unaligned

Low-cost start-up Avelo Airlines plans in September to launch its first flights between two cities in the western USA that are not its home base. The Houston-headquartered airline began operations in April, and to date has been flying out-and-back trips between its base at Los Angeles-area Hollywood Burbank airport and 11 cities in the western third of the country. On 15 July, Avelo says it will begin four-times weekly flights between Las Vegas and Santa Rosa, California, about 108km north of the San Francisco Bay region. The flights are due to begin on 16 September and the carrier is selling tickets as low as $39 one-way. The airline, which caters to price-conscious leisure travellers, already operates four-times weekly flights between Burbank and Santa Rosa.<br/>

Caribbean Airlines will phase in the resumption of scheduled flights with the re-opening of borders in Trinidad and Tobago on July 17, 2021, the airline announced. Operations between Port of Spain (Trinidad) and the Eastern Caribbean will resume first, alongside the re-start of flights to New York, Miami, and Toronto. Story has route details. The airline is currently undergoing restructuring which will see its current fleet of 16 aircraft downsized to eight jets and five turboprops, and its workforce reduced by 25%. <br/>

French Bee’s plans to launch Newark-Paris Orly flights last year were put on ice when the world shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But the French leisure carrier is making good on its expansion, with its first flight on the route returning to Orly on July 15. “We think now that most of the crisis is behind us, because of vaccinations. the health recovery, and the restart of the economy,” French Bee President Marc Rochet said. “Is it the best time [to start flights? Is it too soon by one month, or too late by one month,” Rochet wondered. “We don’t know, but we think it’s the end of the big crisis, and we think we will grow again.” It may not be the right time, at least in one direction. The US government still bars most European citizens from entering the country, while US citizens are permitted to visit Europe. Because of this, loads on the outbound flight from Newark are three times what they are on the inbound flight from Paris. By the same token, French Bee suspended the San Francisco refueling stops on its Paris-Tahiti flights, because the U.S. prohibits transit passengers from Europe. That flight now stops in Vancouver, but Rochet said it will return to San Francisco “the minute President Biden signs” an order permitting Europeans to enter the US.<br/>

Egypt’s Nile Air has launched two new weekly flights between Al Ain and Cairo. The inaugural flight recently landed at Al Ain International Airport, owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Airports. Francois Bourienne, CCO at Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “We are pleased to welcome two new weekly flights between Al Ain and Cairo, which strengthens our connectivity with the Egyptian capital and facilitates the travel journey of passengers between the UAE and Egypt. The introduction of the new flights comes as part of the expansion of Al Ain International Airport and the introduction of new routes, to increase our airlines network and offer our passengers the best travel experience.”<br/>

Emirates is bringing back about 70 to 100 furloughed pilots back to work each month, as passenger loads hit 70%, the airline's COO said. A summer surge after a long period of coronavirus restrictions has given the carrier a boost after a difficult year for aviation. Adel Al Redha said passenger load factor has increased to about 70% in recent months, compared with 44% last year. “Almost all of our Boeing 777s pilots are back at work,” he said. “Regarding our A380 pilots, we will start building the numbers up as we put more aircraft back in operation. We are constrained with the number of training sessions that we can hold in our simulator, but we are currently working on bringing in between 70 to 100 pilots per month to re-train.” Earlier this year, the airline resumed flights to 120 destinations, which is close to its pre-pandemic operations. Al Redha said as more countries open up to passengers and governments continue to revise protocols for travel, it will drive much-needed demand.<br/>

Vietnam's first all-cargo airline, led by local retail conglomerate Imex Pan Pacific Group, aims for launch as early as 2022 to take advantage of soaring demand in the air freight market. The group known as IPPG will establish IPP Air Cargo at a capitalization of 2.4t dong ($104m). IPPG will take a 30% stake while other investors hold the rest. IPPG sees a ripe opportunity to capture air cargo demand, which has surged during the coronavirus pandemic. Foreign rivals dominate nearly 90% of Vietnam's market, the group said. "Exporting businesses are facing serious difficulties," IPPG Chairman Johnathan Hanh Nguyen said, citing the lack of competition in the air freight market and high transport costs. Nguyen indicated his intent to reduce shipping rates. IPP Air Cargo will become operational once it obtains government approval, expected as soon as next year. The company will begin with five aircraft, expanding to 10 in the third year. It aims to attain profitability within three years. The new cargo line plans to establish routes connecting domestic airports to Noi Bai International in Hanoi and to Tan Son Nhat International in Ho Chi Minh City. IPP Air Cargo looks to team up with foreign companies to export Vietnamese fruit and frozen marine products.<br/>

Nok Air is expecting to gain a windfall during the partial lockdown as other airlines have reduced flights or suspended operations. Meanwhile, its long-term plan is to add more aircraft as tourism rebounds. CE Wutthiphum Jurangkool said more passengers are choosing to buy tickets at Don Mueang airport after their flights were cancelled, similar to the lockdown in April last year. Nok Air has 20 flights scheduled per day, down from 40-60 flights prior to the third wave. He said the airline is trying to maintain its flight schedule to preserve its customer base and stands ready to add frequency when there is demand for essential travel and medical purposes. Before the partial Covid-19 lockdown, the cabin factor was 60% and the overall cabin factor in July is expected to be 60%-70%. "Even though the airline is operating with a loss of 100,000-200,000 baht per flight for jet fuel, a value that excludes back-office operations and other fees, we have to carry on serving passengers," Wutthiphum said.<br/>