Routes Europe 2014 kicked off with the hard-hitting Strategy Summit in Marseille on April 6, 2014. The motto of the day could be described as “plus ca change”, as around 20 high-level speakers from Europe and beyond attested to constant change in all parts of the aviation and tourism industry.
This year’s Routes Europe was formally launched in Marseille, France yesterday afternoon by an enlightening keynote address by Frédéric Gagey, chairman and chief executive officer, of European flag carrier, Air France.
As we enter the second century of commercial aviation, after the first commercial flight on January 1, 1914 between St Petersburg, Florida and Tampa, there are signs that in Europe the aviation market is about to enter a period of sustained growth, with not only positive capacity increases, but also respectable levels of traffic growth.
Dublin Airport will have 850,000 extra seats available this summer, a five per cent increase in capacity compared to last year. A total of 15 new services, comprising 12 short-haul routes to continental Europe and new long-haul routes to San Francisco, Toronto and St. John’s, Newfoundland will begin in the summer season.
Delegates at this year’s Routes Europe were able to take the opportunity to tour Marseille on a touristic train yesterday morning prior to the opening of the event.
More than 3.48 million people passed through Aberdeen International Airport in 2013, beating the previous record high of 3.43 million in 2007, before the economic downturn. But, the airport has no plans to rest on its laurels but use this as a platform for further development.
Air Serbia, the national airline of Serbia, has reported positive developments for the five months since its launch in October 2013, outlining network and fleet growth and the creation of new jobs in Serbia.
Air France last week introduced a new three times weekly link between its Paris Charles de Gaulle hub and Brasília International Airport in Brazil’s capital city. The service commenced on March 31, 2014 and is operated by a Boeing 777-200 equipped with 309 seats.
UK low-fare carrier Flybe has confirmed the identity of the new routes it will launch this summer from Southend Airport after agreeing a franchising agreement with Stobart Air: Rennes (France), Groningen (the Netherlands), Münster Osnabrück (Germany), Cologne Bonn (Germany), Caen Normandie (France) and Antwerp (Belgium.
On April 3, 2014, the upper airspace (Flight Level 205 to Flight Level 660) over Kosovo was re-opened for civilian traffic overflights some 15 years after the Kosovo crisis and will lead to shorter flight routes in the region and enhanced flight efficiency.
Latest statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) shows that UK airports collectively reported a 3.4 per cent growth in total passengers in 2013 when compared to the previous year.
As SAS Scandinavian Airlines celebrates the 50th anniversary of its first scheduled flight to Chicago, host city of this year’s World Routes forum in September 2014, the carrier has revealed it is to boost its flights to the Windy City, while also adding frequencies to other markets in the US.
Dublin Airport is set for another record-breaking year for transatlantic traffic in 2014. Last year, a record 1.9 million passengers travelled between Dublin and North America, but this total is likely to be eclipsed this year, with new routes to San Francisco, Toronto and St John’s, Newfoundland.
Budget carrier Wizz Air has introduced an extra 5,000 seats to its schedule at Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield for summer 2014 with the introduction of a third weekly rotation between April 17, 2014 and October 23, 2014 on its route from Wroclaw.
Finnish airport operator, Finavia, is investing €13.5 million in the promotion of tourism in Lapland through the renovation and expansion of Ivalo Airport, the northernmost airport in European Union.
UK low-fare carrier Jet2.com is providing holidaymakers across Lancashire with additional choice in summer 2015 with the launch of a new weekly flight from Blackpool Airport to the Spanish destination of Reus.
There is a stigma attached to turning 40, but it appears reaching this age has never been so glamorous as British Airways celebrates the April 1974 merger of BOAC and BEA.
Increased demand for business and tourism flights saw passenger numbers grow by more than 5,100 at Scottish airport operator HIAL’s regional airports in February and that trend looks set to continue.
SAS Scandinavian Airlines is to launch a new direct transatlantic connection between Stavanger and Houston from August this year in partnership with premium airline operation specialist PrivatAir.
