Andrew Ward, senior vice president, marketing, Air Berlin talks to Breaking Travel News about his time at ITB Berlin 2016. Top of the agenda is the launch of the new consumer ad campaign promoting the premium product at the carrier.

Etihad Airways will provide a new air bridge between Abu Dhabi and Vienna, when it places its EY code on the forthcoming daily service by the Austrian carrier, and subsidiary of airberlin, NIKI. The new NIKI flights start on Monday November 24th and will be operated by a two cabin A320 aircraft, configured to carry 12 passengers in Business Class and 132 in Economy class.

airberlin and Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, have signed a historic codeshare agreement allowing customers from each of the two carriers to fly seamlessly between Abu Dhabi, Germany, and Seychelles. Initially, the agreement, which comes into effect immediately, will see Air Seychelles’ HM code placed on four of airberlin’s daily return services between Abu Dhabi and Berlin, Dusseldorf complementing the island carrier’s existing 26 weekly codeshare connections with Etihad Airways to Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf.

In June 2012, in the context of the “Shape & Size” efficiency-increasing programme, airberlin decreased its capacity by a further 3.8 percent to 4,172, 956 seats. At the same time, capacity utilisation of the German airline company decreased slightly to 79.03 percent (June 2011: 80.03 percent).

airberlin has expressed great disappointment at the announcement that the opening of the airport will be postponed. airberlin has planned all its infrastructural measures and flight schedules for 3rd June this year at the new airport Berlin Brandenburg.

Marcus Puffer, 38, has been appointed as the new Manager of airberlin’s Loyalty & Partnerships Department and will take up his post on 1st November 2011.