BARBADOS: American Airlines Has Introduced Daily Flights To Barbados From Charlotte

American Airlines has announced the addition of non-stop, daily service from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) beginning December 19, 2018.

This announcement comes just weeks after the carrier unveiled its third daily flight from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Barbados, which is also set to launch December 19.

The island anticipates a demand for additional flight service given the growth in US arrival numbers, which have risen year after year.

In 2017, Barbados welcomed 188,970 US visitors – a 30-year high – and the country is showing no signs of slowing down.

Our airline partners have been instrumental in the growth of visitation from the United States.

This new service signals tremendous confidence in Barbados and constitutes a 100 percent increase in seat capacity into and out of the island said Barbados’ newly appointed minister of tourism and international transport, Kerrie Symmonds.

Increased service to these important cities will help to ensure another year of record passenger arrivals to our destination.

High-level airline partnerships have been a cornerstone effort for the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI). This strategy has led to increased airlift and the introduction of new gateways including Fort Lauderdale, Boston and Newark.

Alfredo Gonzalez, managing director – Caribbean, American Airlines, described Barbados as a destination in high demand and noted.

One month after announcing additional service to Barbados from our Miami hub, we’re thrilled to continue growing our presence in the island with new daily service from our Charlotte hub, both operating during the winter.

As the demand continues to grow over the years, today we’re proud to serve as the leading U.S. airline in the island with up to 28 weekly flights.

Tickets for the new route went on sale June 17.


Tourism Observer

BONAIRE: American Airlines Adds More Flights To Bonaire

In addition to its weekly Saturday service launching June 9, 2018, American Airlines will be adding three new non-stop flights from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Bonaire International Airport (BIA) from December 15, 2018, through March 30, 2019.

The additional flights will operate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

We are extremely pleased to have reached an agreement with American Airlines to provide additional non-stop service to Bonaire, commented Maurice Adriaens, director of Tourism Corporation Bonaire.

According to the American Airlines Network & Planning Department the Saturday flight is booking extremely well, and therefore they are confident that the extra flights will do well.

These flights will to allow us to generate more traffic to the island concurrent with the expansion of our hotel and villa inventory.

American Airlines flight AA1379 will depart MIA at 12:05pm, arriving in BON 4:13pm. The return flight AA1379 will depart BON 5:05pm, arriving in MIA 7:15pm.

These flight times allow for several convenient connections from the feeder banks on both flight segments.

American Airlines will utilize an Airbus 319 with eight first class seats and 120 economy seats.


Tourism Observer

KENYA: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Favourite Transiting Hub

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) registered a growth of transit passengers last year, highlighting it as a favourite transiting hub for international travellers.

Data by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics indicate that the number of international passengers in transit increased by 2.7 per cent from 1.2 million in 2016 to 1.25 million last year.

JKIA is a major hub for passengers connecting to Europe, US or even the Middle East.

Overall, Kenya’s major airports recorded an increase on the number of passengers who used different ports in the period under review.

The total number of passengers increased by 3.5 per cent from 9.8 million in 2016 to 10.1 million last year, says the KNBS in a new released Economic Survey.

The number of passengers handled at the JKIA increased by 2.2 per cent to 7.3 million while those handled at the Moi International Airport (MIA) remained at 1.2 million during the review period.

The Moi International Airport handles aircraft coming from outside the country because of its tourism status, unlike some airports that only handle domestic airlines.

Commercial cargo handled at the JKIA increased by 18 per cent to 273,000 tonnes with MIA recording an increase of 20 per cent to 3,500 tonnes.

According to the KNBS, domestic landings and takeoffs increased by 1.5 per cent to 207,831 in 2017, as more airlines moved in to tap the high demand for flying.

Local airlines have been expanding to new routes as demand for air travel in parts of the country that do not have a developed air transport takes root.

This is a boost to Kenyans who are now enjoying low fares due to increased competition.

In the last couple of months, airlines have launched new routes that include the far flung Wajir region that have been lagging behind in air transport.

Jambojet is currently flying to Wajir and it charges Sh4,200 for one way ticket.

This is the latest local route that they have introduced in their schedule.

Local airline Silverstone Air Services introduced Kisumu and Mombasa routes last year, targeting tourists on the Western and Coastal circuit.

The airline launched commercial flights from Nairobi to Kisumu and Ukunda, having previously operated as a charter-only carrier.

Silverstone is currently operating five planes on its local routes, consisting of two Dash-8 planes and three Fokker 50 aircraft.

The airline launched daily flights to Lodwar in January, increasing the competition for customers on the route that is also served by Fly540, Safarilink and several other carriers.

Silverstone is charging Sh8,500 for one way ticket to Lodwar, the same amount that Skyward Express ticket costs on the same route.

The plans to put up a second runway at JKIA are underway after the country secured funding from African Development Bank (AFDB).

This marks a major starting point for the expansion of the airport that has for a long time been operating with a single runway.

The single runway has been blamed for delays in takeoffs and landing of the aircrafts at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

The project is expected to commence in the second half of 2018 and is expected to ease delays at once it is commissioned.


Tourism Observer

FINLAND: Helsinki Travel Award

First Ever Helsinki Travel Award goes to Design District Helsinki, HELtours and Founders of Royal Ravintolat.

Helsinki Tourism Foundation announced the winners of the very first Helsinki Travel Award on Thursday 8 October 2015. The goal of the acknowledgement is to present parties and actions that have had a positive impact on the development of tourism in the Helsinki region. This year the prizes were awarded to Design District Helsinki, HELtours, and the founders of Royal Ravintolat (Restaurants) Mia and Kasperi Saari and Pertti Hynninen.
The award is worth a total of 10,000 euros, and it was presented for the first time this year to two different parties. An acknowledgement was awarded to a third party. In future, the Helsinki Travel Award will be awarded annually.

Design District Helsinki received a prize worth 6,000 euros. Design District Helsinki is a collaborative service helping travellers get to know Helsinki in the field of design. The concept was created by an active network of creative people and businesses.

HELtours was awarded a prize worth 4,000 euros. HELtours organizes interactive biking tours in Helsinki, offering travellers the possibility to experience Helsinki at its best, while giving them access to places which more traditional guided tours cannot reach.

The founders of Royal Ravintolat as well as boutique hotels Hotel Haven and Fabian, Mia and Kasperi Saari, and Pertti Hynninen, were awarded an acknowledgement for their notable accomplishment in generating stylish culinary experiences and cozy overnight stays in Helsinki. They have established a steady supply of good restaurants in Helsinki.

BRAZIL: Belo Horizonte Airport’s GOL Airline Reduces Capacity As Azul Airlines Increases By 10%

With an average growth rate per month of over 6% so far in 2015, anna.aero expects Belo Horizonte to pass 11 million passengers this year if the trend continues. In November, Azul Airlines will launch its first long-haul route from the airport to Orlando, a route that is planned to operate five times weekly.

Belo Horizonte is Brazil’s sixth largest city, situated 346 kilometres north of Rio de Janeiro. In 2013, the city recorded the fifth largest GDP among the Brazilian municipalities, represented 1.38% of the total wealth produced in Brazil. Along with economic development, the city has also witnessed an explosion in its population, seeing a growth of 9.4% from 2010 to 2014 (figures based on 2010 census data and Brazilian government estimates for 2014). With these two factors, it’s no surprise to see that the city’s main airport, Belo Horizonte Tancredo Neves, has experienced passenger traffic grow by 43% since 2009.

Belo Horizonte expected to pass 11 million passengers in 2015
In 2013, Belo Horizonte Airport recorded its first year of passenger traffic decline (highlighted in light green) for some time. The decrease followed an impressive few years for the airport, which recorded an average annual growth of over 17% for the three years previous. However last year the airport returned to form, showing a rise in passenger traffic of 5.5%. So far in 2015, Belo Horizonte Airport is showing an average growth rate of just under 6% per month when compared to 2014. If this rate of increase continues throughout the rest of 2015, anna.aero expects passenger numbers at the facility to reach approximately 11.5 million passengers this year.

SVID score “Excellent”
Belo Horizonte Airport recorded a SVID score of 0.79 (“Excellent”), placing it sixth out of the airports analysed so far in 2015 by anna.aero. The result means the airport is situated just behind Chennai Airport in fifth, which scored 0.60 earlier in the year. In comparison for the Brazilian market, Fortaleza Airport, serving Brazil’s fifth largest city, scored 0.88, (also “Excellent”), placing it seventh on the SVID leader board, while Manaus Airport, serving Brazil’s seventh largest city scored 0.47, again (“Excellent”) and results in the airport be placed fourth overall.

2015 is looking to be a good year for Belo Horizonte, with five of the first six months in 2015 being record breaking for the facility. The only month that did not follow this trend was May. Although traffic was up 7.7% when compared to the same corresponding month last year, the figure for 2015 is down -2.6% on the recorded number for May in 2013.

Only four top 12 routes report growth in 2015
Analysis of OAG Schedules Analyser data has shown that the top 12 routes out of Belo Horizonte have remained constant from 2014 to 2015, however only four of those routes (highlighted in light green) have shown an increase in seat capacity. The most notable increase is on the 359-kilometre sector to Rio de Janeiro Galeao, which has witnessed a seat capacity increase of 37% in S15. The airport pair is served by GOL and TAM Airlines, with the former handling 59% of weekly seats between the two airports, down from the 61% recorded in 2014. Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont is showing a capacity downfall of -7.9%, an airport also served by GOL and TAM from Belo Horizonte, along with Azul Airlines.
Sao Paulo #1 destination

Sao Paulo is the most popular destination from Belo Horizonte, with all three airports in the coastal city being served, and accounting for 36% of weekly seats. Although Sao Paulo is the most popular destination in relation to capacity, only one of the airports served showed a capacity increase for S15, with Guarulhos and Viracopos airports showing decreases in capacity of -1.3% and -12% respectively, whereas Sao Paulo Congonhas’ seat availability is up 13% when compared to the same time period last year.

GOL number one, Azul is catching up
While GOL remains the number one carrier at Belo Horizonte, and has introduced its first international service from the airport to Santiago in Chile, the airline is shown to be -4% in weekly seat capacity for S15, while Azul is reporting a 10% rise for the corresponding period. This is as a result of the airline having additional services to Araxa, Cuiaba, Cabo Frio, Ilheus, Maraba, Natal, Valenca and Teixiera de Freitas according to OAG Schedules Analyser data. In November, the carrier will launch a new long-haul service from the airport to Orlando, the first for the airline from Belo Horizonte. The route will operate five times weekly using the carrier’s A330-200s, and compliments current long-haul services from the airport to fellow Floridian airport Miami, operated by American Airlines and TAM Airlines. The airport also has long-haul flights to Lisbon, flown by TAP Portugal.