Volotea celebrated in Nantes its 15 millionth passenger carried since operations started in April 2012. The winner, Julie Besson, was awarded with a tailor-made holiday package with one-week premium accommodation at Palermo and free flights for a year.
Voloteaโs Growth
Volotea has carried 15 millionth passengers since its first flight in 2012 and more than 4,8 millions in 2017.
In 2018, Volotea has opened 58 new routes to serve a lineup of 293 routes, operating flights to 78 mid and small-sized European cities in 13 countries: France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Greece, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Albania, Portugal, Malta, Austria, Ireland and Luxembourg. The airline expects to carry between 5.7m and 6.0 passengers in 2018.
Volotea has currently nine bases: Venice, Nantes, Bordeaux, Palermo, Strasbourg, Asturias, Verona, Toulouse and Genoa, in which it leads on number of destinations (except in Toulouse). New bases in Athens, Bilbao and Marseille have been announced to be launched throughout this year.
Volotea headcount is 875 employees and will also create another 250 new jobs in 2018 to capitalize its growth in activity.
In 2018, Volotea operates its network with 32 aircraft, Boeing 717s and Airbus A319s. Both models are recognized for their comfort and reliability, with Volotea offering reclining seats which are 5% wider than the average in airlines.
The Airbus A319 is the aircraft model selected for its future growth and will allow the company to increase its passenger capacity by 20% to 150 seats and to serve longer routes.
Air Canada rouge is expanding it route map to Quebec City. According to Airline Route, rouge will start operating in Quebec City on July 1, 2018 and will take over the two Air Canada Express routes from YQB to both Montreal (Trudeau) and Toronto (Pearson).
Copyright Photo:ย Air Canada rouge (Air Canada) Airbus A319-112 C-GSJB (msn 1673) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 913114.
Croatia Airlines on May 3, 2018 will resume seasonal service from Zagreb to Dublin, Ireland. The twice-weekly route will be operated with Airbus A319s according to Airline Route.
Air Malta will be introducing a new service between Catania and Vienna following the bankruptcy and immediate withdrawal of Niki from this popular market.
The Maltese national carrier will operate a twice weekly service from Malta to Vienna via Catania every Tuesday and Friday. The new scheduled service will come into effect on January 19, 2018.
This announcement is a significant step towards the growth strategy and development of a second hub on our neighboring Island of Sicily. The introduction of this service is an excellent opportunity for Air Malta to explore new opportunities and start positioning the airline as a leading carrier connecting the islands to important regions in Europe and across the Mediterranean.
In June 2017, Air Malta held a social media contest to design a special livery for Airbus A319 9H-AEJ. The A319 (above) is currently being operated in a mostly all-white condition which is expected to change pending the application of this special design, now being finalized.
Here is the announcement and the winning design:
Top Copyright Photo (all others by Air Malta):ย airmalta.com (Air Malta 2nd) Airbus A319-112 9H-AEJ (msn 2186) (Atlantic Airways underside) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 937515.
In the summer of 2018, Germania is expanding its route network between Berlin and Turkey.
Five new Turkish destinations will be served by Germania every week: Dalaman, Samsun, Kayseri, Adana and Gaziantep.
Germania already operates flights from Berlin to attractive tourist destinations in Turkey. Three times a week to Antalya, and twice weekly to Bodrum. Next summer, Germania is going to increase its services from Berlin-Schรถnefeld and Berlin-Tegel and will offer a total of ten flights a week to Turkey.
Outside of Germany, Germania Flug (Switzerland) is adding a weekly Zurich – Vilnius A319 effective November 5, 2018.
In addition, the company will also add weekly A319 service linking Toulouse and Palermo.
Copyright Photo:ย Germania Fluggesellschaft Airbus A319-112 D-ASTR (msn 3950) BSL (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 936778.
Brussels Airlines looks back on a positive 15th Anniversary with this announcement:
Brussels Airlines comes to the end of its fifteenth anniversary. In 2017, the airline recorded growth every month of the year and highlightsย included the launch of Mumbai, the integration of Thomas Cook flight activities and the farewell of the AVRO aircraft.
Brussels Airlines started 2017 with an anniversary celebration on February 15, 2017. For the occasion, the airline produced an anniversary video called โWe Go The Extra Smile for You Since 15 Yearsโ, a remake of a unique marketing stunt from the airline’s early years, which reached no less than 2.4 million views.
During the anniversary year, Brussels Airlines continued its growth strategy. In spring, Mumbai, the first Brussels Airlines destination in Asia, was added to the network. The short/medium haul network expanded with Yerevan, Palma, Rhodes and Madeira.
A fleet harmonization project included the phase-out of the AVRO RJ type with 98 seats, which were replaced by larger Airbus A319/A320 aircraft with 40% and 80% more seating capacity respectively. The very last AVRO RJ left the fleet on October 28, 2017 after a Geneva flight that attracted spotters from about ten countries to Brussels Airport.
External growth was achieved thanks to the integration of Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium’s activities at the end of October. The vast majority of Thomas Cook holidaymakers now fly with Brussels Airlines. As a result, Brussels Airlines expanded its flight network with new winter sun destinations (Cape Verde, Tunisia, the Canary Islands and Egypt). The partnership will also add a series of new Mediterranean destinations, including the Greek islands, to the network next spring.
Thanks to these investments, Brussels Airlines will exceed the number of 9 million passengers in 2017 and increase its marketย share on the Belgian home market. This makes Brussels Airlines one of the fastest growing airlines in Europe. This growth pace will continue in 2018 and many investment projects are planned, including the extension of The Loft, the replacement of 7 Airbus A330 aircraft, the launch of new cabins on board the entire long-haul fleet and investment in further digitalization.
In other news, according to Reuters, the airline plans to cut costs by 10-15% to remain competitive:
Brussels Airlines, a unit of Lufthansa, plans to cut its costs by between 10 and 15 percent in the coming years in order to remain competitive with low-cost rivals, its chief executive told Belgian daily De Tijd.
The Belgian carrier, which Lufthansa took full control of in December 2016, has already reduced costs by 15 percent in the past three years through savings on staff and more efficient baggage and catering operations.
Bernard Gustin told De Tijd in an interview published on Saturday that cost-cutting had to continue. Passengers would pay a little more to travel with Brussels Airlines compared with a low-cost carrier, but that premium had to be kept to a minimum.
โWe need to bring our costs down by at least 10-15 percent. This year already they have fallen by 5 percent,โ he said.
Brussels Airlines expects to carry a record 9 million passengers in 2017 and Gustin said he was targeting an increase to 10 million in 2018.
Lufthansa has said it wants to integrate Brussels Airlines into budget platform Eurowings, although the Belgian carrier also serves business routes to Africa.
Top Copyright Photo:ย Brussels Airlines Airbus A319-112 OO-SSN (msn 1963) BSL (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 924119.
Previously on September 26, 2017, Lufthansa’s Supervisory Board approved and announced the rapid growth of its lower-cost Eurowings, especially in Europe:
The Supervisory Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG approved the rapid expansion of the Eurowings Group at its meeting in September 2017. For this purpose, an investment framework of around EUR 1 billion was approved for the purchase and leasing of aircraft. The funds were used towards obtaining up to 61 aircraft, including 41 Airbus A320 Family aircraft and 20 Bombardier Q400s.
During the summer of 2017, Lufthansa wet leased 20 aircraft operated for Eurowings under the existing wet lease agreement with Airberlin; 15 by acquisition and five more leased with a purchasing option.
The Eurowings Group is expected to require up to 3,000 additional jobs in the cockpit and cabin operations, due to the hiring and intended acquisition of companies of the Air Berlin Group. Job advertisements and staffing have already started.
Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG: “We now have the great opportunity to take a decisive step forward with Eurowings in Europe. The Supervisory Board and the Executive Board agree that we are determined to seize this opportunity. With the approval of an additional investment framework for the acquisition of aircraft, the necessary preconditions have now been met. For Eurowings, it will be a major challenge to cope with the rapid growth. I am particularly pleased that this will enable us to offer up to 3,000 new employees a secure perspective in the Eurowings Group.”
The airline is growing so fast, it is leasing in aircraft from other airlines to meet the expansion in the first quarter of 2018 following the failure of Airberlin. Adria Airwaysย (above) will operate Airbus A319s from the Cologne/Bonn hub for Eurowings. Czech Airlines will operate its Airbus A319s for Eurowings from Hamburg (below).
TAP will again fly from Porto to Milan and Barcelona, after the suspension of the route in 2016, offering a greater number of flights
The airline also announces new routes from Porto to London City and Ponta Delgada
TAPโs operations out of Francisco Sรก Carneiro Airport grow by an additional 41 flights every week
The airline also announces 10 flights per week between Lisbon and Florence
And a further four flights per week to Sรฃo Paulo and one additional flight to Brasilia and to Belo Horizonte in Brazil, and one to Toronto, Canada
TAP Air Portugal will grow its operations from Porto airport over the coming year. The airline has started two flights a day to Barcelona and to Milan, reinstating and intensifying two routes that were suspended in 2016 as part of the operation redesign carried out at that time.
In addition to reinstating these routes, TAP has also announced the launch of new routes from Porto, with six flights per week to London City airport and a new daily service to Ponta Delgada.
With these new flights, which start on March 25, 2018, TAP is introducing a total of 41 new services per week between Porto and four different cities. These flights will be available to book as soon as the operational details have been finalized.ย The two daily flights to Barcelona will depart Porto at 6.30 am (TP1030) and 7.35 pm (TP1031). The flights to Milan will depart Porto at 6.30 am (TP818) and 5.55 pm (TP816).ย The six flights a week between Porto and London City will leave Francisco Sรก Carneiro Airport at 12.05 pm (TP354), arriving in London at 2.20 pm, with the return flight leaving London at 2.50 pm (TP353), arriving in Porto at 5.10 pm.
Another new flight on TAPโs summer timetable from Porto is the creation of a daily flight to Ponta Delgada. TP1861 will depart Porto at 1.20 pm, arriving in Ponta Delgada at 2.45 pm. The return flight (TP1866) will take off at 3.35 pm, landing in Porto at 6.50pm, both local times.
From Lisbon to Florence
TAP also announced the launch of a nonstop service between Lisbon and Florence, with 10 flights per week, beginning on 10 June 2018. Florence joins Rome, Bologna, Milan and Venice to become the companyโs fifth destination in Italy. This demonstrates TAPโs commitment to the Italian market, which is important not just for point-to-point traffic, but also as a way of generating traffic to other TAP destinations through its Lisbon hub.
The service between Lisbon and Florence will have two different timetables. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays the flight will leave Lisbon at 7.05am, arriving in Florence at 10.50am. Flights will depart Florence at 11.35am, arriving in Lisbon at 1.35pm. On Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays there will also be flights leaving Lisbon at 3.50pm, arriving in Florence at 7.35pm. Flights will then depart Florence at 8.20pm, arriving in Lisbon at 10.20pm.
More flights to Brazil and Canada
From June 1, 2018, TAP is also boosting its long-haul operation with four more flights each week to Sรฃo Paulo and one more to Brasilia and Belo Horizonte in Brazil and to Toronto in Canada.
Next year the company intends to offer flights between Lisbon and Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania, a service that is currently awaiting government authorization.
Copyright Photo (all others by TAP Air Portugal): TAP Portugal is going back to TAP Air Portugal for its titles.ย TAP Portugal Airbus A319-112 CS-TTQ (msn 629) LHR (SPA). Image: 937481.
American Airlines on June 9, 2018 will add weekly nonstop Airbus A319 service (above) from the Miami hub to diving destination of Bonaire in the ABC Islands in the Caribbean.
Alaso according to Airline Route, AA is also planning the following new seasonal domestic routes from its hubs:
Charlotte:
Nantucket – weekly service from June 23 – September 1, 2018 with Republic Airlines Embraer 175s.
Chicago O’Hare:
Daily service to Burlington, VT from June 7 to September 4, 2018 with Envoy Air Embraer ERJ 140s.
Daily service to Charleston, SC from May 4, 2018 with Envoy Air Embraer 175s.
Daily service to Missoula, MT from June 7, 2018 to September 4, 2018 with Envoy Air Embraer 175s.
Daily service to Portland, ME from June 7 to October 3, 2018 with Envoy AIr CRJ700s.
Daily service to Savannah, GA from June 7 to September 4, 2018 with Envoy Air ERJ 145s.
Daily service to Wilmington, NC from Junhe 7 to September 4, 2018 with Envoy Air CRJ700s.
Dallas/Fort Worth:
Weekly service to Flagstaff, AZ from June 9 to July 14, 2018 with ExpressJet CRJ700s.
Weekly service to Key West, FL from June 9 to September 1, 2018 with Envoy Air Embraer 175s.
Daily service to Missoula, MT from June 7, 2018 with Envoy Air Embraer 175s.
Miami:
Daily service to Savannah, GA from June 7, 2018 with Envoy Air Embraer 145s.
New York (JFK):
Daily service to Philadelphia from April 3, 2018 with Envoy Air Embraer 140s.
Washington (Reagan National):
Twice-weekly service to Wilmington, NC from May 5, 2018 with PSA CRJ900s.
Copyright Photo:ย American Airlines Airbus A319-112 N716UW (msn 1055) CLT (Jay Selman). Image: 403284.
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