POLAND: LOT Polish Airlines Introduces Flights To Gothenburg,Israel,Berlin Tegel,Oslo,Hannover, Domodedovo And Podgorica

LOT Polish Airlines has introduced a hat-trick of new routes, including one to Russia, the host country of the upcoming World Cup Finals.

The Polish flag carrier launched services from Warsaw Chopin (WAW) to Podgorica (TGD) on 2 June, to Moscow Domodedovo (DME) on 3 June and to Hannover (HAJ) on 4 June.

The 1,096-kilometre Podgorica connection and the 1,165-kilometre Domodedovo link will both be operated six times per week by the airline’s E-Jet aircraft.

The 766-kilometre Hannover route will be flown 12 times per week with E170s. None of the routes face incumbent competition.

LOT Polish Airlines introduced Gothenburg (GOT) to its network this week, beginning a six times weekly service to Warsaw Chopin (WAW).

Launched 28 August, the 824-kilometre route is already flown by Wizz Air three times weekly on A320s.

It is very pleasing for Swedavia to be able to offer more travelers a quick and easy line to the trendy and exciting city of Warsaw.

It is also an important line for business travelers in both Poland and Western Sweden, said Charlotte Ljunggren, Director, Gothenburg Airport.

LOT will operate the route using 70-seat CRJ 900s which it flies on behalf of Nordica, which on the same day began services to Gothenburg from Tallinn.

Gothenburg becomes LOT’s second route to Sweden from Chopin, with it also serving Stockholm Arlanda with three daily flights.

LOT Polish Airlines commenced a weekly service between Rzeszow (RZE) and Tel Aviv (TLV) on 11 March, with the 737-800-operated service being flown on a Warsaw Chopin-based aircraft, routing Chopin–Tel Aviv–Rzeszow–Tel Aviv–Chopin.

The 2,274-kilometre airport pair launched by the Star Alliance member this week will not face direct competition, and will operate inbound from Tel Aviv on Saturday evenings, with the outbound leg from Rzeszow being flown on Sunday mornings.

With this launch, LOT now serves Tel Aviv from six airports in Poland on 21 weekly flights.

LOT Polish Airlines now flies 12 times weekly to Berlin Tegel (TXL) from its Warsaw Chopin (WAW) hub, having ceased operations to the German capital in July 2013.

The route, which started on 4 December, is operated by the Star Alliance carrier’s Q400s and E170s, and a third daily flight will be added from June 2018.

Tegel is the sixth airport in Germany that LOT Polish Airlines operates to, with Nuremburg soon to become the seventh.

LOT Polish Airlines is back in Berlin. We are pleased that the airline is resuming its connection to Warsaw, says Engelbert LUtke Daldrup, CEO of Berlin Brandenburg Airport.

We share a long history: LOT was one of the first airlines at Schonefeld Airport. It is good to know that they are once again securing this important route into the economic centre of our neighbours.

There is no competition on the airport pair.

LOT Polish Airlines introduced services between Warsaw Chopin (WAW) and Oslo Gardermoen (OSL) on 25 March.

The Star Alliance member will offer 13 weekly flights on the 1,078-kilometre European capital connection using its fleet of E195s.

Competition on the route comes from Norwegian and SAS, with the rivals offering 10 weekly rotations combined between the two airports when referencing OAG schedules.

LOT Polish Airlines now flies 12 times weekly to Berlin Tegel (TXL) from its Warsaw Chopin (WAW) hub, having ceased operations to the German capital in July 2013.

The route, which started on 4 December, is operated by the Star Alliance carrier’s Q400s and E170s, and a third daily flight will be added from June 2018.

Tegel is the sixth airport in Germany that LOT Polish Airlines operates to, with Nuremburg soon to become the seventh.


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ESTONIA: Nordica Is Estonias Busiest Airline,SmartLynx Airlines Helps VietJet Air

State-owned Estonian carrier Nordica, which was created to take over defunct Estonian Air, managed to right away become the busiest airline in its home airport of Tallinn.

The operator reports that in 2016 it serviced more than 18% of the regular passenger traffic going through the capital’s gateway which in absolute figures means more than 365 thousand people.

Although Nordica has not announced its precise share, the carrier underlines it is going 0.1% ahead of the next contender on the rating list.

Tallinn Airport’s 2016 Report says the second busiest airline is Latvian flag carrier airBaltic followed by Ryanair, Lufthansa and Finnair.

All of the companies are reported to control from 10% to 15% of Tallinn’s overall passenger traffic.

Last year the airport of the Estonian capital serviced more than 2.22 million people, which is 2.5% more than a year before. It operates 23 destinations all year round and 34 destinations within the summer schedule.

Nordica’s website says its regular flight network includes 12 destinations, namely to Vilnius (Lithuania), Kyiv (Ukraine), Stockholm and Örebro (Sweden), Oslo and Trondheim (Norway), Copenhagen (Denmark), Amsterdam and Groningen (the Netherlands), Brussels (Belgium), Munich (Germany) and Vienna (Austria). All flights are performed under the code-sharing agreement with LOT Polish Airlines.

This Warsaw-based carrier is actually looking into a 49% share in the Estonian operator.

It is exactly in the interest of the Polish partner that Nordica serves Warsaw from Tallinn and both Stockholm and Vilnius from Warsaw.

Nordica started operation in November 2015. Its fleet currently consists of two Bombardier CRJ700 regional jets as well as four CRJ900s.

Estonian branch of Latvian carrier SmartLynx Airlines, whose revenue is by about 80% generated through ACMI agreements, has sent its fleet, two Airbus A320, to fly for Vietnamese low-cost carrier VietJet Air.

Both of SmartLynx Estonia's aircraft fitted with 180 seats in single-class configuration will be based at Noibai airport located in 45 km from downtown Hanoi.

The aircraft with tail numbers ES-SAK and ES-SAM were ferried to the capital of Vietnam in mid-January. The Estonian carrier and its Vietnamese partner signed the ACMI agreement in the fall of 2016.

According to Flightradar24 service, the Estonian aircraft are now operated on VietJet Air's flights to Danang, Phu Quoq, Ho Chi Minh and Hue.

Each aircraft operates from five to nine daily flights inside Vietnam. SmartLynx' PR manager Ilva Priedniece told Russian Aviation Insider that both aircraft will fly for VietJet Air until mid-February.

SmartLynx has had similar contracts with Vietnamese operators in the past. Since May 2016 the Latvian airline has been helping another local low-cost carrier, Jetstar Pacific Airlines. According to Priedniece, the agreement will be in effect until mid-May 2017.

SmartLynx Airlines also has experience of providing ACMI services to operators in the UK, Germany, Israel, Spain, the UAE, Poland, Portugal, Tajikistan, Turkey, Czech Republic, Sweden, Equatorial Guinea etc.

LATVIA: airBaltic Flying Vilnius To Tallinn

airBaltic commenced services between Vilnius (VNO) and Tallinn (TLL) on 18 April. The 529-kilometre sector will be served by the carrier twice-daily on weekdays with no weekend service according to OAG Schedules Analyser data.

airBaltic will utilise its Q400 fleet on the route. Martin Gauss, CEO of airBaltic, commented on the launch by saying: “The opening of a Vilnius to Tallinn route is a symbolic new beginning for airBaltic, as it marks the successful conclusion of our restructuring programme.

Under the restructure, it was one of 14 profitable routes that we had to give up, and now we are relaunching it so that our Baltic customers benefit from convenient morning and evening departures, and considerably lower fares on the route.”

airBaltic will face direct competition on the route from Nordica which operates a 16 times weekly service between the two capital cities. For airBaltic this service becomes its third Baltic capital connection, with it already connecting both Vilnius and Tallinn with its Riga hub in Latvia.

Vilnius Airport celebrated the start of airBaltic’s flights to Tallinn on 18 April with cupcakes which were handed out to passengers by Arturas Stankevicius, Director of Vilnius Airport.

The Lithuanian facility also conducted a traditional ribbon cutting ceremony to cement the start of services. Conducting the ceremony is Stankevicius along with Inga Slapelyte, Junior Sales Manager for the airline.

Flights will be operated double-daily on weekdays using Q400s.

Tallinn Airport celebrated airBaltic’s launch of flights from Vilnius with this fantastic cake. Flights on the 529-kilometre sector will be operated by the airline’s fleet of Q400s.