Far Eastern Air Transport-FAT has announced it will add 11 new Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft to its fleet over the next five years. The first delivery will be in the fourth quarter of 2019. The new type will replace its aging McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82s and DC-9-83s.
Boeing made this short announcement on social media:
Congrats to Far Eastern Air Transport for selecting and becoming the first in Taiwanย to operate the 737 MAX 8.
Image: Boeing.
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, and Egyptian national airline EgyptAir, have announced a significant expansion of their successful codeshare partnership, widening their horizons to cover more destinations in Africa, North Asia and Australia for the benefit and convenience of their customers. Sales on the expanded agreement will come into effect from today, for travel from May 2, 2018.
The initial phase of the agreement was launched in March 2017 and saw both Etihad Airways and EgyptAir place their codes on each otherโs flights operating between Abu Dhabi and Cairo. The second phase of expansion of the current codeshare partnership will see Etihad Airways place its โEYโ code on EgyptAir flights to a number of African destinations including Ndjamena in Chad, Nairobi in Kenya, Khartoum in Sudan, Entebbe in Uganda, Johannesburg in South Africa, and subject to government approvals, on flights to Nigeria, Eritrea and Tanzania, through the Star Alliance carrierโs Cairo hub.
The expanded partnership will also see EgyptAir place its โMSโ code on Etihad Airways flights from Abu Dhabi to Seoul, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, and subject to government approvals, on flights to China.
Etihad Airways has been serving the Abu Dhabi โ Cairo route since 2004, and currently operates five daily flights between the two capitals. EGYPTAIR operates up to three daily services on the route.
Top Copyright Photo:ย Etihad Airways Airbus A330-243 A6-EYH (msn 729) BRU (Ton Jochems). Image: 941607.
Etihad Airways aircraft slide show:
EgyptAir aircraft slide show:
Bottom Copyright Photo:ย EgyptAir Boeing 777-36N ER SU-GDO (msn 38289) LHR (SPA). Image: 941608.
(CNW Group/Air Canada)
Air Canada today became the first North American carrier to designate aircraft with lie-flat suites for premium cabin customers flying nonstop to Canada on major transcontinental routes with its new Air Canada Signature Service, including the onboard product Air Canada Signature Class. Beginning June 1, the airline will offer lie-flat suites and other enhanced amenities to eligible customers travelling on its wide-body aircraft from New York–Newark to Vancouver and both daytime and overnight daily flights from Los Angelesย and San Francisco to Toronto.
Air Canada Signature Service customers will receive priority service at every stage of the journey, including access to airport concierge services, expedited check-in and security clearance, priority baggage handling and preferential boarding. Customers will also enjoy Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge access and, for eligible customers connecting onward to international destinations at Toronto-Pearson, access to the exclusive Air Canada Signature Suite, featuring ร la carteย restaurant dining from a menu created by celebrated Canadian chef Davidย Hawksworth.
“Our new Air Canada Signature Service and Air Canada Signature Class brands reflect the ongoing refinements to our premium travel service. We know our premium customers travelling on longer flight itineraries, such as overnight transcontinental flights, place a high value on convenience and comfort when in airports or onboard an aircraft. We are the first North American airline designating aircraft with lie-flat seats for U.S. originating premium customers travelling select transborder routes on non-stop flights so that they can arrive fully rested in Canada,” said Benjamin Smith, President of Passenger Airlines, Air Canada.
Available starting today on all Air Canada international flights and beginning June 1on select transcontinental flights within North America, Air Canada Signature Service and Air Canada Signature Class will incorporate and elevate the award-winning attributes of Air Canada’s International Business Class, featuring its next generation lie-flat suites. Air Canada Signature Service will be available on select transborder and domestic Canadian transcontinental flights when operated with Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing 777, Boeing 767 and Airbus A330 aircraft. This includes routes between Toronto and the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vancouver, and between Vancouver and the cities of New York–Newark and Montreal.
To note, Air Canada Signature Service with lie-flat suites to provide a full night’s rest will be available daily on the following North American non-stop overnight flights beginning June 1.
|
Flight |
Departs |
Arrives |
Aircraft |
|
AC788 |
Los Angeles 22:15 |
Toronto 05:52 + 1 day |
Boeing 787-9 |
|
AC754 |
San Francisco 22:45 |
Toronto 06:37ย + 1 day |
Boeing 787-9 |
|
AC126 |
Vancouver 22:35 |
Toronto 05:55ย + 1 day |
Boeing 777 |
Air Canada Signature Service also introduces new amenities to make the journey even more comfortable, including:
Photo: Air Canada.
Primera Air, a low-fare Nordic airline, has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo at an event in Hamburg, Germany attended by Andri Mรกr Ingรณlfsson, CEO and President of Primera Travel Group and Kimon Sotiropoulos, Vice President Sales Northern and Central Europeย from Airbus.
The aircraft, the pictured A321-251N WL OY-PAA (msn 8145), which was assembled in Hamburg, is the first of three A321neos to be leased from GECAS in 2018. Primera Air will also lease a further five A321neos from other lessors, including two A321LRs, growing its fleet to eight aircraft in 2018.
The aircraft, powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines features a two-class layout with 16 premium and 182 economy seats. The aircraft was selected by Primera Air for its outstanding operational efficiency, comfort and range. The aircraft will be deployed in the United Kingdom and France on transatlantic destinations to North America.
The A321 is the largest member of the A320 Family, seating up to 240 passengers, depending on cabin configuration. Incorporating the latest engines, aerodynamic advances and cabin innovations, the A321neo offers a reduction in fuel consumption of at least 15 percent per seat from day one and 20 percent by 2020.
About Primera
Primera Air is a low-fare Nordic airline that offers scheduled flights from Europe to more than 70 destinations across the Mediterranean, Middle East, Asia, Caribbean and North America. Originally founded in Iceland in 2004 as a charter provider, Primera Air has grown to become a fully scheduled LCC that now carries over one million passengers each year. Initially, Primera Air operated charter flights for major Scandinavian tour operators with its main hubs in Denmark and Sweden, but gradually it has moved towards scheduled services. Today, Primera Air operates mid and long-haul flights from its bases in Scandinavia, UK and France.
Photo: Airbus.
Primera Air issued this statement:
Nordic long-haul low-fare airline Primera Air has received the first Airbus A321neo in a special delivery event in Hamburg on April 16. The aircraft has already made its first flights from Hamburg to Copenhagen and Billund before leaving to the UK where it soon will start operations to New York, Boston and Toronto.ย
Primera Air president Andri Mรกr Ingรณlfsson: โWe are witnessing changes in aviation as long-haul flights are becoming more available to everyone. This change is brought by the new narrow body aircraft as A321neo and we are proud to operate it on our transatlantic flights.โ This is the first of three A321neos to be leased from GECAS in 2018. Primera Air will also lease a further five A321neos from other lessors, including two A321LRs, growing its fleet to eight aircrafts in 2018. Primera Air will be the launch operator of A321LR, which is a modification of A321neo with even more extended flight range.
The aircraft is powered by CFM Leap-1A engines that allows to reach flight range of 4,000 nm. A321neo will have a two class layout with 16 premium and 182 economy seats. Meanwhile, the A321LR will be delivered later this year and recently it already had its maiden flight.ย According to Airbus it will set a new flight record for single-aisle twin jets of 4,750 nm.
As previously announced, Primera Air is opening new bases in Birmingham (BHX), London Stansted (STN) and Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to commence flights to New York, Boston, Washington DC and Toronto this spring, along with new routes from UK to Mรกlaga, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Barcelona and Chania. Within the next two years Primera Air plans to increase its presence on current bases and to add new transatlantic routes and bases as it has 20 new Boeing MAX 9 ER on order.
Air France has issued this statement:
On April 10, 2018, Air France management offered the representative unions the launch of multi-year pay negotiations (2019-2021) in order to find a solution to the continuing conflict.
The negotiations (1), launched on Thursday April 12, resumed on April 16 at 9am. At the end of three days of talks and to put an end to this conflict, Air France management assumed its responsibilities by proposing a final agreement for signature up to Friday April 20, 2018 at midday.
This final draft agreement ensures general salary increases for 2018 (an additional measure), 2019, 2020 and 2021, within the framework of a “growth pact” for the future.
It includes proposals that are both strong and economically sustainable:
With this agreement, salaries would increase, on average over the period, by 12.5% (including a general increase of 7% for all categories of staff as well as individual increases and the sliding seniority and skills pay scale).
This “growth pact” includes plans to adapt the increase in case Air France’s financial result is less than 200 million euros and to apply a reversion clause in case of higher inflation or a negative financial result.
It provides a positive and long-term answer to wage expectations while preserving the continued investment necessary for the company’s growth.
The continuing strike action is having serious consequences for the company, its customers and staff. It is financially destructive for the airline and its staff and is putting the company’s future in danger. The estimated cost of these strikes, including 17 and 18 April, is 220 million euros.
Continuing this conflict and rejecting this particularly favourable agreement proposal for Air France staff would represent a grave responsibility towards the entire company and its customers.
Meanwhile today, the fight schedule for today, Tuesday 17 April 2018, is operating according to forecast.
For tomorrow,ย Wednesday, April 18, 2018, Air France plans to operate 70% of its flights:
In view of a percentage of staff on strike, subject to the Diard law and expected to work on April 18, 2018, estimated at:
Copyright Photo:ย Air France Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner F-HRBD (msn 42487) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 939781.
Air France aircraft slide show:
airBalticย on April 16, launched a new route from Riga International Airport to Khrabrovoย Airport in Kaliningrad, Russia. The new route will offer convenient connections between the two cities.ย
| Route | Flight frequency | Start date | Price *,
Basic |
Price *,
Premium |
Price*,
Business |
| Riga โ Kaliningrad | 6 flights weekly | April 16, 2018 | 29 EUR | 89 EUR | 349 EUR |
*Lowest fare (one way), including taxes, fees and service charges, on www.airBaltic.com, subject to availability
Starting April 16, 2018, airBalticย flies between Riga and Kaliningrad six times a week on a Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft, and the flight is scheduled to last 55 minutes. One-way ticket price from Riga to Kaliningrad starts at 29 EUR, including airport fees and transaction costs.
airBaltic serves over 70 routes from Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius, offering the largest variety of destinations and convenient connections via Riga to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, the CIS and the Middle East. For summer 2018, airBaltic has introduced eight new destinations from Riga to Malaga, Lisbon, Split, Bordeaux, Gdansk, Almaty as well as Sochi and Kaliningrad. In addition, airBaltic launched a new direct route connecting Tallinn and London.
Top Copyright Photo (all others by airBaltic):ย airBaltic (airBaltic.com) Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) YL-BAY (msn 4331) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 907348.
airBaltic aircraft slide show:
Airbus has made this announcement:
Airbus will intensively contribute to the next steps in finding a global standard for mission-critical multimedia group communication. After the 3rd Generation Partnership Projectโs (3GPP) completion of release 14 of secure multimedia group communication in December 2017, Airbus and its partners within 3GPP are now working on release 15 and 16 by the end of 2019. 3GPP is a global initiative that unites various standard development organisations and sets international telecommunications standards as well as system specifications.
One of the prime intentions is to improve real-time video group communication (MCVideo) and develop a thorough 5G solution. โIt is all about verifying the current developments and test transparently the interfaces between our solutions and those of our partners in the 3GPP. We are expecting that the outcome evolves powerfully and will be confirmed in tests in June 2018 and in 2019,โ says Eric Davalo, Head of Strategic Development for Secure Land Communications at Airbus.
One of the areas Airbus will closely look at during the plug test in June 2018 is how its application Tactilon Agnet will work with Mission-Critical Push to Talk and Mission-Critical Data solutions (the safe transmission of messages, pictures and videos, but not in real-time). These solutions equally comply with the 3GPP releases 13 and 14 standard definitions. Both mission-critical functions refer to a functionality which allows immediate availability for group and one-to-one communication.
However, the definition of the Mission-Critical Video will still require further improvements with the release 15, before it can be intensively tested. Furthermore, the applicationโs hybrid use in Tetra and broadband networks will also be under scrutiny to find the best standard.ย
โNext June we will take part in an international plug test in Disaster City in Texas, United States, where we will check collaboratively the next level of standard developments with other companies,โ says Eric Davalo. โAfterwards, we will be focusing on mission-critical video group communication and start considering the 5G networks which evolve naturally out of the existing 4G technology. Our ideas look really promising.โ
Photo: Airbus.
Finnair has announced a new codeshare partnership with Alaska Airlines, which will further strengthen Finnairโs reach on the West Coast of the United States.
Starting May 20, Finnairโs code will be added to flights operated by Alaska Airlines between San Francisco and the following cities: Seattle/Tacoma, Portland, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County and Palm Springs. The new codeshares will offer smooth connections for Finnair customers connecting in San Francisco, where Finnair operates from Helsinki with up to three weekly frequencies between May 3 and December 5, 2018.
Finnair and Alaska Airlines announced a frequent flyer partnership in May 2017, which enables members of both the Finnair Plus loyalty program and the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan to earn and redeem miles or points on flights operated by both airlines.
Copyright Photo:ย Finnair Airbus A330-302 OH-LTO (msn 1013) (Unikko poppy – Marimekko) LHR (SPA). Image: 932220.
Finnair aircraft slide show:
Air Mauritius is planning to add a weekly flight from Mauritius to Wuhan, China. The new route will start on July 6, 2018 with Airbus A340-300s according to Airline Route.
Last month, Air Mauritius added twice-weekly service to Amsterdam on March 26, 2018.
The Amsterdam flights are operated in collaboration with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Air France. To recall, KLM kicked off these joint operations in October 2017 with three weekly flights between Amsterdam and Mauritius.
โThe start of operations to Amsterdam is part of our plan to develop a second hub in Europe. Many of our key routes have been built on the strong historical ties we share with the countries we operate to. Our history with the Netherlands is more than four centuries old. Mauritius was indeed named after Prince Maurits of Nassau, during the Dutch settlement in 1598. Today Schiphol Airport, the home base of our partner KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, gives us access to 50 code share destinations all over Europe. We expect Amsterdam to develop into an important hub in our network, particularly for passengers from Nordic and East European countries. This will contribute to boost tourist arrivals toMauritiusโ, stated Somas Appavou, CEO.
Air Mauritiusโ main hub in Europe is Paris from where it offers nearly 40 code share destinations in Europe, with partner Air France. Air Mauritius and the Air France/KLM group have built close ties over the years, Air France having been an important partner indeed since Air Mauritius was incorporated in 1967. In 1998 the two airlines signed a collaborative agreement to jointly operate the Mauritius โ Paris route. This agreement was extended and reinforced in 2008 and 2014.
Air Mauritius will operate 2 weekly frequencies on Mondays and Fridays throughout the Northern Summer of 2018. A third flight will be operated on Wednesdays during the peak period corresponding to July and August.
Copyright Photo:ย Air Mauritius Airbus A340-313 3B-NBI (msn 793) LHR (SPA). Image: 940460.
Air Mauritius aircraft slide show:
Wizz Air on July 2 will start a new route from Vienna to Eindhoven. The next day, July 3, the carrier will start a new route linking Vienna with Malaga.
Copyright Photo:ย Wizz Air (wizzair.com) (Hungary) Airbus A320-232 WL HA-LYQ (msn 6614) TRF (Ton Jochems). Image: 941588.
Wizz Air aircraft slide show:
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