easyJet launches new routes from Birmingham this summer to five European beach destinations

easyJet and easyJet holidays have announced the launch of new routes and holidays from Birmingham Airport for this summer.

Starting from June 29, 2021, flights and holidays will take off from Birmingham Airport to the popular beach destinations of Majorca, Málaga and Alicante in Spain, Faro in Portugal, and Corfu in Greece.

Birmingham to Málaga flights will operate twice weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays from June 29 with fares available from £22.99*

Birmingham to Faro will operate three times per week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays from June 29 with fares from £22.99*

Birmingham to Alicante will operate three times per week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from June 30 with fares from £23.99*

Birmingham to Majorca will operate three times per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from July 3 with fares from £22.99*

Birmingham to Corfu will operate twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays from July 4 with fares from £22.99*

Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK Country Manager commented:

“We are pleased to announce more connectivity to Birmingham today in flying to popular beach destinations and getting customers away on their much-needed summer holiday across Europe this year.

“We believe that a framework can be put in place for the safe reopening of travel and a strong summer, and we are currently focused on working with the UK Government Travel Task Force in the coming days and weeks. We are hopeful that progress will continue to be made with the vaccination programmes in Europe, with several countries in Europe having indicated they will be welcoming British tourists this summer. We remain of the view that international travel can restart and that, with the right framework in place, restrictions can be safely and progressively reduced and in some cases removed by mid-summer for key destinations. We’ve kept our fleet in a flight-ready mode so we are ready and able to ramp up our services quickly and increase our capacity where we see increased demand for the summer.”

easyJet now operates up to ten routes from Birmingham, offering services to a range of city and beach destinations across the UK and Europe.

Top Copyright Photo: easyJet (UK) Airbus A321-251NX WL G-UZMD (msn 8421) PMI (Javier Rodriguez). Image: 951131.

easyJet aircraft slide show:

Neos opens the Milan Malpensa – Toronto cargo route, takes delivery of two MAX 8s

Neos started flying the Milan Malpensa – Toronto Pearson route on April 5, 2021. The cargo service is operated weekly and the Italian leisure airline has selected Swissport Canada as its handler in Toronto.

Marco Finelli reporting from Italy

In other news, Neos took delivery of two Boeing 737-8 MAX 8s. It made this announcement on social media:

The new ones in the Neos family are two Boeing 737-8s, and we can’t wait to let you try them!

Baptized ′′ Marco Polo ′′ and ′′ Christopher Columbus ′′ we are eager to take you to discover the world as the fearless explorers whose name is.

Neos aircraft photo gallery:

Neos aircraft slide show:

Jet2.com and Jet2holidays suspends all flights through June 23

Jet2.com and Jet2holidays has further suspended its operations through at least June 23, 2021 following the release of the Global Travel Taskforce framework in the UK.

The company issued this statement:

Above Photo: Doors to manual, seat belts on and Amanda Holden is ready for takeoff on Heart Breakfast’s virtual plane!

Top Copyright Photo: Jet2-Jet2.com Boeing 737-800 WL G-JZHS (msn 63149) (Friendly Low Fares) STN (Richard Vandervord). Image: 953240.

Jet2.com aircraft slide show:

airBaltic to add new routes

airBaltic is launching new routes and restoring services:

The airline has announced plans to three weekly flights between Tallinn and Munich starting on May 1.

The carrier will also launch twice-weekly service between Riga and Heraklion commencing on May 15.

Also from Riga, airBaltic will add weekly service to Santorini in Greece beginning on June 5.

Finally the carrier will add the Riga – Naples route on June 4 with two flights a week.

#ConnectivityIsEssential and for many flying brings hope, comfort, and safety. We’re here to cater to your needs today and we promise to keep carrying travellers safely when the world opens up again. pic.twitter.com/Ku8sS5aPK8

— airBaltic (@airBaltic) March 29, 2021

Top Copyright Photo: airBaltic Airbus A220-300 (Bombardier CS300 – BD-500-1A11) YL-AAU (msn 55064) FRA (Marcelo F. De Biasi). Image: 951386.

airBaltic aircraft slide show:

Flyr to launch operations on June 30

Flyr (Oslo), the new Norwegian carrier, has announced it will launch scheduled passengers in Norway on June 30, 2021.

The first route will be between Oslo and Tromsø with Boeing 737-800s.

The new airline has issued an image of their livery (top).

The new airline issued this statement:

The airline Flyr will start selling airline tickets in late May and the company’s very first flight will go to Tromsø on June 30th. The start-up date is adapted to the government’s plan for reopening Norwegian society.

“A concrete plan for the reopening of Norway gives us in Flyr the predictability we need to be able to start ticket sales. In order not to get into a situation with significant changes in the route program and subsequent rebookings that will be unfortunate for customers, our start-up is adapted to the Government’s plan for the reopening of Norway. We experience that employees and partners are very eager to get started, and not least we experience great interest from people who want to go out and travel. We look forward to welcoming you on board for our first flight from Oslo to Tromsø and for future trips to other cities in Norway and well-known and beloved destinations in Europe”, says CEO Tonje Wikstrøm Frislid in Flyr.

Busy months ahead

Flyr will serve a number of Norwegian cities, as well as a selection of well-known and beloved destinations in Europe, including Malaga, Alicante and Nice. The company will expand the number of aircraft and destinations in line with demand, and in the long term the plan is a fleet of 28-30 aircraft.

Flyr’s first aircraft of the type Boeing 737-800 will be delivered in May, additional aircraft will arrive in June, and the fleet will be expanded through the autumn. At the same time, pilots and cabin crew are on their way in to spend time on training and service courses. The first courses are fully subscribed, and there is a great demand from skilled people with long aviation experience who want to work for Flyr. The company now has 45 employees with solid experience from Norwegian aviation and will have about 350 employees by the end of the year.

The new entity explains its strategy:

Flyr is created for travelers in Norway and built up with Norwegian jobs. Our mission is to create an airline that is more sustainable for the economy, society, and the environment. It should feel good to fly with Flyr.

Flyr is the Norwegian word for flying and it embodies us perfectly. It is simple, to the point, and challenges traditional conventions of air travel – which is exactly what we aim to do. We are starting a new airline in Norway from scratch and we get to think of all the ways we can make air travel easier, more environmentally friendly, and more enjoyable for our passengers.

The goal of Flyr is to deliver the simplest flight, in a more sustainable way. We will accomplish this by creating a purely digital product based on the needs of the passengers, and fly fewer, smarter flights to places and at times people need to travel. We build the company from the ground up, free from complex systems and cumbersome organizations, in order to run an efficient and customer-friendly aircraft operation.

Flyr was started by enthusiastic aviation industry experts with extensive experience in companies including SAS, Norwegian, Widerøe, and Braathens. Since the company was launched in the autumn of 2020, we have grown rapidly, and now have a team of 30, working full-time to get Flyr in the air.

We will fly between Norwegian cities and to popular destinations in Europe.

Boeing recommends operators of some 737 MAX airplanes temporarily remove them from service to address a potential electrical issue

Boeing has issued a recommendation to 16 customers (including American, Southwest and United) to remove and inspect certain Boeing 737 MAX aircraft due to a “potential electrical issue”. This is apparently due to a production issue when the aircraft were built.

The FAA issued this statement:

Boeing recommends operators of some 737 MAX airplanes temporarily remove them from service to address a potential electrical issue. The FAA will ensure the issue is addressed. Passengers should contact airlines about possible flight delays and cancellations.

Boeing issued this statement:

Boeing has recommended to 16 customers that they address a potential electrical issue in a specific group of 737 MAX airplanes prior to further operations. The recommendation is being made to allow for verification that a sufficient ground path exists for a component of the electrical power system.

We are working closely with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on this production issue. We are also informing our customers of specific tail numbers affected and we will provide direction on appropriate corrective actions.

American Airlines has grounded 17 MAX aircraft.

Above Copyright Photo: American Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 N378SC (msn 44471) BFI (Joe G. Walker). Image: 952213.

Southwest Airlines has removed 30 of its 58 MAX aircraft for inspections.

Above Copyright Photo: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 N8701Q (msn 42554) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 953439.

United Airlines has grounded 16 of its 30 MAX aircraft according to USA Today.

Above Copyright Photo: United Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX 9 N1780B (N27520) (msn 64499) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 951068.

Allegiant is encouraged by an uptick in demand in March, traffic is down by 26.2% from 2019

Allegiant Travel Company reported its preliminary passenger traffic results for March 2021 as well as first quarter 2021.

“We are encouraged by the meaningful improvement in customer demand throughout the month of March,” stated Gregory Anderson, executive vice president and chief financial officer. “Average daily bookings for the month exceeded average daily bookings during the same time period in 2019. The significant improvement in March demand coupled with our industry-leading cost structure enabled us to generate positive EPS and EBITDA for the month of March, excluding the benefit from the payroll support grant. For the March quarter, we expect adjusted¹ CASM, excluding fuel, to be down 3 to 4 percent, year over two-year.”

“Capacity was up roughly three percent, when compared to 2019, with March capacity up 14 percent,” stated Drew Wells, senior vice president, revenue. “Although this caused some load pressure, our focus remains on generating positive cash flows and optimizing profits. We continue to expect first quarter total revenue to fall in the middle of our previous guide of down 35 to 40 percent, when compared with 2019. We remain optimistic about peak summer travel. With national vaccination rates steadily increasing and average daily bookings trending in the right direction, we expect sequential revenue improvements into the second quarter.”

¹ Adjusted to exclude the impact of the payroll support grant.

Scheduled Service – Year Over Two-Year Comparison

	March 2021	March 2019	Change
Passengers	1,095,572	1,484,326	(26.2%)
Revenue passenger miles (000)	1,022,480	1,386,501	(26.3%)
Available seat miles (000)	1,832,250	1,610,575	13.8%
Load factor	55.8%	86.1%	(30.3 pts)
Departures	11,710	10,297	13.7%
Average stage length (miles)	899	914	(1.6%)

	1^st Quarter 2021	1^st Quarter 2019	Change
Passengers	2,323,302	3,421,538	(32.1%)
Revenue passenger miles (000)	2,166,417	3,191,045	(32.1%)
Available seat miles (000)	3,921,090	3,802,132	3.1%
Load factor	55.3%	83.9%	(28.6pts)
Departures	24,947	24,344	2.5%
Average stage length (miles)	902	908	(0.7%)

*Total System – Year Over Two-Year Comparison**

	March 2021	March 2019	Change
Passengers	1,102,869	1,499,688	(26.5%)
Available seat miles (000)	1,884,130	1,655,330	13.8%
Departures	12,144	10,660	13.9%
Average stage length (miles)	892	908	(1.8%)

	1^st Quarter 2021	1^st Quarter 2019	Change
Passengers	2,334,503	3,450,278	(32.3%)
Available seat miles (000)	4,013,989	3,910,239	2.7%
Departures	25,684	25,200	1.9%
Average stage length (miles)	898	904	(0.7%)

Scheduled Service – Year Over Year Comparison

	March 2021	March 2020	Change
Passengers	1,095,572	892,966	22.7%
Revenue passenger miles (000)	1,022,480	839,766	21.8%
Available seat miles (000)	1,832,250	1,413,348	29.6%
Load factor	55.8%	59.4%	(3.6 pts)
Departures	11,710	8,926	31.2%
Average stage length (miles)	899	914	(1.6%)

	1^st Quarter 2021	1^st Quarter 2020	Change
Passengers	2,323,302	3,154,606	(26.4%)
Revenue passenger miles (000)	2,166,417	2,925,482	(25.9%)
Available seat miles (000)	3,921,090	3,964,009	(1.1%)
Load factor	55.3%	73.8%	(18.5pts)
Departures	24,947	25,484	(2.1%)
Average stage length (miles)	902	900	0.2%

*Total System – Year Over Year Comparison**

	March 2021	March 2020	Change
Passengers	1,102,869	898,986	22.7%
Available seat miles (000)	1,884,130	1,441,144	30.7%
Departures	12,144	9,172	32.4%
Average stage length (miles)	892	908	(1.8%)

	1^st Quarter 2021	1^st Quarter 2020	Change
Passengers	2,334,503	3,175,450	(26.5%)
Available seat miles (000)	4,013,989	4,067,671	(1.3%)
Departures	25,684	26,312	(2.4%)
Average stage length (miles)	898	895	0.3%

*Total system includes scheduled service and fixed fee contract. System revenue passenger miles and system load factor are not useful statistics as system available seat miles include both ASMs flown by fixed fee flying as well as non-revenue producing repositioning flights used for operational needs. Fixed fee flying is better measured through dollar contribution versus operational statistics.

Preliminary Financial Results

	$ per gallon
March 2021 estimated average fuel cost per gallon – system	$1.99

	$ per gallon
1st quarter 2021 estimated average fuel cost per gallon – system	$1.86

Top Copyright Photo: Allegiant Air Airbus A319-112 N302NV (msn 2387) (Vegas Golden Knights) LAS (Gunter Mayer). Image: 953312.

Allegiant Air aircraft slide show:

Poste Air Cargo extends its network to Tel Aviv on Apri 10

Poste Air Cargo (formerly Mistral Air) (Rome) (subsidiary of Poste Italiane) will expand its range of operations and open a new route to Tel Aviv on April 10, 2021 with a weekly cargo flight.

The flight to the Israeli metropolis will be scheduled on a weekly basis with departures on Saturday from Rome’s Fiumicino – Leonardo da Vinci Airport.

Tel Aviv is the first international destination for Poste Air Cargo and represents a logistical solution for the current needs of the import and export industry between Italy and Israel, guaranteeing a direct connection to both value-added products (pharmaceuticals, aerospace and perishable). The route to Tel Aviv offers both markets a main deck capacity and exclusive cargo vocation. Poste Air Cargo offers an annual capacity of 825,000 kgs / 500 pallet main deck / 7500 cubic meters.

Poste Air Cargo, with a forty-year experience in air transport logistics, is active on a domestic network with night time flights for Italian Poste, connecting 7 Italian gateways with her Brescia Montichiari hub.

Poste Air Cargo is a player on the international charter cargo market, mainly to support the automotive logistics chain.

The fleet of Poste Air Cargo was recently renewed with the addition of two Boeing 737-400F freighters, now totally7 aircraft in fleet. ATR 72Fs are also in service.

Marco Finelli reporting from Italy.

Air France increases services to leisure destinations in France, Europe and North Africa

Air France made this announcement:

80 seasonal routes including 22 new routes in France, Europe and North Africa
Fully modifiable and refundable tickets

To support the gradual recovery in travel expected over the summer period, Air France is increasing services to leisure destinations.

During the summer season, the airline will operate 80 seasonal routes – including 22 new ones – to France, Europe and North Africa from Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and the French regions.

These seasonal routes will be added to Air France’s existing flight schedule.

14 new routes in Europe and North Africa

With 39 seasonal routes on the medium-haul network, Air France will offer its customers a wide choice of destinations. This summer, the airline is adding 14 new routes to its network:

Paris-Charles de Gaulle to/from Tangiers and Agadir (Morocco), Monastir (Tunisia), Valletta (Malta), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Corfu and Rhodes (Greece) from 5 July 2021
Paris-Orly to/from Bari (Italy) as of 31 May 2021, Ibiza (Spain) and Algiers (Algeria) as of 28 June 2021
Marseille-Provence to/from Catania (Italy) from 26 June 2021 and Corfu (Greece) from 19 July 2021
Nice-Côte d’Azur to/from London (UK) and Tunis (Tunisia) from 28 June 2021

8 new routes in France

Air France will also accompany its customers on their travels in France. 41 seasonal routes will be available, including 8 new ones:

Paris-Charles de Gaulle to/from Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi and Figari from 5 June 2021
Perpignan to/from Brest, Strasbourg and Nantes from 25 June 2021
Biarritz to/from Caen from 25 June 2021

Air France will shortly be detailing its long-haul flight schedule for the 2021 summer season.

This flight schedule is subject to change depending on travel restrictions. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Air France has been adjusting its offer in real time, taking into account changes in the health situation.

¹ Modifications – possibility of changing the date and/or destination of your ticket regardless of the fare conditions until the day of departure of the 1^st flight. If the price of the new ticket is higher, the fare difference will be charged to the customer.
² Refunds – possibility of requesting a ticket refund up to the day of departure of the 1^st flight. If the fare conditions of your ticket do not allow a refund, a credit voucher valid for one year will be issued, the refund of which can be requested at any time.

Top Copyright Photo: Revised livery: Air France Airbus A321-211 F-GTAD (msn 777) CDG (Manuel Negrerie). Image: 953408.

Air France aircraft photo gallery:

Air France aircraft slide show:

Binter to add new routes to France and Italy

Binter has announced it will open new routes to Europe starting in July.

The company will open new routes to Lille, Marseille and Toulouse in France as well as Turin and Venice in Italy.

The airline is also starting a new domestic route to Reus (Tarragona).

The new routes will be operated with its new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.

18 direct weekly flights between the Canary Islands and new European destinations

Binter has scheduled 18 flights per week with new European destinations, so most will have connections two days a week.

In the case of France, connections to Lille will be on Mondays and Thursdays departing at 10.45 am from Gran Canaria and return at 16:40, with arrival time in the Canary Islands at 20.00 hours. Toulouse will be linked on Tuesdays and Saturdays with a very similar schedule, departing at 10.30 hours on Tuesdays and at 11.00 on Saturdays from the Canary Islands and return at 15.45 hours, 16.15 in the case of Saturdays. With regard to the route with Marseille, there will be a frequency on Fridays with departure from the Islands at 10.30 hours and return at 16.10 hours, to make landfall in the Canary Islands at 19.00 hours.

The two Italian destinations will have two weekly links. On Mondays and Wednesdays there will be flights to Venice departing from the Canary Islands at 10.20 am and return at 16.35 hours, to reach the Archipelago at 20.15 hours. Turin will be connected on Tuesdays and Saturdays departing at 11.00 hours from Gran Canaria Airport on Tuesdays and 10.30 on Saturdays and return at 16.45 or 16.20 hours, with arrival time on the island at 20.05 or 19.40 hours.

Binter began operating in the Canary Archipelago in 1989 to offer connections between all islands with a clear approach to public service.

In 2005, it also began operating outside the Canary Islands with the aim of offering direct connections to other markets, a program that has been growing over the years.

In Portugal, arriving in Lisbon and Madeira; in Africa, joining the Canary Islands with destinations such as Casablanca, Marrakech, Agadir, Dakhla, El Aaiún, Nuakchot, Dakar, Banjul and the island of Sal.

In 2018, in addition, the airline began its regular operations with national destinations, first to Mallorca and Vigo and, subsequently, to Pamplona, Zaragoza, Murcia, Santander, Vitoria, Asturias and Cádiz (Jerez de la Frontera). In 2021, direct flights with Tarragona were incorporated.

All these routes are added this summer by the Italian cities of Turin and Venice, and the French cities of Marseille, Toulouse and Lille, with which Binter connects the Canary Islands with a total of 26 destinations outside the Islands.

Top Copyright Photo: Binter – Lineas Aereas de Canarias Embraer E195-E2 (ERJ 190-400STD) EC-NEZ (msn 19020023) LPA (Robbie Shaw). Image: 949258.

Binter aircraft photo gallery: