Turkish Airlines transported 6.9% more passengers in the first 9 months of 2017 compared to last year, setting a new record, the airline announced Monday. Turkish Airlines carried 51.6m passengers in January to Sept 2017, the company said. During the same period, the airline’s total passenger load factor rose 4.3 points to 79%. The carrier carried 6.7m passengers in September, up 13% compared to the same month last year. In September, the company's total passenger load factor climbed 5.7 points to 81.5%. The airline said the highest increases last month were seen in its North American and Far Eastern routes, 10.3% and 6.3%, respectively. <br/>
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Air NZ has started trialling its new inflight Wi-Fi service on a long-haul Boeing 777-300 aircraft. The airline is joining a growing list of carriers offering connectivity in the air. It is still working out what it will charge for the service once it is rolled across the fleet. The 777-300 aircraft mainly fly transtasman, US, London and some Pacific Island routes. Following the trial Air NZ will begin installing equipment in all of its 7 Boeing777-300s. Air NZ will use Inmarsat's global GX satellite constellation and has partnered with Panasonic Avionics as the on-board technology supplier. Air NZ chief digital officer Avi Golan said it was trialling Wi-Fi initially in order to gather customer feedback and ensure it met their needs before it was rolled out across the international jet fleet. <br/>
Aegean Airlines will add 11 new routes in 2018 and choose between Airbus and Boeing planes by the end of this year to renew its fleet, executives said Monday. Aegean, which currently operates mostly Airbus narrow body jets, is evaluating the Airbus A320neo family and Boeing's 737MAX to renew its fleet of 60 aircraft, as most of its leases need to be replaced between 2019 and 2023. "We will need to make a long-term US$2.5b-$3.0b investment decision in the coming months," vice chairman Eftyhis Vassilakis said. He said the company had been in talks with Airbus and Boeing since the summer to pick the type of aircraft that will form the core of its fleet. It currently operates 46 Airbus A320 jets. "By the end of the year we will make our choice, it will be an investment that will follow us for the next 15 years," Vassilakis said. <br/>