Etihad to fly Nairobi service
Etihad Airways has announced the start of flights to Nairobi, its first destination in East Africa.
A daily service from Abu Dhabi to the Kenyan capital will begin on April 1 next year, operated by a two-class A320 aircraft with 16 Pearl business class and 120 Coral economy seats.
Nairobi becomes the 72nd destination in Etihad’s global network and the return flights will create a new link between the two capital cities.
'This new route will allow Etihad to tap into large traffic flows between East Africa, North Asia, and the Indian subcontinent,' said Etihad CEO James Hogan.
Qatar introduces Kolkata route
Qatar Airways has widened its passenger flight network in India with the launch of daily non-stop scheduled services from Doha to Kolkata.
The addition of the latest route reaffirms the carrier’s commitment to India where it now operates 95 flights a week across 12 destinations.
In addition, the Doha-based airline also operates twice-weekly freighter services to Kolkata, one of six Indian destinations where Qatar Airways already offers dedicated cargo flights.
Kolkata, capital of West Bengal state in eastern India, is the country’s third largest city with a metropolis population of more than 15 million people.
Lufthansa boosts AUH capacity
Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) and Lufthansa German Airlines have announced an increase in flight capacity between Frankfurt and Abu Dhabi from the end of October this year.
Lufthansa flights travelling to Abu Dhabi will no longer continue onwards to Muscat, Oman, which is now served via a different route, giving full capacity on the aircraft to Abu Dhabi – Frankfurt passengers.
The increase in capacity is Lufthansa’s second upgrade within 12 months after introducing a daily service on the route last October, up from six flights weekly.
This year passenger traffic between Frankfurt and Abu Dhabi increased by 14 per cent compared with the same period last year.
Etihad and S7 expand codeshare
Etihad Airways is building its presence in Russia with the expansion of its commercial agreement with S7 Airlines the country’s fastest growing airline and largest domestic carrier.
The revised deal will allow Etihad and S7 passengers to book flights from four Russian regional cities for travel to and from Abu Dhabi and beyond, connecting with Etihad’s daily Moscow services.
The new codeshare cities served are Kazan (KZN), Samara (KUF), Krasnodar (KRR) and Saint Petersburg (LED).
Austrian carries out fleet refit
Austrian Airlines has completed the refitting of a total of 32 aircraft from the Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737 type with the new interior design and new, modern leather seats.
The core element of the new cabin is a completely redeveloped seat constructed from new, light materials. The seat’s innovative construction gives passengers up to 10 cm more leg room. The new seat is between three and five kilos lighter than its predecessor allowing Austrian Airlines to reduce the overall weight of its aircraft, cutting kerosene consumption and providing an environmental benefit.
The next step is to follow in the winter of 2012/2013, when Austrian Airlines will refit the cabins of its long-haul aircraft.
flydubai’s Indian summer
Flydubai has announced flights to its 44th destination - the world’s third fastest growing city, Ahmedabad.
Flights to India’s seventh largest city began operating weekly on Saturdays from August 27 2011.
FZ437 departs Dubai Terminal 2 at 10.10pm, landing in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 2.50am local time. The return flight, FZ438, departs at 3.35am, arriving in Dubai at 5.05am.