Airline briefs 17Jul12
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Airline news briefs from Thomson, China Southern, Turkish Airlines, CityJet and more…
New Stansted-Agadir route announced
Thomson and First Choice have announced it will launch flights between Stansted and Agadir, Morocco next year. The tour operator will also launch flights from the airport to Gran Canaria and follows its on-going drive to provide connections from local airports. “Increasing our capacity and introducing these new routes atStanstedAirportdemonstrates our continued commitment toEssexand we are confident these destinations will prove popular with our customers. The Agadir flight will provide a third UK gateway to the Moroccan beach resort, in addition to our Gatwick and Manchester flights,” said Paul Cooper, airport negotiations manager at Thomson and First Choice.
China Southern to fly daily to London
China Southern Airlines has revealed that it will boost its new Guangzhou-London services to daily from October. The service launched the route in June 2012 with three weekly flights, leading to the creation on the airline’s new ‘Canton route’ connecting the UK with Australia. From 28 October 2012, China Southern will fly from Guangzhou to London every day, departing the Chinese city at 0930 and arriving in London about 1500. The return flights will depart Heathrow at 1700, arriving in Guangzhou 1300 the following day. Full story
Turkish Airlines starts Edinburgh flights
Turkish Airlines commenced flights from Edinburgh yesterday, its fourth departure point in the UK. Flights from the Scottish capital will operate four times a week although it is confident this will switch to a daily service. As well as the direct route, Turkish will provide onward connections to destinations in Asia, Africa and the Middle East including Hong Kong, Cape Town, Dubai and Narita. “This is a significant development for Edinburgh Airport and the wider city. It sets the tone for the new ownership of Scotland’s premier airport – greater global connectivity and working with major airline partner such as Turkish,” said Gordon Dewar, chief executive at Edinburgh Airport. Full story
CityJet announces new German route
CityJet has announced it will fly from London City to Münster-Osnabruck, Germany from October. The daily service will start on 29 October and will particularly appeal to Münster and nearby Osnabruck and Dortmund’s strong technology and science industry connections. “There is also strong inbound demand for a direct route to the heart of London from Münster given the large number of SMEs based in the airport’s catchment area. In addition, our new route will open up the cultural and historic heart of the Westphalia region of Germany to families and couples looking for a relaxed weekend break,” said Christine Ourmières, CEO of CityJet.
Etihad signs FFP deal with Czech Airlines
Etihad Airways has formed a new frequent flyer partnership with Czech Airlines. From 1 August, members of Etihad Guest and Czech’s OK Plus frequent flyer programmes will be able to earn and redeem miles on the flights of both airlines. The cooperation builds on an 18-destination codeshare relationship which the two flag carriers launched in June 2011.