oneworld

Dutch officials will provide free legal advice to relatives of those killed in the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine for damages claims, the country's justice minister said Monday. Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus also said a joint investigation into the tragedy was nearing completion. The Malaysia Airlines jet was shot down over war-torn eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 on board. The Boeing 777 passenger jet was hit by a Russian-made BUK missile while on a routine flight between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur. In May 2018, the Netherlands and Australia blamed Russia for the disaster. "Free legal aid is being arranged for relatives wanting to add themselves to the trial" with the aim of claiming for damages, Grapperhaus said. "It is expected that the investigation into the incident will wrap up some time next year," he added in a letter to the Dutch parliament. Local news reports said a trial was due to start within the next five years and would take place in a Dutch court, most likely in The Hague. Grapperhaus however stressed that damage claims already paid out by parties other than the perpetrators -- such as Malaysia Airlines and insurance companies -- would not be reconsidered by the courts.<br/>

Finnair will increase capacity 21% on its Helsinki-London Heathrow (LHR) route for the summer 2019 season starting from March 31. The oneworld member will add a new, seventh daily frequency to LHR, using an Airbus A320 family aircraft. In addition to its one daily A350-900 service, Finnair add a second widebody frequency, using an A330, which will add more than 50 seats per flight compared to the current A321. “Finnair’s presence in London and in the UK has been growing steadily over the past few years,” Finnair SVP-network and resource management Christian Lesjak said.<br/>