Airline News Nov 01-07

American Airlines has officially announced many changes to its long haul route network for the IATA Summer 2011 season. The main highlights are as follows:

DFW/LHR - frequencies increased to triple daily nonstop flights.

DFW/GRU - frequencies reduced from 10 weekly to daily nonstop flights.

DFW/CDG - capacity being reduced from daily B 772ER to daily B 763ER.

MIA/LHR - frequencies reduced from 8 weekly to daily nonstop flights.

MIA/MAD - frequencies increased from daily to 12 weekly flights using a B 763ER only.

JFK/BCN - frequencies increased from daily to 11 weekly flights using a B 763ER only.


Fly Dubai has officially announced that it shall be starting 2 new routes from Nov 23rd 2010 onwards in the Middle East region. It will first be launching new daily nonstop flights to Abha, Saudi Arabia followed by 2 weekly nonstop flights to Ashghabat in Turkmenistan. Both routes will be operated with a Boeing 737-800 and FZ will be the first airline to fly into AHB-Abha airport.Flights to AHB will depart there at 340am three times per week and four times per week at 245pm.


British Airways has officially revealed few changes to its international long haul route network for the IATA Summer 2011 season. The main highlights are as follows: PEK - capacity increased from daily B 772ER to daily B 744. YVR - for peak summer season flying i.e. June till Sept, frequencies reduced from 13 weekly B 744s to 12 weekly using the same aircraft type.


Aigle Azur Airlines based out of CDG-Paris has officially announced that it successfully launched new twice weekly nonstop services from its home base CDG airport to BGW-Baghdad, Iraq yesterday. It flew the route using an Airbus A 319 departing CDG at 2345 and arriving into BGW at 630am the next day.


The state of Qatar and Canada have officially agreed on a new air bilateral accord giving access for the first time each nation's respectively designated national carrier to operate 3 weekly passenger nonstop flights from Doha to any Canadian city + 3 weekly freighter flights. As a result of this new deal, Qatar Airways is expected to announce the launch of new DOH-YYZ (Toronto) nonstop flights for Summer 2011 using a Boeing 777-300ER. QR's commencement of YYZ will be the biggest threat to Air India's monopoly of the Amritsar-Toronto market segment which is currently being operated with a change of plane service via Delhi.


Turkish Airlines has officially announced few changes to its long haul route network for the current IATA Winter 2010 season which are as follows:

HKG - frequencies increased from 4 to 5 weekly nonstop flights using an A 343 once a week and a B 773ER six times per week from Feb 1st 2011.

IAD - frequencies to be reduced from the on set from 5 to 4 weekly nonstop flights using an A 332.


Philippine Airlines has announced major capacity and frequency changes across its network for the current IATA Winter 2010 season. The main highlights are as follows:

RUH - frequencies increased from 3 weekly A 333s to 4 weekly nonstop flights using a B 747-400 from Nov 23rd.

SIN - frequencies increased from 25 to 28 weekly nonstop flights.

HKG - frequencies increasing from 3 to 5 daily nonstop flights.

BKK - frequencies increased from 13 weekly nonstop flights to double daily.


Ethiopian Airlines has officially confirmed few changes to its overall route network for the on going Winter 2010 season which shall come into effect gradually. The main highlights are as follows:

JED - frequencies increased from 4 weekly to daily nonstop flights using a B 763ER twice a week + B 757 five times per week.

BOM - frequencies increased from daily B 757s to double daily nonstop flights operated by a Boeing 737-800X.

DXB - frequencies increased from double daily to 18 times per week nonstop i.e. 10 weekly B 772LR + 4 weekly B 737s + 4 weekly B 757s.


Lufthansa has officially confirmed that it will be increasing capacity to JNB-Jo'Burg, South Africa from Nov 13th 2010. It was originally supposed to be operating a 3 weekly A 380 + 4 weekly B 744 service for the entire winter period, however this has now been changed to a 5 weekly A 380 + 2 weekly B 744 only.


Singapore Airlines has officially announced few changes to its Middle East network for the on going IATA Winter 2010 season. The main highlights are as follows:

JED - frequencies increased from 3 to 4 weekly flights using an A 333 via AUH.

KWI - frequencies reduced from 4 to 3 weekly flights using an A 333 via AUH.


Aeroflot has officially announced that it will be increasing frequencies to HKG-Hong Kong, China from the on set of the IATA Summer 2011 season. Currently it operates 5 weekly nonstop service using an A 332. These are going to be increased to a daily nonstop flight using the same aircraft type.


Korean Air has officially announced that it shall be increasing its flights to LAX-Los Angeles from the on set of the IATA Summer 2011 season i.e. March 27th 2011 from 30 to 37 times per week. The schedule break up is as follows:

24 times per week nonstop terminator services ICN-LAX-ICN + 3 weekly ICN-LAX-GRU + daily ICN-NRT-LAX + 3 weekly ICN-LAS-LAX-ICN. The aircraft variety used for LAX is a daily B 773ER + daily B 744 + 23 weekly B 772ERs.


KLM has officially confirmed that it shall be launching new 4 weekly nonstop flights to MIA-Miami, USA from its Amsterdam hub from the on set of the IATA Summer 2011 season i.e. March 27th. KL will be flying this route using its MD11.


China Airlines of Taiwan has officially announced that it shall be resuming flights to AKL-Auckland, New Zealand from Jan 1st 2011 onwards. CI will be operating a 3 weekly service routed via BNE-Brisbane using an Airbus A 330-300. It will have 5th freedom traffic rights on the BNE-AKL sector too.

Qatar Airways Summer 2011 changes

Qatar Airways has revealed in the GDS system major capacity changes for its worldwide route network for the IATA Summer 2011 season.

The main highlights are as follows:

BEY - In W10, QR operates 20 weekly nonstop flights to BEY using an A 320 15 times per week + A 321 five times per week i.e. 6090 round trip weekly seats. In comparison, for S11, QR will be increasing frequencies to triple daily nonstop flights using an A 321 eleven times per week + an A 320 ten times per week i.e. 6774 round trip weekly seats aka 664 extra r/t seats...11% capacity increase!

MNL - capacity reduced from daily B 77W + daily A 333 to daily A 332 + daily B 77W i.e. reduction of 644 weekly r/t seats.

DAM - capacity increased to daily A 320 + daily A 321 in S11 versus 3 weekly A 321s + 11 weekly A 320s in W10 i.e. increase of 264 r/t weekly seats!

IKA - capacity increased from 13 weekly A 320s + weekly A 321s to 6 weekly A 321s + 8 weekly A 320s i.e. increase of 440 r/t weekly seats.

BOM - capacity increased to daily B 77W from a mixture of daily flights using A 332s / A 346s and B 77Ls i.e. increase of 860 r/t weekly seats!

DAC - capacity reduced from 5 weekly A 333s + 6 weekly A 332s to 11 weekly A 332s i.e. 460 less r/t weekly seats!

ATH - 9 weekly A 321s + 5 weekly A 320s in S11 versus 8 weekly A 321s + 6 weekly A 320s in W10.

LHR - capacity reduced with A 346s gradually leaving the fleet (as they are being dry leased to Aerolineas Argentina) so for S11 it is daily B 77W + 12 weekly A 333s + 6 weekly A 346s versus 10 weekly A 346s + daily B 77Ws + 4 weekly A 333s + 3 weekly A 332s.

HKT via KUL - frequencies reduced from daily A 332s to 6 weekly A 332s.

CEB - capacity reduced from 3 weekly A 333s to 3 weekly A 332s.

ISB - capacity increased from 2 weekly A 333s + 2 weekly A 332s to 3 weekly B 77Ws + weekly A 332 i.e. increase of 272 r/t weekly seats.

LHE - capacity reduced from 3 weekly A 333s + 1 weekly A 332 to 4 weekly A 332s.

COK - capacity increased from 9 weekly A 321s + 2 weekly A 320s in W10 to 11 weekly A 321s.

MAA - capacity reduced to 5 weekly A 321s + 2 weekly A 332s.

Airline News Oct 18-24

Emirates has officially revealed many changes to its route network for the Summer 2011 season with capacity expansion both in Levant and Southeast Asia regions.

The main highlights are as follows:

KUL - frequencies increased from triple daily B 773ERs to 25 weekly B 773ERs aka 20% capacity increase or 2912 extra weekly seats round trip.

BKK - capacity increased with 2 daily A 380s + 2 daily B 773s versus 1 daily A 380 + 3 daily B 773s aka 2142 extra weekly seats on a round trip basis or 10% capacity increase.

DAM - capacity increased from double daily A 332s to 9 weekly A 332s + 2 weekly B 773s + 3 weekly B 772s i.e. 826 extra weekly seats on a round trip basis or 12% capacity increase.

AMM - capacity increased from 8 weekly A 332s + weekly A 343 + 2 weekly B 772s + 3 weekly B 773s to 2 weekly B 773s + 6 weekly B 772s + 6 weekly A 332s.


The states of Qatar and Syria this week concluded signing a new broader bilateral accord that gives further access to Qatar Airways into the Syrian market. The main highlights of it are as follows :

- frequencies to DAM can be increased to triple daily.

- new daily flights to ALP can be flown.

- open skies to all other Syrian cities.

- open skies for freighter flights to all Syrian cities.

Currently, QR operates double daily services to DAM with A 320s with departures at 1230pm and midnight from DOH.

Sri Lankan Airlines has officially announced that it shall be increasing frequencies to Karachi, Pakistan from the on set of the IATA Winter 2010 timetable. UL will be operating an additional 4th weekly nonstop service using an Airbus A 320 due to high load factors over the past few months which has spurned this decision in KHI's favor.


Malaysia Airlines will be launching new 3 weekly nonstop flights to RUH-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia effective Dec 17th 2010. MH will be operating a 290 seater two class configured Boeing 777-200ER for this new service.

Flight schedule is as follows:

MH 152 Dep KUL 2005 Arr RUH 2340
MH 153 Dep RUH 0110 Arr KUL 1400

MAS also operates 4 weekly B 772ERs to JED nonstop + 2 weekly DMM flights with an A 332.


Air France has officially announced that it shall be launching new flights to Phnom Penh (PNH), Cambodia from the on set of the Summer 2011 season i.e. March 28th. AF will be operating 3 weekly flights via Bangkok using an A 340-300. However, from May 9th onwards, capacity shall be increased to a B 772ER for this route. BKK will continue to be served on a daily nonstop basis using a B 772ER with 4 of out 7 weekly flights being a terminator service.


American Airlines has officially confirmed that it shall be launching new nonstop flights to PVG-Shanghai from its secondary LAX-Los Angeles hub effective April 5th 2011. AA will be operating the service on a daily basis using a Boeing 777-200ER.


Aeroflot has officially announced few changes to its long haul network for Summer 2011. The main highlights are as follows: HAN - frequencies increased from 3 weekly B 763ERs to 4 weekly A 333s. LCA - frequencies increased to double daily nonstop services.


US Airways has officially announced seasonal capacity increases for its European network for the peak summer season. For SU11, the main highlights are as follows:

CLT / FCO - capacity increased from May 3rd from daily B 762ER to daily A 333.

PHL / BCN - capacity increased from May 3rd from daily B 762ER to daily A 332.

Airline News Oct 10-17

Turkish Airlines has officially confirmed that it will be significantly increasing capacity to YYZ-Toronto from Dec 27th 2010 onwards. Currently, it operates a 250 seater A 330-200 on the 3 weekly IST-YYZ service however after Christmas due to averaging a very high load factor on this sector, a larger 349 seater Boeing 777-300ER shall be used to fly this route. This translates into a 40% increase in capacity by TK on the Toronto route.

Egypt Air has officially announced that it will be increasing capacity to both Bangkok and Guangzhou, China from Dec 15th 2010 onwards in a significant manner. Currently, MS operates a CAI-BKK-CAN flight using a B 772ER however the latest changes announced make both cities receive dedicated terminator services. Capacity to BKK is increased to a daily nonstop terminator flight operated with a B 772ER where as CAN also receives a nonstop service from CAI with a B 772ER but 4 times per week only.

SAS has officially confirmed that it shall be launching 2 new long haul routes from the on set of the Summer 2011 time table. The main highlights are as follows:

CPH / PVG - new 5 weekly nonstop services to be operated using an A 343.

OSL / EWR - new daily nonstop services to be flown using an A 333.


Emirates has officially announced that it is seriously pondering to further place an order for 30 additional Airbus A 380s as it sees a requirement of 120 such aircraft over the next decade as part of its fleet plan. It did not originally place this order because of space constraints at the current DXB airport however this shall not be the case with the new JXB-Jebel Ali Airport which EK and other carriers hope to move to within the next 6 years.


British Airways has officially confirmed that it will be reducing capacity to NRT-Tokyo, Japan from the on set of the IATA Summer 2011 timetable. Currently, it operates a daily nonstop flight using a Boeing 747-400 on the LHR-NRT sector however from end March a smaller Boeing 777-300ER will be used to fly this sector which shall have its latest on board F and J class seat product.


Iberia has officially announced that it shall be adjusting capacity to the Americas for the Summer 2011 season with the main highlights are as follows:

MAD/IAD - all flights suspended.

BCN/MIA - new 3 weekly nonstop flights to be flown using an A 343.

MAD/LAX - new 3 weekly nonstop flights to be flown using an A 343 which shall be increased to 4 times per week effective June 27th using the same aircraft type.


Oman Air has officially confirmed that it is not going ahead with a planned increase of upgrading flights to CDG-Paris from 4 to 5 weekly A 333s from Nov 1st but instead will increase capacity to Cairo, Egypt effective Dec 18th onwards. Flights to CAI are currently flown on a daily basis using a B 737-800 which shall later on see from Dec 18th two weekly A 333s + 5 weekly B 738s aka 15% increase in capacity.


Royal Brunei has officially announced that it shall be launching new nonstop flights to Melbourne, Australia effective March 29th 2011. BI will be operating 4 times per week from its BWN hub using a Boeing 777-200ER. In addition, the airline too confirmed that it will be reducing frequencies to Perth which is currently flown 4 times per week using an A 320. The new winter schedule calls for a 3 weekly nonstop service but operated with a larger B 772ER.


Korean Air has officially announced that it will be increasing frequencies on its services to Singapore from Nov 22nd 2010 onwards. Services shall be increased from daily to 11 times per week nonstop using a B 773A daily + 3 weekly B 744s + weekly A 333.

Airline News Oct 02-09

KLM has officially revealed many changes to its long haul network for the IATA Summer 2011 season. The main highlights are as follows:

YYZ - frequencies increased from 10 weekly to double daily nonstop flights using a B 772ER daily + MD 11 six times per week.

YYC - frequencies increased from 5 to 6 times per week using a MD 11.

CPT - frequencies reduced from daily to 5 weekly nonstop flights using a B 772ER.

ICN - frequencies increased from 6 weekly to daily nonstop using a B 744 Combi.

DAR - frequencies reduced from daily to 5 weekly nonstop flights using a B 772ER.

EBB/KGL - frequencies increased from 5 to 6 weekly flights using an A 332.


Sri Lankan Airlines has officially announced that it shall be launching new 3 weekly flights to CAN-Guangzhou, China via Bangkok from Jan 28th 2011 onwards. UL has 5th freedom rights on the BKK-CAN sector and will be using an A 343 twice a week + an A 332 once a week for this new route. As a result of this, flights to BKK shall be increased from 10 to 13 weekly nonstop services.


Thai Airways has been officially cited by the Bangkok Post newspaper that it shall be dry leasing 8 brand new Boeing 777-300ERs from Bank of China from August 2012 onwards to replace the 3 currently leased 9W B 773ERs it has in its fleet + 5 of its oldest Boeing 747-400s. TG will be paying US$ 1.15 million per month for each of these jets + $ 5.87 million non refundable commitment fee. The configuration of these new B 773ERs will have 346 seats in a 2 class layout seating 40 in business class + 306 in economy class.

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/aviation/200305/thai-to-lease-eight-boeings


Qatar Airways has officially revealed that it shall be launching additional flights to Europe from March 2011 thus further boosting its presence in this key market segment. The main highlights are as follows:

CPH - frequencies increased from 4 to 6 weekly nonstop flights using an A 332.

MUC - frequencies increased from daily to 11 times per week using A 332s.

STR - new 3 weekly nonstop flights to be launched to STUGGART effective March 9th 2011 using an A 319. With this increase, QR will henceforth operate 31 weekly flights to Germany out of the 35 it is allowed.

Air Canada has officially announced its first set of changes to its long haul route network for the peak Summer 2011 season i.e. eff June 1st. The main highlights are as follows:

YUL / BRU - capacity increased from daily B 763ER to daily A 333.

YYZ / ZRH - capacity increased from daily B 763ER to daily A 333.

YYZ / MEX - frequencies increased from 11 weekly to double daily nonstop.


Ethiopian Airlines has officially announced that it shall be increasing its frequencies to both Kuwait and Bahrain from Nov 1st 2010 onwards. Currently, ET operate 5 weekly flights to both these cities in a triangular fashion i.e. ADD-BAH-KWI-ADD using a Boeing 737-700. It will increase its frequencies to a daily operation from November using the same aircraft type.

Air India has just released an amended long haul schedule for the IATA W10 season.

The main highlights are as follows:

DEL/CDG – planned increased from 3 weekly B 77Ls to daily B 77Ws has been cancelled. New schedule is for AI to only increase CDG from 3 to 4 weekly flights but using a smaller 238 seater Boeing 777-200LR (77L).

DEL/LHR – planned double daily B 773ER operation has been cancelled and replaced with double daily B 77Ls.

HYD/DEL/ORD – capacity increased from daily B 77L to daily B 77W.

DEL/HKG/KIX – capacity increased from 3 weekly B 77Ls to 3 weekly B 77Ws.

DEL/HKG/ICN - capacity increased from 4 weekly B 77Ls to 4 weekly B 77Ws.

Taiwan and UK have recently signed a new bilateral accord which further liberalizes access to the UK for EVA Air and China Airlines. The main highlights are as follows:

LHR - flights can be increased from 10 to 14 per week.

MAN - new 7 weekly pax + 10 weekly cargo flights can be operated. 5th freedom traffic from BKK to MAN and vice versa available.


British Airways has officially announced that it shall be launching new nonstop flights to San Diego, California from June 1st 2011 onwards. BA will be operating a daily service on this route which it suspended a decade ago. The aircraft to be used is a 3 class Boeing 777-200ER i.e. J/W/Y.


EL AL of Israel has officially announced that it is increasing flights to Hong Kong from Tel Aviv effective Nov 1st 2010 onwards. An additional 5th weekly nonstop flight shall be operated using a Boeing 777-200ER.


Air Mauritius has officially announced that it shall be increasing its flights to HKG-Hong Kong from July 2011 by adding a 4th weekly nonstop service on this sector. All services shall be operated with an Airbus A 330-200.


Bahrain Air has just announced a major expansion for its route network for the IATA Winter 2010 season. The main highlights are as follows:

DMM – new 10 weekly nonstop flights to be launched eff Oct 31st

ALY – frequencies increased from 3 to 4 weekly flights using an A 320.

BEY – frequencies increased from 5 weekly to daily nonstop service.

RUH - frequencies increased from 6 to 8 weekly nonstop flights.

NJF - frequencies increased from 4 to 5 weekly nonstop flights.

KTM – frequencies increased from 4 to 5 weekly nonstop flights.

COK - frequencies increased from 4 to 5 weekly nonstop flights.

CCJ - frequencies increased from 4 to 6 weekly nonstop flights.

Airline News Sept 19-24

Lufthansa has officially announced that it has placed a mega order for 48 new airplanes from Airbus and Embraer for itself and its subsidiaries i.e. SWISS and Germanwings. The break up of the order is as follows:

LH - 3 new A 333s + 20 A 320s + 8 E 195s

LX - 5 new A 333s + 2 A 321s + 2 A 320s

Germanwings - 8 new A 319s

In addition, LH has announced that it will be increasing capacity to KWI-Kuwait from the on set of the Summer 2011 season. For W10, it operates a daily A 333 seating 221 seats in a 3 class configuration, however for SU 11 it shall be 4 weekly A 343s + 3 weekly A 333s.


Jet Airways has officially announced that it shall be expanding its route network from November 2010 by launching new daily nonstop flights to MXP-Milan and CMB-Colombo from Delhi and Mumbai respectively. The main highlights are as follows:

DEL / MXP - new daily nonstop flights using an A 332 to be launched from Dec 5th 2010. The flights will cater to the massive O&D demand that exists between these 2 cities which is 90,000 passengers per year + the flight schedule allows excellent connections in both directions via DEL to DAC, domestic India, CMB and BKK.

DEL / CMB - new daily nonstop flights using a B 738 to be flown from Nov 5th 2010. This flight will connect to London and Milan in both directions.

BOM / CMB - new daily nonstop flights using a B 738 to be flown from Nov 5th 2010. This flight will connect in both directions to BRU/USA/YYZ/LON.

BOM / JNB - frequencies reduced from daily A 332s to 5 weekly nonstop flights using the same aircraft type.

Indian media too has reported that options 9W holds for 5 A 332s are going to be changed to 3 A 333s + 2 A 332s.

British Airways has officially announced that it will be increasing its presence on 2 key long haul markets in its network from Summer 2011. New 5 weekly nonstop services to Tokyo's Haneda airport shall be flown using a Boeing 777-200ER. In addition, its current flights to EZE-Buenos Aires operated via GRU-Sao Paulo shall be de-linked and EZE will once again be flown nonstop on a daily basis using a B 777-200ER as well.

Cathay Pacific has officially confirmed that it has firmed up an earlier LOI with Airbus and Boeing for 30 Airbus A 359s and 6 Boeing 773ERs. The A 359s will be used to replace the A 333s and B 772As initially with more expected to be ordered in the long run as this aircraft will be the backbone of the fleet in the next decade. The B 773ERs will be used for further long haul expansion in due course.

Egypt Air has officially announced that it shall be increasing its capacity to Dubai from Cairo from January 1st 2011. Currently it operates a daily B 773ER + 4 weekly A 333 + 3 weekly B 738 on this sector which shall be increased to a double daily B 773ER operation.

BMI-British Midland has officially announced that it shall be launching new nonstop flights to TIP-Tripoli, Libya from Dec 1st 2010. BD will be using an A 319 for this new route and its flight schedule is as follows: BD 469 Dep LHR 0855 Arr TIP 1430 BD 470 Dep TIP 1515 Arr LHR 1645

South African Airways has officially announced that it shall be increasing capacity to Mumbai, India from the on set of the Summer 2011 timetable when it phases out its entire Airbus A 340-200 fleet. JNB-BOM flights would then be operated using the larger A 340-300 four times per week.


Air France has officially announced that it shall be launching new nonstop flights from Paris to Lima in South America from June 21st 2011. AF will operate this route 5 times per week nonstop using a Boeing 777-200ER. In addition, AF too confirmed that it is adjusting capacity to Saudi Arabia from Nov 29th 2010 onwards in the following manner:

RUH - capacity increased by 75% from daily A 319s to 3 weekly A 332s + 4 weekly A 319s.

JED - frequencies reduced from 5 weekly A 319s to 3 weekly A 332s.

Lastly, AF confirmed that it will be inaugurating new nonstop services to MCO-Orlando, USA from its CDG hub effective June 7th 2011. Flights will be operated 3 times per week using a high density 2 class configured B 773ER seating 472 passengers i.e. 14 business class + 458 economy class.


Air Berlin of Germany has officially announced that it shall be greatly increasing its presence at New York's JFK airport from the on set of the Summer 2011 season. JFK is seen as a crucial long haul gateway for AB as its a major hub of fellow One World alliance partner i.e. American Airlines. AB confirmed that new 4 weekly Berlin-JFK flights using an A 332 shall be launched alongside increasing Dusseldorf-JFK to a daily A 332 service as well.


Qatar Airways is in the final stages of officially confirming a deal to dry lease out its entire fleet of 4 A 340-600s to Aerolineas Argentina for an undisclosed period of time. These jets are expected to leave the QR fleet from Summer 2011 and shall be replaced by more B 77Ws and B 787s that are being delivered to the airline next year.


US Airways has officially announced that it shall be launching 2 new trans-atlantic routes from May 2011 from its CLT-Charlotte hub. The destinations that get new flights are Dublin and Madrid with daily nonstop services. CLT-DUB will be operated with a B 757 where as CLT-MAD gets a B 767-200ER.

Aug 15-22 Airline News

Etihad Airways has officially revealed major capacity changes across its entire network for the IATA Winter 2010 season. The main highlights are as follows:

MNL - capacity increased to 12 weekly B 773ERs nonstop from daily B 773ER + 5 weekly A 332. This means an extra 1624 seats offered on a round trip basis i.e. 19% increase in weekly capacity.

ISB - capacity increased to 3 weekly B 773ERs + 4 weekly A 320s from 6 weekly A 320s + weekly A 332. A further capacity increase takes place from Dec 19th onwards when a 4th weekly B 773ER gets added in alongside 3 weekly A 320s. This means an extra 1860 seats offered on a round trip basis i.e. 84% increase in weekly capacity.

FRA - capacity increased from double daily A 332 to daily A 333 + daily A 332 effective Dec 1st.

LHE - capacity increased to daily flights operated exclusively by an A 340-600. Currently, EY operates 2 weekly A 332s + 3 weekly A 346s + a weekly A 320 and a weekly B 773ER so the capacity increase is 204 seats on a round trip basis i.e. 11%.

MEL - capacity increased from 6 weekly A 345s + weekly A 346 to 3 weekly A 346s + 4 weekly A 345s.

ORD - capacity reduced from daily A 346 to weekly A 345 + 6 weekly A 346.

EBL - frequencies increased from 2 to 3 weekly flights operated by an A 320 exclusively.

SYD - capacity reduced from 11 weekly A 346s to 2 weekly A 345s + 9 weekly A 346s.

CDG - capacity increased to 8 weekly A 333s + 2 weekly A 332s.

GVA - capacity increased from Dec 1st from 5 weekly A 332s to 5 weekly A 333s.

Emirates has officially announced major capacity changes across its entire medium and long haul network for the IATA Winter 2010 season. The main highlights are as follows:

SYD - frequencies reduced from triple daily to double daily flights i.e. daily A 380 nonstop + daily B 773ER via BKK.

AMS - capacity increased to daily nonstop flights operated by a B 773ER exclusively.

HKG - capacity increased from double daily B 773 to daily A 380 via BKK plus daily B 773ER nonstop.

PER - capacity increased to 13 weekly B 773ERs + weekly B 772LR.

MAD - capacity increased from daily A 332 to daily A 343.

ISB - capacity increased to 4 weekly B 773ERs + weekly B 772A.

LHE - capacity increased to 4 weekly B 773ERs.

TUN - frequencies reduced from daily to 5 weekly flights operated by an A 332.

LAX - frequencies increased from daily to double daily nonstop flights using a B 777-200LR for all services.

MXP - capacity adjusted to double daily A 343s.

IAH - frequencies increased from daily to double daily nonstop flights using a B 777-200LR for 13 flights + weekly B 773ER (payload restricted).


Cathay Pacific has officially announced that it is increasing capacity to SFO-San Francisco from the on set of the IATA Winter 2010 season. It was planned to serve HKG-SFO with a daily B 744 + daily B 773ER, however that has been changed to 10 weekly B 744s + 4 weekly B 773ERs. In addition, other changes revealed are as follows:

SYD - frequencies increased from 25 to 28 weekly flights all operated with an A 333.
AKL - frequencies reduced from double daily nonstop flights to 12 weekly i.e. daily B 744 + 5 weekly A 343.

KIX - frequencies increased from double to triple daily nonstop using an A 333 for all flights.

BNE - frequencies increased to 11 weekly flights.

CNS - frequencies increased to daily flights.

Qatar and Sri Lanka have officially announced signing of a new air bilateral accord which has the following highlights:

a) Frequencies can be increased from 21 to 28 weekly flights.

b) Out of these flights, 14 must be operated using narrow body equipment.

c) Fares to be common rated with UL on DOH-CMB-DOH sector.


Gulf Air has revealed on the GDS system that it shall be increasing capacity to Karachi, Pakistan for the entire IATA Winter 2010 season. Planned daily A 320 services are being increased to a daily A 321 which offers an extra 34 seats per flight. This change is effective Oct 11th 2010.


GMG Airlines has officially announced that it has been granted the authority by the Saudi and Bangladeshi Governments to operate 10 weekly nonstop flights from Dhaka to Saudi Arabia effective immediately. The allocation is 6 weekly JED + 4 weekly RUH flights. As a result, GMG has commenced operations on the DAC-JED sector 4 times per week using a Boeing 767-300ER along side RUH-DAC 3 times per week using the same aircraft type. Z5 has stated on its website that its B 763ERs are configured to hold 264 passengers.

Air China has officially announced that it shall be increasing frequencies on its flights to Dubai from Beijing from the on set of the IATA Winter 2010 season. Flights are to be increased to 5 times per week nonstop using an Airbus A 330-200 for all services.


China Airlines of Taiwan has officially announced few capacity changes to its long haul route network for the IATA Winter 2010 season. The main highlights are as follows:

JFK - frequencies reduced from 4 to 3 weekly flights using an A 343.

DEL/FCO - frequencies reduced from 3 to 2 weekly flights using an A 343.

LAX - frequencies reduced from double daily B 744s to 12 weekly B 744s.


Air Canada has officially confirmed that it is reducing frequencies to Geneva for the IATA Winter 2010 season. AC planned to serve Montreal-Geneva 5 times per week using a B 763ER, however that is being reduced to 4 times per week now using the same aircraft type.

Air India has officially announced major capacity increases to its domestic operations from its new Delhi hub from the onset of the IATA Winter 2010 season. This has been done in order to better feed its long haul and regional international flights from the DEL gateway point. The main highlights are as follows:

DEL/ATQ – frequencies increased from double daily to 5 daily flights with all services using an A 321.

DEL/BOM – frequencies increased from 11 to 14 daily flights.

DEL/AMD – frequencies increased from double to triple daily flights with all services using an A 319.

DEL/HYD – frequencies increased from double daily to 4 daily flights with all services using an A 320.

DEL/COK – frequencies increased from daily to double daily using an A 321 and A 320 each respectively.

DEL/CCU – frequencies increased to five daily flights using a mixture of A 319s/320s/321s.

EVA Air of Taiwan has officially announced that it shall be adjusting capacity on its flights to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore for the entire IATA Winter 2010 season. Services to SIN are being increased from 5 weekly A 332s to daily nonstop flights using a B 773ER. On the other hand, KUL flights are being reduced from 5 to 4 weekly nonstop flights using an A 332.


Egypt Air has officially announced few capacity changes for its medium haul network for the IATA Winter 2010 season. The main highlights are as follows:

KWI - frequencies increased to double daily nonstop flights.

AUH - frequencies increased to 10 weekly nonstop flights.

CDG - frequencies increased to 9 weekly nonstop flights i.e. daily A 333 + 2 weekly A 320.

DXB - capacity increased from Jan 4th to daily A 333 + daily A 332.

Airline News Aug 7-14

Cathay Pacific has officially announced that it shall be increasing its flights to YYZ-Toronto and PER-Perth from the on set of the IATA Winter 2010 season i.e. Oct 31st. Operations to YYZ are being increased from the current 10 weekly to 12 weekly nonstop with all flights being flown using a Boeing 777-300ER. On the other hand, services to PER are being increased from daily A 333s to 10 weekly nonstop flights using an A 333 nine times per week + an A 343 once a week. CX too confirmed that has signed a LOI with Airbus for 30 A 350-900s and shall be exercising options to convert 6 Boeing 777-300ERs into firm orders as the carrier continues to implement its on going fleet replacement strategy. These A 359s are meant to replace CX's oldest A 333s and its entire A 343 + B 772A fleet. When the order is officially on announced on Airbus's order books, it is expected to consist for many more A 359s as the number of planes it will be replacing total 60+ in the A 359 size category.


Gulf Air has officially announced that it will be launching 3 new destinations and increasing frequencies to Kuala Lumpur + Kathmandu for the IATA Winter 2010 season. The three new cities are Addis Ababa, Basra and Isfahan. The main highlights are as follows:

ADD - new 5 weekly nonstop flights to be launched effective Dec 6th using an A 320.

IFN - new 3 weekly flights to be operated using an E70.

BSR - new 4 weekly flights to be operated using an E70.

KTM - frequencies increased from 9 to 11 weekly nonstop flights using an A 320.

KUL - frequencies increased from 5 weekly to daily nonstop flights using a mixture of A 332s and A 343s.

Ethiopian Airlines has officially confirmed that it shall be launching new nonstop flights to IAD-Washington DC from Dec 15th 2010 onwards as well as increasing frequencies on this flagship route of theirs. ET will be utilizing its brand new Boeing 777-200LR for this flight which will accommodate 321 passengers in a 2 class configuration i.e. 34 business class + 287 economy class. Services to IAD are being increased from 6 weekly to daily flights with the outbound flight from ADD making a technical stopover in FCO-Rome but IAD-ADD will be operates nonstop. The flying time between IAD and ADD is 12 hours 30 minutes.


Air India has officially announced that it will be increasing capacity to CDG-Paris from the on set of the IATA Winter 2010 season i.e. Oct 31st. Currently, AI operates 3 weekly nonstop flights from its new DEL hub using a 238 seater Boeing 777-200LR. However from Oct 31st, capacity shall be increased by 44% as a 342 seater Boeing 777-300ER will be used to operate this service. The reason for the capacity increase AI confirmed is to aggressively target 6th freedom transit traffic bound to Bangkok and Kathmandu via DEL for which good connections are on offer in both directions. AI too confirmed via an earlier press release, that it does have clear cut intentions of increasing CDG-DEL to a daily service within the next year.


Singapore Airlines has revealed on the GDS that it shall be implementing few changes to its medium haul network for the IATA Winter 2010 season. The main highlights are as follows:

IST - capacity increased to 4 weekly nonstop terminator services using a Boeing 777-200 instead of operating via Dubai.

DXB - frequencies reduced from double daily to 11 weekly.

PVG - frequencies reduced from 5 to 4 times daily.


EVA Air has officially confirmed that it shall be increasing capacity across its international network for the IATA Winter 2010 season. The main highlights are as follows:

SFO - frequencies increased from 10 to 12 weekly nonstop flights using a B 773ER.

SEA - frequencies increased from 4 to 5 weekly nonstop flights using a B 744.

HND - new double daily nonstop flights to be launched using an A 332.

NRT - capacity increased to daily B 773ER + daily A 332.

JKT - capacity increased to 6 weekly nonstop flights using a B 744 Combi.


Air Asia X has officially announced that it shall be launching new nonstop flights to IKA-Tehran, Iran from Dec 1st 2010 onwards. D7 will be operating twice weekly nonstop services from its Kuala Lumpur hub using an Airbus A 330-300 with the following flight schedule:

Days of operation: MON/WED

D7 2904 Dep KUL1610 Arr IKA 2040 D7 2905 Dep IKA 2155 Arr KUL 1055
Etihad Airways has officially announced that it will be changing its business model on many low yielding regional routes that are within a 5 hour flying radius of its Abu Dhabi home base. It has revealed that it will be changing the configuration of 10 of its 15 Airbus A 320-200s to an all economy class layout seating 162 passengers offering a seat pitch of 32 inches. Initially 2 aircraft by October 31st will be reconfigured and shall be used on flights to Damascus, Colombo, Calicut and Trivandrum where as in the future services to Cochin, Chennai, Peshawar, Amman, Athens and Beirut too will see this product. EY's CEO Mr Hogan stated that this is a direct response to Fly Dubai who has poached a lot of market share to many cities which has caused some concern not only amongst EY but also amongst all GCC carriers. In total, EY has ordered 20 A 320s hence half of this fleet will get the all economy configuration.


Emirates has officially confirmed that it shall be increasing capacity on its route to LAD-Luanda, Angola from Nov 1st 2010. Currently, EK operates 3 times per week nonstop from Dubai using a 3 class A 330-200, however from November it shall be using the larger Boeing 777-200ER to operate this route due to the huge cargo and premium class demand that it has been experiencing on this sector.
Lufthansa has officially announced that it will be increasing frequencies to EWR-Newark, USA for the IATA Winter 2010 season by adding a second daily nonstop service. Currently, LH only operate a daily flight on the FRA-EWR route using an A 346 but ever since it has grown in stature as a major Star Alliance hub due to Continental Airlines being based there. Both of LH's FRA-EWR daily flights shall be operated using an A 340-300.


Qatar Airways has officially confirmed that it will be increasing its flights to DAR-Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania from January 2nd 2011. Currently, QR operate a daily nonstop flight from DOH to DAR, however from January frequencies are being increased to 11 weekly services using an A 320.


Japan Airlines has officially announced that it will be increasing its flights to Delhi, India from the on set of the IATA Winter 2010 season. Currently JAL operates a 3 weekly nonstop service using a Boeing 777-200ER however, from Nov 1st an additional 4th weekly nonstop service will be initiated using the same aircraft type.

July 30-Aug 06 Airline News

British Airways has officially revealed that it shall be reducing capacity on its London-Delhi route from Feb 1st onwards as the carrier takes delivery of more B 773ERs. For the IATA Winter 2010 season, it is operating a double daily B 744 service to DEL, however from Feb 1st, it gets reduced to a daily B 773ER + daily B 744. In addition, BA too confirmed that its flights to North America will see capacity changes for the Winter 2010 season in the following manner:

LAX- frequencies reduced from triple daily B 744s to double daily services using the same aircraft type.

EWR - capacity increased to triple daily B 772ERs.

JFK - frequencies increased to 48 times per week from LHR using a B 744 36 times per week + 12 weekly B 772ERs.


Virgin Atlantic has officially announced that it will be increasing capacity to Delhi, India from its London Heathrow base from the on set of the Summer 2011 season i.e. March 27th. Currently, it operates a daily nonstop service using an Airbus a 340-300 however from March 27th, a larger Airbus A 340-600 shall be used by the carrier to fly the route on a daily basis.


Air India has officially announced that it will be rescheduling its operations to Toronto with the much anticipated daily nonstop flight being announced from Delhi from Nov 1st 2010. AI will be using a Boeing 777-300ER for this dedicated flight with a same flight number to ATQ-Amritsar. However, the DEL-ATQ sector will be operated using an A 320/321. The flight schedule is as follows: Days of operation - DAILY AI 187 Dep DEL 0125 Arr YYZ 0645 AI 188 Dep YYZ 1035 Arr DEL 1125+1

Other long haul changes announced by the airline to take effect from Nov 1st are as follows:

DEL/LHR – frequencies increased from 10 weekly B 77Ws to double daily nonstop using a B 77W + B 77L each daily. Flights shall arrive into LHR at 1330 and 1855 with departures being at 1330 and 2130 respectively.

BOM/FRA/ORD – canceled

AMD/FRA/EWR – canceled

DEL/LHR/YYZ – canceled

ATQ/LHR/YYZ – canceled

DEL/ORD – daily nonstop flights to be operated using a B 77L.

BOM/EWR - daily nonstop flights to be operated using a B 77L.

DEL/FRA – daily ‘day light’ terminator flight to be operated using a B 77L. This will be the only India-FRA service operated by the carrier as it is abolishing its scissors hub at FRA airport from Oct 31^st.

Singapore Airlines has officially revealed many capacity changes to its medium and long haul route network for the IATA Winter 2010 season. The main highlights are as follows:

SYD - capacity increased to double daily A 380s + double daily B 772ERs.

KIX - frequencies increased from daily to 10 weekly nonstop flights using an A 333 for all flights.

DAC - capacity increased from daily B 772As to daily A 333s.

BKK - capacity increased from 4 daily B 772As to 4 daily A 333s which seat 19 more passengers per flight.

AMD - capacity increased from 2 weekly B 772As to 2 weekly A 333s.

LAX - all business class A 345 operated flight sees frequencies increased from 5 weekly to daily nonstop.

DME/IAH - frequencies increased from 5 weekly to daily flights using a B 773ER.


Qatar Airways has officially revealed that it will be reducing capacity on its Singapore-Bali route from Jan 1st 2011 onwards. Currently, QR operates this service on a daily basis using a 335 seater B 777-300ER, however from the new year it will be using a smaller 259 seater B 777-200LR three times per week along side the B 773ER four times per week. This translates into a 24% reduction by QR on this sector.


KLM has confirmed that it shall be implementing few capacity changes for its long haul network for the Summer 2011 season. The main highlights are as follows:

LIM - capacity increased from daily B 772ER to 3 weekly B 773ER + 4 weekly B 772ER.

SFO - capacity increased from daily B 773ER to daily B 744 from June 26th.


Oman Air has officially announced few changes to its Indian subcontinent network for the IATA Winter 2010 season. Services to Bangalore are being increased from 5 to 6 weekly nonstop flights where as flights to Chittagong are also being increased from 5 weekly to daily nonstop flights. BLR will be served with a B 737-700 where as CGP is operated with a B 738.


Fly Dubai has officially announced that it will be increasing its flights to Bahrain and Muscat from Nov 1st 2010 onwards. Both cities will see frequencies lifted from double daily to triple daily flights using a 189 seater B 738X.


Spice Jet under a new management team has confirmed to the Indian media that it shall be ordering 30 new Boeing 737-800s which shall be delivered to the carrier from 2014 onwards. This will make the total B 738 fleet number 58 aircraft.


Finnair has officially announced that it shall be leasing into its fleet 2 used Airbus A 340-300s from April 2011 as the carrier looks to further expand its highly successful long haul services to Southeast Asia from its HEL hub. The aircraft will come from ILFC and are expected to be ex Virgin Atlantic aircraft as the latter is receiving few A 333s from next summer which are replacing the A 343s on trans-atlantic services.

Farnborough Air Show 2010 aircraft orders

At the on going Farnborough Air Show being held in the UK, the following major aircraft orders were placed by airlines worldwide:

a) Emirates confirmed an order for 30 Boeing 777-300ERs and stated all these aircraft will have a 3 class configuration hence meant for higher yielding medium/long haul routes.

b) Qatar Airways confirmed an order for 2 Boeing 777-200LRs + 3 options of the same variant. These shall be delivered in 2012 and shall be used to launch new nonstop flights from Doha to Los Angeles.

c) GECAS Leasing placed an order for 60 Airbus A 320s + 40 Boeing 737NGs.

d) Garuda Indonesia officially confirmed placing an order for 6 Airbus A 330-200s.

e) Aeroflot officially confirmed placing an order for 11 Airbus A 330-300s.

f) Air Lease Corporation (founded by former ILFC CEO Mr Udzvar) confirmed placing an order for 20 A 321-200s (10 with Sharklets) + 31 Airbus A 320-200s + 20 EMB 190ARs + 60 Boeing 737NGs.

g) Saudia Airlines was identified as the UFO customer for 12 new Boeing 777-300ERs.

h) Norwegian Airlines confirmed placing an order for 15 Boeing 737-800s.

i) Flybe ordered 100 EMB175s i.e. 35 firm + 65 options

j) Hong Kong Airlines announced an order for 10 Airbus A 330-200s + 15 Airbus A 350s.

k) Royal Jordanian ordered 3 Boeing 787-800s.

l) RBS Aviation Capital ordered 52 Airbus A 320s + 43 Boeing 737NGs.

m) Air Austral ordered 2 Boeing 777-200LRs + 1 Boeing 777-300ERs.

n) ALAFCO of Kuwait exchanged a previous order of 12 Airbus A 350-800s for 12 Airbus A 350-900s.

o) American Airlines officially confirmed placing an order for 35 Boeing 737-800s.

p) Virgin America signed with Airbus an order for 40 Airbus A 320-200s with Sharklets + 20 options.

q) LAN Chile signed a MOU for 50 A 320s out of which 10 are A 321-200s.

r) Azerbaijan Airlines officially confirmed placing an order for 2 Boeing 767-300ER freighters + 1 B 763ER pax model.

Airline News July 15-23 2010

Thai Airways has revealed on the GDS further capacity changes to its route network for the IATA Winter 2010 season. The main highlights are as follows:

OSL - capacity increased from daily A 345 to daily B 772ER.

DEL - capacity increased to daily B 744 + daily B 773A from daily A 333 + daily B 773A.

DME - frequencies increased from 3 weekly B 772ERs to 4 weekly nonstop flights using a B 773A.

MXP - capacity reduced from 3 weekly B 772ERs to 3 weekly A 346s.

DXB - capacity reduced from daily B 773A to daily B 772ER.

SYD - frequencies increased from double daily to 18 weekly nonstop with all flights being operated using an A 340-600.

JKT - capacity increased from daily B 772A to daily B 744.


Qatar Airways has officially announced that it shall be increasing frequencies to DAC-Dhaka, Bangladesh from January 1st 2011. Currently, QR operates 11 weekly flights between its Doha hub and Dhaka which shall be increased to 13 times per week i.e. 10 weekly A 333s + 3 weekly A 332s. QR too confirmed that it is increasing capacity to Europe for the IATA Winter 2010 season in the following manner:

ZRH - frequencies increased from 5 weekly to daily nonstop flights using an A 332.

CPH - frequencies and capacity increased from 4 weekly A 319LRs to 6 weekly A 332s from Feb 2011.

ESB - frequencies increased from 4 weekly to daily nonstop flights using an A 320.


Gulf Air has officially announced that it shall be launching 2 new destinations from this winter onwards. Services to Colombo shall be resumed after a 5 year gap with 5 weekly nonstop flights operated using an A 320-200 and new 4 weekly services to Aden, Yemen will also be launched as a tag on service from Sanaa.

CMB will have a split flight schedule which will connect very well with Europe/North America three times per week outbound and twice a week inbound to cater to the large Sri Lankan/Tamil immigrant communities that reside in the Western Hemisphere. However, London Heathrow shall witness convenient 5 weekly connections in both directions via BAH.


Turkish Airlines has officially announced that it shall be launching new 4 weekly nonstop flights to LAX-Los Angeles, USA from March 31st 2011. TK will operate this new service with its brand new Boeing 777-300ER that will be delivered factory fresh from Boeing. The flight schedule for LAX is as follows:

Days of operation: TUE/THU/SAT/SUN

TK 009 Dep IST 1110 Arr LAX 1625
TK 010 Dep LAX 1855 Arr IST 1710+1

The above mentioned flight schedule connects very well with TK's entire Levant, North Africa, Middle East, GCC, BOM, DEL, East Africa, South Africa flights in both directions via IST. With regards to Karachi connections, it connects thrice weekly outbound and twice weekly inbound.

As far as the cabin configuration of its new B 773ERs are concerned, they will seat 337 passengers in a business, premium economy and economy cabin. TK's new premium economy product will have a seat pitch of 45 inches, seat width of 19.6 inches and a recline of 130 degrees. The other routes that shall be getting TK's new B 773ERs on regular flights are Hong Kong and Shanghai from March 8th onwards.


Virgin Atlantic has revealed few capacity changes with regards to its North American schedule for Summer 2011. The main highlights are as follows:

BOS - capacity increased from 4 weekly B 744s + 3 weekly A 343s to 6 weekly A 346s + weekly A 343.

EWR - capacity increased to double daily A 346s from daily A 343s + daily A 346s.

MIA - capacity reduced from daily B 744 to 2 weekly A 346s + 5 weekly B 744s.


KLM has revealed on the GDS many capacity changes to its long haul route network for the IATA Winter 2010 season. The main highlights are as follows:

MNL - capacity reduced to 3 weekly B 773ERs + 4 weekly B 772ERs.

YYC - frequencies reduced from 5 to 4 weekly nonstop flights using an A 332.

DXB - capacity reduced to 13 weekly nonstop flights using an A 332 only.

DEL - capacity increased from Feb 1st onwards to a daily B 773ER.


Etihad Airways has officially announced that it shall be launching new daily nonstop flights to ICN-Seoul, South Korea from Dec 10th 2010 onwards from its Abu Dhabi hub base. EY will be operating a 3 class configured A 330-200 on this new route.


Air India has officially confirmed that it will be increasing its flights to Abu Dhabi from its Mumbai hub effective Oct 31st onwards. Currently, it operates 5 times per week using an A 321 which shall be increased to daily nonstop flights using the same aircraft type.


Delta Airlines has officially revealed that it shall be launching new nonstop flights to HND-Tokyo Haneda from Jan 29th 2011 onwards from its Detroit and Los Angeles hubs each respectively. Both cities will see daily terminator service to HND using a Boeing 747-400.

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways has officially announced details of a massive expansion plan in Europe and Southeast Asia which shall commence from the on set of the IATA Winter 2010 season. This includes the addition of 6 new cities to its ever expanding global network which include Phuket, Hanoi, Brussels, Budapest, Bucharest and Nice. In addition, QR has too revealed on the GDS that it shall be adding a third daily nonstop flight to BKK-Bangkok from Nov 2nd 2010 onwards using an Airbus A 330-300. This third daily flight enables connections in both directions via DOH to North America and all EU/African cities that depart between 745-1045am Doha time.

The main highlights of this expansion plan are as follows:

BRU - new 5 weekly nonstop flights to be flown using an A 332.

HKT (Phuket) - new daily flights to be flown using an A 333 via KUL with full 5th freedom rights.

HAN - new four weekly flights to be flown using an A 333 via BKK with full 5th freedom rights.

SGN (Ho Chi Minh City) - frequencies increased from 4 weekly to daily flights using an A 332 i.e. 3 weekly via BKK with full 5th freedom rights + 4 nonstop.

BKK - frequencies increased from double to triple daily nonstop flights using a B 777-300ER double daily + daily A 333.

NCE - new three weekly flights to be operated via MXP using an A 333.

BUD/BUH - new 4 weekly flights to be flown using an A 320 as a tag on triangular service.

Analysis:

Out of all these flights, BRU and Vietnam I feel has the best chance of being successful. Unlike its other EU route launches, BRU has a standardized timing which allows excellent connections via QR's Doha hub to connect beautifully in both directions to all of QR's Southeast Asian destinations + KHI, CMB, DAC and KTM. They will get a good amount of high yielding business class traffic on this route and give Etihad a tough time henceforth.

With regards to HAN, its an excellent move to fly there via BKK with 5th freedom rights especially now since Air France will be suspending flights to the city from October onwards. With HAN being the capital of Vietnam, one would expect QR to get a good amount of high yielding J class flying political/military traffic on board bound to Europe and GCC in particular.

Lufthansa

Lufthansa has officially revealed major capacity and frequency changes for its long haul network for the IATA Winter 2010 season. The main highlights are as follows:

MAA - capacity increased from daily A 343 to 6 weekly A 346s + weekly A 343.

CPT - frequencies increased to daily nonstop flights using a B 744.

AUH/MCT - frequencies increased to daily flights using an A 333 six times per week + weekly A 343.

ICN - frequencies increased from 5 to 6 weekly nonstop flights using an A 346.

ATL - capacity adjusted from daily A 343 to daily A 333.

JNB - capacity increased from daily B 744 to 3 weekly A 380s + 4 weekly A 346s.

LOS - capacity adjusted from daily A 333 to daily A 343.

ALA - frequencies increased to daily nonstop flights using an A 343 twice a week + A 333 five times a week.

DFW - capacity adjusted from daily A 343 to daily A 333.

EWR - capacity reduced from daily B 744 to daily A 346.

PHL - frequencies reduced from daily to 6 weekly nonstop flights using an A 343.

ABV - frequencies increased to daily flights using an A 333 six times per week + an A 343 once a week.

Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines has officially announced that it shall be increasing capacity on its route to Dubai, UAE from January 19th 2011 onwards. Currently, OS operates a daily nonstop flight using a Boeing 767-300ER which will from mid January onwards be increased to the larger Boeing 777-200ER. In addition, OS has too confirmed that it shall be increasing capacity to TLV-Tel Aviv with a double daily nonstop service using an Airbus A 321-200.

Delta Airlines

Delta Airlines has officially revealed major changes to its long haul route network for the IATA Winter season that shall come into effect from Oct 31st 2010. The main highlights are as follows:

JFK/AMS/BOM - daily same plane service using an A 332 instead of the route originating from ATL.

EWR/AMS - capacity increased from a daily B 763ER to a daily A 332.

ATL/AMS - capacity increased from daily A 332 to daily A 333.

MEM/AMS - capacity increased from a daily B 763ER to a daily A 332.

LAX/NRT - capacity increased from daily A 332 to daily B 744.

NRT/HKG - capacity increased from daily A 333 to daily B 744.

NRT/PVG - capacity increased from daily A 333 to daily B 744.

ATL/MXP - frequencies reduced from 5 to 4 weekly nonstop flights using a B 763ER.

Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airlines has officially revealed few changes to its Asia medium haul network effective July 15th on routes to Male, Manila and Hyderabad. The main highlights are as follows:

HYD - frequencies increased from 4 to 5 weekly nonstop flights using a B 738.

MNL - frequencies increased from daily to double daily nonstop flights using a B 738.

MLE - frequencies increased from 5 weekly to daily flights using an A 333.

Royal Brunei

Royal Brunei has officially announced that it shall be increasing capacity on its route to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia effective August 2nd 2010. Currently, BI operates 5 times per week nonstop using a Boeing 767-300ER, however this shall change when from August it will be utilizing one of its leased ex SQ Boeing 777-200ER to operate the service.