Here’s our weekly roundup of new air routes and codeshare partnerships
Drukair to connect Singapore and Guwahati
Drukair, Royal Bhutan Airlines, has launched its latest route between Guwahati, a city in the north-east Indian state of Assam, and Singapore.
It is the only international flight that connects Paro to Singapore via Guwahati.
From September 29, KB540 will depart Paro at 07.30 on Wednesdays and Saturdays, land in Guwahati at 07.55 and take off at 08.35, and arrive at its final destination in Singapore at 15.35 on the same day.
On the return leg, KB541 will take off on Thursdays and Sundays at 06.30 from Singapore, arrive in Guwahati at 08.30 and depart at 09.10, and arrive at Paro at 10.30 on the same day.
Drukair currently operates two flights via Guwahati to Bangkok.
Cebu Pacific to resume flights to Boracay
Cebu Pacific will resume flights to and from Caticlan – the main gateway to Boracay – effective October 26, 2018.
From October 26 to 27, Cebu Pacific will operate the following flights between Manila and Caticlan.
From October 28 onwards, Cebu Pacific and subsidiary Cebgo will fly up to seven-times daily between Manila and Caticlan; twice daily between Cebu and Caticlan; and once daily between Clark and Caticlan.
Emirates expands codeshare partnership with Jetstar Pacific
Emirates and Jetstar Pacific have announced a new codeshare agreement, expanding the existing partnership between the Dubai-based carrier and Jetstar Group.
The new codeshare services from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi connect Emirates passengers to 14 Vietnamese cities beyond Ho Chi Minh City and six cities beyond Hanoi. Emirates will also operate codeshare flights with Jetstar Pacific between the latter’s hub in Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore, as well as Bangkok, both of which serve as connections for Emirates passengers continuing to Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney.
The Vietnamese cities covered by the new codeshare routes include Ban Me Thuot, Phuquoc, Dalat, Quinhon, Tamky-Chulai, Hue, Pleiku, Nha Trang, Vinh City, Tuy Hoa, Dong Hoi, Thanh Hoa, Haiphong and Danang, in addition to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Under the agreement, Emirates’ flight number will be placed on Jetstar Pacific’s services to all codeshare destinations.
Passengers booking flights from 16 destinations in Vietnam, in addition to Hong Kong, Osaka, Taipei, Singapore, Guangzhou and Bangkok will be able to connect in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi and fly with Emirates to other destinations worldwide.
Furthermore, Emirates travellers wishing to explore Vietnam can enjoy the flexibility of open-jaw flight bookings where they can fly into either Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi and depart from the other city.
China Airlines begins codeshare services with Japan Airlines
Since September 4, China Airlines has commenced codeshare flights with with Japan Airlines on seven domestic routes in Japan.
The new routes are Sapporo-Niigata, Sapporo-Hanamaki, Fukuoka-Miyazaki, Fukuoka-Hanamaki, Fukuoka-Amami, Kagoshima-Amami and Kagoshima-Tokunoshima.
China Airlines launched its first codeshare service with Japan Airlines on the Taipei (Songshan) – Tokyo (Haneda) route in 2010. In 2017, the two carriers became full partners on all international routes between Taiwan and Japan.
The expansion of the China Airlines network increased flights to Japan from 180 to 230 a week. The latest expansion into tier-two cities increases the number of weekly flights to nearly 350 for Taiwanese travellers.
China Airlines currently flies to 15 destinations in Japan including Tokyo (Haneda), Tokyo (Narita), Osaka, Sapporo, Nagoya, Shizuoka, Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Okinawa, Ishigaki and Kumamoto.
