flydubai to move Kiev ops from Sikorsky to Boryspil in 4Q18 ch-aviation PRO exclusive

Emirates (EK, Dubai Int'l) will explore options of adding further fifth freedom routes but will not treat this as a strategic priority, Chief Executive Tim Clark told Airline Business in an interview.

"Fifth-freedom operations do not drive or underpin our business model. But when we look at the situation geographically, economically, certain things are staring us in the face. So could anything happen after that is anyone's guess," Clark said.

According to the ch-aviation schedules module, Emirates' fifth freedom operations currently include daily services from Accra to Abidjan, from Athens Int'l to New York Newark, from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Hong Kong Int'l and Phnom Penh, from Denpasar to Auckland Int'l, from Larnaca to Malta Int'l, from Malé to Colombo Int'l, from Milan Malpensa to New York JFK, from Singapore Changi to both Brisbane Int'l and Melbourne Tullamarine, and from Sydney Kingsford Smith to Christchurch. It also operates from Rio de Janeiro Int'l to both...

Emirates (EK, Dubai Int'l) has reaffirmed its commitment to India after pulling out of a decision to launch services to Kozhikode. It had been criticised for the move, even being accused of violating a bilateral agreement signed between India and the United Arab Emirates, Arabian Business reported.

It had received clearance in early July from the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to operate its widebodies to Kozhikode (Karipur), which also serves the city of Malappuram in India's southern state of Kerala.

Emirates had sought approval for widebody operations from Kozhikode citing high demand from Keralan expat workers in the UAE. The carrier's sister carrier flydubai already operates 3x weekly to Kozhikode using B737-800s.

“We are always reviewing market opportunities in India to ensure that our capacity is currently deployed to best serve customer demand in India. Emirates continues to serve Kerala with multiple daily flights to Kochi Int'l and Thiruvananthapuram,” a spokesperson for the airline told Arabian Business.

Emirates currently serves nine destinations across India, according to...

Alliance Air (India) (9I, Mumbai Int'l) will operate a one-off charter flight from Chennai to Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka on October 14, 2019, as it prepares to launch maiden scheduled services to secondary cities on the island, Ceylon Today has reported.

The initial flight to Jaffna will be the first international commercial service to the airport since the 1980s, when the airport was converted to a military-only facility during the Sri Lankan Civil War. In 2002, the Sri Lanka Air Force opened the domestic passenger terminal at the airport. In early 2019, the government approved a LKR2.25 billion rupee (UDS12.4 million) investment plan to facilitate international traffic at Jaffna airport. The airport continues to be managed by the air force.

Alliance Air said it will be looking at launching scheduled flights in the future. IndiGo Airlines has also been reported as looking at Jaffna airport.

Alliance Air, which is wholly-owned by Air India (AI, Mumbai Int'l) and operates turboprop flights on behalf of the flag carrier, is also...