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Latin America’s biggest airline is targeting ambitious growth in the coming decades, hoping to profit from expectations that the region will be among the world’s fastest-growing for air travel. Roberto Alvo, CE of Latam Airlines, said Latin America and the Caribbean were “under-developed” in aviation, with a 650mn population that is projected to fly just 480mn times this year. “That’s 0.6 passengers per inhabitant,” he told the Financial Times, adding that the airline hoped this would rise to “two and a half times, up to three times a year per inhabitant”. The carrier was one of the pandemic’s earliest corporate victims, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York in May 2020 and embarking on a restructuring. Now, with the Chapter 11 process and pandemic behind him, Alvo is bullish about the group’s future, especially in Brazil, its biggest market where it has a near-40% market share. The nation “has big potential, it’s a country which is tremendously little visited for its size”, he said in an interview. “We are very optimistic about Brazil.” Boeing forecasts that passenger air traffic in Latin America, a region where cities are far apart and often separated by mountain ranges or forests, will grow 5% a year over the next two decades, faster than the Middle East, Europe or North America. It expects Latin America’s commercial aircraft fleet to almost double in size to more than 3,000 planes over the same period. As well as capitalising on its status as the region’s biggest airline, which already transports four out of 10 passengers in South America, Latam plans to add new international routes, introduce premium economy class on long-haul flights and renew part of its fleet.<br/>

Guernsey's airline is launching flights to Genoa in Italy this spring. Aurigny said it comes after 1,017 islanders offered feedback about preferences for European destinations in 2025. The airline said the direct route would launch from 12 April and would run until 10 May. Sudeep Ghai, CCO, said the airline designed its seasonal schedule to offer direct connectivity to "exciting destinations across Europe while continuing to safeguard the vital lifeline services to the UK".<br/>

Icelandair is guiding for capacity growth of around 8% in 2025 based on a flat fleet size, amid a continued push for efficiencies after a loss-making in 2024. Outlining its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings on 31 January, the Keflavik-based carrier says it plans to operate 42 aircraft during its summer peak this year, as it did in 2024, but still grow its capacity. That reflects a focus on what CE Bogi Nils Bogason describes as better “resource utilisation” and recovery from the dampening effect on passenger demand of seismic activity in Iceland last year. Capacity growth in the first quarter of 2025 will largely be driven by the carrier regaining ground lost amid the seismic activty in 2024, Bogason says. Growth will then be focused outside the peak travel months of July and August, he explains, with Icelandair planning to begin operating its second bank of connecting flights in April this year, rather than in May, and to extend its operation further into September. In the quieter fourth quarter of the year, growth will be driven by Icelandair tapping “new opportunities” created by its Airbus A321LRs, Bogason says.<br/>

Somon Air has signed an agreement to purchase two new B737-8s from DAE Capital, its first B737 MAX aircraft. The two jets will join the carrier in 2026. "The signing of this agreement is part of our long-term strategy to modernise the fleet and improve the quality of service," said Somon Air CEO Abdulkosim Valiev. "The new B737-8s will allow us to expand our route network, increase operational efficiency and offer our passengers modern conditions for comfortable flights, as well as increase the frequency of flights." Somon Air has also secured permission from the Civil Aviation Agency of Tajikistan to commence London flights, which will be in the range of the -8. The local authority granted the carrier permission to operate the route nonstop and also via Tbilisi. The latter is reportedly a fallback option if direct flights from Dushanbe do not generate the required amount of ticket sales. There are currently no scheduled passenger operators flying the Tajikistan-United Kingdom country pair. According to the ch-aviation PRO airlines module, Somon Air flies to 25 airports in 13 countries with a fleet of six aircraft, including four B737-800s and two B737-900ERs. It also operates a B787-8(BBJ) on behalf of the government.<br/>

A recent fire from an Air Busan passenger jet is prompting calls for the swifter launch of a converged low-cost carrier (LCC) supervised by Korean Air, as local LCCs’ continuous involvement in accidents raise doubts on their safety management systems, according to industry officials, Monday. The fire, which erupted on Jan. 28 from an Airbus A321 aircraft at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, came only about a month after a deadly Jeju Air plane crash claimed 179 lives in December. An investigation is underway to find the exact cause of the latest fire, but the sequential accidents from major LCCs here escalate safety concerns. Air Busan is in the process of integration with Jin Air and Air Seoul ahead of the upcoming launch of the so-called converged Jin Air. The merger comes in response to Korean Air’s acquisition of Asiana Airlines. The three LCCs are subsidiaries of the two full-service carriers. Korean Air is set to finish the launch of the single entity in two years. But the continuous LCC fiascos spark the need for a faster launch of the converged Jin Air. Industry officials argued that customers’ uneasiness over LCCs will be alleviated to some extent after the launch of the single LCC with its overall safety management system that Korean Air will supervise.<br/>

Hongkongers will be able to fly to the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, in eight hours when an airline launches a new route later this month to offer a faster and more affordable travel option. A check by the Post on Sunday found some major travel agencies were promoting group tours using the first Tibet Airlines flight on the route on February 19. Some trips were already fully booked. The carrier’s flights will depart from Hong Kong every Wednesday and Sunday at 3.45pm, arriving at Lhasa Gonggar Airport at 11.30pm, after a layover at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in mainland China’s Sichuan province. Services from Lhasa leave every Wednesday and Sunday at 8.10am and arrive in Hong Kong at 2.35pm, also with a layover in Chengdu. A return ticket could be as cheap as 1,310 yuan (US$182), with tax and in-flight meals excluded, according to the carrier’s website. Tibetan authorities said the new route would “substantially” shorten the travel time between the two places. “The route will not only provide a new choice for passengers but also promote a deeper understanding of the Tibet autonomous region among countries worldwide,” authorities said. “It will also facilitate the connection and integration between Tibet and the Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan regions, promoting economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges.”<br/>