The busiest passenger air routes on earth have been revealed in a new study published by Routesonline, with the Asia-Pacific region dominating the top 100. The research has been released ahead of World Routes 2018, taking place from 15-18 September in Guangzhou, China.
This week: Primera Air adds Washington Dulles from London Stansted, while Hainan Airlines will become the first Chinese airline to operate non-stop flights between China and Mexico.
Ahead of speaking at Routes Americas 2018 in Quito, VivaAerobus' chief executive Juan Carlos Zuazua discusses the airline's successful past 12 months and why more routes to the US could be on the agenda.
As the countdown to Routes Americas 2018 continues, Routesonline analyses the top 20 busiest air routes in the Americas region by passenger numbers, with the number one in the list a one-hour flight costing less than $100.
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 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.
The French national carrier will introduce the A380 to Mexico City from January 2016 on an initial three times weekly basis, substituting a Boeing 747-400 that presently serves the route. From March 2016 the A380 will operate on a daily basis, significantly boosting available capacity with a four class product offering - La Première, Business, Premium Economy and Economy.
The International Transport Association (IATA) has announced that passenger growth in Latin America and the Caribbean (LatAm) could reach 385 million within ten years.
After taking delivery of its first Airbus A321 from the Air Lease Corporation, Mexican carrier Volaris has announced plans for a number of domestic routes operated with the new aircraft.
Southwest Airlines is to begin flights from Houston Hobby to both Mexico City and San Jose Cabo after receiving approval from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Mexican civil aviation authority (DGAC).
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.
LAN Airlines welcomed its first 787 in August 2012 and has a total of 22 787-8s on order and a further four larger 787-9s. It currently operates a fleet of six examples all configured in a two-class arrangement with 217 seats in Economy and 30 in Premium Business.
AirTran Airways, initially formed as ValuJet in 1993, will operate its last scheduled flight on December 28, 2014 with AirTran Flight 001 (marketed as Southwest ‘WN5001’) operating between Atlanta and Tampa Bay that evening, the same flight number and routing of ValuJet's inaugural flight on October 26, 1993.
