United Airlines Holdings and Delta Air Lines are among the first airlines to announce direct flights to Mexico’s soon—to-open airport in the tourism hotspot Tulum, one of the government’s top projects to bolster economic activity in the region. United will launch 22 weekly flights from Newark, New Jersey’s Liberty International Airport close to New York City, New York, Houston and Chicago to Tulum at the end of March, and add service from Los Angeles, according to a United statement Friday. Delta will offer a nonstop service from Atlanta to Tulum beginning March 28, the company said Thursday. The construction of the Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport, due to be completed by year-end, is expected to boost the local economy, part of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s goal to reduce poverty in the south of the country through greater tourism and industrialization. The tourism hotspot has seen a boom in wealthy visitors and Instagram influencers in the past several years. Yet current visitors to the beach town need to fly to Cancun and then drive two hours south to reach it. Tulum is on the path of another government project — the Maya Train, which is meant to connect five southeastern states. United said that flights will be available for sale beginning Nov. 18, while Delta began offering tickets for purchase last month.<br/>
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There are limited flight options from the US to Manila, with only one daily direct flight by United Airlines from San Francisco, lasting around 16 hours. The Philippines government suggests United Airlines consider adding more routes, such as Clark International Airport, Mactan Cebu International Airport, and Davao International Airport. The Fly America Act restricts US government employees and contractors from flying on international carriers without a codeshare agreement or Open Skies Agreement, limiting options for travel to Manila. Story has details.<br/>
Imagine boarding a plane and stepping into a “cocoon-like” private bedroom fitted with a king-size bed, and a bathroom featuring the largest rain and massage shower ever built on an aircraft, which can merge with the sleeping quarters to form a self-contained retreat, providing total privacy. That’s the centerpiece of Lufthansa Technik’s new cabin design for the upcoming BBJ 777-9 — the private jet version of Boeing’s new widebody aircraft, the 777X. Called CelestialSTAR, the design takes full advantage of the plane’s extremely spacious cabin, which offers 343 square meters (about 3,700 square feet) of space and pairs with the aircraft’s ability to stay in the air for 22 hours — which means it could connect any two cities in the world without stopovers, according to Boeing. But with the combined price of the plane plus the custom interior easily exceeding half a billion dollars, this will be a luxury for the very few. Lufthansa Technik, which is the engineering and maintenance arm of Germany’s flag carrier, says that the concept, which was unveiled this week at the Dubai Airshow, primarily targets customers from royal families in the Middle East. That’s why the design incorporates traditional patterns and influences from the region’s cultural heritage. “It’s a combination between a Middle Eastern touch and a very modern, sleek design,” says Hassan Gasim, a sales director at Lufthansa Technik. “It’s a combination of the old and the new world and this region is famous for that — it values the traditions of the past, but is also very confident about the future.” Other features include a “work & balance” area next to the bedroom and bathroom, fitted with rotating and sliding seats, which passengers can use around large desks but can also turn and move towards the divans off to the side for conversations and meetings. The room comes with “trapezoidal wall niches,” which can be used as displays or exhibits, and then closed to become invisible within the wall structure.<br/>
BOC Aviation announced it has delivered the final of five new Airbus A320NEO aircraft for lease to Turkish Airlines. All five are part of the company’s existing order book. “We are pleased to announce this transaction, which deepens our longstanding relationship with Turkish Airlines,” said Robert Martin, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, BOC Aviation. “The five A320NEO aircraft that we have delivered to the company reflect our commitment to providing our customers with the world’s most technologically advanced and fuel-efficient aircraft.” BOC Aviation is a global aircraft operating leasing company with a fleet of 681 aircraft owned, managed and on order. Its owned and managed fleet was leased to 93 airlines in 44 countries and regions worldwide as at 30 September 2023. BOC Aviation is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and has its headquarters in Singapore with offices in Dublin, London, New York and Tianjin. Turkish Airlines is based at its main hub in Istanbul, Turkey and operates a fleet of more than 380 aircraft to over 340 national and international destinations. Celebrating its 90th year since inception, its shares are listed on the Borsa Istanbul and it has been a member of the Star Alliance since 2008.<br/>
EgyptAir has added a new point to its airline network spread around the world in nearly 35 countries, as a direct flight line is now operating between Cairo/Shanghai. The first flight of the line launched on Friday with a Boeing 777-300 aircraft, and will continue with three weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. EgyptAir is looking forward to increase its presence in the Asian market, which is one of the global markets with heavy traffic.<br/>This will achieve a positive return in light of high operational rates and the increase in Asian tourist traffic coming to Egypt. EgyptAir operates 13 weekly flights to Beijing, Hangzhou and Guangzhou in China, and with the addition of Shanghai, the number of flights operated by the company to China will reach 16 weekly flights.<br/>