2 NOVEMBER 2015
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- ON THE SOAPBOX: Simon McNamara, Director General of ERA
- Emirates to the rescue
- Airbus Sinai crash
- BHX greets Czech Airlines
- Capital on growth trail
- DWC welcomes flydubai
- Etihad gears up for Melbourne
- Flybe double celebration
- Garuda's colourful B777
- IAG to pay first dividend
- InterCon’s new meeting space
- Lufthansa Express bows in
- Luton grows despite works
- Monarch for WTM
- Newquay scraps airport tax
- Qatar B787 for Birmingham
- SkyTeam lounge opens at HK
- Turkish Airlines adds more
- Virgin’s new Royal Scotsman
- Volotea's first UK service
- WTM opening in London
- ON TOUR: The Scenic Rhône
- CRUISE NEWS NOVEMBER 2015
- AND FINALLY: Britain's Polar Express
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DWC welcomes flydubai
Al Maktoum International, also known as Dubai World Central (DWC), the second airport of Dubai, has welcomed the launch of flydubai operations with the arrival of the airline’s first flight last week.
Garuda's colourful B777
Boeing last week celebrated delivery of a 777-300ER to Garuda Indonesia by painting it in a special SkyTeam livery. The airline became the 20th member of the alliance in August 2014. The new aircraft was welcomed by Arif Wibowo, President and CEO, Garuda Indonesia.
Lufthansa Express bows in
Road, rail and subsidiary air services offered to Lufthansa UK passengers using Frankfurt and Munich airports are to be operated under a single 'Lufthansa Express' brand name.
Newquay scraps airport tax
Ryanair is returning to Newquay Airport next spring with routes to Spain and Germany just three days after Newquay Council’s unpopular £5 passenger tax is due to be abolished.
ON THE SOAPBOX: Simon McNamara, Director General of ERA
THE REGIONAL REVIVAL
Following last week’s review of the ERA (European Regional Airlines) gathering in Berlin it seemed a fairly obvious choice for Simon McNamara, Director General, to be ON THE SOAPBOX for November.
Previously he was Director Industry Affairs covering the development, promotion and implementation of ERA's policies on air traffic infrastructure, user charges, airport matters, the environment and air transport policy. Simon joined ERA in 1999 from the Flight Data Company, responsible for Asian airlines' quality assurance programmes. Previously he worked for the International Federation of Airline Pilots' Associations (IFALPA). He has a degree in Aeronautical Engineering and an MSc in Air Transport Management.
Airbus Sinai crash
An Airbus A321 belonging to the Russian airline Metrojet crashed on Friday (30 November) in the central Sinai desert en route from Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg. There were no survivors. Both cockpit voice and data recorders were reported to have been recovered, and with the debris for the most part in a limited area, easily accessible, confirming a cause should be reasonably straightforward.
BHX greets Czech Airlines
Birmingham Airport has landed its 11th new carrier this year after Czech Airlines announced it would begin flights to Prague five times a week from April.
Etihad gears up for Melbourne
Daily A380 service between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne is to be launched by Etihad Airways on 1 June.
IAG to pay first dividend
An operating profit of €1,250m before exceptional items for the third quarter of 2015, up from €900m last year, was reported last week by IAG. Revenue was up by 15.2% to €6,756m.
Luton grows despite works
Record passenger numbers passed through Luton Airport (LTN) in September. The total of 1.2m marked a 19.2% increase on the same month last year and set the seal on 18 months’ consecutive growth at the airport despite the major development works there.
Qatar B787 for Birmingham
Birmingham will welcome the Qatar Airways B787 in March when the airline begins a Dreamliner service between the city and Doha.
Virgin’s new Royal Scotsman
The battle between air and rail for business between London and Scotland warmed up last week when Virgin Trains introduced its new Flying Scotsman locomotive.
ON TOUR: The Scenic Rhône
The mighty river Rhône is perhaps not one of Europe’s best known waterways but it stretches for over 500 miles from its source in the Swiss Alps, into Lake Geneva, passing by some of France’s finest vineyards, before emerging into the Mediterranean at Port St Louis near Marseilles. Unlike the Danube and the Rhine these days, whilst very much a commercial enterprise, it is free of the massive cargo barges that commute east to west and visa versa across the vastness of the Continent.
Yes there is the odd working river carrier, but in the 21st century leisure craft dominate. Such are the problems associated with the snow melting from the high mountains that the Rhône’s cruise season is limited and does not start until mid-April.
CRUISE NEWS NOVEMBER 2015
Once again BTN is able to offer a very special price for the London CRUISE Show Olympia 20-21 February 2016 of just £2. If nothing else it provides an opportunity to collect all the latest brochures in one go! This is a fantastic saving as the tickets are £10 at the door. Book now and quote 'E1' to claim the discount – you can book online here or by calling +44 (0)871 620 4024.
CRUISE INTELLIGENCE features Queen Mary 2 and new ships from Saga and Silversea but first the 2016 edition of the Berlitz Cruise Guide is out.
AND FINALLY: Britain's Polar Express
Could this be Britain’s answer to the Polar Express?
Capital on growth trail
China’s carriers are continuing their expansion programmes as more of the population become able to travel, with Hainan Airlines’ subsidiary Capital Airlines opening two international routes, Zhanjiang – Bangkok and Beijing – Male, last week.
Flybe double celebration
As Flybe celebrated its first year at London City Airport (LCY) last week, the airline also announced two new year-round services to Rotterdam The Hague from Birmingham and Manchester airports.
InterCon’s new meeting space
A high-specification 4,500sq m dedicated conference centre and 400sq m of outdoor riverside space will be features of London’s largest new events space, the InterContinental London-The O2, when it opens this winter.
Monarch for WTM
Monarch is reinforcing the launch of its new company-wide identity with a presence at WTM this year.
SkyTeam lounge opens at HK
The global airline alliance SkyTeam officially opened its exclusive lounge at Hong Kong International Airport last week, the fourth in the world.
Turkish Airlines adds more
Miami has joined the Turkish Airlines network with a daily service as the carrier’s 12th destination in the Americas and eighth in the US.
Volotea's first UK service
Twice-weekly flights between Southampton and Majorca are being offered next summer by European airline Volotea. Southampton becomes the first UK airport to host the carrier, which began flying in April 2012.
WTM opening in London
Airlines, hotels and business-travel specialists of all sorts from around the globe gather at the ExCeL complex in London’s Docklands this week for the 2015 World Travel Market London (WTM).
The show opens today (Monday) and runs until Thursday.