New routes launched during the last week
(Tuesday 26 October – Tuesday 2 November)
Route of the Week:Transaero’s Moscow
Domodedovo to New York JFK
- Transaero launched 12 new routes in the last week out of Moscow Domodedovo (DME), St Petersburg Pulkovo (LED) and Novosibirsk Tolmachevo (OVB). The new routes included landmark international long-haul services to Miami (MIA) and New York JFK (JFK) in the US and also increased competition on flights to the Latvian capital Riga (RIX). Although Transaero becomes the fourth airline to fly between the two cities, this is the only route from Domodedovo until airBaltic later will be adding the same route as well. The Russian carrier’s fast growth even triggered our interest enough to fly over to Moscow and see them earlier this year.
Cake of the Week: Vote for your favourite!
This week, we have shortlisted four cakes that you, our readers, get to vote for. Do you fancy the rainbow, magic carpet, beach holiday or koala bears? Let the world know!
Vote for Cake 1 – AnadoluJet’s Ankara to
Moscow Domodedovo
- Anadolujet, Turkish Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary, launched three weekly flights to Moscow Domodedovo (DME) from its Ankara (ESB) base on 31 October.
Vote for Cake 2 – Air Arabia Maroc’s Casablanca
via Nador and Fez to Cologne/Bonn
- Air Arabia Maroc launched a service from Casablanca (CMN), operating via either Nador or Fez, to Cologne/Bonn (CGN), the airline’s first German destination.
Vote for Cake 3 – Jetairfly’s Brussels to Colombo
and Male
- Jetairfly launched a weekly service from Brussels (BRU) to Colombo (CMB) and Male (MLE) on Saturday 30 October with its B767-300ER. Two of the TUI company’s B767-300ER’s are flown in a neutral livery (as shown on the cake above), reflecting its co-operation with rival Thomas Cook on the long haul flights out of Belgium.
Vote for Cake 4 – China Southern’s Guangzhou
to Brisbane
- China Southern launched three new routes in the last week, all of which are intercontinental and operated with A330-200s. From Guangzhou (CAN), the airline now flies to Brisbane (BNE) in Australia and Lagos (LOS) in Nigeria. The latter route, which is operated via Dubai, is a return to Nigeria’s largest city for the airline, which first flew from Beijing in 2007. From Beijing (PEK), the airline now is connected with Jeddah (JED) in Saudi Arabia, a route that also is operated via Dubai. “The beauty of a service such as this is that is a good balance between inbound and outbound demand, with China featuring highly on the list of destinations for Brisbane residents with more than 23,000 making the trip last year,” Julieanne Alroe, Brisbane Airport’s CEO and MD, said and added: “Tourism will be a big winner with more than 158,000 Chinese visitors to Queensland last year, up 14% on the previous year despite the GFC, and making China one of Queensland’s largest inbound tourist markets and forecast to grow at double digit rates in the coming years.”
A selection of the rest of this week’s new routes
For a full list of the week’s new routes, please refer to the spreadsheet.
- AeroSvit, the subject of this week’s airline analysis, launched four new routes out of Kiev Borispol (KBP) in the last week. The route with the highest frequency was to Copenhagen (CPH), which is served daily against SAS’s only three weekly flights.

After being sent off from Berlin by Till Bunse, Head of Marketing and Public Relations at Berlin Airports, Matthias von Randow, representative of airberlin’s Board of Directors, and Greg Delawie, Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Germany… (Photo: Günter Wicker/Berlin Airports)
- airberlin launched seven new routes in the last week. One of the additions was a long haul route, the twice-weekly service between Berlin Tegel (TXL) and Miami (MIA).
- Air Canada relaunched services to New Orleans (MSY) from Toronto Pearson (YYZ) on 30 October. Last time the airline operated the route was at the time of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The airline now flies daily with 75-seat CRJ705s.
- Air India launched two new routes in the last week; one domestic and one international. The latter was a daily intercontinental service between Delhi (DEL) and Toronto Pearson (YYZ).

ANA was one of four airlines to launch flights between Tokyo Haneda and Taipei Songshan.
- ANA was one of four airlines to launch flights between Tokyo Haneda (HND) and Taipei Songshan (TSA) in the last week. Two flights a day are operated between the two city airports.
- bmibaby continued its expansion into the German market as it launched six weekly flights from its East Midlands (EMA) base to Cologne/Bonn (CGN). Notably, this route connects the headquarters and main bases of bmibaby and its sister LCC germanwings. The route was operated by mainline bmi until August 2009. Prior to bmi’s entry, between 2004 and 2007, easyJet flew between the two airports.

Readers familiar with Mandarin may find video coverage from the launch interesting.
- China Airlines also launched the Tokyo Haneda (HND) to Taipei Songshan (TSA) route with two daily flights.

Gothenburg Landvetter Airport’s Director Aviation Business & Deputy Managing Director Brett Weihart and Marketing Project Manager Gunilla Thorstenson showed off the Brandenburger Tor cake that celebrated easyJet’s second route to the West Swedish airport. The new service from from Berlin Schönefeld operates three times a week.
- easyJet added 11 new routes, including the airline’s first service to Zagreb (ZAG) as the Croatian capital got a link on the airline from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG). Gothenburg (GOT), which only was added to the easyJet network in September, got connected with Berlin Schönefeld (SXF), which – although it faces no direct competition – competes indirectly with airberlin’s services to Berlin Tegel. Out of Basel (BSL), easyJet grew its network to Copenhagen (CPH), which just inaugurated its low-cost pier CPH Go. easyJet is the launch customer at the pier and anna.aero is in the process of writing a dedicated magazine on CPH Go, which soon will become available to you, our readers.
- EVA Air was one of many airlines to begin flying to Tokyo Haneda (HND), the subject of this week’s airport analysis, in the last week. The Japanese capital’s city airport has just had a new runway and an international terminal opened. The two daily A330-200 flights from Taipei Songshan (TSA) face ANA, JAL and China Airlines, all operating with the same frequencies.

This JAL aircraft was a new sight against the Taipei skyline.
- JAL also launched flights between Tokyo Haneda (HND) and Taipei Songshan (TSA), which operate twice a day.
- Jetairfly launched two weekly flights from Brussels Charleroi (CRL) to Toulon (TLN) on the French south coast on 29 October. Flights operate on Fridays and Sundays.
- jetBlue launched three routes out of Washington Reagan (DCA). Boston (BOS) and two Florida destinations saw the arrival of the E-190 operator on 1 November.
- Jin Air, the South Korean low-cost carrier, on 26 October launched five weekly flights between Seoul Incheon (ICN) and Clark (CRK) in the Philippines. The flights compete with Asiana’s daily services.

Ish Jalal, Qatar Airways’ Country Manager Vietnam, the airline’s CEO Akbar Al Baker and Marwan Koleilat, SVP East Asia and South West Pacific, all spoke at a packed press conference in Hanoi.
- Qatar Airways expanded its Vietnamese presence with the launch of four weekly flights from Doha (DOH) via Bangkok (BKK) to Hanoi (HAN). The airline already serves Ho Chi Minh City.

…Maastricht (cut by Paula Barbosa, Marketing Aviation Executive, and Álvaro Leite, Marketing Aviation Manager)…

...and Rodez.

In Lappeenranta in Finland, which Ryanair serves as a ‘St Petersburg North’, celebrations were due when the low-cost carrier added a new route from Brussels Charleroi.

The four new Ryanair flights from Leeds/Bradford were celebrated by Ryanair’s Laura McCormack and LBIA’s Commercial Director Tony Hallwood. The Yorkshire airport is now connected with Barcelona El Prat, Düsseldorf Weeze, Fuerteventura and Gdansk.

Ryanair’s first flight from Madrid was welcomed to Ancona.
- Ryanair launched 81 new routes in the last week, which included its new base at Seville.
- WestJet launched three new routes in the last week. One of them launched only a day after Air Canada began operating the same route. The low-cost carrier now serves New Orleans (MSY) from Toronto Pearson (YYZ) four times a week against Air Canada’s daily flights.
I don’t see Ryanair’s STN-PDV (London-Plovdiv) first flight on November 2nd.
Pictures in http://www.bgspotters.net
Please refer to the downloadable spreadsheet for the full list of Ryanair routes launched, including the Plovdiv service.