Tag Archives: DUB

Is IAG’s seduction of Aer Lingus working?

International Airlines Group’s (IAG) (British Airways, Iberia and Vueling Airlines) (London) continued seduction of Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus (Dublin) seems to be finally working, as the airline is revealing the positives of a takeover by the owner of British and Spanish flag carriers British Airways (London-Heathrow) and Iberia (Madrid).

In a statement to The Guardian, Christoph Mueller, the clover-tailed carrier’s outgoing CEO says that Ireland’s entire economy will benefit if the International Airlines Group takes over Aer Lingus.

Mueller, who steps down as CEO of the airline this week, said IAG’s £1.02 billion (€1.4 billion) ($1.57 billion) offer to buy Aer Lingus would be the biggest single foreign investment in the Republic since the financial crash.

He continued that there was “a great deal of excitement” that Aer Lingus would be able to create jobs on a much larger scale if IAG took charge of the former state-run airline.

Mueller also stressed that talks between IAG and the Aer Lingus trade unions had been “very constructive”.

Aer Lingus announced on Tuesday that its profits had risen by almost 18% to €72 million ($81.6 million) from the previous year. Total revenue was up by 9.2%. For the first time in the airline’s history the number of passengers has exceeded 11 million.

On the hike in profits and the IAG take-over proposal, Mueller added: We profitably expanded our long-haul network utilizing our cost advantage and favorable geographic position and helped establish Dublin as the 7th largest European hub for transatlantic connections.

“Our short-haul business continued to demonstrate its resilience despite a highly competitive market. Commercial initiatives, in addition to cost control, led to the highest operating profit since the financial crisis and 17.8% above last year.”

Europe Airpost to operate from Dublin to Halifax, Nova Scotia this summer

Europe Airpost (Paris-CDG) is joining the list of airlines operating Boeing 737 aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. According to Dublin Airport, Europe Airpost will operate a new nonstop scheduled summer service between Dublin and Halifax, Novia Scotia this summer. The new route will operate from the beginning of July until mid September.

Europe Airpost, which is the French subsidiary of Dublin-based ASL Aviation Group, has an existing charter operation at Dublin Airport, but the new weekly Halifax service will be its first scheduled service from Dublin. The company has been operating at Dublin Airport since 2010 and is the only charter airline that has an aircraft based year-round in Ireland. Europe Airpost’s new route will operate weekly from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Dublin and then continue to Halifax, Novia Scotia with a Boeing 737-700 aircraft.

The new service will operate weekly from July 9 until September 11 with flights departing Dublin on Thursdays and from Halifax on Fridays. The schedule for the new routes is as follows: Dublin/Halifax Thursday: Departs from Dublin 2:25 p.m. – Arrives in Halifax 4:45 p.m. Friday: Departs from Halifax 10:15 a.m. – Arrives in Dublin 8:05 p.m. All times specified are local and subject to government approval. The flights will be operated by a Boeing 737-700, configured in a two-class lay-out, with a capacity of 130 seats: 16 in Premium class and 114 in Economy class.

Europe Airpost aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-1/Airlines-Europe-1/Europe-Airpost

VivaAerobus is coming to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport

VivaAerobus (Monterrey) will launch new international service to DFW International Airport from two of Mexico’s largest cities, Guadalajara and from Monterrey, starting on March 28, 2015. The low cost carrier will use Airbus A320 aircraft and will operate out of DFW’s International Terminal D three times per week. VivaAerobus also plans to launch service from DFW to Cancun in July of 2015.

VivaAerobus currently serves 21 destinations in Mexico with hubs in Monterrey and Cancun, and also serves three U.S. destinations in addition to DFW Airport. Headquartered in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Viva Aerobus is co-owned by IAMSA, Mexico’s largest bus company conglomerate, and the founders of Ryanair, Europe’s biggest low-cost carrier.

When service begins in March, VivaAerobus will become the eighth international carrier to start service at DFW since 2011, extending the Airport’s recent run of international expansion. Since 2011, DFW has added 25 new international routes, 18 of those to new international destinations.

VivaAerobus aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Mexico/Airlines-Mexico-AZ/VivaAerobus

Current route map:

Ryanair to add Deauville, France on April 3, 2015

Ryanair (Dublin) has announced that it is extending it’s summer 2015 schedule from London Stansted Airport, with a new route to Deauville, France. This is in addition to the previously announced four new summer 2015 routes to Ponta Delgada (Azores), Cologne, Glasgow and Edinburgh and increased flights on 24 existing routes to and from London (Stansted).

The new route to Deauville will operate twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays from April 3, 2015.

Reported by Assistant Editor Oliver Wilcock from Manchester.

Copyright Photo: SM Fitzwilliams Collection/AirlinersGallery.com. Up close and person. Boeing 737-8AS EI-EVK (msn 40298) launches into the sky at the Dublin base.

Ryanair aircraft slide show:

United details its new Newark-Venice flights and seasonal Chicago O’Hare-Dublin summer service

United Airlines (Chicago) today announced new trans-Atlantic summer-season service between Newark and Venice, Italy, along with new service between Chicago (O’Hare) and Dublin, both subject to government approval.

In addition, the airline will offer a second daily nonstop flight between Washington (Dulles) and Paris (CDG) for the summer season.

Newark to Venice

Flight UA 170 will depart United’s New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport daily at 6:45 p.m. (1845), arriving in Venice at 9:05 a.m. (0905) the following day (all times local). On the return, flight UA 169 will depart Venice Marco Polo Airport daily at 10:55 a.m. (1055), arriving at Newark at 2:25 p.m. (1425) the same day. Flight times will be eight hours 20 minutes eastbound and nine hours 30 minutes westbound.

The flights will operate with Boeing 767-400 ER aircraft with a total of 242 seats – 39 flat-bed seats in United BusinessFirst and 203 in United Economy, including 70 Economy Plus seats with added legroom and increased personal space.

United has served Italy since 1992. The airline currently operates nonstop flights from New York/Newark to Milan and, on a seasonal basis, New York/Newark and Washington Dulles to Rome.

The new Venice flights will operate seasonally from June 4, 2015, through Sept. 23, 2015.

Chicago O’Hare to Dublin

Flight UA 152 will depart United’s Chicago hub at O’Hare International Airport daily at 6:05 p.m. (1805), arriving in Dublin at 7:35 a.m. (0735) the following day (all times local). On the return, flight UA 153 will depart Dublin Airport daily at 9:50 a.m. (0950), arriving in Chicago O’Hare at 12:15 p.m. (1215) the same day. Flight times will be seven hours 30 minutes eastbound and eight hours 25 minutes westbound.

The flights will operate using Boeing 757-200 aircraft with a total of 169 seats – 16 flat-bed seats in United BusinessFirst and 153 in United Economy, including 45 Economy Plus seats.

Chicago O’Hare will be the third United hub with nonstop service to Dublin, after Newark and Washington Dulles.

The Chicago O’Hare-Dublin service will operate seasonally from June 4, 2015 through Aug. 17, 2015.

Washington Dulles to Paris CDG

Flight UA 140 will depart United’s hub at Washington Dulles International Airport daily at 10:10 p.m. (2210), arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Paris at 12:20 p.m. (1220) the following day (all times local). The return flight UA 141 will depart Paris CDG daily at 4:30 p.m. (1630), arriving at Washington Dulles at 7:30 p.m. (1930) the same day. Flight times will be eight hours 10 minutes eastbound and nine hours westbound.

United will operate the flights with Boeing 757-200 aircraft with a total of 169 seats – 16 flat-bed seats in United BusinessFirst and 153 in United Economy, including 45 Economy Plus seats.

United’s current service between Washington and Paris departs Washington Dulles daily at 5:20 p.m., arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport at 6:55 a.m. the following day (all times local). The return flight, 914, departs Paris daily at 11:55 a.m., arriving at Washington Dulles at 3 p.m. the same day. The current flights operate with 214-seat Boeing 767-300 aircraft.

United has served France since 1987. The airline operates nonstop flights to Paris from its Chicago O’Hare, Newark and San Francisco hubs, in addition to the Washington Dulles service.

The second Washington-Paris frequency will operate seasonally from June 4, 2015 through August 17, 2015.

United Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):

American counters Delta’s Philadelphia announcement, will start daytime Philadelphia-London Heathrow flights

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) on the heels of the Delta PHL-LHR announcement, has announced it will start new daily daytime service from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) on March 29, 2015.

The new flight complements American’s existing overnight PHL-LHR service.

The new flight will be operated with a US Airways Boeing 757-200 on the following schedule:

PHL–LHR (all times local)
Departs PHL at 9:55 a.m.
Arrives at LHR at 10:10 p.m.

Departs LHR at 8:20 a.m.
Arrives at PHL at 11:35 a.m.

American’s PHL-LHR service will continue to be operated as part of the airline’s joint business agreement with fellow oneworld® member British Airways. Together, the two airlines offer customers four daily flights year-round between Philadelphia and London. From London, American’s customers have access to more than 70 destinations in Europe on British Airways.

The largest airline in the world also is the airline with the most extensive network out of Philadelphia.

American offers more than 475 daily flights to 124 destinations from its PHL hub.

Copyright Photo: Michael Kelly/AirlinersGallery.com. American’s Boeing 757-223 N174AA (msn 31308) in the oneworld livery departs from Dublin.

American Airlines (current livery) aircraft slide show:

American Airlines-US Airways aircraft slide show:

American Airlines (classic liveries) aircraft slide show:

Ryanair announces a new base at Bratislava

Ryanair (Dublin) has announced it will open its first Slovakian base (overall the 71st base) at Bratislava in March 2015 with two based aircraft and 16 routes including a new route to Madrid.

Copyright Photo: SM Fitzwilliams Collection/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8AS EI-EVK (msn 40298) roars into the sky at the Dublin home base.

Ryanair aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-3/Airlines-Europe3-QZ/Ryanair

Destinations from Bratislava:

Etihad Airways expands its relationship with Jet Airways with new Indian frequencies

Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) has announced that Mumbai and Delhi will become its first destinations in India to be served with triple-daily flights, strengthening its partnership with Jet Airways into and out of India.

Both cities will be upgraded from their current double-daily frequencies, with the third daily flight to Mumbai starting on February 15, 2015 and to Delhi on May 1, 2015.

Along with Jet Airways’ services, both airlines will connect Abu Dhabi to 14 Indian cities, with over 200 return flights each week. This includes five flights a day to Mumbai, four flights a day to New Delhi, three flights a day to Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi, two flights a day to Ahmedabad and Kozhikode, and daily flights to Jaipur and Trivandrum.

Etihad Airways will also launch a daily service to Kolkata, capital of West Bengal, on February 15, 2015 to support its long-term development plan in India, and Jet Airways has announced it will soon launch daily services between Abu Dhabi and Goa, Lucknow and Pune.

In addition to the airline’s network developments, Etihad Airways has upgraded its aircraft on a number of Indian routes, including the debut of three-class, wide-body aircraft on select flights. The airline will also operate its new Boeing 787-9 on Mumbai evening services in January 2015.

Copyright Photo: Greenwing/AirlinersGallery.com. The pictured Airbus A330-243 A6-EYH (msn 729) is Etihad Airways’ part of the joint Etihad-Alitalia color scheme to promote the upcoming Expo Milano 2015.

Etihad Airways aircraft slide show:

Video: The Expo Milano 2015 Airbus A330-200 logojet:

Irelandia Aviation and Grupo IAMSA to expand the Viva brand in Central and South America

Irelandia Aviation and Grupo IAMSA, owners of Mexico’s low-cost airline VivaAerobus (Monterrey) and the Colombian airline VivaColombia (Medellin), announced their intention to expand the Viva airline brand in Central and South America.

Grupo Viva is being established as a multinational airline holding company based in Panama City, Panama. The new company will be responsible for the further development of the Viva airline brand beyond current operations in Mexico and Colombia, maximizing cost synergies and operational efficiencies across the group and centralizing key management functions.

Grupo Viva is chaired by Roberto Alcántara Rojas, also Chairman of the Board of VivaAerobus and Grupo IAMSA. Irelandia Aviation Managing Partner Declan Ryan will be a principal investor.

Tony Davis, currently Partner and COO of Irelandia Aviation, has been appointed CEO. In addition to working with Irelandia Aviation for the past three years, Tony has an extensive track record in establishing low-cost airlines around the world, and he has been closely involved in the recent development of VivaAerobus and VivaColombia. Tony will be responsible for the creation of the Group’s corporate structure and management infrastructure over the next 12 months.

Joe Mohan, who is joining from his position as Senior VP Commercial at COPA Airlines, has been appointed President and COO. Joe has worked in Central and South America for more than 10 years and led the commercial function in one of the region’s most successful airline groups, consistently achieving impressive growth and profitability results. He also brings direct experience of helping lead a high-performing Latin American company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Joe will be responsible for the expansion of the group’s regional coverage and improving cost synergies and operational efficiencies for airlines in the group.

Commenting on the appointments, Declan Ryan said, “We are delighted that two executives of the caliber of Tony and Joe have agreed to lead the creation and development of our new low-cost airline group in Latin America. We are convinced that there are tremendous opportunities for our ultra-low-cost airline model to expand in the region. With our existing airlines already well-established in Mexico and Colombia, together with our order last year for 52 new Airbus A320 aircraft, this is the right time to establish Grupo Viva.”

Top Copyright Photo: Fernandez Imaging/AirlinersGallery.com. VivaAerobus (vivaaerobus.com) Boeing 737-3B7 XA-VIB (msn 23378) taxies at Austin, TX.

VivaAerobus:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Greenwing/AirlinersGallery.com. Formerly operated by OLT Express, Airbus A320-214 EI-EPX (HK-4905) (msn 1454) is now with VivaColombia (VivaColombia.com).

US Airways puts its first American branded Airbus A330 into revenue service

US Airways (American Airlines Group) (Phoenix and Dallas/Fort Worth) has painted its first Airbus A330 in the American Airlines‘ 2013 livery. Airbus A330-323 N270AY (msn 315) was painted at Amarillo, Texas and was delivered to the Philadelphia hub on September 18, 2014. The first revenue service was from Philadelphia (PHL) to London (Heathrow) on September 19 followed by Venice on September 20.

The aircraft operated to Dublin, Ireland on September 21 arriving the next day. Today N270AY is pictured departing from Dublin for the return journey back to Philadelphia.

US Airways next will repaint the PSA heritage Airbus A319 with American titles.

American Airlines-US Airways:

American Airlines (current):

US Airways: