Tag Archives: AYT

Belle Air of Albania ceases all operations

Belle Air (Tirana) ceased all operations yesterday (November 25). The private Albanian airline had launched operations on March 1, 2006 to seven airports in Italy. The company blamed the failure on the “general economic situation, the decline of the purchasing power, recession in the markets it operates as well as from the freezing for over 18 days of its bank accounts”.

It is unclear if this suspension also includes the operations of Belle Air Europe (Prishtina).

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-233 F-ORAD (msn 558) taxies past the camera at Antalya, Turkey.

Belle Air (Albania):

Route Map:

TUI Travels orders two more Boeing 787-8s for Thomson Airways

Boeing (Chicago) and TUI Travel PLC (London) have completed an order for two 787-8 Dreamliners. The deal, worth $424 million at current list prices, extends TUI Travel’s 787 commitment to 15 airplanes. TUI took delivery of its first 787-8 Dreamliner in May and now has four airplanes in service with Thomson Airways (London-Luton and Manchester).

TUI Travel originally ordered the 787 in February 2005. Currently, the Group’s subsidiary Thomson Airways is using the airplane on such routes as Thailand, Caribbean and the Maldives.

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-8 G-TUIC (msn 34424) taxies at the Turkish resort of Antalya.

Have you seen the “new look” AirlinersGallery.com photo library website? Growing each and every day.

Thomson Airways:

Aeroflot’s net income drops to $1.5 million for the first six months

Aeroflot Group (Aeroflot Russian Airlines) (Moscow) issued this financial statement:

Operating profit of Aeroflot Group for the first 6 months of 2013 according to IFRS increased by 70% and amounted to $167 million.

Revenue of Aeroflot Group for the first 6 months of 2013 according to IFRS increased by 14% and totaled $4,132.6 million.

Traffic revenue increased by 16% and amounted to $3,664.7 million.

EBITDA of Aeroflot Group amounted to $351.9 million having increased by 42% compared to the corresponding period of 2012.

Net income of Aeroflot Group for the first 6 months of 2013 totaled $1.5 million. In the corresponding period of 2012 net income amounted to $7.1 million. The main impact on the net income of the Group in the first 6 months of 2013 compared to the corresponding period of 2012 was caused by non-cash revaluation of finance lease liabilities denominated in foreign currency.

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. The six Ilyushin Il-96-300s are assigned to the main holiday destinations such as Antalya, Turkey where RA-96010 (msn 74393201007) is pictured taxiing.

Aeroflot:

Transaero Airlines starts its interline agreement with WestJet

Transaero Airlines (Moscow) has announced that its interline agreement with WestJet (Calgary) has taken effect offering Transaero passengers new opportunities for travel from Moscow. Via connections in Toronto (Pearson) and Los Angeles, Transaero passengers can now access the extensive WestJet network throughout Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.

Now Transaero passengers are able to purchase tickets on connecting flights from Moscow via Toronto to destinations within WestJet’s route network in Canada, including Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and many others.

In the near future, in addition to WestJet’s domestic routes, Transaero will offer its passengers connecting flights via Toronto to many WestJet’s destinations outside of Canada such as Phoenix, Honolulu, Kailua-Kona, Kahului, Lihue, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Diego, San Francisco, Anaheim, Las Vegas, New York, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Myrtle Beach, Bahamas, Bermuda, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, and Jamaica.

The agreement also provides the opportunities for connecting flights via Los Angeles with WestJet flights to Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton.

In other news, Transaero will start a new daily route with Boeing 737-800s between Moscow (Vnukovo) and Istanbul (Ataturk) on October 27.

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Transaero Airlines’ Boeing 747-446 EI-XLJ (msn 27646) arrives at the resort destination of Antalya, Turkey.

Transaero Airlines:

WestJet:

Air Astana to start Astana-London Heathrow weekly flights on October 31

Air Astana (Almaty) will start a weekly nonstop route linking the capital of Astana with London (Heathrow) starting on October 31. The new route will complement existing Almaty-London (Heathrow) flights and will be operated with Boeing 757-200s per Airline Route.

Copyright Photo: Andi Hiltl/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 757-2G5 P4-GAS (msn 28112) arrives at the resort destination of Antalya, Turkey.

Air Astana:

Ukraine International expands its fleet and route structure

Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) (Kiev) is expanding its fleet and route structure. In June the flag carrier leased two additional Boeing 737-800s (UR-PSG and UR-PSH). The fleet is now composed of 28 Boeing aircraft and two leased Embraer ERJ 190s.

As a result, the airline is adding new routes. On June 29, a weekly Lvov-Rome route was launched. This was followed by a new route linking Kiev with Sochi, Russia. The new route will operate three days a week. The 2014 Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi.

The Sochi route was followed by a new route from Simferopol to Tel Aviv, Israel which started on July 4. The Israeli route will operate two days a week.

Finally a new weekly route was started between Simferopol and Yerevan, Armenia.

Copyright Photo: Paul Denton/AirlinersGallery.com (all others by UIA). Boeing 737-8HX UR-PSB (msn 29654) prepares to land at Antalya, Turkey.

Ukraine International Airlines:

Route Map: CLICK HERE

TUIfly to add long-haul Caribbean routes from Hamburg

TUIfly (TUIfly.com) (Hannover) will launch new long-haul leisure routes from Hamburg in November to the Caribbean. According to Airline Route, twice-weekly flights will be started to Barbados on November 22, Cancun on November 2, La Romana on November 29 and Punta Cana on November 1. The four new routes will be flown by TUI partner airline Arkefly (Amsterdam) Boeing 767-300s.

Arkefly:

TUIfly:

Germania to move from Berlin Tegel to Berlin Schönefeld on November 1

Germania Fluggesellsschaft (Berlin) has announced it move its operations from Berlin Tegel Airport to Berlin Schönefeld on November 1. The move will be temporary. Berlin Schönefeld will be closed once the adjacent new Berlin Brandenburg Airport is opened next year. The airline will also add new service to Skopje.

The company issued this statement (translated from German):

Moving from north to south-east Berlin:

From November 1, 2013 launch for both line connections as well as the Germania charter flights from Berlin Schoenefeld Airport. At the same time, the Berlin-based airline has announced the addition of the Macedonian capital of Skopje to its network.

Germania Technology Brandenburg, a subsidiary of Germania, already operates at Berlin Schönefeld with a maintenance hangar together with Airberlin. The move from Berlin Tegel to Berlin Schönefeld allows the Germania Group a cost reduction by avoiding duplication in technology and maintenance. With the concentration of air operations in one location, the airline also avoids positioning flights between the two airports.

For tour operators, Germania already flies from Berlin Schönefeld to the Canary Islands, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Germania:

Red Wings Airlines is resurrected and resumes operations

Red Wings Airlines‘ (Moscow-Vnukovo) Air Operators Certificate (AOC) has been recertified and the carrier has relaunched operations.

The company issued this statement (translated from Russian):

Federal Air Transport Agency has renewed the certificate of the operator Red Wings to carry commercial passengers and freight. The airline since it was grounded, has added a new CEO. Red Wings has conducted a revision of its aircraft crew training, as well as to address the deficiencies and violations found during the unscheduled inspections at the beginning of this year. Together, the common set of measures taken has allowed Red Wings to provide proof of its readiness to continue its activities. In this regard, the Federal Air Transport Agency has positively reviewed the application of Red Wings for the resumption of its business and commercial passenger and freight traffic from June 17, 2013.

The airline has resumed operations with two Tupolev Tu-204s. Previously the Russian carrier was ground in February 2013 following the crash of flight 9268 with RA-64047 on December 29, 2012 in Moscow.

Copyright Photo: Paul Denton/AirlinersGallery.com. Tupolev Tu-204-100V RA-64043 (msn 1450743164043) prepares to land at the vacation destination of Antalya, Turkey.

Red Wings Airlines:

Travel Services Airlines commits for three Boeing 737 MAX 8s

Travel Service Airlines (Prague) and Boeing have today announced a commitment for three 737 MAX 8s at the 2013 Paris Air Show, valued at $301.5 million at list prices. The intent will have to be finalized.

Based in the Czech Republic, Travel Service offers charter flights to more than 230 airports on four continents, as well as low-cost scheduled service to major European destinations through its Smart Wings brand.

Travel Service currently operates 28 Boeing 737s. Its fleet combines airplanes bought directly from Boeing as well as leased airplanes.

Copyright Photo: Paul Denton/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8CX WL OK-TVO (msn 32360) approaches Antalya, Turkey for its landing.

Boeing’s video on Boeing 737 MAX: