In the week commencing January 8, 2024, the aviation industry saw several significant developments:
Thai Airways: Plans to resume daily service from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport to Perth Airport (PER), Australia, starting March 31, using Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Kate Holsgrove, PER’s chief commercial and aviation officer, highlighted the route’s potential for boosting tourism, student travel, and business between Thailand and Western Australia.
Norwegian: Announces four new routes from Milan Bergamo. Services to Tromso will begin on January 16, Copenhagen flights from March 31, Stavanger from May 18, and Helsinki starting June 2. These will operate alongside last year’s seasonal routes to Oslo and Bergen.
Lynx Air: Introduces a new domestic route in Canada, connecting Charlottetown Airport (YYG) with Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) four times a week from May 30, increasing to six times a week from June 10. The route will also offer through-service to Calgary International Airport (YYC).
SunExpress: Launching three routes from Türkiye to London Stansted Airport during the northern summer 2024. Flights from Antalya begin on March 29, Gaziantep from April 2, and Adana starting May 24, all using Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Aeromexico: Introduced a new daily nonstop service between Guadalajara and Atlanta using Embraer E190 aircraft, reflecting Guadalajara’s growing appeal for tourism and business.
Ryanair: Plans to increase frequencies on routes from Bratislava to Dublin, Eindhoven, and London Stansted during the summer 2024 season, with a schedule featuring two based aircraft and over 130 weekly flights.
El Al Israel Airlines: Filed plans to resume flights to Tokyo Narita International Airport from March 6, marking the first time since October 2023, using Boeing 787-8s and 787-9s four times a week.
Jet2.com: Brought forward the launch of its new route from Manchester Airport (MAN) to Porto, Portugal, to July 4, 2024, offering flights twice a week until November 3.
InterCaribbean Airways: Announced the start of flights connecting Bridgetown, Barbados, and Kingston, Jamaica, from February 6, three times a week using CRJ700 aircraft.
Iraqi Airways: Confirmed resumption of weekly flights to Malaysia from Baghdad to Kuala Lumpur starting February 1, using Boeing 787-8 aircraft. The route last operated in August 2020.
IndiGo: Commenced operations from the newly inaugurated Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, with the first flight to New Delhi on January 6, marking Ayodhya as the 86th domestic and 118th overall destination in IndiGo’s network.
This roundup covers various airlines’ strategic expansions and route resumptions, indicating a dynamic and growing global aviation sector as we move further into 2024.
