Page 17 - Aviation News - September 2017

Novair Gets NEO IN BRIEF

British regional carrier EASTERN AIRWAYS
is to launch direct services from Newcastle
to Belfast City Airport. The daily, weekday
connection is due to start on September 1.

EasyJet plans to introduce flights from
SOUTHAMPTON, its first from the south
coast airport. The new thrice-weekly link
to Geneva, flown by an Airbus A320, will
launch on December 14 and is intended to
serve the ski and winter sports market.
NORTH STAR AIR has taken delivery of its
first ATR 42-300, leased from West Wind
Aviation. The turboprop will serve the
First Nation communities at Fort Hope,
Neskantaga and Webequie, as well as
being available for charter.
Novair’s first Airbus A321neo. Airbus
Novair recently received its first Airbus A321neo.
The Swedish charter operator is leasing the Udvar-Házy Executive Chairman of Air Lease EMIRATES and low-cost carrier FLYDUBAI
CFM Leap-1A-powered jet, SE-RKA (c/n Corporation. are building on their existing commercial
7746), from Air Lease Corporation (ALC). It is Novair is basing the aircraft in Stockholm ties with an extensive new partnership
configured in a 221-seat, single-class layout. and will use it on charter flights from Sweden, agreement. The two airlines are both
owned by the Investment Corporation of
“This aircraft is the first of two new Denmark and Norway to destinations in Dubai, but independently managed. By
A321neos ALC is leasing to Swedish carrier southern Europe and Egypt. The jet joins 2022, the shared network of Emirates
Novair, and we welcome them as a new A320 G-POWI (c/n 2791), which Novair is and flydubai is expected to reach 240
customer in the ALC family,” said Steven F currently leasing from Titan Airways. destinations, served by a combined fleet
of 380 aircraft.
A350 XWBs to Gatwick Canadian low-cost carrier WESTJET has
announced several new routes for the
winter timetable, including weekly services
China Airlines plans to use its new Airbus China Airlines earlier operated a thrice- to the Mexican city of Huatulco. These will
A350-900 XWBs for non-stop flights from weekly service between Taipei and London/ begin from Vancouver and Edmonton on
Taipei to Gatwick Airport. The jets will be Heathrow, which started in March 2010. October 29 and November 2 respectively,
deployed on the 13-hour flights four times However, load factors struggled at around and a weekly flight will begin from Calgary
per week – operating Monday, Wednesday, 60% and the link was suspended after just to Belize on November 3.
Friday and Saturday from December 1 – two years. Currently, the Taiwanese carrier London’s HEATHROW AIRPORT handled
and are configured in a three-class layout has a codeshare agreement with KLM Royal a record 6.76m passengers during June,
with 32 Premium Business, 31 Premium Dutch Airlines under which it flies passengers up 2.3% on the same period last year. The
Economy and 243 Economy seats. The to Amsterdam, before transferring them to strong performance, which included the
carrier states the new service will save the European carrier’s extensive network. airport’s busiest day ever (June 30, when
between three and seven hours on transit Despite direct flights being resumed to it served 259,917 travellers), increased the
and stopover times previously experienced Gatwick, it is understood the code sharing rolling 12-month total to 77m for the first
on its services to Europe. agreement with KLM will continue. time in its history.

Retro TAP Airbus

Portuguese carrier TAP has painted Airbus A330-343 CS-TOV (c/n 1006) in a striking retro livery as part of its 72nd anniversary celebration. The
jet was used for a special 1970s’ themed flight from Lisbon to Toronto on July 17, which included period-specific cabin crew uniforms, aircraft
interior and meals. The in-flight entertainment played classic films and a ‘golden oldies’ music channel. Alessandro Iglesias via Renato Fonseca

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