Emirates has carried around 200,000 passengers on its non-stop service between Auckland and Dubai and says the success of the route was based on upgrading to the A380 superjumbo. Emirates first flew with a 266-seat Boeing 777-200LR, and from last Oct 30 with the double-decker A380, providing up to 491 seats. Upgrading the aircraft type was one of the key reasons for a successful first year on the route, the world's longest A380 flight, said Emirates. The smaller Boeing was operating at high load factors and had been successful but the introduction of the A380 gave passengers the opportunity to fly on the double-decker all the way to a number of destinations in Europe. In its first year of operation on the non-stop route between Auckland and Dubai, the aircraft had an overall load factor of more than 80%. <br/>
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Jeju Air has decided not to use Fukushima Airport for planned chartered flights between South Korea and north-eastern Japan due to crew fears of radiation, officials have said. The carrier will switch to Sendai International in Miyagi Prefecture to operate the flights between Incheon International and north-eastern Japan from March, they said Tuesday. Jeju Air had planned a flight from Fukushima to Incheon airport March 18 with a return flight March 20. However, it is understood some of the airline’s staff expressed health concerns over flights to and from the airport in Fukushima Prefecture. CE Choi Kyu-nam said there was technically no safety problems associated with Fukushima Airport. But the carrier said it will still cancel its chartered service to allay fears from employees and their families. <br/>
Scoot plans to launch a long-haul service to Europe, picking Athens as its entry point, executives said Wednesday. "Athens will be our first destination to Europe, a good spot for us to expand our network," Budget Aviation Holdings (BAH) CE Lee Lik Hsin said. BAH manages Scoot and sister airline Tigerair, the short-haul budget carrier of the SIA group. "There will be further routes to connect Europe with Asia Pacific but not at major capitals, where competition is already keen," Hsin said. Scoot will start the service to Athens June 20 with 4 flights a week on new Boeing Dreamliner 787 jets. "The decision is in line with the group's strategic move to stimulate passenger traffic between Asia Pacific and Europe, boosting connectivity through the Singapore hub. There is still room to grow," Hsin said. <br/>