Air Canada will resume direct flights from Toronto to Dubai starting from June 1. Flights to Toronto from Dubai will commence on June 3. "@AirCanada will be resuming direct flights from Toronto to Dubai (June 1) and Dubai to Toronto (June 3). Please review the Government of Canada travel advisory, make sure you are eligible to travel, and follow mandatory travel guidelines to stay safe," said Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate General in Dubai. In February, Air Canada announced that it had laid off over 20,000 workers since the pandemic and that it was "dismantling" its global network, which had taken a decade to build. The move also included the cancelation of flights to several international destinations, including Dubai.<br/>
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Europeans may be flocking to Mediterranean beaches for getaways delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, but — at least at Swiss International Air Lines — the rise in leisure bookings belies a broader travel recovery. “We regretfully still see no signs of any broader structural recovery of the air transport sector,” said Tamur Goudarzi Pour, commercial chief at the Zurich-based carrier, in Swiss’ summer schedule unveiled on Tuesday. All in, the airline will fly 50-55% of its 2019 capacity during the peak summer months of July and August, a marked increase from less than 30% in May but still far below some its network peers in Australia, China and the US. The issue facing Swiss is that of every airline without a large domestic market. The carrier has negligible domestic flying — less than 1% of its system capacity in 2019 — and overwhelmingly relied on business travel before the crisis. Together, this leaves Swiss at a significant disadvantage when it comes to a recovery that favors domestic leisure and visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel. Swiss is far from alone. The IATA expects passenger traffic in Western Europe to recover slower than in other regions with large domestic markets, chief economist Brian Pearce said during a briefing on May 26. The lagging recovery, which is forecast to last into 2023, is in large part due to the region’s reliance on international travel — both within the EU bloc and from long-haul points. “You’re likely to see a more cautious industry, as we come through this crisis and go into the recovery mode,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh.<br/>
Austrian Airlines carried out its last De Havilland Dash 8-400 turboprop flight on 31 May, completing the retirement of the type from its fleet. The Lufthansa Group carrier, even before the Covid crisis in January 2019, had accelerated plans to phase out Dash 8s from its fleet in 2021. The airline, which at that stage was operating 18 of the turboprops, replaced the type with a mix of Embraer jets and Airbus narrowbodies. Austrian’s last Dash 8 flight operated between Vienna and Innsbruck. The airline’s CCO Michael Trestl says: ”Austrian Airlines is well-prepared for the phasing out of the Dash. With the comfortable, efficient Embraer and Airbus aircraft, we will continue to offer our passengers a good feeder offer with Vienna as our hub.” Withdrawal of the type brings to an end 40 years of operations with Dash turboprops, dating back to when Austrian regional carrier Tyrolean in 1980 became the first European operator of the Dash 8 predecessor, the de Havilland Dash 7.<br/>
Air New Zealand has added one extra flight per day for the next six days between Timaru and Wellington in response to severe flooding in the Canterbury region. On Monday, a state of emergency was declared and hundreds of people had to evacuate or abandon their homes. Air New Zealand said seat-only fares for the new flights between the two destinations were being offered at $100. “We appreciate how difficult it’s been for parts of Canterbury and our customers in the flood-affected areas,” said the airline’s CEO, Greg Foran. “That’s why we are offering them fare flexibility to get to their destinations, including over the holiday weekend. We have also offered to carry essential supplies or emergency personnel helping with the flood response.”<br/>