Another Tuesday, another airline wrap. It’s full of all the good stuff, so get stuck in!

Emirates are launching a fourth daily Sydney service

From March 2018, Emirates is introducing a fourth daily service between Sydney and Dubai. The service will be operated by Emirates’ iconic A380 aircraft and will increase passenger capacity on the route by 6,846 seats a week, inbound and outbound between Sydney and Emirates’ hub in Dubai.

Emirates’ new service will offer passengers an afternoon departure from Sydney and a convenient arrival in main European cities the following morning. It also introduces a new option for passengers to depart London and main European cities in the morning with an afternoon arrival in Sydney the next day with a short connection in Dubai.

Between 25 March and 30 March 2018, the inbound service EK416 will depart Dubai at 20:40, arriving in Sydney at 17:20 the following day. Due to daylight savings from 31 March 2018, the arrival time changes to 16:30 the following day.

Between 26 March to 31 March 2018, the outbound service EK417 will depart Sydney at 17:05, arriving in Dubai at 00:25 the following day. Due to daylight savings from 1 April, the outbound service EK417 will depart Sydney 16:15, arriving the same time the following day. All services will be operated by an A380 aircraft.

Direct Flight to Sri Lanka are coming to Australia

SriLankan Airlines is due to start daily direct flights from Melbourne to the Sri Lankan capital on October 29 2017.

To coincide with the new direct flights, Sri Lanka Unbound has created two new short stay itineraries to introduce travellers to Sri Lanka.

Luxury Explorer Sri Lanka and A Taste of Sri Lanka are approximately one week tours that are perfect for first time visitors to Sri Lanka with limited time, as a stop over on the way to Europe or as an add on to a tour of India.

The soon to begin SriLankan Airlines direct flight from Melbourne to Colombo is a ‘game changer’ for the industry and for travellers, according to Sri Lanka Unbound, an Australian wholesaler.

Qatar Airways Refreshed Amenity Kits Debut in the Sky

A new range of limited edition amenity kits from luxury luggage brands BRIC’S and Nappa Dori have made their debut on board Qatar Airways flights for passengers flying in First Class and Business Class.

First Class and Business Class long-haul passengers can enjoy a luxury amenity bag created exclusively for Qatar Airways by stylish Italian luggage brand BRIC’S. The miniature versions of the Bellagio and Sintesis suitcase features a hard-shell with a Tuscan leather trim. Each bag contains exclusive products from Italy’s Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio, the environmentally friendly olive oil company.

The skin care range includes lip balm, hydrating facial mist, and anti-ageing moisturiser in Business Class, with added Night Recovery Cream for First Class kits. Socks, eyeshades and ear plugs complete the range with the addition of a BRIC’S signature luggage tag for First Class.

Medium-haul customers flying in First Class and Business Class enjoy bespoke luxury amenity kits developed by artisan brand, Nappa Dori, which has gained global recognition for its luxury handcrafted travel and fashion accessories. The kits feature select images from destinations around the world served by Qatar Airways, and contain socks, eyeshades and lip balm from Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio. 

6MW solar system set to slash Brisbane’s energy needs

Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) is investing in a major renewable energy Solar PV project capable of generating more than 9,315,000 kilowatt hours a year. The 6MW system, consisting of 22,000 panels spanning more than twice the size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), will be installed across six sites at Brisbane Airport (BNE).

Brisbane Airport’s International Terminal alone will support 1.98MW with 7,133 panels covering more than 11,675 square metres, making it the largest single roof top solar panel installation at an Australian airport and BNE and the largest commercial roof top solar system in the Southern Hemisphere.

More than 200kms of cabling will be used for the install, equivalent to driving from Brisbane to the Gold Coast and back. Design of the system is currently underway with installation commencing from December 2017 and completion expected in August 2018.

Etihad Aviation Group Supports Education for Syrian children in Jordan

Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) has donated school supplies to help thousands of Syrian refugee children at the UAE-Jordan, Mrajeeb Al Fhood refugee camp in Jordan pursue their studies.

The donation to Emirates Red Crescent, comprising more than 2,500 school bags and stationery sets, will benefit children between 5 and 12 years old, some of whom are starting school for the first time this year. Etihad Airways staff based in Amman organised a fun-filled day for children at the camp, including a magic show, football game and presentation on healthy living, as well as a birthday party and gifts for 75 Syrian refugee children born in September.

This latest initiative is part of a global education campaign of the airline’s Sports and Social Committee. Since its launch in 2012, the campaign has benefited more than 100,000 students around the world to continue their education.

Finnair increases its capacity to Germany

From 26 March 2018, Finnair is adding a fourth daily frequency between Helsinki and Berlin. There will be additional capacity to the German capital for the upcoming European Winter season by flying the route with a larger aircraft. Finnair will add more than 145,000 seats between both cities from now until the end of the European Summer 2018 season.

In total, Finnair has increased its capacity to Germany by 24% for 2018. Finnair currently flies daily to five German destinations including Berlin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. Last month, Finnair also announced that it will start flying daily to Stuttgart from 23 April 2018, making it the sixth destination in Germany for Finnair. Finnair’s flights to Germany have had a strong demand from customers travelling to and from Asia, Russia, the US and Baltics.

Hawaiian Airlines Expands New Zealand Flights

Hawaiian Airlines is expanding its New Zealand service with up to five non-stop flights weekly between Auckland and Honolulu from 21 March 2018.

The expanded schedule will have flights depart Auckland at 11:55 p.m. five times weekly, Wednesday through Sunday, arriving in Honolulu at 9:45 a.m. on the same day and offering guests ample time to settle into their accommodations, explore O‘ahu, or take a connecting flight to a Neighbour Island or one of Hawaiian’s 11 gateway cities in North America. Flights from Honolulu to Auckland will depart at 2:05 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, arriving at 10 p.m. the following day.

The airline also provides travellers the option of taking a dual-destination vacation with a free stopover in Hawaii before connecting to North America or on the return to New Zealand.

Qatar Airways Increases Frequency To Sohar

Qatar Airways is adding four additional weekly flights to Sohar, its newest destination in the Sultanate of Oman, from 1 October. The additional frequency was added in response to increased passenger demand, and will take the number of weekly flights between Doha and the Sultanate of Oman from 52 to 56.

The airline launched flights to Sohar, its third and most recent destination in the Sultanate of Oman, last month. Sohar, a vibrant costal city known both for its traditional Omani culture and beautiful beaches, offers a wide range of activities for tourists, including diving, snorkelling and kite boarding, as well as many traditional markets featuring Omani handicrafts.

The additional flights to Sohar will be serviced by an Airbus A320, featuring 12 seats in First Class and 132 seats in Economy Class, with a spacious environment throughout the entire aircraft.

The Bachelor’s Matty Johnson Laps Up AirAsia X Flatbed

The Bachelor Australia’s Matty Johnson has travelled in style to Thailand in his quest for love as the hit Network Ten television production reached its peak. The latest season of The Bachelor Australia series saw Matty and the final two bachelorettes, Elise and Laura, fly to Phuket and Krabi to choose one lucky lady in his search for love.

AirAsia X flew the cast to Thailand aboard an Airbus A330 where Matty was able to enjoy the comforts of a premium flatbed seat from the world’s best low cost airline.

“This season has been so popular across all advertising demographics and features one of our most popular destinations, and hence it was a natural fit for us,” Air Asia Australia said.

“Aussies continue to have a love affair with Thailand and we’re so happy that Matty and Laura found love at this amazing destination.

“The visual integration in the show and the opportunity to host Matty and the bachelorettes onboard has been a great alignment for the AirAsia brand in Australia.”

Qatar Airways launch direct daily flights to Cardiff

Qatar Airways will launch direct daily flights to Cardiff from 1 May 2018.  The route was first announced earlier this year and is a transformative one for Cardiff Airport, as it will open up the Gulf region for passengers from South Wales and Southwest England for the first time.  Travellers to and from Australia and Southeast Asia will also benefit from the daily long-haul flights via Doha.

The new service between Doha and Cardiff will be served by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with 22 seats in Business Class, offering passengers direct aisle access with its 1-2-1 configuration, and 232 seats in Economy Class.

Cardiff is one of 26 new routes announced by Qatar Airways planned for the remainder of this year and 2018, including Chiang Mai, Thailand; Canberra, Australia and San Francisco, US, to name a few.

Jeju Air adopts SITAONAIR AIRCOM® FlightTracker
Jeju Air has become South Korea’s first low-cost carrier to adopt SITAONAIR’s AIRCOM® FlightTracker, equipping the carrier to meet the incoming International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) 2018 flight-tracking mandate.

AIRCOM® FlightTracker has been deployed across Jeju Air’s fleet of 29 B737s. It meets the airline flight-tracking challenge by gathering data from multiple global sources, filling in any gaps between terrestrial tracking sources to help improve flight operations.

The tracker can deliver this service using equipment already present on most aircraft – without the need for modifications or additional avionics – making it the industry’s cost-effective, swift to deploy, flight-tracking solution.

Tigerair Australia commence three weekly return services between Brisbane and Canberra 

Tigerair is now operating three weekly return services between Brisbane and the nation’s capital city on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The new flights are scheduled for a mid-morning departure from Brisbane and a lunchtime departure from Canberra.

The airline has added an additional weekly return service between Melbourne and Canberra on Fridays, taking the total number of Tigerair return services between Melbourne and the nation’s capital from seven to up to eight per week.

The new flights between Brisbane and Canberra are well timed and scheduled for a mid-morning departure from Brisbane (10:30am) arriving in Canberra at 12:20pm. Returning from Canberra at 1:05pm and arriving back in Brisbane at 2:45pm.

To celebrate the new services between Brisbane and Canberra, a limited amount of fares are on sale now between the two destinations from just $69* each way and between Melbourne and Canberra from just $49* each way.

Cathay Pacific’s 2018 Earlybird Sale is on now

Cathay Pacific has launched its 2018 Earlybird Sale, with fares from all Australian ports to over 20 popular cities across the UK, Europe, USA, Canada and Israel on offer now.

Fares start from just $1,060* return to Dublin and $1,328* return to New York. Sale is on offer from 11 September until 03 October 2017 for passengers departing from Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Cairns, and looking to travel between 01 March and 06 September 2018.

Alpha Flight Services open new facility in Melbourne

Australia’s largest in-flight caterer, Alpha Flight Services, has opened a new state-of-the-art facility at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport. At 11,000 square meters (118,000 square feet), the purpose-built facility is the largest and most sophisticated catering facility in the country, three times larger than its previous building and capable of producing over 750,000 meals a month.

The facility has been designed with optimal efficiency and workflow ergonomics in mind. A “push/pull” system, where ingredients and equipment are brought to work areas, has been created to achieve higher levels of productivity. The facility also features a dedicated bakery unit offering over 150 bakery and pastry items and a presentation kitchen and lounge for airline customers to preview new menus.

The new facility was completed at a cost of AUD$50 million, which includes Alpha Flight Services’ investment and Melbourne Airport Authority’s base build of the building. Alpha Flight Services currently creates meals for more than 4,000 flights a month from the new facility, with capacity to increase these by 50 per cent.