LATVIA: Primera Air to Fly From Frankfurt, Berlin Tegel To Seven Transatlantic Destinations

Nordic LCC Primera Air continues its long-haul expansion, adding nonstop long-haul services from Frankfurt and Berlin Tegel to Boston (Massachusetts), New York JFK, Toronto and Montreal (Canada).

Primera Air will launch daily flights from Berlin to New York JFK June 7, 2019, followed by Boston (4X-weekly) June 9; and Toronto Pearson (3X-weekly) from June 10.

From Frankfurt, the carrier will launch daily flights to New York JFK June 16, followed by Boston (4X-weekly) June 21; Montreal (3X-weekly) July 16, and daily to Toronto from July 16.

The services will be operated by Boeing MAX 9s.

Berlin has been one of the key bases in our strategy, as it is one of the major European cities and we can bring a lot of tourists from North America, who otherwise could not afford to travel there, Primera Air CCO Anastasija Visnakova said.

Primera Air was originally founded in Iceland in 2003 as a charter provider.

Since then, it has grown to a fleet of five Airbus A321neos and 10 Boeing 737s, serving more than 70 destinations across the Mediterranean, Middle East, Asia, Caribbean and North America.

It has 23 Boeing Max 9, Airbus A321neo and Airbus A321LR on order.

On Aug. 24, the carrier announced new long-haul flights from Brussels to North America, beside existing transatlantic services from London Stansted and Paris Charles De Gaulle.


Tourism Observer

RUSSIA: Pobeda Airlines Opens New Routes

Pobeda launched two new connections on the same day on 2 June, commencing services from Moscow Vnukovo (VKO) to Bordeaux (BOD) and from St.Petersburg (LED) to Girona (GRO).

The former 2,906-kilometre route and the latter 2,733-kilometre link will both be operated twice-weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays with 737-800s.

Neither route faces any direct competition.

The Vnukovo link is the only route Pobeda is currently scheduled to operate to Bordeaux in S18.

It will serve Girona from both Vnukovo and St. Petersburg this summer.

Pobeda has launched a twice-weekly - Thursdays and Sundays link from its main base at Moscow Vnukovo (VKO) to Berlin Tegel (TXL).

The 737-800-operated sector will become the LCC’s fifth destination served from the Russian capital city, adding to its existing flights to Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Cologne Bonn, Leipzig/Halle and Memmingen.

Commenced on 26 April, the 1,590-kilometre sector faces competition from Utair, which flies the route on a daily basis.

Pobeda, the Russian low-cost airline, used the last seven days to launch four new routes, two from its main Moscow Vnukovo (VKO) base, and two from St. Petersburg (LED), its second biggest operation in terms of weekly seats.

The average sector length of the four new city pairs is 1,607 kilometres, with the longest being the 2,235-kilometre route from St. Petersburg to Pisa (PSA).

While the shortest service is the 715-kilometre domestic airport pair from Vnukovo to Ulyanovsk (ULV).

In 2018, Pobeda will continue to expand the geography of its flights from St. Petersburg.

In S18 the airline will start flights to Gyumri (Armenia), Girona (Spain), Tbilisi (Georgia), as well to the Russian cities of Kaliningrad, Nizhnekamsk, and Ulyanovsk.

Pobeda premiered its eighth route from St. Petersburg (LED) on 12 January according to OAG schedules, with the carrier commencing a link from Russia’s second-largest city to Magas (IGT).

The airline will offer a weekly (Fridays) 737-800-operated service on the 2,084-kilometre link, with no other carrier presently flying between the two cities.

Pobeda already has a presence at Magas, with a daily rotation to the southern Russian airport from Moscow Vnukovo.

Pobeda commenced flights from Rostov-on-Don (ROV) to Batumi (BUS) on 26 May.

The 666-kilometre link between the Russian and Georgian cities will be flown by the carrier twice-weekly - Wednesdays and Sundays on the airline’s fleet of 737-800s.

No other airline presently operates flights on this city pair.

Batumi becomes the second destination in Georgia that Pobeda flies to from Rostov-on-Don, with it also serving Tbilisi three times weekly this summer from the Russia airport.

Along with the two routes from Rostov-on-Don, the carrier also flies to the Georgian capital from St. Petersburg twice-weekly this summer.

Pobeda now offers three Italian points on its network and a total of 16 weekly frequencies to the country following the introduction of a three times weekly operation to Venice Treviso (TSF) on 21 February.

The link from its main Moscow Vnukovo (VKO) base will join the LCC’s existing services to Milan Bergamo and Pisa.

The 2,066-kilometre sector is operated by Pobeda’s ubiquitous 737-800 fleet, and faces no direct competition.

Although Aeroflot offers a double-daily service from Moscow Sheremetyevo to Venice Marco Polo, while Ural Airlines flies weekly to the same Venetian gateway from Moscow Domodedovo.

Pobeda introduced flights between Moscow Vnukovo (VKO) and Leipzig/Halle (LEJ) on 16 April, with the latter airport becoming the airline’s fourth destination in Germany after Cologne Bonn, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden and Memmingen.

The airline will operate the 1,706-kilometre route to its newest destination three times weekly using its fleet of 737-800s, with no other carrier presently operating the same airport pair.

Pobeda’s new service is currently the only scheduled route between Russia and the German city.


Tourism Observer

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.


Tourism Observer

GERMANY: Intersky And Minoan Air Stop Flying

Two European regional airlines have stopped flying this week as the summer peak demand turns into winter over supply of flights.

Intersky the German carrier, which flew domestic scheduled services from Friedrichshafen Airport to Cologne/Bonn, Dusseldorf, Berlin Tegel and Hamburg Fuhlsbühl and international flights from Zurich to Graz and Salzburg has decided to call it a day and grounded its fleet of two ATR72-600s and three Dash 8-300s

In a similar story, Minoan Air based in Heraklion in Greece, has suspended operations but hopefully this is only temporary with its fleet of four four Fokker 50s aircraft which had operated scheduled services between Athens, Heraklion, Alexandroupolis, Rhodes, Thessaloniki, Kos, Mytilene, Mykonos, and Santorini grounded for the timebeing pending a corporate reorganisation.

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Airberlin Discontinues Berlin – Gdansk Link From April 2016

airberlin in summer 2016 season plans to cancel Berlin Tegel – Gdansk operation, as reservation for this 3 daily flights is now closed, for travel on/after 04APR16. ETIHAD’s codeshare operation for this route is also closed.

This route is operated by Darwin Airline Saab 2000 aircraft. Previously planned summer schedule as follow.

AB8232 TXL0915 – 1025GDN S20 D
AB8236 TXL1720 – 1830GDN S20 D
AB8230 TXL2155 – 2305GDN S20 x6

AB8231 GDN0620 – 0720TXL S20 x7
AB8233 GDN1105 – 1205TXL S20 D
AB8237 GDN1910 – 2010TXL S20 D

BELGIUM: Brussels Airlines Flys To Bremen

On 14 September, Bremen Airport celebrated the arrival of Brussels Airlines’ new five times weekly service from the Belgian capital. Flights on the 377-kilometre will operate daily Monday through Friday.

Brussels Airlines launched services between Brussels (BRU) and Bremen (BRE) on 14 September. The 377-kilometre sector will operate five times weekly (Monday through Friday), with the airport pair facing no incumbent carriers. Services will be flown using ERJ 145s according to OAG Schedules Analyser data, operated for Brussels Airlines by bmi regional. Brussels Airlines already serves Berlin Tegel, Hamburg and Hannover in Germany with non-stop flights. In total the Star Alliance carrier now serves 76 destinations non-stop from its Belgian hub.