Monthly Archives: March 2014

EasyJet to expand its presence at its London’s Luton Airport home, unveils the new Tartan livery at Inverness

EasyJet (UK) (London-Luton) has agreed a new 10 year deal with London Luton Airport which could see the airline more than double its size at the airport from four to nine million passengers a year. The expansion would also see the creation of 2,500 new jobs at the airport – the UK’s sixth largest – and in the surrounding region.

EasyJet has 15 aircraft based at London Luton, its second largest London base, and plans to grow its capacity by around 20% over the next year – adding new business and leisure routes and increasing frequencies on some of its existing 39 routes from London Luton.

EasyJet is the largest airline operating from London Luton with 1,600 staff employed locally and 39 destinations served.

EasyJet first launched flights from London Luton Airport with one aircraft in 1995 and the airport remains the home of the airline with its headquarters based there.

London Luton Airport is one of the UK’s largest airports and carried 9.7 million passengers in 2013, departing to over 100 destinations. The Airport directly and indirectly employs over 600 and 8,000 staff respectively and is a key economic driver for the region.

Top Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com (all others by EasyJet). Airbus A319-111 G-EZBF (msn 2923) in the Tartan design prepares to depart from Gatwick Airport on the south side of London.

The airline issued this statement about G-EZBF:

EasyJet today (March 31) celebrated the launch of new early morning flights between Inverness and London Gatwick by unveiling a special edition tartan plane and EasyJet tartan kilts.

EasyJet was joined by Transport Minister Keith Brown MSP and Highlands MP Danny Alexander as well as representatives from Visit Scotland, Scottish Council for Development and Industry and the Inverness Chamber of Commerce .

These services not only secure the long term future of air links between the Highlands and London following Flybe’s decision to exit the route but will also help to keep businesses in the Highlands connected to London.

To mark the occasion easyJet created the ‘Highland aircraft’ tartan which is the first to be registered to an airline since records started in 2008 and one of the most prominent orange designs available. The easyJet tartan also features on a special edition Airbus A319 aircraft – named ‘Inverness’ – which will operate on easyJet routes across Europe to help promote the Highlands as a tourism destination.

The new Inverness to Gatwick flights will be followed by four new easyJet routes launching this spring – Herakilon and Bodrum from Edinburgh and Spilt and Kos from Glasgow. In total EasyJet expects to carry over 5.3 million passengers on Scottish flights this year ensuring it remains Scotland’s largest airline.

EasyJet (UK):

Air Lituanica expands operations for the summer season

Air Lituanica (Vilnius) launched flights to Tallinn on March 12. The number of flights on the Prague route will be increased to 5 times a week, on business days. The flights to Munich will be increased to 4 flights per week; passengers will also have a chance to take a flight on Sundays. The number of flights to Berlin increases to 6 times per week; flights will be operated on a daily basis, excluding Saturdays.
On May 3 the carrier increased the number of flights to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris to 5 times a week.

Air Lituanica also flies to Brussels on a daily basis, excluding Saturdays.

Air Lituanica on March 5 added additional flights to Berlin (Tegel) and Prague on March 15.

Copyright Photo: Karl Cornil/AirlinersGallery.com. Operated by Estonian Air, Embraer ERJ 170-100LR ES-AEB (msn 17000106) has been replaced with an ERJ 175.

Air Lituanica:

Route Map:

Air Croatia to launch operations on June 14

Air Croatia (Zagreb) will launch weekly operations on June 14 between Gothenburg and Zagreb and also between Gothenburg and Split. Czech Airlines will wet lease an Airbus A319 to the new carrier for both routes.

InterSky to operate Zurich-Dresden flights this summer

InterSky Luftfahrt (Bregenz and Friedrichshafen) for the summer season will operate six weekly flights from Zurich to Dresden starting on May 5 per Austrian Aviation Net.

Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-314 OE-LIA (msn 505) in the special Steirmark livery arrives in Zurich.

InterSky:

Route Map:

TAP Portugal to open a new route to Bogota and Panama City in July, will add two ATR 42-600s

TAP Portugal (Lisbon) will be flying to Bogotá and Panama City four times a week starting in July. The new will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, with flights departing from Lisbon at 12 noon (1200) and arriving in Bogotá at 3:55 pm (1555). The flight then leaves for Panamá at 4:55 pm (1655), arriving there at 6:25 pm (1825). The return flight departs for Lisbon at 7:40 pm (1940), where it arrives at 11:00 am (1100) the following day (all local times).

The new route will operate with Airbus A330-200 aircraft with a seating capacity of 268.

TAP Portugal starting on July 1 will introduce new ATR 42-600 aircraft, replacing Beechcraft 1900Ds. TAP is also adding new service to Oviedo. The airline issued this statement:

TAP has announced the eleventh new route it will launch in 2014. The new route will connect Lisbon and Oviedo from July 1.

The launch of the Oviedo service has been made possible because of an important change to the fleet operated by PGA — Portugália Airlines (Lisbon), with the replacement of two 19-seater Beechcraft 1900D aircraft with two 46-seat ATR 42-600s, which also have a longer range.

Oviedo will become the eighth Spanish city with direct TAP flights, joining Madrid and Barcelona (which have direct flights from Lisbon, Porto and Funchal), Seville, La Coruña, Bilbao, Malaga and Valencia.
In 2013, TAP carried 944,000 passengers between Portugal and Spain, a 6% increase from 2012.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A330-223 CS-TOF (msn 308) of TAP Portugal arrives at Miami International Airport.

TAP Portugal:

PGA-Portugalia Airlines:

Etihad Regional-Darwin Airline leases four ATR 72-500 aircraft to expand its fleet

Etihad Regional (operated by Darwin Airline) (Lugano and Geneva) has announced an agreement to lease four ATR 72-500 aircraft, which will see the carrier boost its regional fleet to 12 aircraft and support its rapidly expanding network.

All four aircraft will be delivered from March through June 2014. The airline currently operates a fleet of eight 50-seat SAAB 2000 turboprop aircraft.

Etihad Regional will configure each aircraft with 68 seats.

The lease of the aircraft was arranged by Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC), the world’s largest turboprop leasing company headquartered in Billund, Denmark.

Etihad Regional’s Maiden Flight Takes To The Skies – 23 Jan 2014 En

Darwin Airline adopted the new name and brand after Etihad Airways invested in the regional carrier with a one third share.

Etihad Regional’s first commercial flight, flight F7 154, took to the skies on January 23, 2014, with a newly branded 50-seat SAAB 2000 (HB-IZP) aircraft. The flight departed from the airline’s hub in Geneva, Switzerland and landed on schedule at Rome Fiumicino Airport in Italy.

The first Etihad Regional branded aircraft was unveiled at a launch event in Zurich on January 16, 2014, showcasing the airline’s new livery and brand new logo. All 10 aircraft in the Etihad Regional fleet will feature the new livery by the end of June 2014.

Copyright Photo: Rolf Wallner/AirlinersGallery.com. The pictured ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-500) HB-ACB (msn 662) was leased and delivered on March 13 and visited Zurich today in the new look.

Routes from Geneva (red lines are regular routes, blue are seasonal):

Lufthansa’s pilots to strike on April 2-4, Lufthansa calls on the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union to resume talks

Lufthansa (Frankfurt) is facing another strike by its pilots, represented by the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union (VC), from April 2 through 4 next week. The labor dispute involves pay and retirement issues.

Read the full report from Reuters: CLICK HERE

Lufthansa has called for renewed talks to end the dispute and has issued this statement:

Lufthansa has called on the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union (VC) to resume joint talks as soon as possible. “We still have four and a half days to avoid further disruptions for our customers, which would occur with the strike that has been announced,” said Dr Bettina Volkens, Chief Officer Human Resources and Legal, Deutsche Lufthansa AG. “We are willing to continue the discussions at any time and have laid the groundwork for negotiations with the new offer for the wage settlement and the offer concerning early retirement from flight service. With the goodwill of everyone involved, we should be able to avoid a strike,” Ms Volkens continued.

VC has announced a three-day strike for employees of Lufthansa German Airlines, Lufthansa Cargo and Germanwings at every German airport from April 2-4.

Although Lufthansa continues to hope for a negotiated solution, it is working flat out to keep the effects of a strike on its customers to a minimum. “We greatly regret the fact that this strike from April 2-4 may prevent us from bringing our passengers to their destination or back home on time. We will do everything to take care of those affected as well as we possibly can. Wherever possible, we will offer alternative travel options with. At the same time, we are still working to solve the collective bargaining dispute,” Ms Volkens said.

Lufthansa will, in any event, inform its customers in good time about the details of flight cancellations, rebooking options and alternative travel arrangements at LH.com. The Company will also send information about changes to flights by email and text message to customers who have provided their contact details.

Lufthansa made VC an improved offer for the wage settlement. It provides for a sustainable pay increase of 5.2 per cent for the period from May 1, 2012 to December 31, 2015 as well as a one-off payment for all pilots at Lufthansa German Airlines, Lufthansa Cargo and Germanwings. A pay freeze is planned for the first six months of this period. There is to be a one-off payment of €2,000 for the period from November 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013. This corresponds to 1.2 per cent of the pilots’ total remuneration. For the period from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2015, salaries are ultimately to rise in two stages by a total of 5.2 per cent: by 3 per cent retroactively as of January 1, 2014, and by another 2.1 per cent as of July 1, 2014. The original plan of linking salary increases to the Company’s performance has been dropped. Lufthansa has therefore accepted key demands made by VC. This offer means that the pilots would make a contribution to ensuring the Group’s future viability comparable with that of other groups of employees.

Lufthansa also offered to ensure that pilots can continue to retire early in future. The offer safeguards the positions of all employees who joined Lufthansa before January 1, 2014. As before, these employees can receive up to 60 per cent of their last gross salary until they reach the earliest possible statutory retirement age of 63. From 2017, the earliest possible age at which pilots can retire from flight service at Lufthansa German Airlines will be raised, depending on the length of service, from 55 for more senior to up to 60 for younger employees. Employees who have been with the Company for thirty years or more are not affected at all by the changes. Pilots at Lufthansa Cargo and Germanwings can already leave flight service only when they reach 60 years of age, and then make use of transitional benefits.

The previous wage agreement also stipulated that Lufthansa German Airlines cockpit staff had to reach an average age of 58 for early retirement. Lufthansa’s offer now raises the agreed average early retirement age within three years from 58 to 61 years, starting in 2016. The effective average age for taking early retirement in 2013 was already 58.9 years. This also reflects the general societal trend towards longer working lives.

For pilots who start or have started work at Lufthansa after January 1, 2014, it will still be possible to retire early from flight service. The matter of financing these benefits is the subject of future talks with VC.

For all employees, the offer still includes employer-financed insurance against incapacity for flight service.

Read the 2013 Lufthansa Group Annual Report: CLICK HERE

Lufthansa:

Aigle Azur takes delivery of its first Airbus A320 with Sharklets, will retire its Airbus A321

Aigle Azur Transport Aeriens (2nd) (Paris-Orly has taken delivery of a new Airbus A320 fitted with Sharklets.

The new A320 is configured with a two class layout with 36 seats in Business Class and 138 in the main cabin. The new aircraft replaces another A320 from the all-Airbus fleet of twelve aircraft – seven A320s, four A319s and one A321.

Airbus A320-214 F-HBIX (msn 6012) (above) was handed over on March 13 and arrived at Paris-Orly Sud base on the evening of March 13, 2014. The new airliner entered revenue service the following day from Paris (Orly) to Bamako. The aircraft is mainly being used for flights between Paris-Orly and Moscow and Paris-Orly and Bamako.

By adding this new Airbus to its fleet, Aigle Azur has now become the second French airline to operate this type of aircraft, which is the latest generation of the Airbus A320 family.

Aigle Azur is planning to operate its last scheduled Airbus A321 service with A321-211 F-HBAF (msn 1006) from Paris (Orly) to Algiers and return on April 3 according to Airline Route.

Top Copyright Photos: Aigle Azur.

Aigle Azur:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Pepscl/Airlinersgallery.com. The pictured A321-211 F-HBAB (msn 823) in the old 2001 colors was previously returned to GATX on September 30, 2013 and is now with Atlasjet as TC-ATZ.

Besides Moscow, Aigle Azur specializes in connecting Paris (Orly) with destinations in Portugal and Africa:

Vueling to add five seasonal flights this summer

Vueling Airlines (Barcelona) will add five seasonal new routes this summer, including twice-weekly Alicante-Santander (starting on June 20), twice-weekly Barcelona-Cluj (June 27), weekly Barcelona-Santa Cruz de la Palma (June 21), twice-weekly Barcelona-Tallinn (June 20) and Santiago de Compostela-Amsterdam (three flights per week) (June 21) per Airline Route.

Copyright Photo: Karl Cornil/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-232 WL EC-LUO (msn 5530) with Sharklets approaches Brussels for landing.

Vueling Airlines:

EasyJet to expand operations at London’s Gatwick Airport after a new seven year agreement with GAL

EasyJet (UK) (London-Luton) has announced that it has agreed a new seven year deal with Gatwick Airport (GAL) from April 2014 which will incentivise the airline to grow at the airport and provide the framework for EasyJet and GAL to further improve customer experience for easyJet’s passengers.

EasyJet plans to continue to grow at Gatwick through increasing our slots and by deploying larger aircraft as EasyJet replaces 156 seat A319s with 180 seat A320s and, from 2017, A320neos. In the next fiscal year (ending in March 2015) alone the airline will increase capacity and passenger numbers by around 10% compared to the previous year.

The agreement has been reached within the new ‘commitments’ framework which will replace the current regulatory regime as confirmed by the CAA last year‎.

EasyJet started flying from London Gatwick Airport in 1999 and now has 57 aircraft based there, operating on 108 routes. The airline has around 1400 cabin crew and 700 pilots operating from the airport.

Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. William Shakespeare touches down at EuroAirport serving the Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg area on the fuselage of Airbus A319-111 G-EZBI (msn 3003).

EasyJet (UK):