July 1

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July 1

Austrian Airlines opens new nonstop connection to Boston

On July 1, 2024, Austrian Airlines launched its first year-round non-stop flight connection from Vienna to Boston. With the Boeing 767, equipped with 211 seats, the Austrian airline will offer up to six flights per week to the US metropolis. The opening of this new route marks a significant step in Austrian Airlines' strategic network expansion. Before the passengers took off on their first flight to Boston, they were warmly welcomed at the gate by Michael Trestl, Chief Commercial Officer of Austrian Airlines, and Julian Jäger, CEO of Flughafen Wien AG. The traditional ribbon cutting ceremony as well as culinary delicacies and a sketch artist created a festive atmosphere. Michael Trestl personally handed out goodies to the guests and emphasized the importance of the new connection for the company. "Boston is expanding our destination portfolio with an extremely attractive travel destination," said Michael Trestl. "With this expansion of our long-haul network, we are offering our passengers a wide range of travel options and strengthening our hub in Vienna." He particularly highlighted Boston's cultural and economic attractions, including renowned educational institutions such as Harvard and MIT. The flight time between Vienna and Boston is around 9 hours. The flights are operated on different days of the week, departing from Vienna at 10:40 a.m. and arriving in Boston at 13:50 p.m. local time. The return flight departs from Boston at 17:10 p.m. and lands back in Vienna at 07:25 a.m. the next morning. With Boston as a new destination, Austrian Airlines is expanding its intercontinental network to a total of 18 destinations worldwide. This underlines the importance of the USA as an important market for

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Burgas Airport welcomes tourists from Uzbekistan for the first time

On 30.06.2024, a historic moment was celebrated at Burgas Airport: the first flight with almost 150 tourists from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, landed at the “sunniest airport on the Black Sea”. Official guests and representatives of the diplomatic corps were present, including Stoyana Rusinova, who temporarily heads the Bulgarian Embassy in Tashkent. The celebrations included a water arch, traditional pogacha and Bulgarian lavender oil, which delighted everyone present. This project was successfully implemented through the cooperation of Fraport Twin Star Airport Management, the airport's concessionaire, and Avatar Tour and AsiaLuxe Travel, a leading tour operator in Uzbekistan. “We are very happy to welcome tourists from Uzbekistan to the Bulgarian Black Sea. This start of a new line marks a special moment, and we are confident that we can further develop this connection in the coming years,” said Frank Quante, CEO of Fraport Twin Star.

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TAP Air Portugal resumes flights to Manaus

TAP Air Portugal will resume direct flights between Lisbon and Manaus from November 4, 2024. The connection will be operated three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with a stopover in Belém. TAP already had Manaus in its route network from 2014 to 2016, and the airline is now returning with this offer, expanding its presence in Brazil to a total of 13 metropolises. The decision to resume the route underscores the strategic importance of Brazil for TAP Air Portugal. CEO Luís Rodrigues emphasizes that Brazil remains a key market for the airline. In addition to the new connection to Florianópolis, TAP plans to offer at least 15 destinations in Brazil by the end of the year. The Manaus destination attracts not only business travelers, but also tourists due to its location in the Amazon rainforest. Despite the temporary suspension of flights to Porto Alegre, TAP Air Portugal is offering 95 weekly flights to Brazil this summer, which corresponds to an average of 13 connections per day.

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Vienna Airport receives Corporate Innovation Award from Plug and Play

Vienna Airport has once again been recognized for its outstanding innovation promotion: As part of Plug and Play's Expo Day, Vienna Airport AG received the Corporate Innovation Award. This award recognizes the airport for the highest number of innovation projects carried out within the Plug and Play Austria network. The airport was honored for its innovative strength in 2020, now for the second time. "The aviation industry is an innovation engine and Vienna Airport plays an important role as a central hub. This is where dynamic start-ups meet established companies in the areas of travel & hospitality and smart cities, which leads to exciting projects, many of which are already being implemented," commented Dr. Günther Ofner, CEO of Vienna Airport AG, on the award. Nik Munaretto, Managing Director of Plug and Play Austria, emphasized the fruitful collaboration: "The last four years, especially the past year, have shown how successful the partnership between Vienna Airport and Plug and Play is. Over 700 start-ups were screened, numerous projects initiated and put into practice."

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Austrian Airlines again certified according to EMAS and ISO 14001

Austrian Airlines has once again successfully passed the globally demanding environmental management standard of the European EMAS regulation (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) and has been certified according to the international standard ISO 14001 for environmental management systems. This validation underlines the airline's ongoing commitment to the highest environmental standards. Austrian Airlines' environmental management system was audited for the second time in 2024, with external auditors attesting to the outstanding competence of those responsible for EMAS implementation. As part of the validation, Austrian Airlines also published the environmental report for 2023, which provides detailed information on the company's environmental progress and underlines its commitment to sustainable action. Managing Director Annette Mann emphasized the importance of EMAS certification: "Certification is a demanding process that requires a high level of commitment. With our environmental management system, we can systematically track our steps towards a more sustainable future and identify further optimization potential." EMAS is a voluntary instrument of the European Union that supports companies in continuously improving their environmental performance. The EMAS registration covers all requirements of the international environmental management standard ISO 14001 and sets additional requirements. Austrian Airlines continuously implements projects and measures to minimize its environmental impact and use resources efficiently. As part of the Lufthansa Group, Austrian Airlines focuses in particular on fleet modernization, optimizing flight operations, developing sustainable aviation fuels and offering customers sustainable flight options.

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Kötter Aviation Security takes over security checks at BER

Since July 1, 2024, Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) has commissioned Kötter Aviation Security SE & Co. KG to carry out checks for employees and goods at the entrances to the aviation security area. This measure does not affect security checks for passengers or the security of the airport site as a whole. Kötter Aviation Security will seamlessly take over the tasks and capacities of the previous service provider. Kötter Aviation Security has extensive experience and capacities in the field of security services at airports. The decision to re-award the contract was made after the contract with one of the previous external security service providers was terminated on June 30 due to non-payment of salaries. In addition to the airport's own security forces, two external security service providers are active at BER to ensure the checks of employees and delivered goods.

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Austrian Army: Handover of command of the Jagdkommando in Wiener Neustadt

On Thursday, June 27, 2024, Colonel of the General Staff Service Arthur Bennett took command of the Jagdkommando of the Austrian Armed Forces. The handover took place in the presence of Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner. Bennett succeeds Brigadier Philipp Ségur-Cabanac, who has led the Jagdkommando since April 2019 and will now complete a one-year training course at the Royal College for Defense Studies in London. Colonel Bennett, a graduate of the 29th Jagdkommando Basic Course, began his career in 2004 as a lieutenant in the Jagdkommando Company. Among other things, he served as a planning officer at the military representation in Brussels and completed the 21st General Staff Course. Defense Minister Tanner emphasized the importance of experienced leadership for the elite unit in uncertain times and thanked Brigadier Ségur-Cabanac for his commitment. The Jagdkommando specializes in operations under extreme conditions, including special reconnaissance, commando operations, military support and evacuation operations. The unit operates both in Austria and internationally, often under extreme physical and mental stress.

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Münster/Osnabrück Airport records strong passenger growth

Münster/Osnabrück Airport (FMO) counted over 2024 passengers in the first six months of 530.000, an increase of around 35 percent compared to the same period last year. This makes FMO one of the most successful German airports in terms of recovery from the corona pandemic. The last time the airport had a comparable passenger volume in the first half of the year was in 2011. The routes with the highest volume in the first half of 2024 were Antalya with 151.000 passengers, Mallorca with 132.000 passengers and Munich with 92.000 passengers. During this year's summer holidays in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, Münster/Osnabrück Airport expects a passenger volume of around 335.000, which means almost 100.000 more passengers than in summer 2023. This year, a total of 14 airlines will serve 16 destinations from FMO. New additions include Condor, Marabu Airlines, Mavi Gök and Pegasus Airlines. New destinations such as Alicante in the south of Spain and additional flights, particularly to Antalya, Mallorca, Crete and Munich, are contributing to the significant increase in passenger numbers.

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Jens Fehlinger becomes new CEO of Swiss

The Swiss Board of Directors has appointed Jens Fehlinger as the new CEO. The 43-year-old will take up his post on October 1, 2024, succeeding Dieter Vranckx, who is moving to the Executive Board of the Lufthansa Group. Fehlinger began his career as a pilot and has worked in various management positions within the Lufthansa Group. He is currently Managing Director of Lufthansa City Airlines. Fehlinger has extensive experience in the aviation industry and has, among other things, headed the strategy and business development of Lufthansa Airlines and the operational performance management of the Lufthansa Group. During the Corona pandemic, he was responsible for the Lufthansa Group's crisis management office and led the ReNew restructuring project. He also built up the new airline Lufthansa City Airlines as Managing Director. Fehlinger studied aviation systems engineering and management in Bremen and transport in Darmstadt and obtained an Executive MBA from IE Business School Madrid. He is married and has two children. The Chairman of the Swiss Board of Directors, Reto Francioni, emphasized that Fehlinger, with his extensive experience and strategic expertise, was the right candidate for the position. Until he takes office, Heike Birlenbach will act as CEO ad interim.

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FlyLili launches new flight connection between Brasov and Munich

On June 28, 2024, the Romanian airline FlyLili started flights from Brasov to Munich for the first time. The new scheduled connections will be offered three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Flight FL1001 lands in Munich at 08:10 a.m. and departs as FL1002 at 09:20 a.m. back to Brasov. FlyLili was founded by a German-Romanian entrepreneur and uses an Airbus A319 or A320 with three-class seating on this route. The city of Brasov, which has around 400.000 inhabitants and is located on the edge of the Carpathian Mountains, is known for its mix of tradition and modernity. The nearby "Dracula Castle" is also a popular attraction for international tourists. At the opening ceremony at Munich Airport, representatives of FlyLili and the airport, together with the crew, were delighted about the new connection, which is intended to strengthen both tourism and economic relations between Romania and Germany.

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