Airlines News Page 53
Etihad Airways Celebrates 20 Years of Connecting Abu Dhabi and Johannesburg
Etihad Airways is marking a major milestone in Africa this December as the airline celebrates 20 years of flights connecting Abu Dhabi with Johannesburg. The city is one of its longest-standing gateways in Africa and a strategically important market within the airline’s rapidly growing global network.
Qatar Airways Lands Inaugural Flight in Hail, Saudi Arabia
Qatar Airways today marks the launch of three non-stop weekly flights between Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Qatar and Hail International Airport (HAS), its 13th destination in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The new route underscores the airline’s strategic focus on expanding its presence across the Kingdom, highlighting the importance of the Saudi market in its global network.
Emirates extends Premium Economy reach with expanded city rollout
Emirates will continue rolling out its retrofitted Boeing 777 and new A350 aircraft to key destinations across Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia, bringing Premium Economy and its latest onboard products to more cities across its network. The airline will deploy its A350 on new daily services to Copenhagen, Phuket and Cape Town, adding an extra frequency and offering customers greater connectivity alongside an elevated onboard experience. Additional frequencies to Copenhagen, Phuket and Cape Town will complement existing schedules and provide much-needed capacity to meet the anticipated surge in summer travel demand.
VIRGIN ATLANTIC ANNOUNCES NEW LEADERSHIP TEAM LINE-UP
Virgin Atlantic today announces its new leadership team, unveiled by Chief Executive Officer Corneel Koster, who took up his role on 1st January 2026.
Boeing Continues Platinum Level Sponsorship of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
Boeing announced the continuation of its Platinum Level sponsorship with the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), particularly for its annual EAA AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in convention. This renewed partnership underscores Boeing’s commitment to supporting aviation enthusiasts and the next generation of aviation professionals.
Hawaiian Airlines, a part of Alaska Airlines, announces Kahu’ewai Hawai’i Investment Plan
Hawaiian Airlines, a part of Alaska Airlines, today unveiled an investment plan of more than $600 million over five years to comprehensively enhance the experience for guests traveling to, from and within the islands by modernizing airport spaces, upgrading technology and retrofitting aircraft interiors, while expanding community and sustainability work across Hawai’i.
Ryanair calls on De Wever to make the abolition of the Belgian air tax his number one resolution
Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline has called on Prime Minister De Wever and his government to make abandoning their plan to double Belgium’s already very high air tax their number one New Year’s resolution. This harmful tax, which increased by 150% last July, severely penalizes Belgium’s competitiveness compared to other EU countries such as Sweden, Hungary, Italy, and Slovakia, where governments are abolishing air taxes to boost traffic, tourism, and employment.
easyJet expands popular Twilight Bag Drop service to Birmingham Airport
easyJet is launching its popular, free Twilight Bag Drop service at Birmingham Airport. Available from 5th January, the service provides customers on early morning flights with the option to drop their bags off the evening before free of charge, saving time for their journey through the airport on their day of travel by skipping bag drop and heading straight to security.
2025 wrapped: a look back on Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines’ first combined year
A year of meaningful progress on the integration between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, 2025 was full growth, innovation and impact across our newly combined company. Let’s take a moment to look back at some of the biggest highlights of the year.
Southwest Airlines and Turkish Airlines to Partner in Transatlantic Travel Beginning in January 2026
Southwest Airlines announced today a partnership with Turkish Airlines is scheduled to begin in early 2026 to offer travelers around the globe one-ticket, transatlantic journeys between the United States and Istanbul unlocking onward connections across both carriers’ networks. Turkish Airlines flies to more than 350 destinations in 132 countries from its global hub, Istanbul Airport, including ten airports in the United States served by Southwest. International travelers will be able to seamlessly connect through those shared gateway airports on tickets that will become available next year through Turkish Airlines, travel agents, and travel websites.
Ethiopian Airlines Partners with Nucore Technologies to Advance Digital Transformation
Ethiopian Airlines Group, Africa’s leading airline, signed a strategic agreement with Nucore Technologies, a company that specialized in providing software solutions for advanced back-office automation, integration, reporting and analytics capabilities to travel agencies, OTAs, aggregators, and corporate customers.
American leads Eastern Caribbean recovery with interisland flights and another nearly 2,000 seats
American Airlines continues its support of customers affected by the FAA-mandated airspace closure in the Eastern Caribbean with more flights, more seats and limited-time interisland flying. The airline has added nearly 2,000 more seats — a total of nearly 7,000 seats with 43 extra flights — to boost capacity and expand access for customers who need to travel between the Eastern Caribbean and U.S.