Africa’s largest airline, Ethiopian Airlines has completed the Gode Ugaas Miraad Airport Terminal building and aircraft parking with a taxiway construction project. The airline disclosed in a statement that the new airport terminal had been opened for service in a grand inauguration in the presence of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed and the President of the Somali Regional State, Mustafe Omer. The airline noted that Gode, being the third airport in the Somali Regional State next to Jigjiga and Kebridahar, meant that passengers could travel between Jigjiga and Gode directly without having to transit through Addis Ababa. Following the completion of the project after three years, the airline unveiled a new terminal building with a total built-up area of 3,500sq. According to the firm, it has a new apron with the capacity to handle four De Havilland Q400 or B737 aircraft at a time, ancillary buildings, such as an airport rescue and firefighting station, a water reservoir, parking areas, among others.<br/>
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Korean Air won the approval of the European Union's antitrust agency for the long-delayed bid for Asiana Airlines, leaving only one decision by a U.S. authority before the complete takeover of the cash-strapped airline, the nation’s flag carrier said Tuesday. Korean Air has overcome a significant obstacle in its years-long struggle to finalize the mega-sized deal. The airline is now poised to launch the combined entity pending potential approval from the U.S. Department of Justice. While the U.S. authority has not provided a timeline for its announcement, Korean Air aims to complete the deal by the end of 2024. The EC has expressed concerns over the deal impacting competition and urged Korean Air to divest Asiana’s cargo freighter business and facilitate the entry of a new airline on four overlapping passenger routes between Korea and the European Union. “Korean Air and Asiana Airlines will need to take several steps, such as appointing an advisory firm to oversee the divestment of Asiana Airlines’ cargo freighter business, as well as initiating the bidding process, and selecting a buyer of the cargo business,” Korean Air said in a statement. “The approval by the EC of the selected buyer is required to close the deal. Once Korean Air completes the acquisition of Asiana Airlines, the actual cargo divestment process will take place.” The airline also noted that T’way Air, a Seoul-based low-cost carrier, has been designated as a remedy for the specified European passenger routes. Korean Air has committed to assisting T’way in commencing operations on the four routes from Incheon to Paris, Rome, Barcelona, and Frankfurt in the second half of this year.<br/>
The Chinese Lunar New Year of the Dragon began not only with festive celebrations across Europe, but also with closer air links to China -- a sign of economic recovery. Air China has announced that it will launch daily flights between Barcelona and Beijing starting from March 31. The company returned to the Spanish city with three weekly flights in June 2023, following a three-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Marta Ortiz, a Spanish representative for Air China, said the company has noticed "a big change ... the prospects for the next few months are good." China's new initiative exempting Spanish passport holders from the need for a visa for short-term travels to China has also boosted the recovery of flights between the two countries, Ortiz added. Air China already has a daily flight to Beijing from Madrid airport, where Hainan Airlines runs two weekly flights to Chongqing, and China Eastern Airlines runs five weekly flights to both Shanghai and Wenzhou. Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific will resume direct flights to Hong Kong in June. The first direct flights between Barcelona and Hong Kong began in 2017, but were suspended due to the pandemic.<br/>
Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit on Tuesday threatened to terminate a contract with Thai Airways International (THAI) unless it improves the quality of its ground service at Suvarnabhumi airport. Speaking after a meeting with airport service operators, Suriya said the ministry had received complaints about the poor quality of the ground service provided by several airlines and businesses. In response, a meeting was convened with two operators - THAI Ground and Bangkok Flight Services. Suriya said the discussions showed the service quality problem was due to inadequate equipment and a lack of qualified staff due to a high turnover rate. He instructed the two operators to shape up or face having their contracts terminated early - especially Thai Airways, which still has 12 years remaining on it. As a short-term measure, Airports of Thailand (AOT) Ground Aviation Services will be hired to provide ground service as the two operators work to improve their service quality, said Suriya. "The ministry will assess the operation on a monthly basis. Thai has 12 years to go before its contract expires and that can be terminated if the firm is unable to deliver the service as required," he said. He said airlines were advised to switch to the SAT-1 terminal during repair work on the other taxiways, but they were reluctant to do so due to concerns about the luggage-handling system there. The minister said airport management, especially ground service and luggage handling, must be improved if Thailand is to welcome more passengers and flights and achieve its goal of becoming the region's aviation hub.<br/>