Air Canada will resume flights between Canada and Israel beginning June 8, the company said on Thursday. Western carriers had canceled their flights to multiple destinations in the Middle East, amid elevated security concerns. The Montreal-based carrier said there will be an additional weekly non-stop, return flight from Montreal, starting in August. Air Canada said it will monitor the situation in the region and may adjust its schedule as required by security and safety protocols.<br/>
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Air India and Germany’s Lufthansa Group have agreed to build on their longstanding codeshare partnership which intends to boost flight options and connectivity for travelers between the Indian Subcontinent and Europe. The expansion, which will also see the Indian national carrier enter into a new codeshare agreement with Austrian Airlines, will include the broadening of existing codeshare agreements between the carrier with both Lufthansa and Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS). In all, the newly expanded relationship will see the addition of almost 60 codeshare routes operated by the four airlines combined serving cities in 12 India plus 26 European destinations. The expanded agreements increase the total number of codeshare routes between Air India, Lufthansa, and SWISS from 55 to nearly 100. Additionally, the new agreement between Air India and Austrian Airlines will add 26 codeshare routes. Air India and the three Lufthansa Group carriers are all members of the Star Alliance global group of carriers.<br/>
Singapore Airlines Thursday reported a record quarterly revenue stemming from robust demand for air travel at the end of last year, but said its capacity expansion outstripped passenger growth, putting downward pressure on air fares. Despite tough competition in the region as Asian airlines continue to add back capacity after the pandemic, the carrier expects demand to stay healthy in the January-March quarter. Yields, a proxy measure for air fares, fell 4.5% in the third quarter as the number of extra seats added to its network grew more than passenger numbers. Group revenue grew 2.7% to a record S$5.2b from a year earlier, the airline said. Its 9.7% year-on-year growth in cargo revenue was stronger than a 1.7% growth in passenger revenue for the quarter, bolstered by strong e-commerce activity, more freighter charters, and a boost in perishable goods transportation, it said. Singapore Airlines, a major Asian air freight carrier, has benefited from rising volumes of e-commerce out of China and the region. The airline's net profit more than doubled to a record in the quarter ended December 31, helped by a one-time gain from the merger of Air India and Vistara. The city-state's flag carrier posted a net profit of S$1.63b ($1.22b) for the quarter, compared to S$659m a year earlier. About S$1.10b of that amount was due to a one-off gain from the Air India-Vistara merger.<br/>