Korean Air Confirms Nairobi Route Launch
Korean Air has revealed it will become the first carrier to offer direct flights from Northeast Asia to the Kenyan capital Nairobi after confirming it will launch its new link between Seoul Incheon and Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International, the largest airport in Kenya and a major gateway into the wider East African market. The South Korean carrier has recently operated a couple of charter services between the two destinations but will introduce a three times weekly scheduled flight from June 21, 2012. This will be flown using an Airbus A330-200 offering seating for 226 passengers. “The launch of Korean Air’s nonstop service between Seoul Incheon and Nairobi is not only an exciting addition to the airline’s global network, but also serves as a catalyst in facilitating travel between Northeast Asia and Africa. With only 13 hours of flying time, it will offer passengers the ultimate convenience in travelling between the two cities,” said Jaeho Kim, Managing VP for Europe, Middle East & Africa, Korean Air. “The launch of this new route also means that both business and leisure travelers will be able to enjoy utmost comfort and ease during the journey travelling with Korean Air.” Kenya is a notable transit point for East Africa where hundreds of renowned international companies and organisations are based, including 120 foreign embassies, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Office and UN-Habitat. Alongside the point-to-point traffic, Korean Air expects to secure a large amount of transfer passengers which will be able to connect on to other destinations from Nairobi through the expanding network of Kenya Airways. In the past year around 10,000 O&D passengers travelled between Seoul Incheon and Nairobi despite the lack of direct services. Emirates Airline had the greatest share of this traffic via Dubai, although Qatar Airways also carried a notable share via Doha. Around 17 per cent used flights of Korean Air, connecting with other operators in Bangkok, Dubai or Hong Kong. The potential demand for the new route more than doubles when you consider the traffic demand in the wider South Korea – East Africa market. According to the statistics the largest flows into Africa beyond Nairobi are to/from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Entebbe, Uganda.
Wizz Air Confirms Bucharest Airport Switch
Central and Eastern European low-cost carrier Wizz Air is to move its operational base in the Romanian capital Bucharest from Aurel Vlaicu (Baneasa) Airport to Henri Coanda (Otopeni) Airport from March 25, 2012 due to the plans to close Baneasa to commercial air traffic. Blue Air, Direct Aero Services and Germanwings, which also serve the airport, have also confirmed the closure of their own operations at Baneasa from the end of the Northern Winter 2011/2012 schedule. Baneasa is expected to now be developed as a dedicated business facility for corporate traffic. Wizz Air currently offers services to 22 destinations from Bucharest and will add a twice weekly link to Memmingen from June 25, 2012 as well as previously announced services to Palma and Verona. It says its passengers will be able to take advantage of a modern, more comfortable and less congested terminal building and a revised timetable following the move, but will face an increase in air fares due to higher airport charges at Otopeni. Wizz Air says it will increase the number of flights from Bucharest by around 75 per cent this summer, invest an additional €100 million into the market and create a further 500 jobs, reinforcing Wizz Air’s its position as the largest airlines in Romania. Wizz Air currently has a 22.3 per cent share of the available capacity from Romania, according to weekly schedule data for mid-February, just 0.5 per cent more than national carrier Tarom. "Wizz Air is being forced to move to Otopeni and this will result in an increase in prices for passengers, but we are confident that our fares will still be the lowest on the market,” said Mike Powell, Chief Financial Officer, Wizz Air. “With lower fares than the competition, great service, and 22 destinations now served, Wizz Air anticipates continued growth in Bucharest.” However, Wizz Air has no plans to change its development strategy in the Eastern European country and has confirmed that an announcement of further new destinations from Bucharest is anticipated “in the coming weeks”.
Rebranded Samoan National Carrier Takes Flight
Polynesian Blue has completed its transition to the Virgin Samoa brand, as announced in December last year, after taking delivery of its first repainted and upgraded aircraft at the end of last week. The Boeing 737-800, operated on its behalf by Virgin Australia, was delivered from Auckland, New Zealand to Apia, Samoa on February 25, 2012 and was greeted by representatives of the Government of Samoa and joint venture partner, Virgin Australia. “Today we take the national airline of Samoa into the future,” said Mark Pitt, Chief Executive Officer, Virgin Samoa. “The new livery will increase the airline’s visibility in the eyes of local Samoans and those living abroad, as Samoa’s national flag carrier. Since announcing the new name in December last year, the response from the Samoan people has been overwhelmingly positive.” The development of Virgin Samoa’s new livery and interior design elements were guided by renowned brand and identity designer, Hans Hulsbosch, and Virgin Australia’s in-house brand team. “The new look and feel of Virgin Samoa is consistent with the Virgin Australia brand while underlining the special, uniquely Samoan, cultural elements that make it the people’s airline of Samoa,” said Michael Betteridge, General Manager, Marketing, Virgin Australia. “This is represented on the aircraft through the palm tree design and the ‘Airline of Samoa’ tag line on the fuselage; and a key element of the airline’s new visual language is the tatau designed by Samoan master tattooist, Tulouena Sua Tuifasisina Letelemaa'ana. It features on the aircraft’s engines and on the scarves and ties worn by Virgin Samoa Cabin Crew.” Initially formed as Polynesian Blue in October 2005, Virgin Samoa is a joint venture between the Government of Samoa (49 per cent), Virgin Australia (49 per cent) and a private Samoan shareholder (two per cent). The airline currently offers links from Faleolo International Airport in the Samoan capital Apia to Auckland, Brisbane and Sydney. It is the sole operator on the two Australian routes but competes directly with Air New Zealand to Auckland. In the past year it carried an estimated 73,000 O&D passengers on its services from Western Samoa.
Starbow Airlines Adds More BAe 146s for Network Growth
Ghanaian regional carrier, Aero Surveys Limited, which operates under the brand Starbow Airlines, has acquired two additional BAe 146 regional jetliners for use on regional and domestic routes. The aircraft, one BAe 146-300 and one smaller BAe 146-200 will double its fleet size to four aircraft and will add additional capacity to satisfy increasing demand. Starbow launched domestic operations in Ghana on September 26, 2011 initially on the route between Accra and Kumasi. The airline says passenger demand has grown significantly since its arrival in the market and it now serves the domestic centres of Kumasi with 16 flights a week, Tamale with 7 flights a week and Takoradi with 5 flights a week. The airline now plans to expand its network into international markets and the arrival of the two additional BAe 146s will help facilitate this growth. Starbow has highlighted the capital cities of neighbouring countries as its target markets, namely Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, Monrovia in Liberia and Cotonou in Benin and it hopes to inaugurate scheduled links during the second quarter of this year. The two aircraft are being acquired on lease from British Virgin Islands-based lessor Riva Investments Limited which has recently purchased the two jets from Falko Regional Aircraft Limited. They are expected to be delivered to Africa in May 2012 after pre-delivery work. Starbow believes the classic airliner is well suited for the regional routes it plans to serve due to the jet’s “rugged construction, ease of maintenance and unique operational performance” which will allow the aircraft to serve airfields previously only accessible by turboprop airliners.
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