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ITA Airways and LOT Polish Airlines have signed a codeshare agreement set to take effect on April 10, aimed at expanding travel options between Italy and Poland, the airlines announced in a joint statement. Under the agreement, LOT’s “LO” code will be added to ten domestic routes operated by ITA Airways in Italy, linking Rome with cities including Bologna, Bari, Catania, Genoa, Florence, Naples, Palermo, Lamezia Terme, and Turin. In return, ITA Airways will place its “AZ” code on LOT flights between Warsaw and Rome, one of the most heavily trafficked routes between the two countries. The agreement aims to facilitate travel between the capitals and improve access to regional destinations, offering passengers greater flexibility in their itineraries and more connection options within each country. “We are pleased to sign this codeshare agreement with LOT Polish Airlines. This partnership marks a significant step in our growth strategy, increasing connectivity for our passengers,” said Joerg Eberhart, CEO and General Manager of ITA Airways. “With this agreement, we are establishing a privileged and convenient route between Italy and Poland, further strengthening economic and commercial ties between the two countries,” he added.<br/>

LOT Polish Airlines is the latest carrier to place its cargo capacity onto the cargo.one third-party booking portal. From today, forwarders in the US, Canada and Poland using cargo.one can quote and book LOT Cargo’s global capacity for general cargo shipments up to 1,000 kg to destinations including London, New York, Miami, Tokyo, Seoul, Delhi, and Dubai. There are plans to launch additional markets and capacity products including perishables in the coming months. Cargo.one said the airline has a “sizable” intra-European network as well as direct, widebody capacity from Central and Eastern Europe to hub airports in the US, Canada, China, India, Japan and South Korea. LOT also offers a road feeder operation from its Warsaw Chopin Airport hub and has plans to grow its fleet from 75 to 110 aircraft in the coming years.<br/>

Ethiopian Airlines has announced the launch of a new passenger flight service to Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), effective June 1, 2025. The new route will operate four times weekly, connecting passengers to Sharjah, a city known for its rich culture and economic opportunities, the airline said Tuesday in a statement. Mesfin Tasew, group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, said the new service complements the airline's existing cargo operations and strengthens its connectivity to the Middle East. According to the statement, Ethiopian Airlines operates over 100 weekly passenger and cargo flights to more than 17 destinations across the Middle East. The airline's presence in the region dates back to 1979 when it launched flights to Dubai, marking nearly five decades of service to the United Arab Emirates.<br/>

All Nippon Airlines (ANA) will feature Recaro Aircraft Seating’s R3 economy and R4 premium economy seats on its growing fleet of Boeing 787-9 aircraft. Three new 787-9s will begin to enter the fleet in 2026 and all will have the R3 and R4 seats. A further 16 Dreamliners will be refurbished with these seats, with modification work expected to begin in 2027. Recaro CE Mark Hiller and ANA’s general manager for the EMEA region, Hiroyuki Miyagawa, unveiled the seats at a press event during AIX on 9 April, noting that the two companies are celebrating 35 years of collaboration this year. “With the economy class we’re maintaining a 34 seat inch pitch, which is top class,” said Miyagawa. ”Also the recline on this is 50% more than what we have today. ”It’s relaxing too, with a feeling like being hugged. It gives me such total comfort that I’m so scared that people might downgrade from business class to economy. That’s how comfortable it is,” Miyagawa jokes. For premium economy, the pitch is 40 inches. The R4 seat has a high wing each side of the head. “It’s not a complete business class wall, but you will be able to have some privacy,” he says. “I can’t really find enough good words to describe the qualities of these premium economy and economy class seats – this is a new normal for us.<br/>

Thai Airways International is to retrofit its fleet of Airbus A350-900s with new cabin products, including introducing premium-economy seats. The Bangkok-based carrier signed a Letter of Intent with Airbus for the cabin upgrade project, which will start from 2028 and be overseen by the European airframer. Thai has 23 A350s that are configured with two classes. The upgrade works will see new seating in business and economy, on top of the new premium-economy product. It will include “the latest cabin innovations, ensuring a premium travel experience for passengers on long-haul routes”, says Airbus. Neither Airbus nor Thai has disclosed more details about the new seat count and products. The Star Alliance operator had previously confirmed plans to introduce a premium-economy product, as part of retrofit works on its older Boeing 777-300ERs. In November 2024, airline chief Chai Eamsiri also told Airline Business that a possible cabin upgrade on Thai’s A350s could come “a few years later”, adding that supply chain constraints had prevented the airline from “getting the slots that we want” for retrofit works. More recently, Thai unveiled its first retrofitted A320, with a new business-class product. The narrowbodies were inherited from regional unit Thai Smile, after the latter merged operations with Thai. <br/>