Routes Update

At Routesonline we've decided to take a look back at the news breaking the same week in previous years and revisit it one or two years later to see what’s happened since we released the news.

The American airline has announced a new summer service to San Juan, Puerto Rico to commence on May 3, 2015.

Following the recent debate at World Routes in Chicago this year regarding critical issues in air transport, we have decided to revisit the subject, and ask the community - What do you think is the most pressing issue in the aviation industry today.

easyJet launched flights from Belfast in September 1998 and currently operates a network of seasonal and year-round routes from Belfast to 24 different destinations. It will shortly introduce a new link to Keflavik International Airport in Iceland (from December 12, 2014) and will add a summer link to the Croatian city of Split from May 20, 2015.

The airline will operate the route from March next year and has linked it with the announcement of the new Darwin – Alice Springs route which was announced last month.

The new route, flown using an Airbus A330-300, will be operate within the carrier’s joint business on transatlantic traffic with fellow oneworld alliance partners British Airways, Iberia, American Airlines and American’s merger partner US Airways. Chicago is a hub for US major American Airlines and will allow travellers codeshare connections to destinations throughout the United States.

Allegiant Air will introduce flights between New Orleans and Cincinnati’s Northern Kentucky International Airport from February 4, 2015 and Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, Indianapolis International Airport and Orlando’s Sanford International Airport from February 5, 2015.

Aviation has proved to be an indispensable catalyst for the growth of Dubai’s tourism industry, according to a study by Oxford Economics.

The Star Alliance member will offer a five times weekly link between Frankfurt and Tampa from September 25, 2015, reducing to four times weekly during the winter schedule. The Tampa - St Petersburg-Clearwater area, a rapidly growing metropolitan region with nearly three million residents, sits on the Gulf of Mexico and boasts some of America’s best beaches. It will join Miami and Orlando in Lufthansa’s Florida network.

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has announced its plans to increase its direct services to Trivandrum International Airport, Thiruvananthapuram with a daily operation launching from December 5, 2014.

Ryanair has been serving MR Štefánik Airport for almost ten years and is now firmly established as the largest scheduled operator with a 79.1 per cent share of departures and 93.2 share of capacity this month.

Ahead of next year's Routes Asia forum we look in more detail at the continued growth of the Chinese market, and in particular aviation in Kunming and the Yunnan province, which will play host to the event between March 15 - 17, 2015.

Qantas and China Eastern have announced a five year agreement anticipated to commence in mid-2015.

It’s the penultimate week for our Aviation History Months articles, and this week we’re looking at airlines that began operation from 1960 – 1980.

The UK carrier served the small Caribbean island from London Gatwick in association with a triangle flight also serving Grenada, but the route was switched to a seasonal only operation from winter 2012/2013, returning in winter 2013/2014 as an extension to the carrier’s London Gatwick – St Lucia service. The latter will also be the case when the flight resumes next year.

This will be the only link between London Heathrow and Krakow, which will be the host city of Routes Europe in 2016. Alongside the point-to-point demand it will also facilitate transfer traffic to and from the wider network of British Airways and its oneworld partners from and to the UK capital.

African low-cost carrier fastjet has taken a significant step towards launching operations in Zambia after its new local business received an Air Service Permit (ASP) from the authorities in Zambia, while fifth freedom rights from Uganda will enable it to grow its network from Entebbe International Airport.

Operating initially twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays, it will allow Gibraltarians to reconnect by air with the historic city of Tangier, as well as allowing Moroccans to discover all that Gibraltar has to offer. It will be one of the world’s shortest intercontinental services.

Every Friday Routesonline will have a look back at an alternative story of the past week. Humourous, interesting, enlightening or simply just a bit different, this addition to our coverage will enable us to feature more from the world of aviation and have a little bit of fun on a friday.

SWISS Airlines has announced it is to introduce eight new destinations to its Geneva-based network for its summer 2015 schedule.

Boston is currently the fourth largest US - Tel Aviv origin-destination market without non-stop service behind San Francisco, Chicago and Miami and averages an estimated 91 passengers a day in each direction, generating more than $45 million in ticket sales last year alone.

Both Air China and Air Canada have announced their plans for an enhanced partnership on routes between Canada and China in order to stimulate traffic growth between the two countries.

At Routesonline we've decided to take a look back at a breaking article from the same time last year and revisit it two years later to see what’s happened since we released the news.

In 2015 the 8 th Routes Americas will take place on 1-3 February in Denver, Colorado marking the first time that the event has taken place in the US

Routes’ 2015 calendar of events begins with Routes Americas in February and with registrations for all of next year’s events including the 21st World