United Airlines announced on December 19, 2024, a significant expansion of its network out of its hub at Denver International Airport (DEN). The highlight of this batch of eight new routes is a new seasonal nonstop connection between Denver and Rome-Fiumicino (FCO), which will operate daily from May 1, 2025, through to September 24, 2025. United Airlines plans to use a Boeing 787-9 on this service. In addition to this first ever link between Colorado and the Italian capital, United Airlines is adding another seven destinations from Denver, across the length and breadth of North America: Buffalo, New York (BUF), Pensacola, Florida (PNS), Peoria, Illinois (PIA), North Bend, Oregon (OTH), Redding, California (RDD) and Wilmington, North Carolina (ILM) as well as Regina (YQR), in Saskatchewan, Canada. <br/>
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Turkish Airlines has claimed the Guinness World Record for the airline flying to the most countries, further solidifying its position as a global leader in the aviation industry. Meanwhile, it holds title of flying to the most countries in the world since 2012. The prestigious record was officially certified at Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport following the Turkish flag carrier’s inaugural flight to Chile. With the addition of this new route, Turkish Airlines now operates in 131 countries, including 120 active routes in the past year, as confirmed by Guinness World Records. CEO Bilal Eksi expressed pride in the accomplishment. “It’s an honor to receive this recognition here in Santiago, a testament to our mission of connecting people, cultures, and destinations worldwide,” he said. Guinness World Records official Talal Omar praised the airline for its vision, calling the milestone a testament to Turkish Airlines’ global impact on aviation. Founded in 1933 with a modest fleet, Turkish Airlines now operates 491 aircraft serving 352 destinations. As a member of Star Alliance, the airline continues to expand its network, reaffirming its commitment to uniting the world through Türkiye.<br/>
Egypt’s national carrier, EgyptAir, resumed flights between Cairo and Beirut on Thursday, marking the end of a three-month suspension caused by instability in Lebanon. “In light of the stability of the situation in Lebanon, we are pleased to announce the resumption of direct flights between Cairo and Beirut after a three-month hiatus,” EgyptAir said in a statement. The first flight took off Thursday. The suspension, which began on Sept. 24, followed a period of heightened tensions and instability in Lebanon, prompting EgyptAir and several other Arab and international airlines to halt operations to the country. The decision coincided with Israeli airstrikes against Lebanon, part of an escalation of the conflict involving Israel and Hezbollah. A fragile cease-fire between Israel and the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah has been in place since Nov. 27, bringing a temporary halt to months of military operations. The conflict intensified after Hezbollah provided support to the Gaza Strip following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.<br/>
Air India has ordered over 30 light training aircraft for a flight-training school being established in Maharashtra next year. The school is being set up in Amravati and is set to open by the second half of 2025. Air India has ordered 31 single-engined Piper aircraft as well as three twin-engined models from Diamond Aircraft. The aircraft will start arriving next year. Air India is expanding its fleet having placed an order for 470 Airbus and Boeing jets last year, and recently enhancing the agreement with a further 100 Airbus aircraft. It says it is looking to “cultivate a pipeline of pilots” to support the expansion. Air India’s flight school is being created at Amravati’s Belora airport, which lies midway between Delhi and Bengaluru. The airline expects it will produce 180 commercial pilots annually. The carrier’s aviation academy director, Sunil Bhaskaran, says the school is an effort to build a “self-reliant ecosystem” of crews – not just for Air India but the country’s broader aviation industry. Air India adds that the Amravati complex will include digitally-enabled classrooms, an operations centre, and maintenance facility. <br/>
The turbulent times Air New Zealand has experienced in 2024 are set to continue in 2025, with more delays to routes and the delivery of its retrofitted Dreamliners. CE Greg Foran spoke to Stuff senior travel reporter Emma Stanford about the year that was and the year ahead. 2025 could be off to a bad start for Air New Zealand. A fifth Boeing 787 Dreamliner is estimated to be grounded at the end of January. Air New Zealand grounded a fourth Dreamliner in November due to ongoing issues with the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines. Two of them are in Alice Springs. CE Greg Foran said grounding a fifth plane will depend on when the engines come back from Rolls Royce in the UK. “We've made the decision to plan for that. We'd rather deal with any disruption and give customers time to plan rather than throw it on them last minute. This has been one of the challenges that we've had to deal with during the year. Rolls-Royce will give us a view as to what they think's going to happen, but that could change six times during the year, every two months.” Foran has recently returned to New Zealand after visiting Rolls Royce, Pratt and Whitney and Airbus and told RNZ last week that engine disruptions would carry on for at least another two or three years.<br/>