SKY EXPRESS TO FLY TO GELENDZHIK
Budget carrier Sky Express is to inaugurate flights to the Russian Black Sea resort town of Gelendzhik in Krasnodar Krai from its Moscow Vnukovo base from July 4. The airline will offer a five times weekly schedule using one of its recently delivered Airbus A319s. The arrival of Sky Express on the route will significantly increase competition to the Russian capital. There are already 26 weekly flights to Gelendzhik from Moscow, including links by Aeroflot Russian Airlines and Avianova from Sheremetyevo, Ural Airlines from Domodedovo and Gazpromavia and UTair from Vnukovo. An estimated 172,000 O&D passengers flew to and from Gelendzhik Airport in the past year with 84 per cent of this travellers beginning or ending their journeys at one of the Moscow airports.
TURKISH AIRLINES STRENGTHENS IRAQI NETWORK
Turkish Airlines (THY) is to expand its network in Iraq with new connections from Istanbul to Najaf and Sulaymaniyah. Following the launch of these two new routes in July it will serve five destinations in Iraq, with existing flights to Baghdad, Basra and Erbil. From July 5, it will a three times weekly service to Najaf, becoming the first European flag carrier to offer flights to the central southern city, which is receiving a greater level of pilgrim traffic as the burial site of Shia Islam's second most important figure. Fellow Turkish carrier AtlasJet Airways already serves the route twice weekly from Istanbul. THY will combine the new link with its existing schedule to Basra; the aircraft flying an Istanbul – Najaf – Basra – Istanbul routing. The new Istanbul – Sulaymaniyah link will follow from July 18, four times weekly using an Airbus A321. Again, this route is already flown by AtlasJet Airways, which currently offers three flights per week. An estimated 115,000 O&D passengers travelled between Turkey and Iraq in the past year with THY accounting for 28.7 per cent of this traffic; this figure is expected to grow to more than 40 per cent once the new service are introduced.
S7 AIRLINES INAUGURATES BERLIN – NOVOSIBIRSK LINK
Russian carrier S7 Airlines has launched flights between Berlin Tegel and the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, one of Russia’s key industrial and scientific hubs. The first of the new weekly flights from Novosibirsk’s Tolmachevo International Airport arrived in the German capital on June 19. S7 Airlines is the one of the largest international airlines in Russia and is part of the oneworld global alliance. It operates flights to almost 30 destinations from Novosibirsk, comprising a mix of domestic, intra-CIS and international cities, including links to Frankfurt and Hannover.
NASAIR TO OFFER PAKISTAN LINKS
Saudi Arabian carrier Nasair is to launch flights to the Pakistan city of Lahore from both Jeddah and Riyadh. The airline will offer four flights per week from Riyadh and three from Jeddah with effect from July 8 using Airbus A320 equipment, expanding its network to 20 destinations. The new flights follow the recent addition of Karachi, the financial hub of Pakistan, to Nasair’s network and will greatly expand the travel options available to Pakistani expats living and working in Saudi Arabia. An estimated 2.29 million O&D passengers travelled between the two countries in the past year with around 200,000 pilgrims making the journey every year, according to Nasair. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Saudi Arabian Airlines already serve both markets using widebodied Boeing 747 and 777 equipment. "We are thrilled about our increased presence in Pakistan,” said Turki Al Jawini, Director of Sales, Nasair. “Servicing the thriving markets in Karachi, and now Lahore, is an important step in our route expansion.” PIA currently dominates the market between the two countries with a 39.8 per cent share of the traffic followed by Saudi Arabian Airlines with 36.4 per cent.
KUWAIT AIRWAYS RESUMES SEASONAL ISTANBUL LINK
Kuwait Airways has resumed flights between Kuwait City and Istanbul but will only serve the route for a three month period. The Middle Eastern carrier inaugurated a three times weekly service on June 16 but is currently only advertising the route until September 15. The two cities are already linked on a daily basis by Turkish Airlines (THY) and were previously served by Wataniya Airways prior to its closure earlier this year. An estimated 48,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the past year.
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