Air & Sea

Air Tahiti Nui introduces its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Air & Sea Air & Sea; Published: 10 October 2018 10 October 2018

Boeing, Air Lease Corp., and Air Tahiti Nui have celebrated the delivery of the airline's first 787-9 Dreamliner, via lease from ALC. This is the first Boeing airplane to join the Tahitian airline, which plans to use the longest-range Dreamliner to replace aging A340s and connect its home base in the South Pacific with world capitals such as Paris, Tokyo and Los Angeles.

Air Tahiti Nui joins other carriers in the Pacific who operate long-distance routes in switching to the super-efficient and long-range 787-9. The airplane can fly up to 7,635 nautical miles (14,140 km), while reducing fuel use and emissions by 20 to 25 percent compared to older airplanes.

Air Tahiti Nui configured its new Dreamliner to seat 294 passengers in three classes. The cabin features a new business class equipped with 30 full lie-flat seats, along with 32 premium economy seats.

"Our dream has finally become reality with the arrival of Air Tahiti Nui's first 787-9 Dreamliner," said Michel Monvoisin, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Air Tahiti Nui. "The Tahitian Dreamliner will make flying to one of the world's treasures an unforgettable experience, as we introduce new seats and a culturally inspired cabin on the 787. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary this year, the 787 Dreamliner will guide us towards another successful 20 years and beyond."

The airline announced in 2015 it would lease two 787s through ALC and purchase two 787s directly from Boeing as part of its plan to upgrade its fleet for the future.

French Polynesia President Edouard Fritch and other government dignitaries joined the airline in celebrating the milestone delivery at Boeing's South Carolina Delivery Center.

"We are pleased to deliver ALC's first aircraft to Air Tahiti Nui," said Marc Baer, Executive Vice President of Air Lease Corporation. "The capabilities of the 787 will help enhance Air Tahiti Nui's commercial operations and will significantly increase the efficiency of its future fleet."

"We are honored to welcome Air Tahiti Nui as a new Boeing customer and the latest member of the 787 Dreamliner family. We are confident the airplane's market-leading efficiency and unmatched passenger comforts will transform the airline's operation," said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing for The Boeing Company. "This delivery opens a new partnership between Boeing and Air Tahiti Nui, and demonstrates the strength of our partnership with ALC."

Primera Air ceases operations

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Air & Sea Air & Sea; Published: 01 October 2018 01 October 2018

"With a great regret we must inform you that Primera Air will cease all operations on the midnight of October 1st, 2018 and enter administration process, after 14 years of operations," the board of Primera Air says in the statement.

"This is a sad day for all the employees and passengers of Primera Air. The company has been working relentlessly during the last months to secure the long-term financing of the airline. Not being able to reach an agreement with our bank for a bridge financing, we had no other choice than filing for bankruptcy.

During the last 2 years, several unforeseen misfortunate events severely affected the financial standing of Primera Air. In 2017, the company lost one aircraft from operations due to severe corrosion problems, and had to bear the total cost of rebuilding, resulted in a loss of more than 10 million euros. 2018 began with a fantastic start of our low-cost long-haul project with a brand-new Airbus 321neo fleet, however due to severe delays of aircraft deliveries this beginning ended up being rocky and incredibly problematic: operational issues, cancelations of number of flights, loss of revenues are just few to mention. In addition, to fulfil our obligations in front of passengers, Primera Air leased in aircrafts and beared additional costs of over 20 million euros.

Weighting the potential losses due to future delivery delays, and the added exposure to our partners and lessors, and bearing in mind the difficult environment that airlines are facing now due to low prices and high fuel costs, we have decided to cease operations now, where it will have smaller effect on our clients, due to the timing of the year, rather than increasing the exposure. Without additional financing we do not see any possibility to continue our operations.

This is an enormous disappointment after the incredible hard work and dedication put into building the airline. Company wants to sincerely thank all its employees for their hard work and dedication, its clients for years of loyal support and its suppliers for their cooperation during the years."

Select flydubai flights to operate from Terminal 3 at DXB

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Air & Sea Air & Sea; Published: 11 July 2018 11 July 2018

Dubai-based carrier flydubai has announced that flights to 10 of its destinations will move from its current operating base of Terminal 2 and relocate to Terminal 3 at Dubai International (DXB). Other services will continue to operate from Terminal 2, Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC).

This next step follows earlier announcements regarding the innovative partnership with Emirates, which goes beyond codesharing to a number of initiatives spanning commercial, network planning, airport operations, the alignment of the frequent flyer programmes and an enhanced customer journey.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of flydubai, said: “last July, we announced the extensive codeshare partnership which has seen Emirates and flydubai work closely together to offer customers unmatched opportunities to travel. As part of this next phase flights to 10 flydubai destinations will operate from Terminal 3 optimising connectivity for their passengers from the world’s busiest airport.”

From 02 December 2018, flights to Belgrade, Bishkek, Bucharest, Catania, Dushanbe, Helsinki, Krakow, Prague, Rostov-on-Don and Salalah will operate from Terminal 3, Dubai International. Flights to these destinations before 02 December will continue to operate from Terminal 2.

Passengers booked to travel to these destinations will be able to check-in for their flight at the Business Class and Economy Class desks in the departures area of Terminal 3. Business Class passengers will be able to use fast track on the ground and enjoy other Business Class services, whilst transiting passengers will have a smooth and quick transit time.

Destinations have been chosen to help improve the connection between Emirates and flydubai. Further flights operating from Terminal 3 will be added in the summer schedule in 2019.

Passengers who have booked to travel to these destinations from this period will receive communications from flydubai in advance of their date of travel informing them of the change in flight number and terminal.

Delta to offer more flights from new York and Los Angeles to Europe, open a new service from Tampa to Amsterdam

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Air & Sea Air & Sea; Published: 22 August 2018 22 August 2018

Delta is expanding its trans-Atlantic network for summer 2019 with new routes plus additional frequencies. The airline will launch its first nonstop flight from Tampa Bay, Fla., to Amsterdam, Netherlands. The year-round service, which launches on May 23, will be Delta’s 11th Amsterdam route from the U.S. and second from Florida, following the launch of its Orlando service earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Delta is also expanding its hub-to-hub flying between the United States and Europe with services from Los Angeles International Airport to both Amsterdam and Paris Charles de Gaulle increasing to daily operations beginning June 16, 2019.

“Delta is putting great focus on our international expansion and Europe is an important part of this,” said Roberto Ioriatti, Delta’s Vice President — Trans-Atlantic. “Our new Tampa Bay flight and extra capacity on other key routes from our LAX and JFK hubs offer our customers more choice and convenient connections throughout the United States and Europe in connection with our partners.”

The LA to Paris service will be the third route to the French capital to be operated using the upgraded Boeing 777 aircraft, featuring the Delta One suites and Delta Premium Select. The two new cabins will feature on select flights from Atlanta and Minneapolis effective Dec. 13. Paris is also the second European hub where customers can enjoy Delta’s new products, after their debut on the airline’s flagship A350-900 aircraft on the Detroit to Amsterdam route. All flights between the U.S. and mainland Europe are operated in conjunction with joint venture partners Air France, KLM and Alitalia.

Capacity from New York-JFK will also grow next summer with the launch of a second daily nonstop flight to both Paris and Tel Aviv, Israel. For Paris, the additional flight brings the total number in conjunction with Air France, KLM and Alitalia to seven a day. The Tel Aviv service, meanwhile, has been timed as a daytime departure from Tel Aviv, completing the existing night-time departure to offer customers more choice. Both flights will be operated using A330-300 aircraft on the route, with flat-bed seats in the Delta One business class cabin. Delta has also recently upgraded its Main Cabin meal service to provide a restaurant-style dining experience in the sky complete with menu card and full drinks selection.

Emirates serves now Dubai from three London airports

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Air & Sea Air & Sea; Published: 10 June 2018 10 June 2018

Emirates has celebrated the inaugural flight of its new daily service from Dubai (DXB) to London Stansted (STN).

The Emirates Boeing 777-300ER touched down just before 1400hrs local UK time on May 8, and marked London Stansted as the 7th airport in the UK from which Emirates operates. This brings to 10 the number of daily flights between Dubai and three different London airports, with Stansted joining Gatwick and Heathrow.

The aircraft deployed on the route is Emirates’ new three-class Boeing 777-300ER, featuring its state-of-the-art, fully-enclosed private suites in First Class, and refreshed Business and Economy Class cabins. With floor to ceiling sliding doors and sleek design features, the new First-Class suites take luxury to the next level. The aircraft also sports newly-designed seats and upgraded inflight entertainment systems in all cabins. The new offering was first unveiled at the Dubai Air Show in 2017 and this will the first time travellers are able to experience the updated product to and from the UK.

To celebrate the airline’s arrival to the airport, Emirates and Stansted airport held a launch event for local dignitaries and stakeholders, hosted by Hubert Frach, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations West, and Richard Jewsbury, Divisional Vice President, UK, alongside Stansted Airport’s CEO, Ken O’Toole.

“We decided to add London Stansted to our network because we saw an opportunity to directly connect the local community with some of the world’s most popular leisure and business destinations. Previously, London’s north east, and the wider 7.5 million people that live within Stansted’s catchment areas had to travel into the city, or further, to access airports with global reach. Now, this daily flight to Dubai connects passengers seamlessly to Emirates points across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australasia,” said Mr Frach.

“The new service also offers travellers into and out of the greater London area, more flexibility and convenience when planning their travel with Emirates, as they now have the choice of 10 flights a day across three airports,” he added.

Ken O’Toole, London Stansted’s CEO said: “Today is a truly significant moment in the history of London Stansted and we are delighted that our millions of passengers, based in London and the East of England, will see huge benefits from the direct connectivity between the airport and Emirates hub in Dubai and its vast array of onward connections.

“In 2018 Stansted is set to be the fastest growing London airport and a key enabler of economic growth for both the UK and East of England, and the addition of the new Emirates service will provide a further boost to our long haul ambitions and ultimately save local passengers valuable time and money that is associated with flying from other airports across London.”

London Stansted Airport will also be important for Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, allowing it to offer additional cargo capacity and choice to customers. The carrier connects cargo customers to over 155 cities across 85 countries in six continents and flies 140,000 tonnes of cargo in and out of the UK in an average year. The Boeing 777-300ER will offer local businesses about 20 tonnes of cargo capacity per flight.

The new gateway is the seventh UK airport that Emirates operates out of in the UK; with Edinburgh to follow in October. Other locations include London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham, Newcastle, Manchester and Glasgow.

The daily flight from Dubai (DXB) to London Stansted (STN), EK33, departs Dubai at 0930hrs and arrives in London Stansted at 1410hrs. The return flight, EK34, departs London Stansted at 2110hrs and arrives in Dubai at 0705hrs the next day.