Tyres of MDLR Airlines burst, miraculous escape for 10

Ten members of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the crew of private MDLR Airlines had a miraculous escape when four tyres of a plane carrying them burst while landing on the runway of Bhuntar airport here.The 70-seater aircraft Avro RJ 70, which had come here for route checking before start of the airlines’ regular Delhi-Kullu service, is stranded at the airport, sources said.

The four of the six tyres of the plane burst while landing, they said adding all the persons on board are, however, safe.

Chandigarh-based MDLR Airlines has been given permission to start their flight service in Delhi-Kullu route from April 28 next.

Eos files bankruptcy, latest airline to shut down

Eos Airlines, which offers business class flights between New York and London, said it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, becoming the latest carrier to fail in the face of record fuel prices and a softening economy.

Eos said it would stop operations entirely on April 27, cutting most of its work force.

Eos joins a number of other carriers to shut down in recent weeks, including Aloha Airlines, Champion Air, ATA Airlines, Skybus Airlines.

Eos filed for bankruptcy protection on April 26 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York.

Singapore Airlines takes delivery of fourth A380

Singapore Airlines took delivery on Saturday of its fourth Airbus A380 superjumbo, the world’s biggest airliner.

An airbus spokeswoman said the double-decker plane, the fourth to leave the production line, had taken off from Toulouse and was due to enter service in mid-May between Singapore and Tokyo.  Singapore became the first airline to operate the A380 when it entered service last October following an 18-month delay due to production problems.

Airbus has said it will deliver a total of 13 A380s this year, and its ability to stick to this schedule is a key factor driving the shares of parent EADS.

New Bangalore airport take off likely to be delayed

The flight operations from the new airport in Bangalore is expected to be further delayed as contentious issues like user development fee are yet to be resolved. This comes on the back of an already one month delay of the inauguration of the new Bangalore Airport. The airport was expected to begin operations on March 30,2008. That was since put back to May 11. The new date also is in doubt because of the airport’s issue to resolve the Uder Development fee with the airlines and the Airports Authority of India.

Greater Noida greenfield airport to finally see light of the day

With the Union Cabinet giving its nod for a case-by-case approval of greenfield airport projects within 150 km of existing ones, decks for the 5,000-crore greenfield Taj International Aviation Hub (TIAH) in Jewar, near Greater Noida, seem to have cleared.

The biggest hurdle confronting TIAH, one of the most ambitious project of chief minister Mayawati, was that it was within 70 kms of the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The TIAH expects to handle around 3.9 million passengers annually by 2011-12, or roughly one-fifth of the current traffic at the New Delhi airport, according to estimates by the state government. The proposal also seeks to derive a significant share of revenues through shopping malls, hotels, a cargo hub, an aviation academy and residential complexes as part of the airport project.

Emirates airline to launch service from July 1 to Kozhikode

Emirates airline, the international airline of the UAE, today said it will launch its operations from Kozhikode to Dubai from July one.

The airline will operate technologically-advanced Boeing 777-200 and Airbus A330-200 aircraft in two-class configurations offering over 2000 seats and about 100 tonnes of cargo capacity per week per direction.

Gulf Air plans direct flights to Hyderabad

Bahrain’s Gulf Air will begin its non-stop service to Hyderabad from July 1. The Hyderabad service will become the eighth destination for Gulf Air in India and it will increase total India frequencies to 68 weekly or 11,500 seats per week.

The route will be operated by using an Airbus A320-200, offering business and economy classes.

Jet Airways flies to Abu Dhabi

Jet Airways has started flights to the UAE, with the launch of two daily flights from Abu Dhabi to New Delhi and Mumbai. Earlier this year, Jet became the first private carrier from India to break the monopoly of the state-run carriers like Air India on the lucrative Gulf sector.
The new routes increase the number of the carrier’s international destinations to sixteen, while additional routes from Abu Dhabi will be considered in the winter of 2008 and the summer of 2009.

PAL Express unveiled

Philippine Airlines is launching a new, low-fares unit that will operate a fleet of turbo-propeller aircraft to mostly domestic island points under the brand name “PAL Express,” PAL president Jaime J. Bautista announced today.

PAL will acquire nine turbo-props – three Bombardier Q300s and six Q400s – to comprise PAL Express’ initial fleet, which will be based mainly in Cebu.  Some flights will also operate out of Manila.

PAL Express will primarily fly intra-regional routes in Visayas and Mindanao from its Cebu hub, as well as secondary routes to smaller airports in island provinces that are not able to accommodate PAL’s regular jet aircraft.

The launch of PAL Express is a ground-breaking step for the flag carrier, which is creating a sub-brand for the first time in its 67-year history.

Ethiopian to Strengthen its Presence in the Middle East

Ethiopian Airlines, the fastest growing African carrier, has announced its plan to launch flight services to Kuwait and Riyadh starting June 2, 2008. The flights will operate Addis Ababa-Riyadh-Kuwait-Addis Ababa twice weekly on Mondays and Thursdays with the return flights on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Currently Ethiopian operates 35 flights weekly to six destinations in the Middle East; namely, – Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Beirut, Dubai, Jeddah and Sana’a. The introduction of two additional weekly flights to Riyadh and Kuwait will further strengthen Ethiopian’s foot prints in the Middle East.

Air Berlin: Non-stop from Dortmund and Hanover to Sylt

From 1st May 2008 Air Berlin, in conjunction with its co-operation partner LG Walter, will be offering direct flights from Dortmund and Hanover to the island of Sylt for the first time. There will be one flight a day on Saturdays and Sundays from each of these towns to Westerland. From Dortmund Air Berlin passengers can also reach the island in the North Sea via Berlin-Tegel.

A Dornier 228 aircraft, with space for up to 18 passengers, is used to serve both routes.

PACIFIC BLUE Increases services to Fiji

Pacific Blue Airlines has announced plans to increase the number of flights from Australia to Fiji, with the introduction of two new services from June this year.  The decision to boost services follows ongoing and steady demand for Fiji flights, with strong growth experienced for direct flights from Sydney and Brisbane.

The daily Brisbane-Fiji flights will compliment the existing 10 return direct flights a week to Fiji from Sydney. The airline also offers comprehensive connecting flights between other Australian ports and Fiji.

British Airways JFK flights take-off from Gatwick

British Airways is boosting services from London to New York JFK by starting daily flights from Gatwick on Monday October 27, 2008.

The new flights mean that the airline will fly 62 times each week from the capital to JFK as the Gatwick flights will operate in addition to 55 weekly flights from Heathrow.

Cathay Pacific launches two more freighter destinations

Cathay Pacific Airways today announced it will further expand its network in September with the launch of freighter services to two new destinations in the United States: Houston, Texas, and Miami, Florida.

On 2 September the airline will, subject to final government approval, begin a thrice-weekly service, departing Hong Kong every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, that will fly to Miami, via Anchorage, and then on to Houston. The flight will then head back to Hong Kong, again routed through Anchorage. A Boeing 747-400F freighter will be used for the new service.

RAK Airways Launches its first destination in India – KOZHIKODE

RAK Airways, fourth national airline of the United Arab Emirates, announced its first destination in India with daily non-stop flights to  KOZHIKODE,  Kerala, known as  “God’s Own Country” commencing on Wednesday, April 23rd, from Ras Al Khaimah. Keralites form the majority of Indian expatriate community in Ras Al Khaimah and surroundings and RAK Airways is commitment to  providing world class facilities  to them.

Spirit Airlines Brings The First Low Fare Service To Port Of Spain, Trinidad And Tobago

Spirit Airlines continues to expand its international route network as the ultra low cost carrier today announced the addition of another new route from its Fort Lauderdale gateway with non-stop service to Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.  Scheduled to begin on June 12, 2008, Port of Spain becomes Spirit’s 22nd Caribbean/Latin American destination and the 43rd city it serves.

New Route from Glasgow to Faro with easyJet

easyJet, Scotland’s largest low-fares airline, will welcome passengers onboard its inaugural flight from Glasgow to Faro in Portugal today, giving the region’s travellers an even greater choice of destinations from their local airport.

The twice weekly (Tuesday and Saturday) service, which increases to a three weekly service during the busy summer period 26 June to 28 August, has fares from £23.99 one way. The airline expects to carry 16,000 passengers on the route in the next 12 months.

easyJet launches three NEW routes from Bristol – Biarritz, Olbia and Split

easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, launches three new routes this week from Bristol to Biarritz, Olbia and Split . The new services this morning to Biarritz will provide the region’s travellers with access to some of the most beautiful scenery in Europe, whilst Olbia and Split will join the network from Bristol on Saturday 26 April 2008; perfect timing for the summer sun.

Biarritz is easyJet’s 39th route from Bristol and Katie Walsh from Southampton was the lucky passenger selected at check-in to receive two free flights to both Olbia in Sardinia and Split in Croatia, giving them the opportunity to experience easyJet’s new destinations from Bristol.

American Airlines Adds Miami-Grenada Service To Schedule

American Airlines will open another new route from South Florida to the Caribbean this fall when the airline begins nonstop service from Miami to the southern Caribbean island of Grenada.

American will begin flying between Miami and Grenada on Nov. 20, 2008, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft configured with 16 seats in First Class and 132 seats in the Main Cabin.

American’s upcoming service from Miami is the only nonstop service currently scheduled between South Florida and Grenada, which is located approximately 100 miles off the coast of Venezuela.

The new service complements existing flights to Grenada from San Juan, Puerto Rico, offered by American Eagle, the regional affiliate of American Airlines.

New Summer Routes from Stansted – Beziers and Rimini

Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline today (23rd April) announced two new summer routes from London Stansted to Beziers (France) and Rimini (Italy). The flights go on sale today on www.ryanair.com and will operate in June, July and August, delivering £4m of savings for 40,000 passengers, compared to British Airways’ high fares and fuel surcharges.