22 MAY 2017
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- COMMENT: Are these the World's top 20 airlines?
- B737 MAX first delivery
- BA returns to Birmingham
- Boeing 'Bizliner' on show
- China gears up for aviation summit
- Club Europe proves a hit
- Court victory for Ryanair
- Derry launch by bmi
- Digital tower for London City
- Dreamliner boost for El Al
- Loganair heads for Bergen
- London bizjet campaign
- Mandarin Oriental for Chile
- New air taxi for Channel Isles
- Norwegian US plans
- Party time for Wizz Air
- Southend lures private jets
- Take-off for Eastern
- Titan adds all-business A318
- Travelodge goes premium
- £212m loss at easyJet
- ON TOUR: Montreuil-sur-Mer
- AND FINALLY: Elvis lives
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Mandarin Oriental for Chile
Signalling its first property in South America, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has signed a management contract to manage and ultimately brand a 310-room operating hotel in the Chilean capital Santiago.
Norwegian US plans
US pre-clearance facilities at Dublin and Shannon airports and a shuttle service into New York are to be made available to passengers on Norwegian when the airline begins its new low-cost transatlantic flights from Ireland to the US East Coast in July.
Take-off for Eastern
Scotland’s only direct air link from Glasgow to the Isle of Man has been restored with Eastern Airways’ new service, following the liquidation of Citywing. The carrier also re-established the island’s routes to Northern Ireland (Belfast City) and North East England (Newcastle).
COMMENT: Are these the World's top 20 airlines?
If you ever thought you didn’t know enough about the world’s airlines, help is now at hand thanks to the OAG organisation, whose Take-Off division has just produced a major report listing the essential metrics on the major carriers.
BTN happens to think that while it is a truly fine piece of research, typical of OAG, it is misleading. Do take a look.
B737 MAX first delivery
Malaysian carrier Malindo Air entered the Boeing record books last week as the aircraft manufacturer heralded the first delivery of the new B737 MAX with the handover of a Dash-8. Malindo will be the first to put the 737 MAX into commercial service.
Boeing 'Bizliner' on show
Chinese aviation company Deer Jet showed off one of the world's most luxurious business jets, or "bizliners," at Seattle's Museum of Flight on Tuesday following a brief appearance by the aircraft at Stansted as part of a world tour.
China gears up for aviation summit
Aviation leaders from around the world are lined up to appear at the first major China – EU aviation summit scheduled to take place on 26 June in Beijing. The event is hosted by CAAC News and arranged by the Institute for Aviation and Midas Aviation.
Derry launch by bmi
A new service between Stansted and City of Derry Airport has been launched by bmi regional. The latest in a host of new routes for the airline, it offers twice daily rotations every day except Saturdays, when there is one flight each way.
Dreamliner boost for El Al
A major fleet re-equipment project is under way at El Al, which said last week it is due to receive its first Dreamliner in August and 15 more by the end of 2020 in a $1bn deal CEO David Maimon has described as “the largest procurement in El Al’s history”.
Loganair heads for Bergen
The first service between Glasgow Airport and Bergen in Norway has taken to the air, with Scots carrier Loganair operating a twice-weekly summer service by 50-seat Saab 2000 on Mondays and Fridays until 28 August.
New air taxi for Channel Isles
Isle-Fly, an air taxi service believed to be the first to be set up in the Channel Islands for 30 years, has opened for business headed by Paul Sabin, former managing director of local airline Blue Islands, and Colin Wright.
Southend lures private jets
With EBACE starting today in Geneva until 24 May (Alison Chambers is at the show for BTN) and RAF Northolt threatened with closure (See BTN 6 March), Southend Airport is making a determined effort to attract more business jet passengers.
Travelodge goes premium
In a move which it says brings the Premium Economy concept as used by airlines to the UK hotel market, Travelodge last week launched “SuperRooms”, said to be the first of their kind and designed especially for business travellers.
ON TOUR: Montreuil-sur-Mer
Fuelled by an interest in wine and then hooked on the history, BTN’s Richard Cawthorne explores a picturesque community in the Pas de Calais
AND FINALLY: Elvis lives
If you like aeroplanes, are a music fan and have a dollar or two to spare, you might care to log-on to the website of Beverly Hills auction house GWS next Saturday, 27 May, when Elvis Presley’s first jet, a customised 1962 Lockheed Jetstar, is coming up for grabs.
BA returns to Birmingham
For the first time in a decade, British Airways colours flew at Birmingham Airport on Saturday as flight BA7025 took off for Florence. It was the first of four new regional routes launched from the Midlands by the airline at the weekend.
Club Europe proves a hit
Nearly 70,000 passengers booked British Airways’ new Business Class cabin on domestic UK flights in the programme’s first six weeks, making it “a real hit”, the airline said last week.
Court victory for Ryanair
Victory over French authorities in a complicated case involving EU social insurance payments was claimed last week by Ryanair, which said it would now seek a €15m repayment.
Digital tower for London City
London City is to become the first UK airport to build and operate a digital air traffic control tower, with a multi-million pound investment in the technology. The plan is described as “a flagship moment” in the airport’s 30th anniversary year.
London bizjet campaign
Air taxi operator GlobeAir has announced a strategic partnership with London City Airport as part of the airport’s campaign to attract more business aircraft to its Private Jet Centre, the only one within the capital.
Party time for Wizz Air
With a new route between Luton and Tel Aviv scheduled to begin on 24 June (BTN 27 February), Hungarian carrier Wizz Air has sealed a busy year by celebrating the 13th anniversary of its first flight.
Titan adds all-business A318
Configured with just 32 seats, a new all-Business Class Airbus A318-100 has joined the fleet at Stansted-based charter carrier Titan Airways and will be available from early next month.
£212m loss at easyJet
Larger aircraft with lower seat costs are on the way at easyJet after the airline last week reported a bigger loss than expected for the first half of the year of £212m compared with a £21m loss for the equivalent period in 2016.