Wednesday, December 2, 2015

UK government warned over Heathrow runway impact | Breaking Travel News

                               UK government warned over Heathrow runway impact
A report from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee has advised the British government not to allow the building of a third runway at London Heathrow unless strict environmental criteria can be met.
In the latest stage of a long-running debate, the Airports Commission published a report backing a third runway in July.
However, the committee said firm plans to deal with climate-changing emissions, air quality and noise need to be put in place.
A final government decision is expected by the end of the year.
Huw Irranca-Davies, chairman of the committee, said it would be “irresponsible” to postpone dealing with the environmental impact of expansion at Heathrow.

He added: “If the government decides to accept the commission’s recommendation for a third runway in principle, we will seek assurances from the secretary of state for transport that environmental conditions will be met before it is given final approval.”
The MPs said the airport had to show that an expanded Heathrow would be less noisy than it is with two runways.
Their report also called for Heathrow to say it would cover the costs of surface transport improvements.


UK government warned over Heathrow runway impact | News | Breaking Travel News

Πετάει, πετάει το αεροδρόμιο Αθηνών

       Ανοδικά κινούνται τα νούμερα στο αεροδρόμιο

Αποτελεί σταθερό πυλώνα ανάπτυξης του ελληνικού τουρισμού. Το αεροδρόμιο της Αθήνα κινείται συνεχώς ανοδικά, καλοκαίρι και χειμώνα. Σύμφωνα με τα τελευταία διαθέσιμα στοιχεία, η επιβατική κίνηση του Νοεμβρίου έφτασε το 1,2 εκατ. επιβάτες, ξεπερνώντας κατά 15,9% την αντίστοιχη περίοδο του 2014. Οι επιβάτες εσωτερικού παρουσίασαν υψηλά επίπεδα ανόδου της τάξης του 20,2%, ενώ και οι διεθνείς επιβάτες αυξήθηκαν σημαντικά κατά 13,3%.  Τόσο οι ξένοι επισκέπτες, όσο και οι  Έλληνες επιβάτες κατέγραψαν σημαντική άνοδο της τάξης του 18,4% και 15,3% αντίστοιχα.

Συνολικά, κατά την περίοδο Ιανουαρίου - Νοεμβρίου, η κίνηση του αεροδρομίου έφτασε τα 16,9 εκατομμύρια επιβάτες, αυξημένη σε σχέση με την αντίστοιχη περίοδο του 2014 κατά 19,6%, με την κίνηση εσωτερικού να παρουσιάζει αύξηση κατά 22,7% και την κίνηση εξωτερικού κατά 17,9%.  Οι Έλληνες ταξιδιώτες παρουσίασαν αύξηση κατά 12%, ενώ οι ξένοι επισκέπτες κατέγραψαν επίσης άνοδο της τάξης του 26%.

Η επιβατική κίνηση

Εξάλλου, όσον αφορά στις πτήσεις 2015, κατά τη διάρκεια του Νοεμβρίου έφτασαν τις 11.600 και παρουσίασαν αύξηση 9% σε σύγκριση με το Νοέμβριο 2014. Αναλυτικά, τόσο οι εγχώριες όσο και οι διεθνείς πτήσεις σημείωσαν αύξηση, κατά 6,8% και 10,7% αντίστοιχα.

Συνολικά, ο αριθμός των πτήσεων στο Διεθνή Αερολιμένα Αθηνών κατά τη διάρκεια του ενδεκάμηνου έφτασε τις 164.300 και κατέγραψε άνοδο της τάξης του 14,4% σε σχέση με την αντίστοιχη περίοδο του 2014, με αύξηση και στα δύο σκέλη, εσωτερικού και εξωτερικού, κατά 11,6% και 16,6% αντίστοιχα.

Η κίνηση των αεροσκαφών


Πετάει, πετάει το αεροδρόμιο Αθηνών

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Qatar Airways to suspend its non-stop service from Doha to Osaka after 31 March 2016

Qatar Airways has announced that it will suspend its non-stop service between Doha, its home airport, and Osaka Kansai International Airport (KIX), Japan, after March 31, 2016,
due to commercial reasons.

Qatar Airways first started service to Osaka on 31 March 2005. From 12 January 2016, Qatar Airways will serve Osaka five times weekly (down from a daily non-stop service) from Doha, with all Qatar Airways operations to Osaka withdrawn after 31 March 2016. Affected passengers will be offered alternative travel solutions via Qatar Airways customer care department.
Qatar Airways will continue to serve Tokyo with daily non-stop flights to both Haneda International Airport and Narita International Airport.
The last departure from Doha will be 31 March 2016, on Qatar Airways Flight 802 departing Doha at 01:40 and arriving Osaka-Kansai at 16:55. The last non-stop Qatar Airways flight from Osaka-Kansai will depart 31 March 2016 at 22:40 and arrive Doha Hamad International Airport at 04:40 on 1 April 2016.

easyJet to offer live aircraft tracking with Flightradar24 | Breaking Travel News

                                                          easyJet to offer live aircraft tracking with Flightradar24
easyJet has announced that it has further enhanced its award-winning mobile app by adding live aircraft tracking functionality directly from Flightradar24.
The airline is the first in the world to have collaborated with Flightradar24 to integrate the feature into a mobile app, meaning passengers can view the exact whereabouts of the aircraft they are due to fly on in real time up to three hours before their flight.
Family and friends of passengers flying can also track their loved ones’ flight ahead of their arrival.
The feature is the result of a purpose built Software Development Kit that was specially created for easyJet by Flightradar24 and uses GPS information that is sent from easyJet’s 240+ aircraft.
The flight tracking software, which went live on the app this morning, will show the aircraft’s route, speed, type of aircraft, altitude, distance travelled and total distance to destination.
James Millett, easyJet head of digital, said: “We’re delighted to have launched live location-based flight tracking to our award winning app.
“More than 800,000 customers use our app every week to make travelling across our network of more than 780 routes even easier - it’s fast becoming the essential travel companion for Generation easyJet.”
In addition to the new feature, easyJet have added 3D Touch functionality to its app, meaning users of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus can benefit from getting to four key app areas even quicker.
By pressing deeply on the app icon, users can jump to Book Flight, My Flights, Boarding Passes and Flight Tracker options instantly.
In recent years easyJet has embraced technology to help make passenger journeys easier and more seamless.
easyJet’s app is the fastest airline app available and has now been downloaded more than 14.5 million times.
It is available to download now on the App Store.


easyJet to offer live aircraft tracking with Flightradar24 | News | Breaking Travel News

Russian sanctions on Turkey focus on air travel, trade - ch-aviation.com

   Ural Airlines Airbus A320-200 in Barcelona

The Russian government has barred Ural Airlines (U6, Ekaterinburg) and other Russian carriers from operating charter flights to Turkey as part of a raft of punitive economic sanctions announced by Moscow this past weekend.


The move is in retaliation for Türk Hava Kuvvetleri F-16s downing a Russian Air Force Sukhoi Su-24 for reportedly violating Turkish airspace near the border with Syria last week. One of the two pilots was shot dead by Syrian Turkmen rebels as he parachuted to safety.


"It was definitely an act of aggression by Turkey, a neighbour and a NATO member. Military and political reaction to this crime has been provided and more will be forthcoming," Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev said.


Aside from barring charter flights to Turkey, a popular destination for Russian tourists, the Kremlin is also considering banning Turkish operators such as Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Atatürk) from transiting Russian airspace. Turkish carriers serving Russia will also be subject to increased checks and controls "for security reasons".


Other punitive measures include embargoing Russian businesses from hiring any new Turkish nationals as well as import restrictions on certain Turkish goods.


The new measures come into effect from January 1, 2016.


Russian sanctions on Turkey focus on air travel, trade - ch-aviation.com

Aeroflot to sell A321s; place Transaero jets with Rossiya - ch-aviation.com

   Aeroflot Airbus A320-200

Aeroflot Group's Board of Directors approved the sale of six A321-100/-200s to Lithuanian firm, AviaAM Leasing AB as part of the Russian carrier's fleet optimization programme.


The aircraft, listed as cn 2342, 2903, 2912, 2957, 2965, and 3191, average roughly nine years of age and will be replaced with four younger A321-200 (sl)s which will be phased in from the first quarter of next year through to third quarter of 2017.


In a related development, the Group has also announced that four ex-Transaero Airlines (UN, Moscow Vnukovo) Tu-204s, and possibly ten B737-800s and four B747-400s it has secured on lease from Sberbank, will be placed with a new regional carrier which is based on the Rossiya (FV, St. Petersburg) brand and encompasses Rossiya, Donavia (D9, Rostov), and Orenair (R2, Orenburg).


In October, the Group said the newly consolidated carrier would allow it to generate synergies of several billion roubles while adapting its multi-brand strategy to new market conditions.


Aeroflot to sell A321s; place Transaero jets with Rossiya - ch-aviation.com

NH-264 suffers mid-flight engine shut down | Aviation Gazette

    ja712a-all-nippon-airways-boeing-777-281_PlanespottersNet_518033


An ANA All Nippon Airways Boeing 777-200, registration JA712A performing flight NH-264 from Fukuoka to Tokyo Haneda (Japan) with 387 people on board, was climbing out of Fukuoka when the crew observed an unusual exhaust gas temperature (EGT) increase on the left hand engine (PW4077) and shut the engine down. The aircraft returned to Fukuoka for a safe landing about 20 minutes after departure.
Passengers reported the left hand engine emitted a loud boom and streaks of flame.
The airline reported en unusual EGT rise on the #1 engine prompted the crew to shut the engine down and return to Fukuoka.
The Aviation Herald

NH-264 suffers mid-flight engine shut down | Aviation Gazette

Royal Air Maroc to Take Off to Rio de Janeiro and Washington in 2016 :Routesonline

            Royal Air Maroc to Take Off to Rio de Janeiro and Washington in 2016



Richard Maslen
Content & Community Manager, Routesonline




North African carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) is to further expand its long-haul network from next year with the launch of flights between its Mohammed V International Airport hub in Casablanca and Washington Dulles Airport in the United States and Rio de Janeiro’s Galeão International Airport in Brazil.


North African carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) is to further expand its long-haul network from next year with the launch of flights between its Mohammed V International Airport hub in Casablanca and Washington Dulles Airport in the United States and Rio de Janeiro’s Galeão International Airport in Brazil.
The Moroccan flag carrier plans to introduce Washington as its second destination in the United States (after New York) and third in North America (also including Montreal, Canada) from the autumn of next year. This past weekend it has opened reservations for a three times weekly link from September 8, 2016 to be flown using Boeing 787-8 equipment.
According to schedule data from OAG, this will be the only non-stop link between North Africa and Washington and will not only serve the point-to-point demand but also markets across Morocco, North Africa and the rest of the Continent thanks to RAM’s network from its Casablanca hub.
More than 20,000 passengers a year are flying between Morocco and Washington, a market that has grown for the last three consecutive years. With its historical links with Morocco, it is not surprising that French national carrier Air France is the dominant carrier in this market with a 71.7 per cent share of the O&D demand in 2014.
RAM will offer a more convenient non-stop offering while also stimulating the market further. It will also aid connectivity between other parts of the African continent and Washington, with the new service offering the fastest connection to a number of markets. It will be one of only the three airlines to offer a current direct connection into Washington from Africa adding to the flights of Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa, South African Airways from Accra, Dakar and Johannesburg.
Meanwhile, the new Rio de Janeiro service will be added to the carrier’s existing flights into Brazil on a triangle routing alongside Sao Paulo. With effect from May 2, 2016, RAM will operate a twice weekly Casablanca – Sao Paulo – Rio de Janeiro – Casablanca routing and a single weekly Casablanca – Rio de Janeiro – Sao Paulo – Casablanca offering. From September 11, 2016 the second routing will get an additional weekly frequency boosting the overall schedule to Brazil to four times weekly, all flown using Boeing 767-300ER equipment.
RAM is currently the only airline to offer flights between Morocco and Brazil having introduced flights between Casablanca and Sao Paulo in November 2013. Its launch of the direct route helped grow O&D demand between the two countries from around 8,000 annual passengers in 2012 to almost 15,000 in 2013 and over 21,000 last year.

Royal Air Maroc to Take Off to Rio de Janeiro and Washington in 2016 :: Routesonline

Transavia Opens Munich Base from late-March 2016 | Airline Route



                              

Transavia today announced the launch of Munich base, where it’ll be adding a total of 16 new routes in summer season, from 25MAR16. Planned new routes as follow.


eff 25MAR16 Munich – Brussels 12 weekly
eff 25MAR16 Munich – Copenhagen 4 weekly (6 weekly from 30MAY16)
eff 25MAR16 Munich – Faro 4 weekly
eff 25MAR16 Munich – Pisa 2 weekly (3 weekly from 30MAY16)
eff 25MAR16 Munich – Palma Mallorca 4 weekly (7 weekly from 30MAY16)
eff 26MAR16 Munich – Marrakech 2 weekly
eff 26MAR16 Munich – Naples 4 weekly (5 weekly from 31MAY16)
eff 27MAR16 Munich – Porto 3 weekly
eff 27MAR16 Munich – Venice 5 weekly (7 weekly from 30MAR16)
eff 27MAR16 Munich – Seville 2 weekly (4 weekly from 31MAY16)
eff 30MAY16 Munich – Bari 5 weekly
eff 30MAY16 Munich – Dubrovnik 3 weekly
eff 30MAY16 Munich – Palermo 3 weekly
eff 30MAY16 Munich – Valencia 4 weekly
eff 31MAY16 Munich – Bologna 4 weekly
eff 31MAY16 Munich – Catania 5 weekly

Transavia Opens Munich Base from late-March 2016 | Airline Route

JAL Increases Dallas Service from late-March 2016 | Airline Route

                             

JAL today (30NOV15) resumed service on Tokyo Narita – Dallas/Ft. Worth route, which is served 4 times a week by the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The airline is now planning to expand operation with daily flight, starting 22MAR16.

Reservation for the new flight is now open. The following operational schedule is from 27MAR16.

JL012 NRT1120 – 0905DFW 788 D
JL011 DFW1245 – 1615+1NRT 788 D

JAL Increases Dallas Service from late-March 2016