Emirates

Emirates new Dubai-Sao Paulo route could go double daily by next year as advance load factors on the six times weekly service are already exceeding expectations. The route is not only proving popular with business travellers and visiting friends and relatives (VFR) traffic, but also with leisure passengers in Brazil. EK's Manager for South America i.e. Mr Ralph Aasmann said a double daily service could be introduced in July 2008.

In addition, EK has announced that effective, it will be increasing seating capacity on its 5 daily flights to London Heathrow by suspending A 332 operations to the airport and making all of its DXB-LHR flights being flown by the B 777-200s/300s.

Emirates are expected to announce a multi billion order for Airbus and Boeing wide bodied aircraft at next month's Dubai Air Show. According to insiders at the EK DXB HQ, EK is expected to announce an order for 50 firm Airbus A 350-800 / 900s + 50 options which will be used to entirely replace its large fleet of A 332s and B 772s by 2014-16.

In addition, EK will also order for the first time the passenger version of the Boeing 747 i.e. the B 747-800. Twenty orders are expected to be placed by EK for this variant in the form of 10 firm commitments + 10 options.

British Airways

British Airways has announced that it will be increasing its flights to Dubai, UAE for the upcoming winter season. Frequencies will rise from 14 to 20 times a week with all flights operated by the Boeing 777-200ER. Since 2004, BA has maintained this seasonal increase on its DXB route in the winter season.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A 380 yesterday in a lavish ceremony at Airbus's Toulouse head quarters. SQ will fly its inaugural A 380 flight from SIN to SYD on Oct 25th and has confirmed that its second destination to get the A 380 will be Tokyo Narita from May 2008. During the festivities in TLS, SQ finally unveiled to the media what its new first and business class cabins on board the A 380 will look like.

For pictures of it, see below : Double beds in First Class: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/business_first_airbus_a380_delivered/html/2.stm

SQ A 380 First Class: http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/content/exp/new/suite/index.jsp

SQ A 380 Business Class: http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/content/exp/new/businessclass/index.jsp

SQ A 380 Economy Class: http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/content/exp/new/economyclass/index.jsp

Pictures from BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/business_first_airbus_a380_delivered/html/4.stm

Air Canada

Air Canada has announced that it will be resuming year round flights to Madrid, Spain nonstop from Toronto effective June 15th 2008.

All flights will be flown using a Boeing 767-300ER on a daily basis during the summer season but will see a reduction in the lean winter period.

Analysis :

QR in Canada will be happy to hear of this as it gives them an additional EU gateway to send their pax from.

Iceland Air

Iceland Air has confirmed that it will be launching new scheduled flights to Toronto, Canada nonstop from its KEF hub 5 times a week using a B 757-200ER effective May 27th 2008.

However, to keep up with seasonal demand for this route, flights will be reduced to 4 weekly from 1st Sept 08.

Flight timings are as follows :

FI 603 KEF 1700 - 1855 YYZ

FI 602 YYZ 2110 - 0625 KEF

Uzbekistan Airways

Uzbekistan Airways has announced that due to mega losses, it will be suspending its twice weekly flights from its Tashkent hub to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia effective immediately.

EVA Air

EVA Air Cargo has announced that it will be launching twice weekly freighter flights to Houston, Texas from its Taipei hub effective November 1st 2007. Both flights will be flown using the Boeing 747-400 freighter.

The route structure would be TPE- ANC- ORD- IAH- ANC- TPE.