Air France and Lufthansa have received approval from Russia for flight routes to the country that avoid Belarusian airspace, the airlines said on Saturday. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has advised domestic and foreign airlines to avoid Belarusian air space following the May 23 forced landing in Minsk of a Ryanair jet en route to Lithuania from Greece, and the arrest of a dissident journalist on board. A spokeswoman for Lufthansa said it had been given approval for the new routes on its flights from Frankfurt to Moscow and St Petersburg for the foreseeable future. Lufthansa currently operates seven return flights from Frankfurt to Moscow and three return flights from Frankfurt to St Petersburg per week. Air France said its new flight path to Moscow started on Saturday and had been authorised for this weekend. <br/>
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THAI said that a court will decide on its restructuring proposal on June 15, after Friday's hearing was postponed to allow for the assessment of complaints filed by creditors against the plan. "Creditors filed two complaints against the restructuring plan, which the court accepted," the airline said. "The Central Bankruptcy Court will suspend the review to allow planners and creditors to clarify the issues." Earlier this month, Thai Airways creditors' approved a restructuring plan before it was sent to the bankruptcy court for review. <br/>
Air New Zealand saw its April passenger traffic grow for the first time in more than a year, aided by significant increases in its short-haul international and domestic operations. For the month, the carrier flew 866,000 passengers, a 56-fold increase year on year. At the group level, traffic jumped nearly nine times, while capacity more than trebled compared to 2020 levels. Domestic passenger numbers grew more than 90-fold to 811,000, as the country reopened after being locked down last year to curb the spread of the pandemic. RPKs on the domestic network also grew at similar levels, while capacity saw a near-nine-fold increase year on year. Meanwhile, the launch of the travel bubble arrangement between Australia and New Zealand in mid-April has provided a fillip for its trans-Tasman passenger numbers. The carrier flew 51,000 passengers on trans-Tasman and Pacific flights, a 30-fold jump year on year. RPKs for the sector leapt about 49 times, while capacity saw a five-fold jump year on year. Air New Zealand’s long-haul operations still remain at woefully low levels in April, as border closures and travel restrictions remained in force. <br/>
All Nippon Airways has been offering couples the chance to tie the knot in ceremonies aboard an aircraft it has been forced to ground as the coronavirus pandemic continues to hit international travel. The service, launched in late May, will be available until June 13 on the Boeing B-777 passenger jet at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. The company said that seven couples in all will have wedding ceremonies on board and it has finished accepting reservations. During the onboard ceremony, the airline provides live music, an inflight announcement by cabin crew to congratulate the newlyweds and celebrate their marriage, and special lighting to project an image of the galaxy on the ceiling of the cabin, ANA said. ANA is offering the onboard wedding for some Y1.56m ($14,200) and a combination of the ceremony and a party with food in the terminal building for Y3m. The airline said it came up with the unique idea to interest couples who, despite May and June being among the busiest months for marriages, are refraining from holding ceremonies to avoid crowding amid the pandemic. Weddings have also been hit by the ban on serving alcohol at party venues in areas under the current virus state of emergency.<br/>