If you blinked and missed those pivotal route announcements this week, catch up with our compilation: Air Arabia Egypt is launched; Brisbane brings back direct China Link; Qantas ups service to South Africa; RwandAir and Air Uganda in codeshare deal and Swaziland Minister hints about a possible revival of Royal Swazi.
Air Arabia Egypt is Launched
Air Arabia has officially launched its Egyptian
division, Air Arabia Egypt, starting with services from its new Alexandria hub to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.
Further destinations are to be announced shortly and Kuwait, Amman and Beirut are likely to be next.
Air Arabia Egypt has been formed through a Joint Venture with travel company Travco - designed to complement Air Arabia's existing operations and its base in Sharjah. Plus sister carrier Air Arabia Maroc has another base in Casablanca.
Click this link to follow our commentary earlier this year on the opportunities and threats surrounding Air Arabia's strategy in Egypt: https://www.routesonline.com/news/36/the-hub/66649/making-history-air-arabia-egypt-/
Brisbane Brings Back China Link
Queensland in Australia will resume non-stop links to mainland China after 13 years, when China Southern begins operations to Brisbane from Guangzhou on November 1.
There were over 153,000 Chinese visitors to Queensland last year, making China one of Queensland's largest inbound tourist markets. This figure is forecast to grow at over 10% annually in the coming years, the airport said.
Its CEO and MD, Julieanne Alroe commented: "The business case for this service was exceptionally strong with China now being Queensland's second largest trading partner. Our airport has worked very closely with the Australia - China business community in Queensland who have been asking for non-stop services for some time. We formed the China Aviation Action Group to coordinate and focus our efforts."
Our next goal is to convince China Southern to fly daily to Brisbane within the next two years."
Qantas Goes Daily to South Africa
Qantas will move its long-running service linking Sydney and Johannesburg to a daily operation from September 21.
Its CEO, Alan Joyce, said that the Qantas South-African service was a "key route" for the airline, which has been running to Johannesburg for 62 years.
Joyce added: "The daily schedule from Sydney will also now complement our daily codeshare services from Perth with South African Airways."
Currently, Qantas is the only carrier to offer non-stops between Sydney and Johannesburg. SAA also serves Perth from Johannesburg and V Australia serves Melbourne.
Qantas has also announced that it will launch daily A380 services between Melbourne and London and offer six A380 flights a week between Melbourne and Los Angeles to coincide with phased deliveries of new A380 aircraft.
RwandAir and Air Uganda In Codeshare
RwandAir and Air Uganda have signed a codeshare agreement on their flights between Kigali and Entebbe.
Rene Janata, RwandAir's CEO said that both airlines operate Bombardier 50-seater CRJs on this route, enabling their schedules and fares to be easily co-ordinated.
John Mirenge, chairman of RwandAir's Board of Directors added: "What the East African community needs now more than ever is to see operators offer value that will facilitate regional movement and growth as opposed to restrictive modes of operation. This is a bold and positive step by both carriers."
Air Uganda and RwandAir's regional network includes flights to Nairobi, Juba, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, Bujumbura, Kilimanjaro, Kamembe, Mombasa and Zanzibar.
Reviving Royal Swazi?
The Royal Swazi brand could be revived under new plans, revealed Swaziland's minister for public works and transport, Ntuthuko Dlamini, during a press conference at Routes Africa in Swaziland.
Today the tiny Southern African kingdom is only served by Swazi Airlink, but Dlamini said this could change if an analysis, which is already underway, proves that there is market potential for an additional airline. He said the Swazi government is in conversations with Bombardier about the possibility of leasing or purchasing an aircraft for the revived airline.
"My dream is to have an airline with the Swazi flag on it. There are plans underway to revive the Royal Swazi brand and there is an analysis and development plan underway," he said.
Dlamini added that if the carrier was realised, it would look at partnering with other regional airlines. The potential route network is not yet clear but he said it could well include destinations in Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia.
Related Content
