Kamchatka Aviation Enterprise Antonov An-26 with 28 people crashes in Kamchatka, Siberia

Kamchatka Aviation Enterprise was operating a flight today with 22 passengers and six crew members from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (below) to Palana in the Kamchatka Peninsula in Siberia.

At first. the Antonov An-26B-100 (RA-26085) went missing.

According to the Associated Press:

“Wreckage from a plane that went missing Tuesday in Russia’s Far East region of Kamchatka was found around five kilometers (three miles) away from a runway at an airport on the coast where it was supposed to land, officials said.

An Antonov An-26 plane with 22 passengers and six crew members, flying from the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to the town of Palana on the Okhotsk Sea coast, missed a scheduled communication and disappeared from radar as it was on approach for landing.”

The approach to runway 12 (from the west) at Palana (UHPL) requires sufficient visibility to clear the high rising coastline before turning to the runway. It is strongly believed the An-26 collided with the upper edge of the cliff while operating in reduced visibility conditions. pic.twitter.com/0qYtmU1c44

— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) July 6, 2021

A passenger plane with at least 28 people on board crashed in Russia's far eastern Kamchatka peninsula on Tuesday, Russia's aviation agency told CNN. https://t.co/e8bKFDlkF5

— CNN International (@cnni) July 6, 2021

Air Serbia and Luxair establish partnership agreement, Air Serbia increases flights to Montenegro

Air Serbia and Luxair have established a new partnership agreement.

In other news, Air Serbia is increasing the number of flights to Montenegro with this announcement:

Due to high demand, Air Serbia has provided in July a total of 12,340 additional seats on flights to the Montenegrin coast. The Serbian national airline has made additional 10,228 seats available to passengers by introducing 43 round trip flights to Tivat this month. Also, the introduction of a different aircraft type on existing flights on this popular route has made another 2,160 seats available.

With reference to the concerned changes, Air Serbia will operate up to 54 flights a week to Tivat in July, while the number of daily flights on this route will range from six to as many as eight.

In July, Air Serbia plans to operate three daily flights to Podgorica, that is, up to 21 flights a week, and Serbia’s flag carrier will operate a total of 322 round trip flights to both of its destinations in Montenegro. In order to provide greater capacity, one return flight to Podgorica on Sundays will be performed by an Airbus A330 with 257 seats.

Top Copyright Photo: Air Serbia Airbus A319-132 YU-APE (msn 3252) AYT (Ton Jochems). Image: 954338.

Air Serbia aircraft slide show:

PLAY arrives in Berlin

Play Airlines announced on social media its first arrival in Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER).

Air Canada’s new service between Montreal and Kelowna celebrated at Kelowna International Airport

Air Canada’s newest domestic route with the only nonstop service between Montreal and Kelowna was celebrated at Kelowna International Airport today.

The flights operate three times weekly, increasing to four times in mid-July and five times in August. Customers will enjoy Air Canada’s fuel-efficient Airbus A220-300 fleet featuring Business Class and Economy cabins, a modernized in-flight entertainment system with hours of complementary entertainment available at every seat, onboard Wi-Fi and more.

This new route adds to the significant impact Air Canada has on the local economy and that of the province of British Columbia as a whole. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Air Canada contributed approximately $2.2 billion to BC’s GDP, annually. Additionally, Kelowna is now connected to all four of the airline’s hubs which connects the Okanagan Valley directly to Air Canada’s vast

Air Canada’s Airbus A220-300 features 12 Business Class seats and 125 Economy Class seats with upgraded in-flight entertainment at every seat throughout the aircraft.

F light	R oute	D eparture Time	Arrival Time	Aircraft	Day of Operation
AC365	Montreal to Kelowna	19:05	21:35	Airbus A220-300	Mon, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun
AC364	Kelowna to Montreal	10:00	17:30	Airbus A220-300	Mon, Tues, Fri, Sat, Sun

Air Canada’s new refund policy of offering customers options of refunds, an Air Canada Travel Voucher or equivalent value in Aeroplan Points with a 65% bonus should the airline cancel or reschedule a flight by more than three hours, is applicable to all tickets purchased.

Porter Airlines confirms restart of service to select Canadian destinations beginning September 8

Porter Airlines is officially returning to the skies on Sept. 8, nearly 18 months after suspending flights due to COVID-19 public health and travel restrictions.

U.S. flights start on September 17 (CNW Group/Porter Airlines)

The flight schedule is returning in phases, with the initial group of Canadian destinations being Halifax, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, St. John’s, NL, Thunder Bay and Toronto. U.S. destinations in Boston, Chicago, New York and Washington follow on Sept. 17.

Approximately 500 team members will be recalled to active status as the first phase of flights are introduced. More staff will be added in subsequent months as flights and destinations return to the schedule.

The initial flight schedule is as follows:

Canadian Routes*	Peak daily roundtrips	Service start date
Ottawa – Toronto	6 flights	Sept. 8
Montreal – Toronto	6 flights	Sept. 8
Thunder Bay – Toronto	3 flights	Sept. 8
Ottawa – Halifax	2 flights	Sept. 13
Montreal – Halifax	1 flight	Sept. 13
Quebec City – Toronto	1 flight	Sept. 13
Halifax – St. John’s	1 flight	Sept. 17
Moncton – Ottawa	1 flight	Sept. 17

U.S. Routes*
New York (Newark) – Toronto	6 fights	Sept. 17
Boston – Toronto	3 flights	Sept. 17
Chicago (Midway) – Toronto	2 flights	Sept. 17
Washington (Dulles) – Toronto	1 flight	Sept. 17

* All Toronto routes operate at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Schedules vary by day of week.

Flights to other year-round destinations normally operated by Porter are currently available for booking and set to resume as of Oct. 6.

📢 After nearly 18 months, #PorterIsBack! We're returning to the skies on Sept. 8, and we can't wait to welcome you back! Full details and flight schedules at: https://t.co/KUriXr6vB8 pic.twitter.com/YmX99QEpwZ

— Porter Airlines (@porterairlines) July 5, 2021

airBaltic launches flights to Manchester and Edinburgh

airBaltic on July 4, 2021 launched new scheduled flights between Riga and Manchester in the United Kingdom. airBaltic now connects both cities with two weekly flights.

In addition, as of July 2 airBaltic also connects Riga and Edinburgh twice a week.

Destination served	Flight frequency	Start date	Price *, GREEN	Price *, GREEN Classic	Price*, Business
Riga–Manchester	2 flights weekly	July 4, 2021	29 EUR	105 EUR	365 EUR

In other news, airBaltic on July 3 launched flights from Riga to two Norwegian cities – Trondheim and Bergen. airBaltic now connects cities with two weekly flights. Also, on July 3 airBaltic starts connecting Riga twice a week with a new summer seasonal destination in Greece – the beautiful island of Kos.

Flights between Riga and Trondheim, Riga and Bergen, and Riga and Kos are operated by the Airbus A220-300 aircraft.

Destination served	Flight frequency	Start date	Price *, GREEN	Price *, GREEN Classic	Price*, Business
Riga–Trondheim	2 flights weekly	July 3, 2021	35 EUR	105 EUR	319 EUR
Riga–Bergen	2 flights weekly	July 3, 2021	29 EUR	79 EUR	289 EUR
Riga–Kos	2 flights weekly	July 3, 2021	79 EUR	125 EUR	399 EUR

*Lowest fare (one way), including taxes, fees and service charges.

Route Map:

Top Copyright Photo: airBaltic Airbus A220-300 (Bombardier CS300 – BD-500-1A11) YL-CSG (msn 55009) MUC (Gunter Mayer). Image: 954295.

airBaltic aircraft slide show:

BOC Aviation delivers seven Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft to TUI

BOC Aviation Limited has announced that it has delivered the seventh of seven new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft for lease to TUI Travel Aviation Finance Limited. All aircraft are powered by CFM LEAP-1B engines.

TUI is the world’s leading tourism group. The broad portfolio gathered under the Group umbrella consists of strong tour operators, 1,600 travel agencies and leading online portals, five airlines with around 150 aircraft, over 400 hotels, 15 cruise liners and many incoming agencies in all major holiday destinations around the globe.

Helvetic Airways to base two aircraft at EuroAirport serving Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg

Helvetic Airways is stationing two aircraft of its Embraer E-Jet fleet at EuroAirport which services the Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg area from July 10, 2021.

The new operation from the world’s only binational airport, which serves a trinational catchment area, is a first for the Swiss regional carrier. The aircraft will be deployed on weekend services to the Greek island of Santorini, to the Spanish city of Jerez and to Larnaca on Cyprus.

The Med on Basel’s doorstep

Santorini is the southernmost of Greece’s Cyclades islands, and enjoys more hours of sunshine than anywhere else in the country. The island’s spectacular landscapes are the product of volcanic activity, and are famed above all for their magical craters. Santorini will receive weekly Saturday Helvetic Airways service.

Helvetic Airways’ second new destination is Jerez de la Frontera in Spain. The city , which is renowned for both its surrounding vineyards and its rich cultural heritage, stands on the plain at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River in southern Andalusia, some 12 kilometres from the Atlantic coast. Jerez will also receive a weekly Saturday service.

Larnaca on Cyprus will welcome Sunday weekly Helvetic Airways flights. The island’s third largest city is also a port with a thousand-year history and some 340 days of sunshine a year, all of which makes it a popular holiday destination.

Top Copyright Photo: Helvetic Airways Embaer ERJ 190-100AR (IGW) HB-JVT (msn 19000199) ZRH (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 954322.

Helvetic Airways aircraft slide show:

Airliners International 2021 – Phoenix

First airline show since COVID-19:

Ryanair to open a new base in Agadir, Morocco

Ryanair has announced it will open a new base in Agadir, the third base in Morocco starting in November 2021 with two aircraft.

The low-fare airline will operate 55 weekly flights to seven European countries and 25 destinations from Agadir, including Bologna, Brussels, Rome, Dublin, Paris, Porto, and Toulouse.