AEROFLOT GOES DOUBLE DAILY TO SHANGHAI
Aeroflot Russian Airlines is to launch a second daily rotation on the Moscow Sheremetyevo – Shanghai Pu Dong route from April 9. Just under 80,000 passengers travelled on the route in the year ending November 2010, according to IATA BSP data, with the Russian flag carrier competing directly with China Eastern Airlines. The introduction of the second daily frequency, to be operated by a Boeing 767-300, will enable Aeroflot to take market leader status on the route - currently China Eastern accounts for 54 per cent of the total traffic with Aeroflot following with a 42 per cent share.
KUWAIT AIRWAYS DROPS FLIGHTS TO BANGLADESH AS IT BOOSTS FREQUENCIES TO INDIA
Kuwait Airways is to drop flights to Chittagong and Dhaka in Bangladesh this summer and will use this capacity on two of its existing routes. From March 27, it will increase frequencies on its Kuwait – Islamabad and Kuwait - Cochin links from three-times weekly to daily. The airline is the sole operator on the Islamabad route but has direct competition from Air India Express to Cochin, where it holds a 26 per cent share of an O+D market of 122,000 passengers, according to IATA BSP data for the 12 months ending November 2010.
AEROSVIT CUTS FLIGHT TIMES TO NOVOSIBIRSK
Ukrainian carrier Aerosvit Airlines is continuing its rapid network expansion announcing the addition of the Russian city of Novosibirsk to its network from its Kiev Borispol base. The route, due to launch in April, is not currently served directly, although in the 12 months up to November 2010 just under 4,500 passengers travelled between the two cities, according to IATA BSP data. The majority of these flew via Moscow, 49 per cent with Aeroflot Russian Airlines, using Sheremetyevo Airport to transit, and a further 40 per cent with S7 Airlines and Transaero Airlines via Domodedovo.
RUSSIAN CARRIER OPENS IRKUTSK TO THE WORLD
Russian carrier Yakutia is to launch a twice weekly Irkutsk – Munich flight using a Boeing 757-200. The long distance service will provide access to Central Russia for travellers from Europe and the rest of the world. The link will operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays between April 30 and September 28 and will be the only direct schedule between the two cities, according to Flightbase (January 14-20).
BRIDGING THE LOW-COST DIVIDE
Air Arabia Maroc, the Casablanca-based low-cost carrier, is to expand its flights to the southern French city of Montpellier. From March 28 the airline will increase its network to cover five destinations in Morocco, comprising Casablanca, Fez, Nador, Oujda and Tangier. The Montpellier - Casablanca route, which was launched in March last year will now be flown four-times weekly, while the other destinations will be served on a once weekly basis.
AIR BERLIN AND S7 AIRLINES EXPAND CODESHARE
Oneworld alliance-aligned carriers Air Berlin and S7 Airlines have expanded their codeshare arrangement on flights within Germany and Russia. The airberlin 'AB' code will now appear on the Russian carrier's links from Moscow Domodedovo to Irkutsk, Kazan, Perm, Rostov-on-Don, Samara and Ufa. Meanwhile, S7's code will be added to the German airline's services between Dusseldorf and Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Hamburg and Munich and Hannover.
AVIANOVA DROPS PLANS FOR ST PETERSBURG BASE
Russian budget carrier Avianova has dropped plans to open a second base at Pulkovo International Airport in St Petersburg and has instead opened discussions with four other unnamed facilities across the country. The Moscow-based carrier already has a strong presence at Pulkovo with existing flights to Arkhangelsk, Ekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Krasnodar, Moscow and Sochi, however, it had outlined tentative plans to boost capacity by around a third this year, subject to reaching a revised operating agreement with the airport’s owners. Avianova’s Chief Executive Officer, Andre Pyne confirmed that the two parties could “not find mutual understanding” and the airline therefore has “rejected the idea of creating a second base” there.
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