in the Piedmont Triad

The ultra-low-cost airline Spirit Airlines are going to launch Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO) to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Orlando International Airport (MCO), and Tampa International Airport (TPA) services from 6th September.

The Piedmont Triad will mark Spirit’s 66th service station in its rapidly expanding route network and the airline says its service to and from Orlando will run 3 times weekly, while service to and from Fort Lauderdale and Tampa will each operate 2 times weekly, starting this September.  Service will increase to 4 times weekly to Orlando and 3 times weekly to Fort Lauderdale and Tampa starting November 8, 2018.

Swoop gets its AOC

The no-frills, lower-fare off-shoot from WestJet, Swoop was officially granted its air operating certificate (AOC) approval by Transportation Canada yesterday. The announcement came just in time for the carrier that had already scheduled its inaugural flight from Hamilton, ON to Abbotsford, BC on 20th June.

The AOC affirms that Swoop's commercial air service complies with detailed and complex aviation regulations, related to, aircraft airworthiness, personnel training and licensing, flight and crew manuals and base of operations and scheduled points of service.

"Receiving our air operators certificate ticks the last check-box," said Steven Greenway, President and Chief Executive Officer of Swoop. "We're immensely proud of the Swoop inflight, maintenance and operations teams for getting us here. And we're ready for takeoff on June 20."

airBaltic launches new route to Bordeaux and agrees codeshare deal with TAP Air Portugal

The Latvian airline airBaltic and the national airline of Portugal TAP Air Portugal have signed a special codeshare deal which will enable airBaltic passengers more and diversified options to travel within the vast network of TAP Air Portugal including Brazil, Portugal and Africa. In turn, this agreement will offer TAP Air Portugal passengers better connectivity to the Baltics, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic: “We are delighted to start codeshare flights with TAP Air Portugal, which is among the largest airlines in Europe. TAP Air Portugal is already our 21st codeshare partner, thus we are further extending impressive portfolio of partner airlines that ensures smooth and seamless travel for airBaltic customers around the world. airBaltic will sell flights between Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn and TAP Air Portugal domestic network via Lisbon, as well to Lisbon via common gateways, better connecting Baltics to the world.”

“Our newest partnership with airBaltic will allow TAP Air Portugal customers to take advantage of new direct flights to Latvia and connecting services to the Baltic countries, thereby adding convenience and travel options to Northern Europe, in complementarity with TAP direct services to Scandinavia and Finland,” stated Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of TAP.

Cyprus Airways start flights to Verona, Zurich and Prague as well as getting a second Airbus A319

The celebrations are continuing for Cyprus Airways, not only did they take delivery of its second Airbus A319 just over two weeks ago, they also operated inaugural flights to three major destinations Verona, Zurich and Prague a week or so ago.

The new fuel-efficient Airbus A319 has already been integrated into the airline's summer flight programme. Natalia Popova, Chief Commercial Officer of Cyprus Airways said the following upon the arrival of the jet, “We are very excited to welcome this new addition to our family. Today’s delivery is a testament to Cyprus Airways’ commitment to continued expansion”. The A319's have a configuration of 144 seats, will operate flights to company’s network in Europe and the Middle East and will 

The airline operated the inaugural flights from Larnaca to Verona, Zurich and Prague recently and in typical new service style, all three destination airports welcomed the Cyprus Airways Airbus A319 aircraft with the ceremonial water cannon salute. The lucky passengers flying from these airports were welcomed at the gate with an aperitif and a small gift.

Qatar's Qsuite goes to Canberra

Qatar Airways has announced it will be deploying its popular and award-winning Business Class experience, Qsuite, on flights to and from Canberra, via Sydney, from 1st July 2018.

The announcement comes less than six months after the airline launched its Canberra route in February 2018. The Doha to Canberra flight makes one stop in Sydney, bringing Sydney residents a second daily service to and from the Qatari hub.

The route will be initially be served by Qsuite up to four times a week, with daily Qsuite service to commence on 1 August 2018.

Qatar Airways arrives in Bodrum

Qatar Airways' first non-stop flight from Doha to Bodrum landed on today at the Milas-Bodrum Airport, which is the sixth destination in Turkey the carrier now flies to. The airline has been busy in recent months opening up a raft of new short-haul routes, to make up for the loss of business in not being able to fly to three of its near neighbours as part of a political and physical blockade. 

The airline will further expand its Turkey services with the launch of seasonal flights to Antalya, Turkey, tomorrow, Wednesday. The twice-weekly flights to Milas-Bodrum Airport will feature 12 seats in business class and 132 seats in economy class aboard an Airbus A320 aircraft. The current season service is scheduled to operate until the 28th September, with flights on a Tuesday and a Friday. 

Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker commented "Today's inaugural flight to Bodrum, our third new Turkish route in just nine months, demonstrates our commitment to Turkey. We have seen very high demand for services to Turkey, as both business and leisure travellers show great interest in experiencing all this country has to offer. We are tremendously excited to be able to provide passengers the opportunity to visit the beautiful resort city of Bodrum, just in time for the summer holiday season. Passengers from Bodrum now be able to travel seamlessly through our award-winning Doha Hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), to any destination in our rapidly-expanding network."

Flight Schedule: (12 June – 28 September)
Doha  to Bodrum QR 317 departs 07:15 arrives 11:55
Bodrum to Doha  QR 318 departs 12:55 arrives 17:20 

Hawaiian Airlines Receives First U.S. Produced A320neo Family Aircraft Powered by Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan™ Engines

Pratt & Whitney, Airbus and Hawaiian Airlines yesterday celebrated delivery of the first A320neo Family aircraft produced at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama. The aircraft, an A321neo powered by Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engines, will join three other A321neo aircraft currently operating in Hawaiian's fleet.  A special ceremony took place at the facility on June 11 to officially mark the delivery.

"Hawaiian Airlines is honoured to receive the first U.S. produced A320neo Family aircraft," said Jon Snook, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Hawaiian Airlines. "We look forward to expanding our fleet with this fuel-efficient, quiet and environmentally-friendly GTF-powered aircraft, which have been performing exceptionally well for our operations between the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii."

Jazeera Airways takes first Airbus A320neo

The low-cost carrier from Kuwait, Jazeera Airways, has received the first Airbus A320neo aircraft in the Middle East. The aircraft operated its first scheduled revenue flight yesterday. The airline has two other A320neos on order and they should be delivered before the middle of May 2019. 

"The A320neo introduces new upgrades that enable us to make cost savings while improving performance and increasing the range covered by the single-aisle aircraft," the airlines CEO Rohit Ramachandran told the media on 11th June 2018.

Jazeera Airways started in 2004 and is one of a very few non-government owned airline in the Middle East region and currently carries just over 1.2 million people each year. The rapidly expanding airline already operates to a number of destinations, including, Amman, Baku, Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul and  Riyadh. 

Emirates enhances Luanda service

 Emirates announced today it will reinstate two weekly flights between Luanda and Dubai, increasing capacity to five flights per week between the two cities, starting from 1 July 2018. Customers can look forward to a daily service starting from the winter schedule.

These additional flights will give passengers more travel choices and address the growing demand for connectivity on Emirates’ global network, especially to destinations in Asia, USA and Europe. The flights will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER with eight seats in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 310 in Economy Class, with 360 seats on offer in a three-class configuration.

Increase Of More Than 1.5 Million New Seats Scheduled On Direct Flights To Mexico In 2018

The Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) announced today that Mexico's global air connectivity continues its growth trajectory with the addition of 1.5 million seats on direct flights to Mexico in 2018. The increase in air connectivity is expected to result in nearly 30 million seats by the end of the year to accommodate travel demand to Mexico's top tourist destinations. Mexico welcomed 10.6 million tourists in the first quarter of 2018, a record-breaking number representing a 12.6% increase compared to the 9.4 million documented international visitor arrivals during the same period in 2017.

Encore Jets Launches SummerJet: The First Ever Private Jet Shuttle Flights Between Ibiza and Mykonos

Encore Jets, a leading full-service private aviation company, announced today it is launching SummerJet, a trans-Mediterranean private jet shuttle this summer, offering single-seat private travel between Ibiza and Mykonos from Thursday, July 12th.

For the first time in aviation history, travellers seeking a seamless, luxury, non-stop flight across the Mediterranean between these two summer hotspots now can reserve seats on scheduled flights.

Hawaiian Airlines Reports May 2018 Traffic Statistics and Updates Expected Second Quarter and Full Year 2018 Metrics

Hawaiian Airlines, has announced its system-wide traffic statistics for the month ended May 31, 2018. The Company also updated its expectations for certain second quarter financial metrics and its fuel costs for the full year 2018.

Hawaiian welcomed more than 1 million guests in May 2018, a record for the month of May and an increase of 4.7% over the same period last year. Total traffic (revenue passenger miles) increased 5.6% on an increase of 6.5% in capacity (available seat miles). Load factor decreased by 0.8 points to 85.9%.

Allegiant Announces Robert Wilson As EVP & Chief Information Officer

Allegiant has announced that Robert Wilson has been appointed to serve as executive vice president and chief information officer. Wilson officially assumed the role on 1st June 2018, and previously served as interim chief information officer since January 2018.

KLM traffic growth levels out in May

The Royal Dutch Airline, KLM says that following consistently strong growth from January through April 2018,  it saw traffic growth levelling out in May, with passenger traffic increasing 2.7% compared to May 2017.

“On intercontinental flights, there was a slight increase in capacity, particularly on routes to North, Central and South America. There was no capacity growth on routes to European destinations, due to slot restrictions at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Flights were fuller, however, with higher passenger figures. During the first five months of the year, KLM welcomed 7.1% more passengers, but growth was significantly lower in May (2.7%) than it was in the preceding months. This substantial decline for KLM confirms the importance and urgency of discussing further growth at Schiphol" Pieter Elbers - KLM President & CEO

Transavia Netherlands reported an increase in traffic, with capacity almost stable, resulting in higher load factor. KLM Cargo saw load factor rise by 1.1 percentage point in May, while both traffic and capacity were down compared to May 2017.

Bomb threat forces United Airlines flight to divert

A United Airlines flight has been forced to divert today due to what is being called a 'security concern' by officials but is understood to be a specific bomb threat.

Police say United flight UA971 from Rome to Chicago made an emergency diversion and landed safely at Ireland's Shannon airport after the ‘discovery of a message’

Unconfirmed reports say that a cabin crew member discovered a bomb warning written in the toilet, which triggered the emergency response. The flight crew elected to divert the Boeing 767 aircraft to Shannon, where the aircraft was met by the airports emergency units.

Rolls-Royce engine problems persist - may occur in more types.

Aero engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce has advised that the expensive compressor problem that has hampered operations of Boeing Dreamliner aircraft have now been found in some other types of engines.

The British company has said since it had identified the issue, it had undertaken a wide range of engineering analysis along with many engine tests to further learn about the causes. While this work has focused on Package C, the company found that the the same durability issue may occur on other Trent 1000 engine variants.

Azul releases figures for May

 Azul the largest airline in Brazil by the number of cities served, announces today its preliminary traffic results for May 2018.

Consolidated passenger traffic (RPKs) increased 14.0% compared to May 2017 on a capacity increase (ASKs) of 13.5%. As a result, load factor was 80.1%, 0.3 percentage points higher than in the same period last year.