OMAN: Oman Air Acquires New Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, has taken delivery of its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner that it has on order for 2018.

This comes at a time when the airline is continuing its trajectory of rapid growth and expansion.

The wide-body Boeing 787-9 is a stretched version of the advanced long-range twin-engine B787-8.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft is configured with 30 flat-bed Business Class suites, designed by BE Aerospace and 258 Economy Class seats.

All classes feature the state-of-the-art Thales Integrated In-Flight Entertainment System which provides an even more enjoyable guest experience, allowing access to a wide selection of on-demand entertainment delivered through a passenger experience interface developed specifically for Oman Air.

With the addition of this latest Dreamliner, Oman Air operates nine Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. This aircraft will be utilized on Oman Air’s European and Far-Eastern sectors.

With the addition of the new Dreamliner, Oman Air’s fleet consists of three Boeing 787-8, six 787-9 Dreamliners, six Airbus 330-300s, four Airbus 330-200s, five Boeing 737-900s, 21 Boeing 737-800s, four Embraer 175s and five 737 MAX.


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FRANCE: Air France And Qantas Re Establish Codeshare Agreement

Qantas and Air France have renewed its codesharing agreement on May 23, offering further connectivity between Europe and Australia via Asia.

Flights are available to book from June 5 for travel starting July 20, 2018.

Air France will add its flight codes to Qantas Flights between Hong Kong, and Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane as well as between Singapore (SIN) and Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth.

The French carrier’s customers will also be able to access codesharing services from Sydney to five cities across Australia’s domestic network: Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide, Cairns, and Darwin.

In return, Qantas will add its code to flights operated by Air France between Singapore, Hong Kong, and Paris-CDG, as a continuation of connections between Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth.

The new agreement will let the two carriers come together and codeshare onto as many as 200 flights per week.

Air France’s eligible customers can also use the Qantas lounged in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia.

Likewise, Qantas’ eligible customers are now able to use Air France lounges in Paris, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

We are very pleased to be re-establishing a partnership with Qantas, said Patrick Alexandre, EVP Commercial Sales, and Alliances at Air France-KLM.

Thanks to this agreement, the Air France-KLM group will be able to offer one of the best possible travel solutions for its customers from Europe to Australia, he added.

This new cooperation confirms our group’s desire to expand in the Asia-Pacific region, said Alexandre.

Alison Webster, CEO of Qantas, added that “this is great news for our customers who want to travel to Europe via Asia, giving them another option to get to Paris and more opportunities to earn Frequent Flyer Points.”

Despite the fact that Qantas and Air France are members of different alliances, the opportunity to earn miles on these codeshare flights is now possible.

The return of this popular codeshare delivers on our strategy of partnering to provide customers with access to an expanded network and more seamless travel experiences wherever they want to fly, Alison Webster says.

With the carrier recently expanding its presence out of London with direct flights to Perth on its brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, Europe is finally at direct reach for the Australian carrier.

Through this codeshare with Air France, Australian customers will now have a more seamless experience.


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VIETNAM: Vietnam Airlines Launches Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner On Sydney Route

Vietnam Airlines on Friday officially launched new-generation Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on its flights between Vietnam and Australia’s Sydney. Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reports that the aircraft will be used for flights between Vietnam and Melbourne from Dec 5.

This is a highlight event of the national flag carrier to mark the 20th anniversary of the direct air route between Vietnam and Australia, constituting its efforts to provide four-star services to customers, especially Overseas Vietnamese in the country. According to Tran Ngoc Hung, head of the Vietnam Airlines Representative Office in Australia and New Zealand, the airline is operating direct flights between Sydney and Melbourne and Ho Chi Minh City, which account for about 70 per cent of passengers on the route.

The flights aim to serve the Vietnamese community in Australia, mostly in Sydney and Melbourne, as well as an increasing number of visitors from the country to Vietnam and other countries in the region, said Hung. Vietnam Airlines is also seeking measures to serve more passengers who transit in Australia to other countries, especially to the UK, France and Japan, added Hung.

Vietnam Airlines is the first airline in the Asia-Pacific region that uses Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus A350-900 XWB, the most modern generation aircraft in the world so far. Dreamliner is a super effective commercial airplane with optimal speed. It helps save 2-25 percent of fuel, while reducing 20-25 per cent of emission compared to other types. Vietnam Airlines has booked 19 dreamliner aircraft, which were scheduled for delivery between 2015 and 2019.

Thus far, the fleet of Boeing 787s of Vietnam Airlines has flown 7,600 flights with more than 35,500 flying hours, transporting 1.79 million passengers.

Dreamliner 787-9 Lands In Europe

Virgin Atlantic Airways became the first European carrier to take delivery of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Named Birthday Girl to celebrate the airline’s 30th anniversary, the airplane is the first of 16 787-9s Virgin Atlantic ordered from Boeing.

Stretching more 20 feet longer than the 787-8, the 787-9 flies up to 40 more passengers and includes passenger-pleasing features such as large windows, large stow bins, modern LED lighting, higher humidity, a lower cabin altitude, cleaner air and a smoother ride.

The aircraft will initially operate service between London Heathrow Airport and Boston Logan International Airport.

“The first 787-9 in Europe will be a flagship for Virgin Atlantic’s fleet, providing greatly improved efficiencies across its routes,” said Todd Nelp, vice president of European sales, Boeing.

“The airplane, with its unique on-board features, will provide an unrivalled passenger experience, cementing Virgin Atlantic’s reputation as a true innovator in air travel.”

CANADA: We Will Oppose More Fligths For Emirates, Etihad,Air Canada

Air Canada: We will oppose more fligths for Emirates, Etihad.

Air Canada started services to Dubai on Wednesday, five years after a diplomatic spat between the UAE and Canada over flights.

Air Canada will oppose any moves by Canada’s new Liberal government to grant more flights to Emirates and Etihad Airways, a senior Air Canada executive said, a day after the airline started flights to Dubai.

“There is enough capacity … between the two markets,” Duncan Bureau, Vice President of Global Sales at Air Canada said in an interview.

The number flights between the UAE and Canada has long been a disdain for Emirates and Etihad, who want more access beyond the three weekly flights their each allowed to operate to Toronto.

Canada’s October 19 election that saw the Justin Trudeau-led Liberal party voted into government has raised hopes the two countries will be able renegotiate the allocation. UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Director General, Saif Mohammad Al Suwaidi, said on October 22 that he plans to discuss “the requirements of our carriers” with the new government.

But Bureau said Air Canada will “absolutely” make sure Canada’s new government knows it opposes any more flights for the UAE carriers. “The capacity that is currently being deployed is more than adequate to service the true demand,” he said.

Tensions over the flights broiled over in 2010 with Canada losing its military base in the UAE and visa restrictions being imposed on Canadians. The diplomatic spat was widely perceived to have ended in 2013 when the two countries’ Foreign Ministers met in Abu Dhabi and the visa restrictions were lifted.

Air Canada started three weekly flights to Dubai on Wednesday with the airline flying a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Dubai International for the first time ever. Brunei flag carrier Royal Brunei has flown the smaller 787-8 to Dubai since 2013.

Bureau said the airline expects to make return on invested capital “north of 15 per cent” on the Toronto-Dubai route.

Air Canada is hopeful 20 to 30 per cent of passengers on the route will be from hub traffic feeding from cities across Canada and second tier American cities like Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Denver. The UAE is home to an estimated 40,000 Canadians.