The mayor of Berlin has called for the bilateral air service agreement between Germany and the UAE to be expanded to allow Emirates airline to operate direct flights to and from the German capital. Under the existing air services arrangement between Germany and the UAE, Emirates is allowed to operate to any 4 cities in Germany. At present it currently operates to Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and Hamburg. Therefore, if the Dubai carrier wanted to operate direct routes to Berlin it would have to sacrifice 1 of its existing 4 successful routes. “The govt of Berlin is in favour of direct flights to Dubai,” Michael Müller, mayor of Berlin, was quoted as saying. “Emirates has the traffic rights for 4 access points in Germany… In practical terms, this means a restricted access to Berlin," he added. <br/>
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The grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max has led Emirates to divert normally globe-trotting Airbus A380 superjumbos onto 40-minute trips to replace lost capacity. Emirates is using the double-deckers for flights from Dubai to Oman, which at 211 miles are the shortest anywhere with the model, after FlyDubai reduced services following the idling of its 14-strong Max fleet. The switch at the airline illustrates how fallout from the Max grounding is rippling across the industry. Carriers around the globe are having to redeploy or lease in planes while delaying the retirement of older ones as Boeing works on a fix for the stricken jet. Emirates said the A380 flights to Muscat, which began July 1, last only 55 minutes longer than it takes to clean the jet’s interior between trips. <br/>
Novus Aviation Capital has signed an MoU for financing and leasing deals with VietJet, valued at US$1.3b. Over the next 18 months, the Dubai lessor will provide operating and finance leases for 10 single-aisle aircraft, taken from the carrier’s orderbook. The airline has orders for 113 Airbus 321neos and 200 Boeing 737 MAX jets. It currently operates 68 narrow-body jets, comprising 25 A320ceos, 34 A321ceos, and 9 A321neos. VietJet operates 119 routes out of Vietnam to destinations in Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia. It recently took delivery of its fifth aircraft through Novus, an A321neo. Hani Kuzbari, MD at Novus, calls Vietnam “one of the most interesting markets for our industry,” with a growing middle class and an increasingly deregulated aviation sector. <br/>
Volotea made a E15m (US$17m) investment ahead of this year’s summer season to implement measures that include coordinating flight operations with standby aircraft, adding more crews and improving passenger service. Volotea specialises in point-to-point routes between mid-sized cities that are typically too thin to attract major LCCs. The airline carried 6.6m passengers in 2018, up 36% year-over-year, and expects to carry between 7.5m and 8m passengers this year. Volotea has added 6 Airbus A319s to increase its fleet to 36 aircraft. Two A319s will provide backup support. After a challenging 2018 season in terms of flight delays, Volotea said new channels of communications with clients have been introduced and the LCC has reinforced its presence at airports as well as in the passenger booking process. <br/>