Wizz Air Announces Major Expansion of Vienna Operations

Wizz Air today announced a major expansion of its Vienna operations.

Following the base establishment with three aircraft this year, Wizz  Air will deploy two additional Airbus A321 at Vienna Airport by March 2019, growing its annual capacity to over 2 million seats on sale.

The additional aircraft will allow the airline to further diversify and expand its Vienna network while bringing truly affordable air travel paired with excellent service on board. Wizz Air’s offer from Austria will include nine new routes from Vienna to Nice in France, Reykjavik in Iceland, Catania and Milan in Italy, Lisbon in Portugal, Madrid in Spain, Malmo and Stockholm Skavsta in Sweden, and Kharkiv in Ukraine.

The base establishment and the expansion of the operations represent a total investment of over $570 million, creating more than 200 direct jobs with Wizz Air. The airline’s extended operations will also contribute to the local economy, supporting jobs in the aviation, transportation, hospitality and tourism industries.

La Compagnie Launches New Direct Flights Between New York and Nice

Four years after launching as an exclusively business-class boutique airline between New York and Paris, La Compagnie has announced the launch of a new seasonal route between New York and Nice with the first direct flight scheduled for Sunday, May 5, 2019.

This announcement comes as the latest in a series of positive developments for the airline, who is awaiting the delivery of its first Airbus A321neo in April 2019. With the arrival of the new plane, La Compagnie will grow its fleet to three aircraft, further allowing the airline to develop its offer with a new trans-Altantic flight and direct access to the South of France during prime season.

“We are excited to announce the launch of our Nice route as we continue to invest in developing the airline,” said Jean Charles Périno, EVP of Sales and Marketing for La Compagnie. “This new route provides a unique opportunity for the airline to offer travelers an additional choice between two popular cities with personalized service at the most attractive fare.”

The new route will operate five times weekly, Wednesday through Sunday, between the months of May and October. Flights out of Newark International Airport will depart at 11:30 PM, arriving in Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport at 1:50 PM the following afternoon. Flights departing Nice will be offered at 6:15 PM with a same-day arrival in New York at 10:00 PM. La Compagnie passengers can also enjoy service to Nice on Monday or Tuesday with connections from Paris Orly Airport operated through a special partnership with easyJet.

As with all La Compagnie flights, passengers will be welcomed with lounge and priority access for a painless and exclusive pre-flight experience. Onboard the Boeing 757, guests will enjoy reclining lie flat beds, refreshing amenity kits with Caudalie skincare products, personal iPads, a seasonally-curated menu by Michelin-starred Chef Christophe Langrée, a selective list of French wines and champagne and artisanal croissants by famous French bakery, Maison Kayser.

Nordica to Launch Flights Between Groningen and Nice in June

Estonia’s national airline Nordica will be increasing its reach on the Dutch market with the opening of a new route between Groningen and Nice.

Flights will start on 16 June and operate once a week. Nordica will be flying to the summer destination on Saturdays until 6 October. Nice will be the fourth destination the airline serves from Groningen starting from summer 2018.

Sven Kukemelk, the Director of Business Development with Nordica, says that constructive cooperation with the Dutch city has been ongoing for two years: the airline has been providing the 200,000 residents of the university city with an important link to the biggest hub in Scandinavia, the Danish capital Copenhagen, since the start of 2016.

“Our decision to launch a new commercial route between Groningen and Nice was based on the knowledge we’ve gained of the Dutch market over the last couple of years and our clear vision of growing our business where it’s of benefit to the local population and to the airline,” Kukemelk explained. “We’re really grateful to the people of Groningen for the trust they’ve placed in us. We’re doing everything we can to offer them a really good, stable service.”

“We’re really grateful to the people of Groningen for the trust they’ve placed in us. We’re doing everything we can to offer them a really good, stable service.”

France’s most famous resort, Nice has been attracting tourists for more than 100 years. Its invigorating Mediterranean climate offers people from Northern Europe something different in the shape of its sunny beaches and vibrant nightlife.

Starting from the summer season in 2018 Nordica will be serving four destinations from Groningen: Copenhagen, Brussels, Munich and Nice. Flights to the French resort from the Dutch city, operated using comfortable jet aircraft, will depart on Saturdays at 17:10 before returning from Nice at 20:00.

Air Malta to Start Services to Casablanca, Venice and St. Petersburg

In line with its growth strategy, Air Malta announced direct services to three destinations: Casablanca, Venice and St. Petersburg for summer 2018.

The destinations were announced today during the World Travel Market, the annual leading global travel trade show being held in London between the 6th and the 8th November.

Present at the WTM were Minister for Tourism Dr. Konrad Mizzi, Air Malta’s Chairman, Dr. Charles Mangion, Air Malta’s Acting CEO, Joseph Galea and Chief Commercial Officer, Paul Sies.

Malta’s Minister for Tourism, Dr. Konrad Mizzi said:

“The new destinations are of strategic importance to Malta. More specifically providing a direct link to Casablanca in North Africa with interconnecting flights to European destinations, improving connectivity with Russia and also operating from the main Airport in Venice. These developments reflect Air Malta’s ambition and positioning”.

Dr. Charles Mangion, Air Malta’s Chairman added:

“The launch of these new routes continue to show Air Malta’s leading position as a carrier connecting the islands to important regions in Europe and North Africa. We are working hard to improve both our network of flights through new destinations and added frequencies thus connecting better the whole Mediterranean region. In the next couple of months, we will be working hard to open a total of nine new destinations and we are very excited to be returning to Morocco, St. Petersburg and Venice thus facilitating the movement of passengers and cargo and enhance trade cooperation between the three countries.’’

Air Malta will inaugurate a new twice-weekly scheduled service every Monday and Thursday marking a return to one of the most important cities of Africa and the largest city in Morocco, Casablanca. The Air Malta is resuming its services to Casablanca after an absence of around 10 years.

Thanks to short and convenient transfers through Malta International Airport, this new Air Malta service will offer seamless flight connectivity between Casablanca and the European cities of Vienna, London, Rome, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Prague, Munich, Brussels, Marseille, Catania, Milan and Zurich together with Tel Aviv. Air Malta will also provide full cargo services on this route opening up a new cargo gateway to/from Morocco and beyond.

Air Malta will re-start flying to Venice, one of the world’s most romantic and enchanting cities, as from the 26th of March 2018. The Maltese airline will fly to Venice Marco Polo Airport with a twice a week every Monday and Saturday.

Air Malta will start operating a twice-weekly scheduled service to St Petersburg, Russia, every Wednesday and Saturday as from the 29th March 2018. The flight schedule to the city will complement the three times weekly service to Russia’s capital, Moscow, which will increase to a four weekly flight schedule in peak summer.

Emirates announces A380 service to Nice, adds Monaco transfers by helicopter

Emirates announced the launch of a daily A380 service to Nice, gateway to the French Riviera and Provence.

The daily A380 service will start on 1st July 2017, just in time for the beginning of the summer holiday season. After Paris, Nice becomes Emirates’ second destination in France to welcome the iconic double decker, further stimulating demand for travel to the region.

Nice is currently served with a daily flight operated by a Boeing 777-300ER. The deployment of an A380 represents a capacity increase of 44% on the route. With 3633 weekly seats in each direction, Emirates will offer more seats to the Middle East and beyond than any other international airline, highlighting Nice’s importance as part of the airline‘s global network. Enabling an increase in passenger numbers will also result in additional tourism revenues for Nice and the wider region, which in turn will mean boosting the local economy and job creation.

“Emirates started flying to Nice on 15th July 1994, almost 23 years ago. Since then, almost two million passengers have travelled with us on the route, with over 200,000 last year alone. We’re excited to see the city join the other 46 destinations Emirates currently serves with the A380 and look forward to being the first airline to fly this iconic aircraft to Nice,” commented Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.

“We expect the A380 service to further grow the number of leisure and business travellers that visit the south of France throughout the year,” added Antinori.

As of 1st July, EK77 will be operated by an A380, leaving Dubai at 0845hrs and arriving in Nice at 1340hrs, while EK78 will depart Nice at 1540hrs and arrive in Dubai at 0010hrs the next day (local times). Passengers travelling to or from the following cities will enjoy optimal A380 to A380 connections in Dubai: Auckland, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Mauritius, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo, and more.

“I am thrilled to welcome the A380, a prestigious and iconic aircraft. Nice will be the only city in France, other than Paris, to boast a scheduled A380 service. The team at Nice Cote d’Azur Airport worked tirelessly to ensure a smooth arrival, from runway optimisation to boarding bridge modernisation. Emirates’ decision to upgrade its daily service to Nice confirms the appeal of our region, important enough to sustain a year-round long-haul flight,” commented Dominique Thillaud, President, Cote D’Azur Airports.

As part of its commitment to offering the best travel experience to its passengers, Emirates is working with Monacair to offer helicopter transfers between Nice Airport and Monaco, including a limousine service from Monaco’s heliport to their final destination.

Wizz Air announces two new routes from Craiova to Paris and Venice

Wizz Air today announced two new low-fare routes from its Craiova base.

The newest Wizz Air services connect Craiova with Paris Beauvais and Venice Treviso, both commencing in March 2017 with two weekly flights.

Demonstrating Wizz Air dedication to its Romanian customers the airline is continuously investing in its Romanian operations and will grow its fleet in the country to 20 aircraft by the end of 2016, including 4 of the ultra-efficient brand new 230-seat Airbus A321. Throughout 2016 Wizz Air has already announced and will start 30 new routes connecting Romania with the rest of Europe, including Wizz Airfirst internal route connecting Bucharest with Cluj-Napoca which starts a new era in domestic Romanian air travel. Over the past 12 months ending 31 August 2016 Wizz Air carried more than 5 million passengers to and from Romania.

With its newest Paris and Venice services, Wizz Air now offers 7 great routes to 4 countries from Craiova.

Speaking at a press conference in Craiova today, Gabor Vasarhelyi, Corporate Communications Manager at Wizz Air,said:

“Paris and Venice are both worldwide popular destinations with rich cultural heritage and we are sure Craiova customers will appreciate visiting these beautiful cities on our low fares, while enjoying our excellent onboard service. We stay committed to Craiova and keep on expanding our ever-growing network with more attractive services to best meet the needs of our Romanian customers.”

Etihad Airways bridges Abu Dhabi with Venice

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, will expand its services to Italy with a daily flight to Venice Marco Polo Airport.

The new service will begin from 30 October 2016 and be served by an Airbus A319, offering 16 seats in Business and 90 in Economy. Together with Alitalia, its codeshare and equity partner, Etihad Airways will offer 35 weekly flights in and out of Italy, including double daily services to Rome and Milan.

Etihad’s Venice flight will offer convenient travel times for guests travelling between the UAE and the Italian city. In addition, the new service will offer seamless connections through Abu Dhabi’s hub to the popular Australia routes of Sydney and Melbourne, as well as key destinations in the GCC, Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Northeast Asia.

Etihad Airways started flights to Milan in 2007 before Rome was added to the network in 2014, contributing to a strong trade relationship between the United Arab Emirates and Italy. Bilateral trade was valued at USD 6.14 billion in 2015 and the UAE Ministry of Economy has registered more than 90 Italian companies.

Kevin Knight, Chief Strategy and Planning Officer, said:

“Launching our service to Venice further supports a very popular passenger route between Italy, our Abu Dhabi hub and onwards throughout Etihad Airways’ growing network, as far afield as Australia. Together with our codeshare and equity partner Alitalia, we are also strengthening the significant trade relationship between Italy and the UAE.”

Alitalia currently operates the Venice to Abu Dhabi route in code share with Etihad Airways and has decided to redeploy its aircraft on its international network from the 2016 winter schedule.

Alitalia will codeshare on the new Etihad flight, maintaining access to Abu Dhabi and Etihad Airways’ global network for its Venice-based customers.

Swissport Executive Aviation Nice completes IS-BAH certification

The accreditation awarded by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) marks the first certification for a Nice FBO. 

IS-BAH is the protocol of the safety envelope, and it sets an international standard for operations in business and general aviation aircraft ground handling.

Aldo Salzillo, Network Quality Manager Swissport Executive Aviation says:

“Achieving the IS-BAH certification sets the bar for the business line. This voluntary certification has required a six months preparation and demonstrates our commitment to upholding the highest International safety standards, as well as the safety regulation of our Group. It will help us in maintaining our position as a main player in the business aviation handling industry and gives the accent on the way to more certification within the Swissport Executive Aviation network.”

“The International Business Aviation Council congratulates the entire Swissport Executive Aviation team in achieving the IS-BAH certification. Implementing the IS-BAH voluntary standards through to registration shows an ongoing commitment by Swissport Executive Aviation, a business line of Swissport International Ltd. to mitigate risks in its day-to-day operations, and implement a positive safety culture, which is highly commended.” said Terry Yeomans, director of the IS-BAH program.

IS-BAH accreditation involves a complete audit of an FBO’s safety management systems, emergency procedures, organizational structure, administrative elements, security procedures, training protocols, and operating procedure. The Certificates of registration are issued by IBAC to FBOs and BAHAs that have successfully demonstrated conformity to the industry’s best practice standards through completion of a three-stage external audit by an IBAC accredited auditor.