Emirates said Monday it would boost capacity on its Washington service with an Airbus A380, picking up passenger slack after United abandoned the route. Daily flights with the world's largest aircraft will begin on February 1 between Emirates's home base of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Dulles International Airport near the US capital, the company said. Tim Clark, president of Emirates, said it was filling a void left by United which plans to stop service the route on Jan 25. "Despite strong seat load factors, United has made the decision to withdraw from the route. The additional seats offered by our A380 will therefore restore capacity on the route, and ensure that American consumers and international travelers wishing to visit DC for business or leisure will continue to be served," Clark said. <br/>
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Air Asia has sent out some strong hints that it will begin flights to and from New Zealand in the near future which could mean bargain fares for Kiwi holidaymakers. On several of the company's social media accounts, including that of the airline's CE Benyamin Bin Ismail, hints have been dropped that the low-cost airline will name New Zealand as its next destination. This includes a picture of a bungy jumper, some sheep and a kiwifruit with the windows and doors of a passenger jet. The hints come after the company's founder Tony Fernandes told the Herald he had hoped to launch services from New Zealand via Australia in March last year. Air Asia's international division, AirAsiaX, flew from Christchurch to Malaysia for about a year before pulling out of the route in May 2012 after suffering a sharp drop in demand following earthquakes in the South Island city.<br/>
Thai AirAsia X, Thailand's first long-haul budget airline, plans to add two more wide-body jets and spread its wings to India and China. The expansion could take place in the second half of the year after a hopeful resolution of the aviation safety fiasco involving the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) red-flagging Thailand last June. "We are not sitting idle but preparing a growth plan that could be triggered once the red flag is removed," TAAX chief executive Nadda Buranasiri told the Bangkok Post. Until then, the airline will continue to focus on existing services from Bangkok to Narita, Osaka, Incheon and Shanghai. TAAX, like most Thailand-registered airlines, is largely in a mode of retreat or maintaining the status quo because of restrictions imposed by some countries in accordance with the punitive guidelines established by the UN aviation auditor. The essence of the ICAO's red-flagging means that Thailand-registered airlines are not allowed to open new routes, nor raise the frequency of existing flights to foreign countries, nor change aircraft types already deployed for current services. <br/>