China Southern has applied to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to open four new international routes, including services to Madrid and Vienna. Juneyao Airlines is also seeking to launch a seven-weekly service to Helsinki from Shanghai.
Europe’s aviation industry is poised for a record period over the coming months as demand for air transport continues to outstrip economic growth and defy geopolitical challenges. Routesonline analyses the continent’s growing market - at the same time as a new report has warned that the sector is heading for a capacity crunch unless urgent action is taken.
Route rundown: GOL adds routes to Miami and Orlando, Hainan Airlines launches its first direct service between China and Spain, and Thai Air Asia X resumes Bangkok to Sapporo.
Routesonline's latest analysis of the European aviation industry, examining the top routes, airlines, airports and aircraft that are leading the market.
This week: Air France returns to the Nairobi market; the first service by a Chinese carrier from Qingdao to Western Europe; and Interjet’s first Canadian services from the famous Mexican leisure destination Cancun.
As first revealed by our Airlineroute news stream in the middle of last month, Qatar Airways is deploying the first LATAM aircraft on one of its two daily flights between Doha and Munich. It debuted on the QR059/060 rotation from March 2, 2017 and another of the LATAM airframes will be used on the second QR057/058 service from April 1, 2017. The additional two LATAM A350-900s will be used on Qatar Airways’ Doha – Madrid route.
In the latest update of its 2017 flight inventory, Korean Air will introduce the 787-9 on its Seoul Gimpo – Jeju route between March 7, 2017 and March 25, 2017. The aircraft will serve the domestic link on a three times daily basis to ensure crew can secure required flight hours on the airframe ahead of its international debut.
The point-to-point business model of the start-up will be supported with a simple organisational structure to maintain low operating costs and deliver low fares and a customised offering to consumers with ancillary charges for hold baggage, seating selection and boarding as well as food and drinks.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) carrier Etihad Airways is to reduce the frequency of its flights between Abu Dhabi and San Francisco from early next year in a move that will help facilitate the growth of its flights into Dallas.
Newcastle Airport officials are celebrating their growing relationship with Irish low-fare carrier Ryanair with the addition of a new link to the Spanish capital, Madrid in summer 2017. The airline had already revealed an expanded 2017 programme earlier this summer when it added flights to Faro, Girona and Palma to its Newcastle network.
Spanish carrier Air Europa is to further extend its network into South America during the winter 2016/2017 schedule with new links into Argentina and Ecuador and Routes events and consultancy ASM (Airport Strategy and Marketing) contributed to delivering one of these new long-haul flights.
The Chinese city will become Iberia’s first Asian destination ahead of its previously announced launch of flights to Tokyo from October 18, 2016. This year the Spanish airline is also resuming services to Puerto Rico (from May 15, 2016) and to Johannesburg (from August 1, 2016), while its seasonal flights to Boston, previously offered from March to October, will operate through December this year.
Ryanair will launch flights from the city from November 1, 2016 with a twice daily link to the Spanish capital, Madrid, a daily service to Brussels Charleroi and London Stansted, a four times weekly link to Berlin and twice weekly flights to Fez, Malta and Warsaw Modlin.
The oneworld alliance member will introduce a three times weekly service between Madrid and Tokyo from October 18, 2016. The Madrid – Shanghai route, also expected to be flown three times weekly, will commence from a similar time, but Iberia is still awaiting final approval from Chinese authorities and slots at Pudong International Airport before opening reservations.
The carrier will start operating the A350 XWB commercially in January 2016 between Sao Paulo and Manaus, Brazil, as part of continued training and crew familiarisation. This will be followed by operations from Sao Paulo to Miami in March and then to Madrid in April.
Monarch will introduce flights to Lisbon from the start of May with a three times weekly link from London Gatwick from May 3, 2016 and a three times weekly service from Manchester from May 5, 2016. Madrid will be added to its network from June 17, 2016 with the start of a four times flight from Birmingham, which will be followed just days later by a new four times weekly link between Birmingham and Lisbon.
The announcement marks the return of the Spanish flag carrier to Puerto Rico after a three-year hiatus following a restructuring of its long-haul operations to support its business transformation programme and return to profitability. The airline ended its previous flights between Madrid and San Juan in March 2013 but the void was quickly filled by Air Europa which introduced its own twice weekly operation on the route from January 2014.
At EU airports, the average passenger traffic growth was +6.3 per cent (+6.3 per cent also for Q3), while passenger traffic at Non-EU airports reported growth of +5.8 per cent (+6.4 per cent for Q3). Meanwhile, freight traffic at Europe’s airports was essentially flat in September at +0.2 per cent (+0.5 per cent for Q3). Finally, aircraft movements increased by +3.3 per cent (+2.9 per cent for Q3).
