Flybe to operate a new route between Newquay and London Heathrow

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Flybe, Europe’s largest independent regional airline, on November 22, 2018 responded as follows to the Government Transport Secretary Chris Grayling’s announcement that, with effect from March 31, 2019, it will start operating four times daily flights direct to London Heathrow from Newquay Cornwall Airport under the new Public Service Obligation agreement.

Roy Kinnear, Flybe Chief Commercial Officer, says: “We are naturally delighted to offer customers the opportunity to fly with us between Cornwall Newquay Airport and London Heathrow on this new route with its increased frequency to London four times a day, seven days a week.

“The decision confirms that Flybe is a vital part of the UK’s transport infrastructure.

“We look forward to this new service to London proving popular with its increased frequency and improved opportunities for inbound and outbound connectivity with many other parts of the world – and to welcoming many new passengers on board next year.”

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline): Flybe (British European 2nd) Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) G-PRPC (msn 4338) GCI (Nick Dean). Image: 940456.

Flybe aircraft slide show:

SilkAir to transfer routes to Scoot ahead of merger into Singapore Airlines

Scoot is to take over a number of SilkAir’s routes over the next two years, ahead of SilkAir’s merger into Singapore Airlines (SIA). Scoot will also be transferring some of its services to existing destinations served by SIA and SilkAir.

The changes are expected to take place between April 2019 and the second half of 2020. They are the result of a detailed review to identify which airlines in the SIA Group portfolio are best suited to meet evolving customer demand. The changes, which are subject to regulatory approvals, are planned as follows:

From SilkAir to Scoot:

Luang Prabang and Vientiane in Laos, in April 2019
Coimbatore, Trivandrum and Visakhapatnam in India, between May 2019 and October 2019
Changsha, Fuzhou, Kunming and Wuhan in China, between May 2019 and June 2019
Chiang Mai[1] in Thailand, in October 2019
Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia, in December 2019
Balikpapan, Lombok, Makassar, Manado, Semarang and Yogyakarta in Indonesia, between May 2020 and July 2020

From Scoot to SIA (Both are existing SIA destinations):

Bengaluru and Chennai in India, in May 2019 and May 2020

From Scoot to SilkAir (Both are existing SilkAir destinations):

Shenzhen in China, from June 2019
Kochi in India, from October 2019

In addition, SilkAir will be converting its Mandalay route to a seasonal service. Existing services will end in March 2019 and will resume in November 2019, continuing until January 2020. Scoot will meanwhile be suspending services to Honolulu with effect from June 2019 as a result of weak demand.

Dates are indicative as a result of required regulatory approvals. Customers with existing bookings will be provided the option to switch to the new Scoot, SIA or SilkAir flights where possible, or be provided refunds.

“We are now at the half-way mark in our three-year Transformation Program, and this announcement represents another significant development. The route review will strengthen the SIA Group for the long term, with the right vehicles in our portfolio of airlines deployed to the right markets,” said SIA CEO, Mr Goh Choon Phong.

SIA announced in May that its regional wing SilkAir is to undergo a significant investment programme to upgrade its cabin products ahead of its eventual merger into SIA. The programme will see SilkAir’s cabins fitted with new lie-flat seats in Business Class, and the installation of seat-back in-flight entertainment systems in both Business Class and Economy Class.

The investments will ensure closer product and service consistency across the SIA Group’s full-service network. Low-cost subsidiary Scoot’s fleet will meanwhile be expanded with the transfer of 14 Boeing 737-800s from SilkAir, while SilkAir will continue growing its operations in the years ahead as it takes delivery of new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

(1) Existing Scoot destination.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airlines): SilkAir Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 9V-MBE (msn 44242) SIN (Pascal Simon). Image: 944508.

SilkAir aircraft slide show:

WestJet to launch seasonal, nonstop service to Dublin from Halifax

WestJet today announced it is adding to its growing Atlantic gateway from Halifax with the addition of daily nonstop service to Dublin, Ireland starting April 29, 2019 and operating through October 25, 2019.

(CNW Group/WESTJET, an Alberta Partnership)

Details of WestJet’s service between Halifax and Dublin

Route	Frequency	Departing	Arriving	Effective
Halifax – Dublin	Daily	10:20 p.m.	7:33 a.m.+1	April 29, 2019
Dublin – Halifax	Daily	9:00 a.m.	11:02 a.m.	April 30, 2019

WestJet has served Halifax International Airport for 15 years and this summer will operate non-stop service to 16 cities including London (Gatwick), Paris, Dublin, Glasgow, Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. At peak summer schedule, the airline will operate more than 25 flights per day from YHZ.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by WestJet): WestJet Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 C-GXAX (msn 60512) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 944507.

WestJet aircraft slide show:

Lufthansa announces its new summer 2019 destinations

Lufthansa has announced, starting next summer, sun-seekers it will launch seven new destinations nonstop from the Lufthansa hubs in Munich and Frankfurt. The new flights will fly to new holiday destinations in Croatia, Montenegro and the French Atlantic coast.

New destinations from Munich

As of April 12, 2019 Alicante will be on the Munich flight schedule. An Airbus A320 will fly to the port city on the Costa Blanca three times a week. Flights to the Spanish holiday destination are thus added to the three weekly flights from Frankfurt.

Rocher de la Vierge, heilige Jungfrau, Alter Hafen, Port Vieux, Biarritz, Baskenland, Südfrankreich, Frankreich, Europa | Verwendung weltweit, Keine Weitergabe an Wiederverkäufer.

Biarritz (above) has been added to the Lufthansa flight schedule. From May 25, 2019, a Bombardier CRJ900 (top) will fly to the seaside resort on the French Atlantic coast every Saturday. This legendary holiday destination has long sandy beaches and is a paradise for surfers.

Lufthansa now also flies holiday makers nonstop from Munich to Rimini (above) on the Italian Adriatic coast. From May 26, 2019, a Bombardier CRJ900 will fly to this popular holiday destination every Sunday.

And for the first time, northern Croatia is only an hour’s flight away from Munich: Rijeka is the name of the new Lufthansa destination, which is regarded as the gateway to the Croatian islands. From May 25, 2019, a Bombardier CRJ900 flies to the Kvarner Bay region every Saturday.

New destinations from Frankfurt

The new summer destinations from Frankfurt are in Greece and Turkey: From April 13, 2019, Heraklion can now be reached with an Airbus A319 every Saturday and Bodrum from April 14, 2019 every Sunday in around two and a half flight hours, adding to the Saturday and Sunday destinations from Munich.

New destination from Munich and Frankfurt

Tivat is still a less known holiday destination. The city in Montenegro is now part of the Munich and Frankfurt flight schedule. Tivat is situated near the historical Bay of Kotor (below).

With its historical sites, the fjord-like bay is a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site. From April 13, 2019, Lufthansa flies to Tivat from Munich every Saturday and from Frankfurt every Sunday. Both hubs operate an Airbus A319 to these destinations.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Lufthansa): Lufthansa – Lufthansa CityLine Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) D-ACNM (msn 15253) MUC (Arnd Wolf). Image: 941038.

Lufthansa CityLine aircraft slide show:

Wizz Air to expand operations at Budapest and to open a new base at Krakow

Wizz Air has announced a further expansion of capacity in its Budapest network with one new aircraft, 2 new routes from Budapest to London Gatwick and Oslo, and frequency increases on 3 popular services. Next year Wizz is adding a total of 17 additional weekly flights to its Budapest schedule growing its seat capacity from the Hungarian capital to over 6 million for 2019, an increase of 8% year-on-year.

The new Airbus A321 will be joining Wizz Air’s Budapest fleet in March 2019. With the new A321 aircraft in Budapest and the one that has already announced in Debrecen, which is arriving in December 2018, Wizz Air’s Hungarian fleet will grow to 16 aircraft, with 14 based in Budapest and 2 at Debrecen Airport.

Starting in March 2019, the newest Wizz Air route will connect Budapest to London Gatwick, the second-busiest airport by total passenger traffic in the United Kingdom, after London Heathrow with a daily service. In April 2019, Wizz Air launches another new route to Oslo. Frequencies on Budapest services to Frankfurt, Tel-Aviv and St. Petersburg will increase by up to 6 additional flights a week.

Being the hometown airline of Hungary, Wizz Air currently operates flights from two Hungarian bases in Budapest and Debrecen with a total of 14 aircraft in the country. In 2018, the airline will carry over 5 million passengers to and from Hungary, which is more than any airline has ever carried on its Hungarian routes, and represents a 20% growth year over year. Based on the latest figures the airline’s operations support over 3,800 indirect local jobs** in 2018.

Wizz now offers 83 routes from Hungary connecting Budapest and Debrecen with 31 countries.

WIZZ AIR’S NEWEST ROUTES FROM BUDAPEST

Destination	Days	Starts	Fares from***
London Gatwick, UK	Daily service	31 March 2019	HUF 9,190
Oslo, Norway	Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays	5 April 2019	HUF 9,190

WIZZ AIR’S FREQUENCY INCREASES ON BUDAPEST ROUTES

Destination	Weekly Flights	From Month
Frankfurt	10 from 7	March 2018
Tel-Aviv	12 from 10	March 2018
St Petersburg	5 from 4	March 2018

In other news, Wizz Air has also announced its 26 base in Krakow. The airline will base 2 Airbus A321 aircraft at Krakow airport in May and September 2019. Along with the establishment of the new base, Wizz Air announced twelve new services to nine countries from Krakow starting from April 2019.

Krakow will become Wizz Air’s 26 base and its newest base in Poland next to Warsaw, Katowice, Gdansk and Wroclaw. As part of WIZZ’s expansion, the airline will continue to increase its operations in Poland to provide Polish customers with ever more travel opportunities. The 2 new Airbus A321 aircraft will support the operations of twelve new routes, long-awaited by Krakow travellers services to London, Kyiv, Bari, Catania, Larnaca, Nice, Turku, Billund, Doncaster, Kharkiv, Oslo and Kutaisi.

WIZZ AIR’S NEW ROUTES FROM KRAKOW

Destination	Days	Starts	Fares from
LONDON LUTON, UK	Twice daily	April 4, 2019	PLN 89/EUR 19.99/GBP 17.99
KYIV-ZHULYANY, UKRAINE	Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday	April 4, 2019	PLN 89/EUR 19.99/UAH 609
NICE, FRANCE	Wednesday, Sunday	May 1, 2019	PLN 89/EUR 19.99
TURKU, FINLAND	Wednesday, Sunday	May 1, 2019	PLN 39/EUR 9.99
DONCASTER, UK	Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday	May 2, 2019	PLN 89/EUR 19.99/GBP 17.99
BARI, ITALY	Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday	May 2, 2019	PLN 89/EUR 19.99
BILLUND, DENMARK	Monday, Friday	May 3, 2019	PLN 39 /EUR 9.99/DKK 79
CATANIA, ITALY	Monday, Friday (as of 16 September: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday)	May 3, 2019	PLN 89/EUR 19.99
LARNACA, CYPRUS	Monday, Friday	September 16, 2019	PLN 89/EUR 19.99
KHARKIV, UKRAINE	Monday, Friday	September 16, 2019	PLN 59/EUR 14.99/UAH 459
OSLO, NORWAY	Daily	September 16, 2019	PLN 89/EUR 19.99/NOK 209
KUTAISI, GEORGIA	Wednesday, Sunday	September 18, 2019	PLN 89/EUR 19.99/GEL 56.99

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline): Wizz Air (Hungary) Airbus A321-231 WL HA-LXV (msn 7826) BSL (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 944506.

Wizz Air aircraft slide show:

China Southern to take delivery of the 787th Boeing 787

Boeing made this announcement on social media:

The 787th 787 Dreamliner is freshly painted! This jet will soon join China Southern’s fleet. With 210+ new nonstop routes around the world, the largest windows and other cabin comforts, it’s no wonder passengers love it.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (B-1168) wears a “787th Boeing 787” special logo and has been rolled out of the paint shop pending delivery.

All photos by Boeing.

Caribbean Airlines to acquire 12 Boeing 737-8 MAX 8s

Boeing and Caribbean Airlines have announced the airline has chosen to enhance and renew its single-aisle fleet with the 737 MAX 8. The carrier, which has long operated the Next-Generation 737, will take delivery of 12 MAX airplanes in the coming years.

The airline commemorated the selection of the MAX during a ceremony featuring national dignitaries, including the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, the Honorable Keith Rowley, and Caribbean Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Garvin Medera.

The new MAX aircraft will replace the existing Boeing 737-800 fleet. (below).

The 737 MAX 8 – part of a fuel-efficient family of airplanes – will seat up to 160 passengers in Caribbean Airlines’ three-class configuration featuring the “Caribbean Plus” Cabin, and provide more than 500 nautical miles more range than the existing aircraft.

The airplane incorporates the latest technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets, and other airframe enhancements to improve performance and reduce operating costs. Caribbean Airlines projects the MAX 8 will provide up to 16 percent fuel savings compared to its current fleet.

In addition to flying Boeing airplanes, Caribbean Airlines also uses Boeing’s services to optimize its operations. The carrier participates in the Fuel Dashboard Program, for example, which allows operators to look across their fleet and identify fuel savings. Caribbean also uses Boeing’s consumable and expendable material services to ensure it has the parts it needs when it needs it.

The 737 MAX family is the fastest-selling airplane in Boeing history, accumulating about 4,800 orders from more than 100 customers worldwide. Boeing has delivered more than 200 737 MAX airplanes since May 2017.

Top image: Boeing.

Silver Airways to fly between Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood and Pensacola

Silver Airways has announced that it is starting daily nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Pensacola International Airport (PNS) beginning on February 13, 2019.

Silver Airways’ Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – Pensacola (PNS) service effective February 13, 2019; PNS – FLL service effective February 14, 2019:

Route	Departs	Arrives	Flight #	Stops	Frequency
Ft. Lauderdale to Pensacola	6:20 pm	7:40 pm	95	0	Daily
Pensacola to Ft. Lauderdale	7:15 am	10:25 am	96	0	Saturday
Pensacola to Ft. Lauderdale	7:45 am	10:55 am	96	0	Daily except Saturday

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Silver Airways): Silver Airways SAAB 340B N347AG (msn 447) FLL (Bruce Drum). Image: 104465.

Silver Airways aircraft slide show:

Route Map:

KLM to add a new route to Wroclaw, Poland

KLM has made this announcement:

Wrocław lies in the west of Poland and has much to offer travellers. In 2016 it was Cultural Capital of Europe.

The city of Wrocław (pronounced: vrɔtswaf) has a population of more than 600,000 and is Poland’s fourth largest city. Wrocław is KLM’s fourth destination in Poland after Warsaw, Krakow, and Gdansk. Air France began operating a service to Wrocław’s Copernicus Airport this summer. Wrocław is a lively university city where trade and industry flourish. It has a beautiful old market square, which is lined by pastel-coloured buildings housing cafes and restaurants.

Wrocław flight schedule

KLM will operate a daily service from Schiphol to Wrocław using Embraer 175 equipment. This aircraft has 20 business class seats, an Economy Comfort zone with 8 seats, and 60 Economy Class seats.

KL1271 departs Amsterdam Schiphol at 11.50 hours and arrives at Copernicus Airport Wrocław at 13.35 hours.
KL1272 departs Wrocław at 14:05 hours and arrives at Schiphol at 15.55 hours.

Royal Air Maroc to unveil a new Boeing MAX and 787-9 special livery

Royal Air Maroc has announced on social media:

Royal Air Maroc will reveal a special livery for the two next aircrafts! This exclusive livery has been created to celebrate the first Boeing 737 MAX and first 787-9 Dreamliner of our fleet.

Image: Royal Air Maroc.