EMIRATES TO FLY A380 TO RIYADH
Emirates Airline has confirmed it will operate a one-off Airbus A380 commercial flight to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia on September 23, to celebrate the country’s 81st National Day. The aircraft will be used on the carrier’s EK817/818 scheduled flight that day between Dubai International and King Khalid International in Riyadh. “As the capital city of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh is an integral part of Emirates’ operations to the Kingdom. The A380 is our flagship aircraft and it is fitting that we mark the occasion of the country’s National Day by operating this one-of-a-kind aircraft into Riyadh,” said Ahmed Khoory, Senior Vice President, Gulf, Middle East and Iran, Emirates Airline. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) carrier already uses the A380 on its route between Dubai and Jeddah and has been doing so since February 2010, reporting strong demand from both business and leisure travellers. “The superior A380 product is an excellent fit for discerning Saudi travellers and King Khalid International Airport is well equipped to handle the A380. We are now working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure next week’s one-off operation is successful,” added Khoory. The airline is the largest customer for the A380 and now operates 15 examples on services from Dubai to London Heathrow (double-daily), Manchester, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Toronto, Seoul, Bangkok, Beijing, Shanghai, Jeddah, New York, Hong Kong, Sydney and Auckland. Additional A380 destinations that have been announced include; Rome, Kuala Lumpur, Johannesburg and Munich.
WIZZ AIR TO INTRODUCE SECOND A320 AT VILNIUS
Central and Eastern European low-cost carrier Wizz Air is to base a second Airbus A320 in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius from May next year. The arrival of the additional aircraft will enable the carrier to introduce four new routes and increase frequencies on several existing services. Wizz Air is currently the third largest operator at Vilnius, accounting for 16.1 per cent of the weekly seat capacity; just behind Ryanair with 17.7 per cent and airBaltic with 17.4 per cent. It currently offers links to eight destinations – Barcelona El Prat, Bergamo Orio al Serio, Cork, Doncaster Sheffield, Dortmund, Eindhoven, LondonLuton and Rome Fiumicino - with a total of 21 weekly frequencies. "Wizz Air is very happy with the Lithuanian performance since the base opening and wants to maintain its momentum on the market. By deploying a second aircraft, we further boost the local economy, and increase the number of destinations available from Vilnius at truly affordable prices," said György Abrán, Chief Commercial Officer, Wizz Air. The arrival of the second A320 will enable the airline to boost frequencies to Eindhoven from two to three a week and its main route to London Luton from five to eleven times a week as well as adding twice weekly links to Bergen, Liverpool John Lennon, Oslo Sandefjord and Paris Beauvais from May 27. None of these routes is currently served directly, although Norwegian does offer a three times weekly link between Vilnius and Oslo Gardermoen.
CYPRUS AIRWAYS DROPS WIDEBODIES
Cyprus Airways has confirmed that it has negotiated the early termination of leases on its two Airbus A330-200s as it begins to restructure its fleet to overcome large financial losses. The two aircraft will now return to the lessor in December 2011 and January 2012, around a year earlier than originally planned, although both have already been retired from service joining the UK Ministry of Defence on sub-lease for its own contract flights. The two aircraft had been used on the carrier’s primary routes from the Mediterranean island, most notably to Athens and London. They will be replaced by two A321-200s which will be acquired from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) on six year leases in April and May 2012. These aircraft share common cockpit and technical commonality with its existing A319 and A320 models and will enable the carrier to offer a lower-risk strategy with less capacity in these core markets. “The early redelivery of the A330 aircraft is expected to bring about a significant improvement to the operating result of the company,” confirmed Cyprus Airways in its half year results for the six months ending June 30, 2011.
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