Last week marked the momentous re-establishment of Budapest Airport’s direct flights to the US with LOT Polish Airlines. New York JFK is once again accessible to travellers from the Hungarian gateway on the airline’s B787 Dreamliner, operating three-times weekly. “Today is as poignant as welcoming LOT’s inaugural flight to New York back in 2018 was. Four years ago, a non-stop US service was a missing golden route on Budapest’s network, and now, to witness the reconnection is completing the chapter all over again,” states Balázs Bogáts, Head of Airline Development, Budapest Airport. “Our fantastic airline partner believes in Budapest being a key market in Central and Eastern Europe and has established regional frequency which will ensure the success of this long-haul flight once again.” As the US becomes Budapest’s 45th country market, the Polish flag carrier will be offering a total of 1,596 two-way weekly seats. Bogáts added: “Rebuilding long-haul flights remain high on our priority, helping to reinvigorate the country’s tourism industry, and therefore we’re ecstatic to see the return of this significant connection.”<br/>
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All Nippon Airways is to restore its London-Tokyo route to a daily service from 1 July as Japan relaxes its Covid-19 entry rules. ANA, which restarted flights from London Heathrow and Haneda on 1 June, said the decision to increase capacity for July and August came as Japan introduced a new traffic light system for international visitors from 1 June. This system categorises countries and regions into three groups: blue, yellow and red, depending on risk of Covid infection. Visitors from the lowest-risk blue group, including the UK and Ireland, will be exempt from testing on arrival and will not have to self-quarantine even if they are unvaccinated. Japan will still require passengers to take a pre-departure PCR test. ANA is operating eastbound London-Tokyo flights on the central Asian route, while westbound services are taking the northern polar route to avoid Russian airspace.<br/>
Garuda Indonesia wants to place its GA designator tag on Singapore Airlines flights between Singapore's Changi Airport and Los Angeles and New York. An application to the US Department of Transport highlights the unlikely alliance between Singapore's powerhouse airline and Indonesia's beleaguered national carrier. The application is also an indication of how Garuda Indonesia plans to take its once impressive long-haul network forward and regain its long-lost foothold in the United States. In a June 3 filing signed by Singapore Airlines and Garuda Indonesia representatives, Singapore Airlines applied for permission to display Garuda's GA designator code on its flights between Singapore and the US. Right now, putting that code on Singapore Airlines' flights to Los Angeles and New York is top of the agenda, but the application also asks for permission to display the GA code on Singapore Airlines flights to other US airports in the future. Singapore Airlines is now flying to Los Angeles twice daily and JFK once a day. The 18-hour plus flight to JFK, operated by an Airbus A350-900ULR, ranks as the longest passenger flight in the world. The airline also flies to Seattle , San Francisco, and Houston, but those three cities are not explicitly mentioned in the application.<br/>
Thai Airways International and Warner Bros. Discovery are partnering to deliver projects that will promote the filming industry in Thailand. THAI director of sales Korakot Chatasingha and Warner Bros Discovery executive producer E Bennett Walsh concluded an agreement that gives THAI the priority as the first-choice carrier for its international travel to Thailand linked to film productions. Korakot noted that many foreign film production companies select Thailand as their destination to make movies, documentaries, TV programmes, commercials, and music videos. “THAI, as the national flag carrier, is pleased to facilitate all air travel arrangements. We can offer direct flights from many destinations worldwide and cargo services that can accommodate various items that require special attention, such as video cameras, lenses, lighting and other filmmaking equipment. This and future cooperation with WBD will mark an important milestone in promoting Thailand as one of the top destinations for international film productions.”<br/>
Air New Zealand has announced Kiri Hannifin's appointment in the company's newly created role of Chief Sustainability Officer. The airline described the role as "an executive position recognising the importance of sustainability across all aspects of the company's operation and increased focus the airline is placing on addressing its environmental impact". Air NZ CEO Greg Foran has said sustainability is "the biggest issue facing the airline's future". Hannifin is moving to Air NZ from Countdown, where she has worked for seven years, most recently in a role that included being in charge of sustainability. There she is said to have spearheaded the company's programme to reduce emissions. "As we rebuild Air NZ, we need to advance the extensive work already undertaken to become a truly sustainable airline," said Foran. "Kiri's experience in driving change across the supply chain, engaging customers via tangible measures such as removing plastic bags from stores and diverting food waste from landfill will help our efforts move to a new level."<br/>