New routes launched during the last week
(Tuesday 6 July – Monday 12 July):

Route of the Week:
Borajet’s Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen to Antalya Gazipaşa

The Director General of Borajet Airlines, Kadir Peker, along with local officials who have contributed to the development the region’s tourism were among the first passengers that arrived at Gazipaşa Airport on Borajet Airlines, being greeted with flowers.

A proper welcoming for the new airport’s first scheduled route. Borajet’s service caters to both the Istanbul market travelling to Alanya resorts as well as the local catchment seeking a link with Turkey’s commercial capital, from where onward connections are available.

• Borajet, the Turkish regional carrier based at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen (SAW), has become the first airline to launch the first scheduled flights to the new Antalya Gazipaşa International Airport (GZP) by the popular tourist resort of Alanya. Flights will operate five times a week, flying daily on Monday to Friday with 66-seat ATR72 aircraft.

Cake of the Week:
Air Mauritius to Sydney

Russell Balding, CEO of Sydney Airport, and Donald Payen, EVP Commercial & Communications at Air Mauritius, celebrated the new route with a chocolate cake and bubbly. As the Air Mauritius aircraft landed in a cloudy, 16-degree Sydney, ready to bring sun seeking Australians to the Indian Ocean island nation. (Aircraft photo: domandheath.com)

• Air Mauritius expanded its Australian network on 6 July, when it launched a weekly service between Mauritius (MRU) and Sydney (SYD) with A340-300 aircraft. The route complements the airline’s network to both Perth and Melbourne. Sydney Airport’s CEO Russell Balding commented: “The additional choice that Air Mauritius offers to destinations such as Nairobi, Kenya and Antananarivo, Madagascar will be welcome news for Australians.”

This week’s other route launches

Officials from both Air Arabia Egypt and Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) were joined by Mohamed Tamer Mansour, Egyptian Ambassador to the UAE, in cutting the cake for the new route. Ahmed Al Haddabi, ADAC’s SVP Operations, and Ali Al Hamdani, acting COO Air Arabia Egypt, exchanged gifts as a memory of the first flight.

• Air Arabia Egypt was one of two airlines to begin flying between Alexandria and Abu Dhabi (AUH) on 12 July. From its Borg El Arab (HBE) base, the airline will operate four times a week with A320s, indirectly competing with Etihad’s services (see below). The route was last operated during summer 2008 by Egyptair. This is the new low-cost airline’s first route to the UAE, although sister carrier Air Arabia flies between Sharjah and Alexandria’s El Nouzha airport. Ahmed Al Haddabi, SVP Operations ADAC, commented: “We are pleased to be welcoming Air Arabia’s inaugural flight to Abu Dhabi International Airport from Alexandria Egypt, which adds one more destination to our network. Air Arabia is the 5th new airline that ADAC has added to its portfolio this year and will be contributing to our continuing traffic growth. We look forward to seeing this route further develop since the Egyptian market as a whole has great potential.”

Last week’s impressive Cake of the Week celebrated this week’s two new routes as well.

• Brussels Airlines continued the African expansion celebrated last week out of Brussels (BRU) by adding two West African destinations, served with its fleet of A330-300s. On 6 July, the airline began operating flights to Cotonou (COO), the largest city in Benin, twice a week. The two flights alternate between operating via Abidjan on the way out or back. Ouagadougou (OUA), the capital of Burkina Faso, is also served twice a week; however, both flights operate non-stop from Brussels and instead continue to Abidjan after Ouagadougou in both directions.

• Cimber Sterling launched a weekly service between Copenhagen (CPH) and Bastia (BIA) on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica on 6 July. Flights operate with 737-700 aircraft until 17 August. Notably, the same route was launched by rival Norwegian in April, but the airline dropped the route on 12 June. Prior to Norwegian’s launch, there had been no scheduled service between the two airports.

Greeting another easyJet flight to Dubrovnik - Tonci Peovic, Director General (centre) and Frano Luetić, Deputy Director General. The four weekly Rome services launched this week compete with Croatia Airlines’ three weekly flights.

• easyJet launched 17 new routes over the last weekend – 10 and 11 July – with its A319 aircraft. The routes link Amsterdam, Paris and Italian airports with Mediterranean destinations for the summer season. Notably, two of the routes are launched between non-bases, both of which involve Ibiza (IBZ).

On site in Alexandria, Etihad's GM North and West Africa, Maurice S.R. Phohleli, presented the crew with a cake. On the ground, the Etihad delegation paired up with EgyptAir ground crew for a photo opportunity. Representing the Abu Dhabi carrier, Maurice S.R. Phohleli was joined by Seham Ishaq, Airport Manager Egypt; Isa Fairooz Ali, GM Operations GCC, Africa and SC; and Cabin Manager Manogharan Kuganesh. The airline will now fly four times a week, competing with Air Arabia Egypt.

• Etihad is the other airline to have launched flights between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Alexandria on 12 July. Flying to Alexandria El Nouzha (ALY), the ‘MEB3’ carrier’s A320s will operate four times a week. James Hogan, Etihad’s CEO, said: “Alexandria is an important strategic destination which will serve the Egyptian expatriate population living in Abu Dhabi and across the UAE, as well as growing numbers of business and leisure travellers looking to fly to the city.”

flybe’s first passengers from Birmingham arrived in Avignon, the former papal city on the Rhone in southern France.

• flybe launched three new routes in the last week. From the Channel Island of Guernsey (GCI), the airline now flies twice a week to the Newcastle (NCL) in the northeast of England. The flights, which launched on 10 July, will be operated seasonally until 31 August with Q400 aircraft. On 12 July, the airline launched two French routes from Birmingham (BHX). Avignon (AVN) and Limoges (LIG) will each be served three times a week with Q400 aircraft.

Murphy’s, the Cork-brewed stout, was on the menu along with Irish salmon canapés as Kevin Cullinane, aviation marketing manager at Cork Airport, Noel Hayes, chairman of Manx2.com, and Aoife Horgan, aviation marketing officer at Cork Airport, celebrated the new route to Galway, served with Czech Let L-410 aircraft.

• Manx2.com, the Isle of Man-based commuter carrier, began operating a domestic Irish route on 9 July. The airline now flies four times a week – twice a day on Fridays and Sundays – between Cork (ORK) and Galway (GWY) using 19-seat Let L-410 aircraft. Manx2.com’s chairman Noel Hayes said: “We are delighted the launch day is finally upon us. We cannot wait to bring our award-winning service to communities throughout the West and South. We have great confidence in the long term future for the Irish economy and are pleased to be able to improve connectivity between Galway and Cork, and in turn stimulate commerce and tourism in both these regions. Whether passengers are travelling for business or leisure purposes or to reconnect with friends and families, this is the perfect getaway.”

• SAT Airlines of the Russian Pacific island of Sakhalin launched a new international route on 10 July. From Khabarovsk (KHV) in the Russian Far East, the airline now flies once a week to the former British seaport of Weihai (WEH) in northeast China. The route will operate seasonally until 25 September.

We were unsuccessful in our efforts to obtain pictures of this launch – so instead here’s some of the objets d’art which Hokkaido Airport Terminal Co Ltd uses to decorate New Chitose Airport. anna.aero particularly likes “ANNE” by Kyoko Asakura in the international North Wing.

• Skymark, the Japanese domestic low-cost carrier, launched a service between its growing Kobe (UKB) base and Sapporo Chitose (CTS) on the northern island of Hokkaidō on 9 July. Flights operate four times a day with 737-800 aircraft and compete with ANA’s three daily flights.

Kazim Caliskan, EVP Human Resources at Turkish Airlines, and Milovan Djurickovic, general director of Montenegro Airports, celebrated the fast-growing Turkish carrier’s first route to Montenegro, part of its focus on the Balkans.

• Turkish Airlines launched its first Montenegrin route on 8 July, when it began serving the country capital Podgorica (TGD) from its Istanbul Atatürk (IST) hub. Flights will operate three times a week with 737-800s. The airline already has a strong presence in the region and is a major shareholder in the national airline of nearby Bosnia.

Xiamen Airlines has improved the connectivity across the Taiwan Strait by launching four routes to Taiwan from nearby coastal cities in mainland China.

• Xiamen Airlines launched four routes across the Taiwan Strait in the last week. From both Fuzhou (FOC) and Xiamen (XMN) in mainland China, the short hops to Kaohsiung (KHH) in southern Taiwan and Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) in the northern part of the island are now made. The Kaohsiung flights, which began on 7 July, are operated twice a week, while the Taipei services, which launched on 9 July, are operated daily.

Previously launched routes

• Air New Zealand reinstated services between Australia and Cook Islands on 4 July, when it launched flights between Sydney (SYD) and Rarotonga (RAR). Flights will operate once a week with 223-seat 767-300ER aircraft for a trial period during the peak holiday season, making the last flight currently scheduled 24 October. Last time the two countries had a non-stop air link was in 1987, when the same route was operated by Cook Islands International. Air New Zealand’s GM Tasman Pacific, Glen Sowry, commented the reason for the new service: “We already carry a large number of passengers between Australia and the Cook Islands via Auckland.”

• Azerbaijan Airlines launched a weekly service from Baku (GYD) to Chania (CHQ) on the Greek island of Crete. The flights, which began on 3 July, operate once a week with A319 aircraft until 18 September.

Preview: New Chinese airport opening in Tangshan

Hainan Airlines opened the new Tangshan airport with the launch of services to Guangzhou on 13 July. Read all about it in next week’s anna.aero.