The new 737MAX family build on the Next-Generation 737’s popularity and reliability, retaining operational commonality while delivering a new level of fuel efficiency for single-aisle airliners. The type will have the capability to fly more than 3,500 nautical miles (6,482 kilometers), an increase of 405 to 580 nautical miles (750 to 1,074 kilometres) over the Next-Generation 737 and will enable destinations such as Boston, New York and Washington to be served efficiently from airports across the UK, France, Spain and Portugal.
New routes between Los Angeles and Sydney, operated by American Airlines, and between San Francisco and Sydney, operated by Qantas will be added from December, further strengthening the partnership between the two airlines.
Ghana is one of the fastest-growing African countries, both economically and in terms of tourism. It has a growing economy thanks to oil and cocoa, a growing touristic potential and a population that is known for its friendliness and hospitality. Its GDP continues to grow steadily, trade relations are booming and the number of foreign visitors and tourists increases year-on-year.
The International Transport Association (IATA) has announced that passenger growth in Latin America and the Caribbean (LatAm) could reach 385 million within ten years.
The budget carrier has seen a strong start to the year with its Tanzania business reporting a 52 per cent rise in passenger numbers in May 2015 compared to the same month last year. Over a rolling 12 month period to the end of May 2015, the airline carried 716,350 passengers, up 76 per cent on the previous 12 months.
Global airlines are expected to record a collective $29.3 billion net profit this year, according to a new forecast from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Etihad Airways has said that introducing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Zurich made logical sense as there has been a strong interest from Swiss travellers for the airline’s latest product.
The Star Alliance member will initially introduce a four times weekly service between Frankfurt and Nairobi from October 27, 2015, growing to a five times weekly service from December 11, 2015 through to the end of January 2016 flown by an Airbus A340-300.
The new four times weekly link to Abha, the capital of Asir, a south-western province in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a location gaining popularity in the region as a tourist destination due to attractions such as its mild seasonal weather and fertile mountains, will commence from September 2, 2015 and will be flown using an Airbus A320.
The recent formation and launch of Air Arabia Jordan is unlikely to be the last incarnation of the Air Arabia brand and group chief executive officer, Adel Ali, suggested that there are many market opportunities for the airline group to expand beyond its existing operations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Morocco and the Kingdom of Jordan.
Saudi Arabian carrier flynas is prepared for growing competition in its home market from new entrants Al Maha Airways and Saudi Gulf Airlines and it is confident that a recent restructuring of the business under its former management team will put it in a strong position to continue its development.
Dubai International (DXB) has established itself as one of the world’s preferred passenger and cargo hubs linking east and west offering connections for passengers to virtually every corner of the world, while Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central (DWC), Dubai’s airport of the future, complements this offering with its compact, efficient passenger terminal and bustling cargo business.
The airline will operate the route twice-weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays to Dubai World Central Airport, where it became the first airline to operate flights to the UAE airport.
The five-times-weekly operation will commence from September 14, 2015, and will be good news for many EU officials and businessmen who commute between Bremen and the European capital via other European airports.
An additional ten airports worldwide have been added to the approved list of airports to offer preclearance facilities to passengers travelling to the US.
Qatari national carrier, Qatar Airways has announced that Philadelphia will be the first destination the airline will fly to in the USA with its A350 XWB aircraft.
The route switch follows agreements earlier this year for SAS to dispose of two of its slot pairs at the heavily constrained Heathrow Airport for a combined positive earnings impact of $82 million. The first slot pair was sold to an unidentified carrier for $60 million, while the second was sold to Star Alliance partner, Turkish Airlines for $22 million.
Under the agreement, Etihad and Tourism Malaysia will put into effect a range of joint marketing activities targeting Malaysia’s leading inbound visitor markets – the UK, US, Europe (Germany, France and Italy), and the Middle East region (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait).
Following the success of its flights between St John’s and Dublin last summer, the carrier is offering a daily operation between Halifax and Glasgow from May 29, 2015 until October 23, 2015 using a Boeing 737-700. Like the St John’s – Dublin operation, the link will provide a same-aircraft connection to and from Toronto with other connections available to Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and 16 other cities in WestJet's Canadian network.
Canadian manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace handed over a CSeries to North African carrier Nile Air during this week’s Routes Middle East & Africa forum in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. The CS100 model was presented to Mohamed El Sheriff, revenue and planning manager at the Egyptian carrier on the final morning of the event following its traditional event business card draw on the manufacturer’s stand.
The annual Routes Marketing Awards are highly regarded as the most prestigious awards in the industry as they are voted for and judged by the airline network planning community. They provide the airline community with the chance to have their say, regarding the airport or tourism authority they think has provided the best overall services to them relating to route development and marketing over the past year, to establish new or maintain and develop existing routes.
Digital marketing has evolved immensely over time, and with over 40 per cent of the world now connected to the internet, it has never been more important. Joshua Alexander, Digital Business Development Manager for Routesonline gave us a snapshot of the aviation marketing landscape and how it has evolved since it began in 1986 to delegates at Routes Middle East & Africa in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.
