Routes analyzes some of the services returning as well as new routes being launched. This week: RwandAir swaps Gatwick for Heathrow, Ukraine International Airlines returns to New York via Iceland, and Alaska Airlines adds another sun route from Los Angeles.
Ukrainian carrier SkyUp Airlines is broadening its international network from next month while at the same time planning to increase its market share at home.
Israel Airport Authority is close to completing one of the country’s most significant infrastructure projects and one of Europe’s few green field airports to be opened since the turn of the millennium.
The new air link will be introduced from December 18, 2015 and will be operated on a twice weekly basis using a mix of Boeing 737 and Embraer 190 equipment. The flights will operate from Kharkiv on Tuesdays and Fridays and from Kutaisi on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The reciprocal bans have the potential to hit both nations' already struggling economies, reroute flights across a large part of Europe and lead to further economic disentanglement between the neighbouring states. Latest data from the World Bank's shows Ukraine's real GDP was expected to fall by over 7 per cent, making Russia and Ukraine the world's two worst-growing economies.
An official signing ceremony for the deal took place at the US Department of State on July 14, 2015 with Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Catherine A Novelli joining Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Andriy Pyvovarsky in signing the formal Open Skies agreement.
Ukraine is a huge market opportunity, but for many carriers there have been notable restrictions on air access. Negotiations on a full EU-Ukraine open skies agreement had reached a critical stage over the past couple of years, but have fallen on a more regional structure. This has initially seen the Ukraine Infrastructure Ministry allow the western Ukrainian city of Lviv to be linked directly to European Union destinations without any restrictions as a trial run.
As Ukraine’s leading carrier, UIA is playing an important role in developing air traffic from both the country’s capital Kiev and other cities across Ukraine.
During the past couple of days we have been in conversation with many delegates during Routes Silk Road in Tbilisi, Georgia and here are some of the snippets of information we picked up from our discussions.
Sponsored by the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia, the Routes Silk Road Strategy Summit brings together leading industry experts to debate air service and route development issues affecting commercial aviation across Silk Road area in a series of addresses, presentations and moderator led panel discussions.
