Aug. 19
Wizz Air is to expand its operations in Romania with the launch of a base in Suceava (SCV), located in the country’s northeast region of Bukovina. Two Airbus A321neo aircraft will be based at the airport from December, supporting flights on five new routes. Starting Dec. 15, the ULCC will launch a 2X-weekly route to Paris-Beauvais (BVA), and the following day will start a 3X-weekly service to Brussels-Charleroi (CRL) and a 2X-weekly route to Venice-Treviso (TSF). Two more routes will launch on Dec. 17, connecting Suceava with Larnaca (LCA) and Eindhoven (EIN), both of which will operate twice a week. In addition, Wizz will station one A321neo at Iasi (IAS) in December, taking the fleet there to four. A 3X-weekly Memmingen (FMM) route will launch on Dec. 12, followed by 2X-weekly services to Basel (BSL) and Copenhagen (CPH) the next day.
JetSMART is to open a new route connecting Argentina and Paraguay. Flights will link Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) with Asunción (ASU) from Nov. 15, operating three times per week. Service will be onboard A320 aircraft.
US carrier Allegiant Air has inaugurated its first nonstop flight from San Diego (SAN) to Provo (PVU). Flights will operate 2X-weekly on Thursdays and Sundays and are the only services between the two cities. Provo is about 45 miles south of Salt Lake City in Utah. With the addition of the new route, Allegiant now offers nonstop service to 11 destinations from SAN.
Japan Airlines (JAL) has announced plans to resume Tokyo Narita (NRT)-Beijing Capital (PEK) on Sept. 11. Flights will initially be once a week. The airline said the route has been reinstated following a recent relaxation of travel restrictions. “We will continue to plan the resumption of these routes in a flexible manner by increasing the number of flights and developing other mainland China routes, while monitoring immigration restrictions, the quarantine system, and demand,” JAL said in a statement.
Aug. 18
South Korea’s Air Premia is launching a new route connecting Seoul Incheon (ICN) and Ho Chi Minh (SGN) on Oct. 22. Flights will be four times per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. The airline has also said it plans to start serving Los Angeles (LAX) from ICN in October.
Wizz Air has delivered the seventh aircraft to its base in Cluj-Napoca (CLJ), Romania. The Airbus A321 will operate on three newly introduced routes, to the Greek island of Corfu (CFU) and the Italian cities of Turin (TRN) and Naples (NAP). The CFU service operates on Mondays and Fridays, while TRN and NAP are served on Wednesdays and Sundays. In addition to these new markets, Wizz Air increased the frequency of Cluj-Napoca-Paris Beauvais (BVA) from 6X to 9X-weekly, and Barcelona has increased from 5X to 7X-weekly. In addition to the CLJ expansion, Wizz has announced the launch of a new route from London Luton (LTN). Service to Podgorica (TGD) in Montenegro starts on Nov. 2, flying twice a week.
Colombian carrier Avianca has started two new domestic routes. Cúcuta (CUC) will be connected to both Cali (CLO) and Medellín (MDE) four times a week. Flights on both sectors will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The new routes are in addition to Avianca’s existing service from CUN to Bogota (BOG), which operates 7X-daily. Cúcuta handled more than 730,000 passengers in the first half of 2022, representing an increase of 97% compared to the same period in 2021.
Aug. 17
Biman Bangladesh Airlines has announced plans to open a route to Guangzhou (CAN) in China. The carrier said service from Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International (DAC) would begin on Aug. 18. Flights will depart at 11 a.m. and arrive in CAN at 4.45 p.m. The return service leaves at 7.45 p.m. and arrives back in Dhaka at 9.30 p.m. The airline has not yet confirmed the planned frequency of the route.
Singapore-based Jetstar Asia has launched a virtual interline partnership with IndiGo. The relationship covers destinations including Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Tiruchirappalli. Jetstar’s interline platform Jetstar Connect is an integrated booking system that allows passengers to select flights, buy bundled and unbundled ancillary products. Sanjay Kumar, chief strategy and revenue officer at IndiGo, said: “This strategic agreement will enable both airlines to tap into the rising demand for international travel, with the upcoming festive season. The partnership will enable customers to enjoy seamless connectivity between Jetstar and IndiGo and access to a wide variety of destinations across Asia-Pacific.”
EasyJet has confirmed the launch of a new route from Belfast City (BHD) to Glasgow (GLA). Flights will start on Oct. 21, departing three times per week until March 24, 2023. “This new route further strengthens our network in Belfast, having recently added services to London Gatwick, Liverpool and Bristol from Belfast City,” easyJet UK Country Manager Ali Gayward said. The leisure carrier has also announced that service from Newcastle (NCL) to Geneva (GVA) will resume on Dec. 10. Flights will be twice a week during the winter season.
Air Moldova has opened a route connecting Moldova’s capital Chisinau (KIV) with Leipzig/Halle (LEJ) in Germany. Service started on Aug. 16 and will be twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Aug. 16
Air India is opening a new nonstop domestic route between Ahmedabad (AMD) and Pune (PNQ) with effect from Aug. 20. Flights will be daily. “We are excited to launch flight between Ahmedabad and Pune, which are key growth centres in Gujarat and Maharashtra, respectively,” Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said. “This new addition is set to improve Air India’s domestic connectivity and empower our customers with more travel options. We look forward to further augmenting our domestic connectivity and introducing new routes over the coming months as more aircraft return to service.”
Seaplane operator Tailwind Air is launching a new route between New York and the US capital Washington. Flights connecting Manhattan’s Skyport Marina (NYS) and Washington's College Park Airport (CGS) will start on Sept. 13 and be operated using Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft. Flights will take about 80-90 min. and operate six days a week up to twice daily. “This new DC service complements our existing ground-breaking service between Manhattan and Boston Harbor as well as our numerous summer destinations in the Hamptons and Provincetown,” said Alan Ram, CEO and cofounder of Tailwind Air.
South Africa’s Airlink has launched a new route between Johannesburg ({{JNB)}} and Victoria Falls (VFA) in Zimbabwe. The carrier will operate the service daily using an Embraer E190 configured to carry 98 passengers. The new service marks Airlink’s second route to Victoria Falls; it also operates to VFA from Cape Town (CPT).
Aug. 15
Oman Air has increased daily flight frequencies on its domestic Muscat (MCT)-Salalah (SLL) route to reach up to 30 flights per day. The airline said the additional flights on the sector reflect Salalah’s reputation as a top tourist destination during Khareef (monsoon) season. From Aug. 14, the carrier is offering 20 flights per day on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 28 per day on Thursday and Saturday. From Aug. 21, the frequencies will increase to 22X-daily and 30X-daily respectively. In addition, Oman Air has increased frequencies between Muscat and Trabzon (TZX) from 3X-weekly to 5X-weekly, and Istanbul (IST) from 7X-weekly to 8X-weekly.
Malaysia Airlines has operated its inaugural direct flight between Kuala Lumpur (KUL) and Tokyo Haneda (HND). The 2X-weekly service will be operated by Airbus A330-300 aircraft, equipped with 290 seats, including 27 seats in business class. The new service will support the airline’s current Kuala Lumpur-Tokyo Narita (NRT) operations.
Norse Atlantic Airways has operated its flight between London Gatwick (LGW) and New York John F Kennedy (JFK). Additionally, the airline has launched flights between London Gatwick and Oslo (OSL), allowing customers to purchase tickets as part of a continuous service between Oslo and New York via London. LGW-JFK flights will be daily using Boeing 787s.
Ryanair is adding flights from Nuremberg (NUE) to Seville (SVQ) in Spain for the first time. Flights will operate twice a week from Oct. 30. In addition, the ULCC will continue to serve Alicante (ALC), Málaga (AGP) and Valencia (VLC) during the winter 2022/23 season. The three routes were previously summer-only services.
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