Here’s our weekly roundup of new air routes and other aviation news.
THAI Smile Airways flies to Ahmedabad
THAI Smile Airways will commence direct flights from Bangkok to Ahmedabad, the largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat, from October 29.
Two classes will be available on the flights: Smile Plus (premium economy) and Smile Class (economy class), both offering full catering on board, advance-booking services and up to 40kg of free luggage allowance.
The Bangkok-Ahmedabad route will be available four times weekly on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. WE342 will depart Ahmedabad at 00.55 and arrive in Bangkok at 06.55, while return flight WE341 will depart Bangkok at 20.30 and arrive back in Ahmedabad at 23.55.
Finnair to take off for Haneda Airport
Finnair is starting daily flights to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport as of the start of the 2020 summer season, subject to slot availability. The new frequencies to and from Haneda will be in addition to Finnair’s daily flights to Tokyo’s Narita Airport.
The new flights from Haneda will be codeshare flights with Finnair’s long-term partner, Japan Airlines, which has a wide network of connecting flights from Haneda onwards to other destinations in Japan.
The planned schedule for Finnair’s flight from Haneda is at night time which complements Finnair’s morning flights from Narita, offering more options and flexibility to passengers. The exact timetable is subject to slot approvals.
Adria Airways leaves Star Alliance
Slovenian airline Adria Airways, headquartered in Ljubljana, has ceased to be a member of Star Alliance, effective October 2, 2019.
The departure of Adria Airways from Star Alliance after 15 years follows the company’s recent bankruptcy developments and cessation of all flight operations as of September 30.
Star Alliance members Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines and Swiss have announced additional routes and frequencies to Ljubljana.
Korean Air links Incheon to the Philippines and China
Korean Air will launch new flights to Clark, the Philippines, and Nanjing, China, on October 27; and Zhangjiajie and Hangzhou, China, on October 28.
From October 27, Korean Air will operate the Incheon-Clark route seven times a week; and the Incheon-Nanjing route four times a week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
From October 28, the airline will operate the Incheon-Zhangjiajie route three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday; and the Incheon-Hangzhou route twice a week on Monday and Friday.
The Incheon-Clark route will depart from Incheon at 07.55 and arrive in Clark at 11.05, while the return flight will depart Clark at 01.10 and arrive at Incheon Airport at 06.10. The flight from Incheon to Clark takes about 4 hours and 10 minutes.
The Incheon-Nanjing route is scheduled to depart Incheon at 10.40 and arrive in Nanjing at 12.10, while the return flight will depart at 01.15 and arrive in Incheon Airport at 04.45. The B737 will be used on this route from October 27 to November 29.
The Incheon-Zhangjiajie route will depart Incheon at 07.20 and arrive in Zhangjiajie at 10.20, while the return flight will depart at 11.30 and arrive in Incheon Airport at 03.40 the next day.
The Incheon-Hangzhou route will depart Incheon at 12.15 and arrive at 01.30 in Hangzhou, while the return flight will depart at 02.40 and arrive in Incheon at 06.00.
HK Express launches Hong Kong-Okinawa direct flight
HK Express has debuted a daily route from Hong Kong to Naha, the capital of Okinawa prefecture, beginning September 26, 2019.
With the launch of this route, HK Express now operates flights to three destinations – Okinawa, Miyako (Shimojishima) and Ishigaki – across the islands.
