Europe

Ryanair is to base three aircraft at London Southend Airport from next year and launch 13 routes.

Routesonline looks at the top three airports, airlines and routes from each of the countries involved in this summer's FIFA World Cup.

This week we profile Routes Africa 2018 attendee SunExpress, the Turkish airline based in Antalya.

This week: Airbus and Bombardier’s C Series deal; Borghetti to leave Virgin Australia; Swoop granted AOC; Volotea secures new investors and more.

A study based on the uplift in visitor arrivals to Russia during the World Cup has revealed the top 50 countries across the world most gripped by football fever.

This week: Hainan Airlines adds Shenzhen – Zurich, Etihad to serve second Spanish destination and Finnair grows presence in Germany.

Plans for a third runway at London Heathrow have moved a step closer, paving the way for thousands more flights each year at the UK’s busiest airport.

LATAM Airlines has signalled its intention to expand its European footprint with flights to Munich at a time when Brazil’s aviation market looks primed to take off again.

How will Nordica, Estonia’s new flag carrier, succeed where Estonian Air failed? Partnerships are key as the airline rapidly finds its niche.

This week: British Airways adds Marrakech from Heathrow; Manchester secures Mumbai link; Delta resumes New York JFK – Orange County.

This week: Royal Brunei to launch London non-stop; Allegiant takes delivery of first US-assembled A320; Aeromexico explains Barcelona cancellation and more.

Qantas has reinstated a codeshare agreement with Air France for flights between Australia and France via Asia, a deal which was scrapped in 2012 when the carrier forged a partnership with Emirates.

Ryanair expects Austrian leisure airline LaudaMotion to have a fleet of up to 50 aircraft over the next five years as it seeks to build a “substantial and profitable group” of European carriers.

Jet Airways is to launch a new route between Manchester and Mumbai, the first non-stop service between the two cities.

This week: Air China to start Chengdu-London route, Wizz Air continues its Debrecen expansion and Ethiopian adds a second UK destination.

WOW air is adding India to its route network later this year as the low-cost carrier seeks to use Iceland as a connecting hub for traffic between Asia and North America. Routesonline looks at the rapid growth of the airline and why India is a focus for expansion.

European low-cost giant easyJet has benefitted from the demise of Monarch and Air Berlin, with the airline’s capacity set to grow at a double-digit rate this summer.

This week: British Airways to resume Heathrow to Durban after almost two decades; Emirates adds Edinburgh; and Avianca to offer new Chicago route.

As IAG’s pursuit of Scandinavian low-cost carrier Norwegian continues, Routesonline examines the current network competition and why a deal will give the British Airways owner immediate scale in the long-haul low-cost market.

Our top five stories on Routes Weekly: Brexit uncertainty; Qantas to accelerate 747 retirement; US-Brazil growth; Ghana's ambitions; and Bulletin board.

Norwegian has confirmed it has rejected two separate takeover bids from British Airways owner International Airlines Group (IAG).

Airlines need to be the ‘master of their own destiny’ to ensure they can continue to operate in a post-Brexit environment, according to Jochen Schnadt, the chief commercial officer for British regional airline bmi. His comments come as Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air has secured a UK air operator certificate to help safeguard flights once Britain leaves the EU.

Edited highlights of an interview with British Airways' chairman and chief executive Alex Cruz, recorded live at Routes Europe 2018 in Bilbao.

This week: American Airlines expands in Latin America; Hong Kong Airlines resumes Manila and VLM returns to Manchester.

The start-up is to delay its first flight to Hong Kong, scheduled to take off on 30 April, because it has not yet received permission to fly through Russian airspace.