SkyTeam, the global airline alliance partnering Aeroméxico, Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air, said its members are preparing for potential growth in 2004 with new flight options.
With the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicting a seven per cent annual growth in global passenger traffic this year, SkyTeam members are adding more long-haul international flightsr, further strengthening the alliance’s global route network.
Passengers travelling SkyTeam will enjoy a total of more than 150 additional flights per week, many supported by new service launches, and 13 new alliance destinations.
This summer, Korean Air will increase its schedule by 40 flights per week while Air France is preparing for a nine-percent increase in capacity with 115 additional weekly frequencies. Alitalia anticipates year over year growth of approximately 15 percent, with additional flights between Rome and New York-JFK, key hubs in the alliance’s network.
Air France also offers non-stop round-trip services between France and Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh-Ville) while Alitalia is launching several new routes between its Milan and Rome hubs and destinations in Asia, Europe and the US, including new service from Rome to Boston and Milan Malpensa to Washington, DC. The airline also intends to start service between Milan and New Delhi with six flights per week, pending approval from the Indian government.
Korean Air is beginning a new direct service between Seoul and Prague.
In the Atlantic region, Delta Air Lines will offer six new routes to destinations in the Caribbean (New York-JFK to Santo Domingo and San Juan), Mexico (Cincinnati-Cancun) and Europe (Cincinnati to Amsterdam and Rome), as well as nine additional codeshare routes with SkyTeam member airlines.
Aeroméxico’s summer service will include more than ten additional weekly flights from Mexico to destinations in the Americas. The airline is also increasing services between Mexico City and Madrid to 11 weekly flights.
The 13 new SkyTeam destinations are in multiple regions of the world: both Guangzhou (China) and Tehran (Iran) are on Air France’s summer schedule. In addition, Doha (Qatar), Kuwait City (Kuwait), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), Pointe-Noire (Congo) and Tashkent (Uzbekistan) will be served through the new Air France “Dedicate” service, featuring scheduled routes and direct flights to some of the more remote parts of the world.
In Europe, CSA Czech Airlines is planning its largest eastward expansion in the airline’s history this summer, including new service to: Samara and Ekaterinburg in Russia; Baku, Azerbaijan; Krakow, Poland; and Dortmund, Germany.