Air Cargo Market to Reach US$130.12 bn by 2025, Globally

Transparency Market Research observes the global air cargo market is highly fragmented. With a strong presence of combination airlines, chartered services, and all-cargo airlines the overall market faces some tough competition.

According to the research report, the global air cargo market is projected to be worth US$130.12 bn by the end of 2025. All throughout 2025, the global market is expected to exhibit a steady CAGR of 4.9%. From an end user perspective, the pharmaceuticals and healthcare segment is expected to show tremendous growth. Geographically, Asia Pacific is expected to remain the largest market in the coming years as it surges at a CAGR of 5.3% between 2017 and 2025.

View Report Preview at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/air-cargo-market.html

Read On For More On Open Skies Policies to Consistently Boost Air Cargo Market

​Norwegian reports 11 percent passenger growth in November

Norwegian carried 2.5 million passengers in November, an increase of 11 percent compared to the same month last year. Norwegian’s long-haul routes had a 52 percent passenger growth. The overall load factor was 83.7 percent.

A total of 2,520,220 passengers chose to fly with Norwegian in November. This is 255,075 (11 percent) more passengers than the same period last year. The total traffic growth (RPK) and the capacity growth (ASK) both increased by 28 percent.

Norwegian CEO Bjørn Kjos said: “We are pleased that more passengers are choosing to fly with Norwegian. The demand is stable and the growth is highest on our intercontinental routes. Global expansion is important to position ourselves in a market with such strong competition, but also for creating economic value in the markets we operate.”

Norwegian operated 99.1 percent of the scheduled flights in November, of which 80.2 percent departed on time.

This month, Norwegian’s 150th brand new aircraft from Boeing, a 787-9 Dreamliner, arrived at Oslo airport, closely followed by a brand new Boeing 737-800 aircraft. These were the last new aircraft the company will take delivery of this year. Norwegian has introduced 32 new aircraft to its fleet during 2017; six Boeing 737 MAX, 17 Boeing 737-800 and nine Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. 

Delta and WestJet to combine on transborder operations.

Delta Air Lines and WestJet have announced they are agreed on further deepening their existing partnership deal by entering into a comprehensive transborder joint venture that will increase travel choices between the US. and Canada.

According to a statement issued by the airlines they have 'entered into a preliminary memorandum of understanding'  over their intentions to form a joint venture arrangement, which will, they say, offer passengers an extensive transborder route network with enhanced frequent flyer benefits, shared airport facilities and amenities, and a more seamless travel experience.

Highlights of the planned joint venture arrangement, subject to board approvals, execution of definitive agreements and applicable regulatory approvals, in the United States and Canada, include:

Coordinated flight schedules for new nonstop flights to new destinations, expanded codesharing and seamless and convenient connections to the airlines' extensive networks in the U.S. and Canada.

Enhanced frequent flyer benefits including reciprocal benefits for top-tier members of both airlines.

"With its strong brand and employee- and customer-centric culture, WestJet is the perfect partner for us in the U.S./Canada transborder segment and together we will produce great results for our respective employees, customers and investors," said Steve Sear, Delta's President – International and Executive Vice President – Global Sales.  "We look forward to applying Delta's experience building successful joint venture partnerships to this important segment of transborder travel, the second largest international segment for U.S. travel."

"This agreement will bring heightened competition and an enriched product offering to the transborder segment, both of which will benefit our guests," said Ed Sims, WestJet Executive Vice-President, Commercial. "This is an important step in WestJet's mission to become a global airline. We are delighted to be working with the premier U.S. carrier, Delta Air Lines, in this joint venture."

Virgin and Japan Airlines go Boom!

Virgin Atlantic and Japan Airlines are going boom!  Or rather they have expressed an interest in Boom, the US aerospace company that is hoping to build a “baby" Concorde.

The US company promises that supersonic flight for commercial passengers is going to be coming back, following a major investment from Japan Airlines.

Boom Technology has agreed to a special partnership with Japan Airlines, who are investing $10m that's around £7.4 million into the company and the airline is ordering 20 of the faster-than-the-speed-of-sound aeroplanes.  Blake Scholl, the founder of Boom, said the agreement was a “historic” milestone for the company and for supersonic passenger flight.

Boom believes it can make the economics of supersonic flight work by using new technology and designs and utilising JAL's experience. “JAL is the first airline in history to make a material financial commitment to a faster future,” Mr Scholl said. “Concorde had dozens of pre-orders — but none carried any financial commitment, and ultimately British Airways and Air France got their Concordes for just £1 apiece.”

Mr Scholl told media: “Decades ago, Concorde delivered a headline feature: speed. JAL is helping Boom deliver something further: a mainstream supersonic airliner, which is practical, reliable, and economic. Their decades of experience as a world-class operator, expertise in everything from passenger experience, to safety, to technical operations will help us build an airliner not just with marquee speed, but also with the practicality required to truly change the way millions travel.”

interCaribbean launches new Tortola flights.

interCaribbean Airways celebrating 25 years of continuous service is pleased to announce new schedule services from Tortola to five new cities this winter season, making 22 cities served. 

New services will begin from February 1, 2018 with nonstop flights from Tortola's Terrence B. Lettsome International Airport (EIS) to: -

St Thomas (STT) (Cyril E. King Airport
2 flights daily
St Croix, (Henry E Rholsen Airport)
1 flight daily
Sint Maarten (SXM) (Princess Juliana International Airport)
2 flights daily
Dominica (DOM) (Douglas-Charles Airport
3 flights weekly
One stop to Castries, St Lucia (SLU) continuing from Dominica (DOM)
3 flights weekly

Today interCaribbean provides competitively priced nonstop flights between Tortola and Antigua, San Juan, and Santo Domingo, with same day connecting flights to the Turks and Caicos Islands, Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, and the Bahamas.

"We believe interCaribbean is the first schedule airline to offer 7 nonstop destinations from the British Virgin Islands," said Mr. Trevor Sadler, CEO for interCaribbean. "Our planned connections current and new are designed to minimize layover times."

Revamp for Finnair's business class

In conjunction with its annual Press Day, Finnair has today announced the launch of a new business class service concept and new Marimekko design elements for both cabin classes, celebrating its Nordic roots and offering customers a unique Nordic customer experience.  

Inspired by pure essentials, Nordic design and meaningful encounters, Finnair’s new service concept will offer a wider range of dining and wine options, served on-demand and at a customer’s preferred time, just as if you were in a restaurant.  

“More than ever, our Business Class customers enjoy the opportunity to customize their travel and dining experience,” says Piia Karhu, Senior Vice President of Customer Experience at Finnair. “Our objective is to create an unspoken bond with our guests, every time they fly. We have dedicated cabin crew personnel for business class passengers, providing a more individual service, with the aim of setting new standards for comfort and overall well-being onboard Finnair flights.  

As part of its new concept, Finnair is also introducing the classic Finnish tradition “Kahvikutsut”  - a coffee serving with seven different treats - for long-haul flights departing Asia in the morning. This exclusive coffee service allows customers to spend quality time enjoying traditional Finnish treats like Carelian pies, cinnamon buns, coffee cake and traditional Finnish chocolates between the two meal services.  

Finnair’s new business class service concept will commence as of February 7, 2018, on flights to Seoul, Tokyo and Shanghai, with a gradual roll-out of the remaining long-haul destinations during the spring and summer.   

Finnair adds flights to top European destinations for summer 2018 and to Lapland for winter 2018/2019

In line with its growth strategy, Finnair continues to grow its traffic and will add frequencies to popular destinations in Europe for summer 2018 and winter 2018, as well as increase flights to the popular winter destinations in Finnish Lapland for the peak season in winter 2018/2019. The additions are fueled by the increasing number of Asians travelling to Finnair’s European destinations.  

The 10 best long-haul airlines, according to Telegraph readers

As you may have seen with the short-haul airlines, the readers of the UK's Telegraph newspaper have been offering up their opinions of airlines, both long and short haul.  This has resulted in the newspaper producing its annual awards listings of the top ten in each category.   

Swiss took the top slot in the short-haul sector which seems to be wholly deserved, with Icelandair coming in a close second. It surprised some commentators that British Airways didn't even break into the top ten this year and some are hoping for a better showing in the long-haul awards. 

Here's the top ten according to Telegraph readers. 

1   Singapore Airlines
2   Emirates
3   Qatar Airways
4   Air New Zealand
5   Virgin Atlantic
6   All Nippon Airways
7   Korean Air
8   Thai Airways International
9   Cathay Pacific
10  Etihad

Nick Trend, Telegraph Travel's consumer expert, said: "Telegraph readers are enthusiastic long-haul fliers - many of your favourite destinations are many hours away, and so this category is one of the most crucial. Singapore Airlines and Emirates have been trading places at the top of the table since 2012. Last year, Emirates took the prize, but in 2017, Singapore has wrestled it back once more."

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SWISS top poll of short-haul operators

The readers of the UK's Telegraph Newspaper have been sending in their opinions of airlines and the airlines topping the polls may surprise you.

Considering the Telegraph.co.uk is a London based British Newspaper you might well have thought British Airways, once the claimed to be The Worlds Favourite Airline, would be in the top ten, if not taking the number one spot. However, that is not the case and the full listings of the airlines making the top ten may very well surprise you.

Looking at European or short-haul services, taking the top slot was SWISS, followed rapidly by Icelandair and tiny little Channel Island's operator Aurigny Air scoped third in the awards, compiled by the Telegraph from the opinions of 90,000 readers! 

Here is the short haul top ten.

1   Swiss

2   Icelandair

3   Aurigny Air

4   Jet2 

5   KLM 

6   Austrian Airlines 

7   Lufthansa 

8   Air Malta

9   Aer Lingus

10 CityJet 

Nick Trend, the Telegraph's travel consumer expert said: "No-frills airlines may continue to expand, but they have yet to win over readers’ hearts. Instead, Swiss - the national carrier for Switzerland -  tops the table."

"Of course, this result is a tribute to that old cliche of 'Swiss efficiency' but there is no doubt that service on board is slick and passenger-focused and it is this which has helped Swiss maintain its distance from the no-frills carriers."

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Vancouver - Melbourne service starts for Air Canada on 787 Dreamliner

Air Canada's inaugural flight, AC037 Boeing 787 Dreamliner service, departed Vancouver on 1st December in the late evening, and arrived Sunday morning to a water cannon welcome salute at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport. This arrival marks the only non-stop service linking Canada and Melbourne, Air Canada's third destination served in Australia. Seasonal service now operates four times weekly between Vancouver and Melbourne until February 4, and year-round service begins June 1, 2018.

"We are delighted to welcome customers onboard our flights to Melbourne, our newest destination in Australia.  Our seasonal service will be of particular interest to Australians travelling for a Canadian winter vacation and North Americans travelling to enjoy Australia's summer season.  The launch of year-round service next June will provide additional options for business and leisure travellers between our two continents," said Benjamin Smith, President – Passenger Airlines at Air Canada.  "Our Melbourne flights complement our daily flights from Canada to Sydney and to Brisbane, solidifying our market-leading position as the airline providing the most service between Canada and Australia.  The seamless connections through in-transit pre-clearance facilities combined with our extensive domestic Canada and USA network at our Vancouver hub positions YVR to be the preferred trans-Pacific gateway for business and leisure travellers travelling between North America and Australia."

Blazing tug effects Singapore Airlines aircraft

An aircraft towing tug caught fire as it was towing a Singapore Airlines aircraft to a departure gate at Singapore's Changi Airport early Wednesday 29th November. 

There were no passengers aboard the aircraft as it was being moved into position when the incident occurred in the early morning. 

According to local reports, there was one person from the towing/positioning crew in the aircraft's cockpit at the time of the fire and they were evacuated down an emergency slide as the airport's fire service tackled the blazing tug.

Singapore Airlines are investigating the incident.

Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and Siemens team up for electric future Partnership launches E-Fan X hybrid-electric flight demonstrator

Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and Siemens team up for electric future Partnership launches E-Fan X hybrid-electric flight demonstrator Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and Siemens have formed a partnership which aims at developing a near-term flight demonstrator which will be a significant step forward in hybrid-electric propulsion for commercial aircraft.

Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and Siemens have formed a partnership which aims at developing a near-term flight demonstrator which will be a significant step forward in hybrid-electric propulsion for commercial aircraft.

The three companies together announced the groundbreaking collaboration, bringing together some of the world’s foremost experts in electrical and propulsion technologies, at the Royal Aeronautical Society in London.

The E-Fan X hybrid-electric technology demonstrator is anticipated to fly in 2020 following a comprehensive ground test campaign, provisionally on a BAe 146 flying testbed, with one of the aircraft’s four gas turbine engines replaced by a two megawatt electric motor. Provisions will be made to replace a second gas turbine with an electric motor once system maturity has been proven.

“The E-Fan X is an important next step in our goal of making electric flight a reality in the foreseeable future. The lessons we learned from a long history of electric flight demonstrators, starting with the Cri-Cri, including the e-Genius, E-Star, and culminating most recently with the E-Fan 1.2, as well as the fruits of the E-Aircraft Systems House collaboration with Siemens, will pave the way to a hybrid single-aisle commercial aircraft that is safe, efficient, and cost-effective,” said Paul Eremenko, Airbus’ Chief Technology Officer. “We see hybrid-electric propulsion as a compelling technology for the future of aviation.”

LOT gets first Boeing 737 MAX

Planemaker Boeing and LOT Polish Airlines celebrated the delivery of the first 737 MAX for the European carrier, and the first entry of the type into the eastern European market. 

LOT, the Polish flag carrier, plans to take delivery of additional MAX aeroplanes as part of its development strategy to grow the airline.  The aircraft will be on a lease deals with the major aircraft leasing specialists Air Lease Corporation.

"We are proud to be one of the first carriers in the world with the state-of-the-art Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in our short- and middle-haul fleet," said Rafal Milczarski, chief executive officer, LOT Polish Airlines. "We are already one of the fastest growing European airlines and I am certain that this big step forward will help us achieve our goals of increasing our operational effectiveness and improving our service.

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'Bomb on board' wi-fi network causes Turkish Airlines flight to be diverted

A Turkish Airlines flight from Nairobi to Istanbul had to be diverted after the detection of a wi-fi network called “bomb on board” that alarmed the passengers and cabin crew, the airline said on Thursday.

In a statement, Turkish Airlines said the flight made an emergency landing at the Khartoum airport in Sudan, but the flight was safely resumed after security inspections on all passengers and the aircraft.

“Experts said the wi-fi network in question was created on board. No irregularities were seen after security procedures were carried out, and passengers were brought back on the plane once boarding restarted,” Turkish Airlines said.

Individuals can create personal wi-fi networks on devices such as mobile phones and name them what they want, such as 'pretty fly for a wi-fi',  'kurt lines his air', 'I dance when ip' and many others too rude for us to expand here! 

The airline said all 100 passengers were brought back on board the flight, but did not say whether authorities had identified the passenger who had created the wi-fi network.  With a diversion costing the airline at least £13,000 it's a very expensive joke for the carrier, roughly a grand a character!.

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Air Canada Rouge to Launch Non-Stop Montreal-Victoria Flights for Summer 2018

Air Canada today announced non-stop, seasonal service between Montreal and Victoria, B.C. starting in June 2018. The new domestic transcontinental route complements Air Canada's U.S. transborder expansion announced Wednesday with new non-stop year-round Montreal-Baltimore and Montreal-Pittsburgh routes beginning in Spring 2018. All new flights are now available for purchase at www.aircanada.com and through travel agents.

"We are expanding our domestic network with our flexible fleet, products and services to capitalize on the growing seasonal demand to and from Vancouver Island during the peak summer travel period and will offer vacation travellers from Eastern Canada more convenient travel options. With the addition of new year-round Montreal-Baltimore and Montreal-Pittsburgh services, our customers will have unparalleled access to the most cities of any carrier in the United States, and provide U.S. travellers a convenient option to access our growing international network from Montreal," said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada. "This underscores once again the strategic importance of building our Montreal hub as Air Canada continues its global expansion. Since 2012, our ever-growing presence at Montreal-Trudeau Airport has increased by 83 per cent with the introduction of 29 new routes."

"Today's announcement solidifies Montreal's role as a hub for business travel in North America. Montreal's business community will greatly benefit from more direct flights to major economic cities, so I commend Air Canada's commitment to contribute to Montreal's economic development," said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.

"The announcement of these direct flights to Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Victoria demonstrates the dynamism of Air Canada, which is contributing in a major way to the development of Montréal-Trudeau's air service," said Philippe Rainville, President and CEO of Aéroports de Montréal. "We are constantly looking to offer our passengers the best possible service, both for business and for leisure travel. These new destinations will enhance the range of flight options from Montreal."

All flights are timed to connect conveniently with Air Canada's global schedule, and provide for Aeroplan accumulation and redemption, Star Alliance reciprocal benefits, and for eligible customers, priority check-in, Maple Leaf Lounge access at mainline airports, priority boarding and other benefits.

Montreal-Victoria Begins June 22 until Oct. 9, 2018	Tuesday, Friday, Sunday		AC1685 departs Montreal at 7:45 a.m.	AC1684 departs Victoria at 11:05 a.m.	Air Canada Rouge 136- seat A319, Premium and Economy class
Montreal-Baltimore		Daily	May 17, 2018	Year-round	Air Canada Express 50- seat CRJ
Montreal-Pittsburgh		Daily	May 17, 2018	Year-round	Air Canada Express 50- seat CRJ

Air Canada at Montreal-Trudeau airport  flights to 23 U.S. cities, the most of any airline, it has never been easier to connect in Montreal to Air Canada's global network including Paris, Lyon, Geneva, Brussels and Casablanca. With the introduction of our new international services from Montreal to Europe, Asia and North Africa, international travelers are increasingly finding that connecting through Montreal on Air Canada is the most convenient way to fly to and from the U.S. on North America's Best Airline as rated by Skytrax.

Air Canada's has announced seven new destinations from Montreal for 2018: Tokyo-Narita (Japan), Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Baltimore (U.S.), Dublin (Ireland), Lisbon (Portugal) and Bucharest (Romania).

In 2017 Air Canada started service to Shanghai (China), Marseille (France), Dallas/Ft. Worth (U.S.), Washington/Dulles (U.S.), Keflavik (Iceland), Tel-Aviv (Israel), Algiers (Algeria) and in December to Lima (Peru).

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