Airline News April 2005

Airguide Online, April 30, 2005

Kenya Airways is to introduce a twice-weekly operation from Nairobi to Maputo this August which will connect up with the airline's overnight services from Heathrow and Amsterdam. The services will be operated by the airline's Boeing 737s providing 16 Premier World (business class) and 100 economy class seats and will offer the most direct service from Europe to the Mozambique capital. Other new routes this summer include Bamako, Dakar, Freetown, Istanbul and Shanghai. Kenya Airways operates a single Boeing 777-200ER, with a further two due for delivery shortly. http://www.kenya-airways.com Apr 22, 2005

Lufthansa has added Dusseldorf to its London City Airport schedules with a twice-daily weekday service. Other German cities flown from LCY include Bremen (DLT), Frankfurt (both BA and Lufthansa) and Munich (Cirrus Airlines). Readers should note that there are several airports calling themselves Dusseldorf. LH flies to Dusseldorf Rhein Ruhr Airport from both LCY and LHR. http://www.lufthansa.com Apr 22, 2005

Malev is set to wait another two years before it is privatised after Hungary's second attempt in less than six months to sell the loss-making national airline failed as the three bidders all offered too little for the carrier. As the bids were considered too low, the privatization agency APV is expected to declare the tender unsuccessful and attempt to sell Malev through direct negotiations with potential investors. Malev's recently appointed chairman, Peter Honig, said he would prefer the bid to fail and would like up to two years to reorganise Malev before another attempt to sell. http://www.malev.hu Apr 4, 2005

Ryanair ends inflight entertainment program test. Ryanair announced yesterday that it will not move forward with plans to offer its passengers digEplayer portable inflight entertainment units after a five-month trial on five Stansted-based aircraft failed to develop sufficient interest among customers. According to the Associated Press, the carrier said an initial lack of availability of non-English-language programs on the handheld players was also a factor in the decision. Ryanair launched the trial in November and was hoping to boost ancillary revenue through the program. It was charging [pounds sterling]5 ($9.50) per flight for use of the units. Apr 20, 2005

Scot Airways, the tiny Stagecoach Plc owned airline (the former Suckling), is taking on British Airways in a big way. Already in head to head competition on the London City - Edinburgh route, Dornier 328 turboprop v AVRO RJ, the Cambridge based carrier is to introduce a BAe 146 on its 0750 departure from Edinburgh. The aircraft will, initially at least, sit all day at LCY before departing 1715. Flight time is 85 minutes. The airline is adding an additional Dornier 328 return service giving a total of ten flights each way Monday to Friday with reduced weekend operations. BA has also upped its flights and now has five departures each day during the week.http://www.scotairways.com Apr 30, 2005