AIRLINE NEWS
OMAN AIR is adding a second daily service between London and Muscat from April 12. Flight WY104 will depart Heathrow at 0825, landing at 1850, with the return leg WY103 leaving Oman at 0125 and landing at 0630. EMIRATES is launching a daily linked service to Yangon (Myanmar) and Hanoi from August 3. It will depart Dubai at 0250, landing in Yangon at 1105, before taking off for Vietnam at 1235 (arriving 1450). The return leaves Hanoi at 2250, landing in Myanmar at 0020 the next day, then departing for Dubai at 0150 (arriving 0505). NORWEGIAN has taken delivery of its first B787-9 aircraft. It has 309 economy seats and 35 in Premium class, and will operate on selected routes to and from Gatwick. BMI REGIONAL will launch flights from Southampton to Munich from April 15, with Lufthansa codesharing on the route. There will be 12 flights per week – two daily during the week, and one on Saturdays and Sundays. SHAHEEN AIR has started a three-times weekly service from Manchester to Islamabad. The new route is served by A330-200 aircraft, with flights departing the UK on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 2200, arriving at 1830 the following day. AER LINGUS REGIONAL is to double the frequency of its Liverpool-Dublin service. The Stobart Air-operated route will offer up to four departures per day from May 2, with early morning, lunchtime, late afternoon and evening departures from Liverpool.
PHILIPPINE AIRLINES will up its five-times weekly Manila-London service to daily on June 28. Flight PR721 will depart Heathrow daily at 2250, arriving at 1950 the following day, with PR720 leaving the Philippine capital at 1320 and arriving at 2100.
CHINA AIRLINES will fly its forthcoming Airbus A350-900 to Amsterdam, Rome and Vienna from the end of the year. The Taiwan-based carrier will take delivery of its first A350 in July, before rostering the aircraft on to three of its four European routes from December.
BRITISH AIRWAYS is to drop its six-times weekly service between London Heathrow and Baku from the end of this month.
UNITED will retire its B747 aircraft by the end of 2018. The carrier converted an order for B787 aircraft, which was due to be delivered from 2020. Four B777-300ERs and five B787-9s will now be delivered from 2017.