RUSSIA; S7 Airlines Opening New Flights From Moscow To Murmans

S7 Airlines, a oneworld® global airline alliance member, announced the opening of new flights from Moscow to Murmansk. Tickets are available now.

Starting 27 August 2017, there will be direct flights from the Moscow airport Domodedovo to Murmansk on Sundays and return flights on Mondays. Flights will depart from Domodedovo airport at 23:50 and arrive in Murmansk at 2:25. Return flights will depart from Murmansk airport at 5:15 and arrive in Moscow at 7:45. The flights will be carried out on modern and comfortable Airbus A319 airliners.

“A lot of people dream of seeing the northern lights. We are pleased to offer our passengers the way for their dreams to come true by taking direct flights of S7 Airlines to Murmansk, the real jewel of the Russian North. Besides, passengers from Murmansk will have the opportunity to travel to the cities of the expansive route network S7 Airlines with the connection at the Moscow airport Domodedovo,” says Igor Veretennikov, the Commerce Director of S7 Airlines.

Air tickets can be purchased at s7.ru, through the iPhone app or the Android app, and at any S7 sales office. You can also learn accurate flight information, book and buy tickets by calling our Contact Centre at 8 8008 700-0707 (free for Russia).

S7 Airlines (“Siberia” airlines brand, s7.ru) is a member of the oneworld® global aviation alliance.

The airline has a wide internal route network, created on the basis of air transport hubs in Moscow (Domodedovo) and Novosibirsk (Tolmachevo). S7 Airlines also performs regular flights to countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Europe, the Near East, Southeast Asia and countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

In 2007 the company received an official IATA certificate as an IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) operator, becoming the second air carrier in Russia to have successfully passed the full international audit procedure for compliance with operational safety standards.

S7 Airlines is one of the most reliable airlines of Russia, it implements latest achievements of the world's industry in passenger services and develops its own services dynamically.

Today S7 Airlines has the newest and one of the most modern aircraft fleets on the Russian air transportation market. All flights of the airline are performed by the aircraft of the world’s leading manufacturers.

S7 Airlines is in top 100 of the best airlines of the world and ranks third in the Eastern Europe, as indicated by the authoritative international rating Skytrax.

S7 Airlines was a multiple winner of the Wings of Russia National Aviation Awards in different categories.

S7 Airlines was a multiple winner of the Cannes Lions advertising festival awards for implemented projects, and My Planet National Awards for discoveries in travel sphere.

S7 Airlines won “Best Russian Airline” at 2015 National Geographic Traveler Awards.

At the end of 2016, S7 Airlines became the winner of Skyway Service Award aviation award in three categories: the best airline in category “Economy Class, Domestic Scheduled Services”, “Best Loyalty Program” and “Best Online Customer Services.”

The airline is a member of the S7 Group of companies. In 2016 Group member airlines carried more than 13.1 million passengers.



Tourism Observer

IVORY COAST: Air Côte d’Ivoire Expands Fleet

Air Côte d’Ivoire placed an order with Airbus for three A320neos and two A320s, the Ivorian national airline becoming the first African airline to order the A320neo.

CEO, René Décurey, explained that this demonstrated the airline’s commitment to accelerate its growth in western and central Africa, which has already resulted in it tripling passenger numbers over the past three years.

The airline’s fleet now comprises four A319s, one A320 and four leased Bombardier Q400s. The first A320neo is scheduled for delivery in July 2017.

Air Côte d’Ivoire was established in 2012 and Swiss-born Décurey has headed the company ever since. He has considerable experience of working in Africa as he was involved with the ‘Aviation in Africa’ project, part of Aga Khan’s Fund for Economic Development.

According to Décurey, the A320neo is economic and ideal for operating airline’s routes. Air Côte d’Ivoire has, thus, attempted to solve two major constraints of flying around Africa – maintenance and fuel prices. He also said maintenance is a major issue as spare parts can take at least 24 hours to arrive, meaning that even a relatively simple technical problem can result in an aircraft-on-ground (AOG) situation.

The carrier has a partnership with Air France for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO). The French company also holds a 10% stake in the airline.

Air France flies daily to the capital, Abidjan, where aviation fuel costs are, on average, two-and-a-half times less than at some other network locations.

These new aircraft will strengthen the company’s network that comprises 19 regional destinations located in west and central Africa – Abuja, Accra, Bamako, Brazzaville, Conakry, Cotonou, Dakar, Douala, Freetown, Kinshasa, Lagos, Libreville, Lome, Monrovia, N’Djamena Niamey, Ouagadougou, Pointe Noire and Yaoundé – and domestic routes including Abidjan, San Pedro, Man, Bouake, Korongo, and Odienne.

The Abidjan/Abuja route opened earlier this year with three weekly flights.

Décurey confirmed that the airline would open two new routes, to Bangui and Rwanda, before the end of 2016.

Air Côte d’Ivoire also considers network flexibility to be vital, setting-up two daily transit waves at its Abidjan hub – the first to west Africa and a second to central Africa – making it practically the only airline in west Africa to offer passengers a return trip in the same day.

To support this growth, Air Côte d’Ivoire plans to finance the acquisition of the new aircraft through its own, and its shareholders’, funds.

Once the airline receives its International Air Transport Association operational safety audit (IOSA) certification, hopefully this autumn, it is intended to pursue codeshare arrangements both in the region and elsewhere in the continent through its links with the SkyTeam Alliance through its partner and shareholder, Air France.

GHANA: Africa World Airlines Gets IOSA Certification From International Air Transport Association (IATA)

Africa World Airlines, Ghana’s fastest growing regional carrier, has received the International Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Programme certificate from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) after an intensive and rigorous process.

The airline’s certificate is valid from May 1, 2015 to May 1, 2017 and it has subsequently been listed on the IOSA register.

According to IATA’s Vice President for Africa, Mr. Raphael Kuuchi, the IOSA programme is a safety and security audit programme run by the international body for airlines globally, which also enhances their safety and operational effectiveness.

He stated that with the issuance of the certificate to AWA, the airline has become one of the safest airlines in the world.

“It’s a safety and security audit programme run by IATA globally. It is not mandatory, its voluntary. But for the airlines that adopt it, it enhances their safety and operational effectiveness. It is a compilation of industry best practices and safety, and so we encourage all airlines to get it. Airlines that are IOSA-registered have the highest level of safety compared to the ones that are not IOSA.

“What this means for AWA is that today it is recognised as one of the over-400 airlines with the highest safety hallmark or credentials. Many airlines that are IOSA-registered around the world will be seeking to do business with airlines who are also IOSA-registered. AWA now has to take advantage of this and get out there to try and work with other partner airlines that are IOSA-certified and try and grow their networks,” Mr. Kuuchi said.

Chief Operations Officer of AWA, Samuel Thompson said the issuance of the IOSA certificate to the airline puts it on the map for good business opportunities.

“With the IOSA certification, customers can have comfort knowing that an IOSA-registered airline actually complies with the stringent standards and practices governing aviation safety. “The IOSA-registered member also opens doors for alliances and partnerships with other IOSA registIMG_0897ered Airlines. It also puts AWA on the map for good business opportunities,” Samuel Thompson, Chief Operations Officer of AWA said.

Meanwhile, the airline has promised to garner more of the market share in the country’s aviation sector.
The airline invested in by a Chinese company has already captured half of the aviation market in Ghana and has become one of the most popular regional airlines in West Africa.

Despite its high levels of fragmentation, Africa’s Aviation market has significant opportunities for growth, and that’s attracted some Chinese investors. Ghana’s Africa World Airlines, registered in 2010, is one such opportunity. It is a joint venture by Chinese and Ghanaian investors, and the carrier has grown to serve a larger and larger section of the potential market in Ghana.

AWA started operations in 2012 using Embraer 145 Jets. The airline is co-financed by China’s HNA Group, the China-Africa Development Fund, Ghana’s Social Security and National Insurance Trust, and Ghana’s SAS Finance Group. Starting from 1 flight at the very beginning, their travel routes have increased over 3 years of expansion to 22 domestic and international flights per day. Over 98 percent of its 216 staff are Ghanaian.

In addition to its strong financial support, AWA also inherited the strict safety management and service standards of Hainan Airlines. Their strong safety management and good service records helped the airline win the award for Domestic Airline for 2014 from the Ghana Tourism Authority.

A growing number of African countries including Ghana, Kenya and South Africa hope to expand aviation cooperation with China in projects such as co-funded airlines, airport construction or aircraft manufacturing.