The Omani low-cost airline SalamAir plans to start operating the route between Muscat and Munich from the end of September. The Omani low-cost airline SalamAir plans to start operating flights from Muscat to Munich from the end of September, specifically from September 30th. The route will be operated twice a week with Airbus A321neo aircraft, as confirmed by the Aeroroutes portal.
The Austrian Armed Forces are looking for a successor to the C-130 "Hercules" aircraft in their own repertoire. According to the media, a decision has already been made: the Embraer C-390 is to be the successor to the "Hercules". The Austrian Armed Forces have numerous C-130 "Hercules" aircraft in their own fleet, some of which are already outdated, which makes the question of succession very important. The decision in this regard has already been made, as the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation explains. The Armed Forces are to look for a successor to the C-390 aircraft at the manufacturer Embraer. The purchase of four aircraft of this type is planned, according to Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner. The aircraft in question are to replace the old "Hercules" aircraft from 2030.
The Romanian airline Dan Air has been operating the route between Nuremberg and Brașov since early summer. However, the existing flights are to be adjusted to include an additional weekly flight in winter. The Romanian airline Dan Air already connects the cities of Nuremberg and Brașov. Since the start of flights in early summer, the airline has operated a weekly flight on this route, but this is set to change in the Romanian carrier's winter flight schedule. In the winter flight schedule, the airline plans to operate two weekly flights to the Romanian city.
The First Choice brand, which has been dormant for some time, is set to make a comeback as a booking platform. In cooperation with Byway, Tui also wants to focus on trips that include arrival and departure by train. The traditional First Choice brand was taken over by Tui in 2007 and gradually withdrawn from the market. After its revival, however, it will not be made available in travel agencies, but only through direct sales via the Internet and hotlines.
Dresden and Leipzig/Halle airports together had 1.948.172 passengers in the first eight months of the current year. This was around 31 percent higher than the volume in the same period in 2022. Leipzig/Halle airport counted over 1.349.600 passengers from January to August, around 41 percent more than in the previous year. Flights to holiday regions around the Mediterranean, the Red and Black Seas and the Atlantic were in particularly high demand. Around three quarters of all passengers from Leipzig/Halle used these offers for their holiday trip. In the summer holiday weeks in July and August, almost 310.000 passengers were counted on connections to sunny destinations. Almost 599.000 passengers used Dresden airport in the first eight months, 13 percent more than in the previous year. Significant growth has been recorded, among other things, in connections to the international hubs Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Zurich, through which Dresden is connected to the global network of Lufthansa, KLM and Swiss.
Zurich-Kloten Airport was used by 2023 travelers in August 2.921.620. In direct comparison with the same month last year, there was an increase of 18 percent, but the volume was still six percent below the volume in August 2019. The number of local passengers was most recently 2.027.409 travelers. There were also 889.180 transfer passengers, which corresponds to a transfer share of 30 percent. In August 2023, there were 23.234 flight movements in Zurich. This corresponds to 92 percent of the value before the corona pandemic. The average number of passengers per flight was 142 passengers, 5% higher than the previous year. Seat utilization increased by 1 percentage point to 84% in the reporting month compared to the same month last year. A total of 27.251 tons of cargo were handled at Zurich Airport in August. This represents a decrease of 12% compared to the same month last year. Compared to August 2019, 23% less freight was handled.
Vienna-Schwechat Airport has acquired a new jingle, "Welcome to Vienna Airport". This was presented on the evening of September 18, 2023 as part of a live event by Schick Sisters and Opus Band in Office Park IV. With 14 songs, the new album offers a surprising range of arrangements. The airport jingle, which will be heard at all audio performances at the airport in the future, was also derived from a new album song. It is "Whenever you come. Wherever you fly. I'm waiting for you in Vienna. Whenever you need me, Whenever you try. You are always welcome in Vienna!". "Nothing is better as an acoustic calling card for Vienna Airport than a song by well-known Austrian artists. I am therefore very pleased about this cooperation with the Austropop stars Schick Sisters and Opus Band," says Günther Ofner, CEO of Flughafen Wien AG. The new album by the Schick Sisters and Opus Band also includes the template for the new airport jingle: The new jingle "Welcome To Vienna Airport" was created from a derivation of the song "Welcome To Vienna", which uses classical string music and a modern interpretation to focus on the ease of travel and the historical and artistic destination of Vienna. The new airport jingle can now be heard in the central telephone exchange at Vienna Airport and is used at events, video productions and other occasions.
Air Belgium, based in Charleroi, Belgium, has canceled all passenger flights with effect from October 3, 2023. In the future, the company plans to concentrate on providing cargo and ACMI activities. Furthermore, on September 18, 2023, an application for creditor protection was filed with the relevant court. Air Belgium has been in trouble for some time. The company has repeatedly denied local media reports that spoke of a very strained financial situation. Most recently, it was even said that a new investor had been found who would give the carrier a helping hand. Now Air Belgium wants to reposition itself as part of creditor protection proceedings. In order to be able to reduce costs as quickly as possible, it will stop all passenger flights on its own account as of October 3, 2023. Among the reasons that led to the court case, the company writes that it has been significantly weakened in recent years, for example due to the corona pandemic and the sharp rise in fuel prices after the start of the war in Ukraine. It is also clear that the galloping inflation has literally devalued purchasing power in the domestic market. This would have a massive negative impact on demand. All in all, the management had no other choice and had to redesign the entire business model in order to save Air Belgium. All available options were examined, but the conclusion was that the only option was to stop scheduled flights and concentrate on freight and wet leasing services. The airline will no longer operate passenger flights on its own account from October 3, 2023.
Zurich-Kloten Airport will once again offer so-called PRM services itself from 2025. The employees of the service provider Goldair AAS Assistance AG, which has previously offered these services, are to be taken on. The service for air travelers with reduced mobility (PRM) at the airport will be provided by Goldair AAS Assistance AG until the end of 2024. Then its current five-year contract will expire and Flughafen Zürich AG will take over the PRM service. Until now, Flughafen Zürich AG was only present at the PRM pick-up points with its own employees. By providing the services with its own staff, the services can be managed even better and optimizations can be achieved in cooperation with other services of Flughafen Zürich AG. In Switzerland, responsibility for PRM was transferred to the airport operators by means of a European Community regulation in 2009. The airport operator can provide the service itself or outsource it to a service provider by means of a tender.
When you think of domestic flights in France, your first thought is probably Air France or its subsidiary Transavia France. But the Spanish low-cost airline Volotea has now overtaken the market leader, even though the capital Paris plays only a minor role in the route network. No other airline operates as many point-to-point routes within France as Volotea. It specializes in connecting regions with one another. It is represented at Orly Airport in the capital Paris, but only offers one route within France. This goes to Lourdes/Tarbes. All other domestic routes have no connection to the capital, but connect individual regions with one another. It has cleverly slipped into gaps left by the Air France group by phasing out smaller aircraft and failed experiments such as Hop. Volotea has also won one or two PSO tenders. It is not affected by the "short-haul ban within France" due to its route profiles. The Spanish low-cost airline is now also preparing to go public. According to local media reports, Morgan Stanley and Barclays Capital have been commissioned to make the necessary preparations. The company wants to be listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange in the future. However, in 2016 the company was close to taking this step and had already officially communicated the plan, but then backed out at short notice. It therefore remains to be seen whether Volotea will be successful in its second attempt at being listed on the stock exchange. In 2016, however, the company did not fail due to the requirements, but cancelled the step voluntarily and of its own volition.
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