p42 air sep12 v2 8/9/08 16:32 Page 42
Air
Chris Gray
020 7921 8003
cgray@ttglive.com
For the latest news about flights, airlines and airports, visit ttglive.com/air
New flights
.
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iStockphoto
■ Ryanair adds East Midlands routes
Ryanair is to start flying between East Midlands
airport and Paris (Beauvais) on October 28, and
to the ski destinations of Grenoble and Turin
from December 20. The no-frills carrier will also
start a Liverpool-Beauvais link from November 3.
■ Aviation feature, starts page 73
■ Aer Arann to fly Cork-Glasgow
Aer Arann will start a new Cork-Glasgow
(Prestwick) route from October 28. The airline
already services Edinburgh from Cork. The Sierra Leone has many beautiful, unspoilt beaches, but its tourism infrastructure has yet to be developed
service will operate six days a week, with no
flights on Saturday.
BMI to help Sierra Leone
■ Gatwick-Istanbul new for easyJet
EasyJet is to start a Gatwick service to Istanbul
on December 12. It is the fifth new route added
to easyJet’s winter season this year, joining
kickstart tourism industry
Lyon, Basle, Helsinki and Salzburg.
ttglive.com
For the very latest flights, airline and
Chris Gray.
October, making it more attractive as an
airport news, go to ttglive.com/air BMI is joining forces with the Sierra Leone gov- overnight flight.
ernment to run a trade mission to the west The trade mission will run later this year or
African country aimed at reviving tourism. early in 2009 and is aimed at convincing UK busi-
GDS proposal
The airline said it would take part nesses that the country is ready for
in the mission as it confirmed its commitment to development six years after the end of a civil war.
the Heathrow-Freetown route, which it will have Sierra Leone has some of the best beaches in
could cut fares
been running for a year next month. the world, but has little tourism infrastructure
Chief executive Nigel Turner said the mix of and is hampered by poor transport links.
business and VFR (visiting friends and relations) High commissioner Melvin Humpah Chalobah,
MEPs have backed a proposal for rules that would traffic had generated enough demand for the who joined Turner for a briefing in London, said
force airlines to show all their fares on every GDS. Airbus A321 used on the route to be replaced by the new government had made tourism a priority.
They believe the proposal, which could come a larger Boeing 757 in May. Load factors have It plans to build a bridge to connect the main
into force by November, could bring price cuts of averaged between 60% and 70% since then, airport to Freetown. Transfers are now by ferry,
up to 10% by increasing competition. which Turner said was lower than hoped. BMI hovercraft, helicopter or lengthy car journey.
They called for the change to the Computerised competes with British Airways on the route. Turner said tourism development would take
Reservation Systems code of conduct because they Turner said the timing of the Freetown depar- “some time” but the beauty of the country meant
believe the present system allows airlines that ture would change from 02.00 to 23.50 from it could compete with any African destination.
have a share in a GDS to distort competition by
favouring their own fares on the display.
Carrier to reduce winter capacity
Campaigners also claim the change could lead
to all no-frills airlines – even Ryanair – putting fares BMI is set to make a small reduction in capacity but its plans to expand its network remained.
on GDSs because they would be more transparent this winter to help control costs – but plans to Turner said new mid-haul destinations could
and not discriminate in favour of legacy carriers. continue its long-term mid-haul expansion. include new airports in Saudi Arabia next summer.
Air France, Iberia and Lufthansa are sharehold- The airline said it would continue to “fully It also plans to increase frequencies to Riyadh,
ers in the Amadeus GDS. utilise” its slots at Heathrow, but would be offering Jeddah and Dammam in Saudi Arabia. It is to
Conservative MEP Timothy Kirkhope said the slightly fewer seats. Domestic frequencies would suspend its service to Ankara, Turkey, for this
proposals would ensure consumers were given the be cut although no routes would be scrapped. winter season but could reinstate it next summer.
widest choice. But the Air Transport Users Council Chief executive Nigel Turner said there would be BMI is doubling its services to Moscow from next
said prices were unlikely to fall by as much as 10%. some adjustment to its international programme month, but will drop a direct link to Ekaterinberg.
42 12.09.2008
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