This week: A non-stop route between Mexico City and Barcelona; IndiGo advances European ambitions; and Ethiopian Airlines swaps Los Angeles for Houston.
The US DOT formally instituted a slot assignment proceeding earlier this month to allocate a total of 28 slot pairs at the two airports. These are being released in a two phase process for operations from summer 2017 and summer 2018 and will be provided exclusively to low-cost carriers, which it believes exert the greatest competitive impact when entering slot-constrained markets.
Analysis of schedule data from intelligence provider OAG shows that Aeromexico and Delta Air Lines had a combined 27.8 per cent share of seat capacity out of New York's John F Kennedy International Airport last summer and a 42.2 per cent share at Mexico City's Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez. The two airlines are the largest individual operators at the airports in their home markets.
The Japanese carrier’s new route announcement is important in more ways than one. Not only does this mark their 42nd international destination, but they are the first Asian airline to operate directly between Japan and Mexico.
The Gulf carrier is both the world’s strongest and most valuable brand, with an increase of 17 percent from 2015. Emirates brand value is weighted at $7,743 million.
The introduction of flights to Amsterdam is a logical growth for Aeromexico. Alongside the strong trading relationship between Mexico and the Netherlands, the route will feed into the SkyTeam hub of KLM providing additional connections within Europe and complement its existing offer with fellow alliance partner Air France via Paris.
Aeromexico will launch a twice daily service between Queretaro International Airport, in the region of El Bajio, and Mexico City from October 1, 2015. This will be the only link between Queretaro and the Mexican capital, which are around 220km apart but around three-and-a-half hours by road.
Subject to the required economic competition authority’s approvals, the airlines expect to offer an expanded network, enhancing routes and schedules, concurrently increasing opportunities to co-locate and invest in airport facilities by improving gates, lounges and the overall connecting experience. Additionally the airlines will increase joint sales and marketing initiatives.
The application marks a significant step in the creation of a $1.5 billion joint venture which will allow Delta and Aeromexico to compete more effectively on routes between the two countries.
Every month Routesonline provides an update on the current schedules of five latest aircraft programmes, highlighting the routes the types are being deployed upon.
Currently, about 50,000 people fly between Boston and Mexico City every year. The service is expected to generate approximately $50 million in economic activity in Massachusetts.
As United Airlines launches the longest Dreamliner route to date, here at Routesonline we decided to look at the top 10 longest and shortest Dreamliner routes in the world.
