Here's our weekly roundup of new air routes and other updates
Air China debuts three new routes
Air China will launch new routes between Hangzhou and Nha Trang on February 1, and between Chengdu and Bangkok on February 12.
The Hangzhou-Nha Trang route will be operated thrice weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Outbound flights will depart from Hangzhou at 14.40 and land in Nha Trang at 17.20. Return flights depart from Nha Trang at 18.20 and arrive in Hangzhou at 22.40.
Meanwhile, the daily Chengdu – Bangkok service will depart Chengdu at 14.40 and arrive in Bangkok at 17.00, while the return flight will depart Bangkok at 18.00 and arrive in Chengdu at 22.15.
On May 30, Air China will begin four-times weekly flights between Beijing and Copenhagen on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The outbound flight departs Beijing at 02.55 and arrives in Copenhagen at 06.45. Return flights will depart Copenhagen at 13.15 and arrives in Beijing at 04.10.
Qantas deploys Dreamliner on US route
From September 1 onwards, Qantas will replace its Boeing 747-400 with the Dreamliner on the daily route between Brisbane and Los Angeles. The Dreamliner will then continue on as QF11/12, Qantas’ connecting service between Los Angeles and New York’s JFK.
Between September and December 2018, the daily Brisbane-Los Angeles Dreamliner service will be complemented by up to thrice-weekly Boeing 747 flights to meet seasonal demand.
Once Qantas’ eighth Dreamliner has been delivered by the end of 2018, the airline will replace the thrice-weekly 747 services between Brisbane and Los Angeles with a second year-round Dreamliner service, operating four times a week.
Qantas’ Dreamliner carries 236 passengers across three cabins compared with 364 passengers on the 747-400 currently operating the route.
Scoot takes over some of SilkAir’s services
SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines (SIA), will transfer its services to Langkawi in Malaysia, Pekanbaru in Indonesia and Kalibo in the Philippines to Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of SIA.
SilkAir’s last Langkawi, Pekanbaru and Kalibo services are scheduled for April 8, May 30 and June 28 respectively. Currently, SilkAir flies thrice weekly to each destination.
Scoot already operates thrice and four-times weekly services to Langkawi and Kalibo respectively, while Pekanbaru will be a new addition to the network.
SilkAir customers booked for Langkawi for travel from April 9 onwards and Kalibo from June 29 onwards will be given the option to reroute their flight to another SilkAir point in Malaysia or the Philippines respectively, or to continue their travel to Langkawi or Kalibo on a Scoot flight. Alternatively, they can also opt for a full refund of their tickets.
Customers booked for Pekanbaru for travel from May 31 onwards will be given the option to reroute their flight to another SilkAir destination in Indonesia or alternatively obtain a full refund of their tickets.
Thai AirAsia ups frequency to Narita
Thai AirAsia X will increase its flight frequency from Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Tokyo (Narita) from twice to thrice daily beginning March 25.
The new XJ602 flight will depart Don Mueang at 05.05 and arrive at Narita at 13.10, while flight XJ603 will depart Narita at 14.25 and arrive in Don Mueang at 19.10. The route will be serviced by an Airbus A330-300.
Wings Air launches new international route
Wings Air, a low-cost airline based in Jakarta, launched an international route from Pontianak to Malaysia’s Kuching on January 24.
The twice-daily flight departs Pontianak’s Supadio Kubu Raya Airport at 09.45 and 18.00. From Kuching, flights will depart at 07.00 and 11.55. Either the ATR 72-500 or ATR 72-600 aircraft providing 72 seats will be deployed.
