Private jet charter provider Opul Jets has partnered with SpaceX’s Starlink Aviation. Courtesy of the partnership, all compatible aircraft in the company’s fleet will be upgraded to provide satellite internet to its passengers. In other words, those who charter a jet can stay connected to the internet even while flying.

Opul Jets claims that the equipment will help offer high-speed internet with low latency. The promised download speed will vary between 40 and 220 Mbps, while the upload speeds will range from 8 to 25 Mbps. The latency will be less than 99 milliseconds. As a result, passengers can easily watch live sports and stream movies aboard.

The first aircraft to be fitted with equipment to provide satellite internet is Opul Jets’ Bombardier Global Express XRS. It’s an ultra-long-range jet ideal for intercontinental journeys. The aircraft has space for up to 16 passengers and can fly up to 6,500 nautical miles nonstop. Opul Jets operates the aircraft through AV8Jet Charter Ltd, Malta.

The installation process of Starlink Aviation’s hardware isn’t time-consuming. In fact, per Opul Jets, the whole package can be fitted during routine maintenance checks, thus avoiding any service disruption. Each compatible aircraft will be equipped with an antenna (called Aero Terminal), a Power Supply Unit and two wireless access points.

One of India’s newest and fastest-growing airlines, Akasa Air, has partnered with TripFactory to introduce Akasa Holidays. As the name suggests, the carrier allows travellers to book holiday packages directly. The airline offers an extensive range of pocket-friendly and customised holiday packages for those looking to experience a variety of exciting destinations, both in India and overseas. These packages can be customised based on the occasion, for instance, a family vacation, a romantic getaway, or a corporate retreat.

The services included in packages are air travel (of course!), hotel stays, transfers, sightseeing and other miscellaneous activities and 24/7 on-tour assistance, ensuring your safety and comfort throughout the trip. Some curated theme-based packages include Weekend City Breaks, Wellness Tours, and Heritage & Pilgrimage Tours. And yes, all can be customised with add-ons per the passengers’ requirements.

Intrigued? Take advantage of the introductory offer of 10 per cent off packages with the promo code HOLIDAY10.

Also Read: Akasa Air Now Has 25 Boeing Jets In Its Fleet

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus and Cebu Pacific of the Philippines have finalised a firm order for 70 A321neo aircraft, the largest in the A320neo family. Following this latest deal, the airline’s revised order book with Airbus stands at 94 A320neo family aircraft and seven A330neo aeroplanes.

The carrier presently operates 61 A320 family aircraft to serve its strong regional network and nine A330 widebodies on high-density routes in the region and to destinations in the Middle East.

The A321neo offers a 50 per cent reduction in noise and over 20 per cent savings in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared to the previous-gen single-aisle jet.

Also Read: Farnborough Airshow: Pratt & Whitney Signs Big Engine Deal With Cebu Pacific

Aircraft lessor AerCap has found a new customer: Azerbaijan Airlines. The two parties have inked agreements under which the former will supply the latter with six narrowbody jets. Which ones? All are from the European manufacturer Airbus’ A320neo family, precisely three units each of the A320neo and A321neo. The six single-aisle aeroplanes will get their thrust from CFM LEAP engines. The jets should join the carrier’s fleet in 2026.

The new aircraft will strengthen the network and help Azerbaijan Airlines progress towards fleet modernisation.

NOTE: The image has been sourced from Azerbaijan Airlines’ official website.

Air India Group, now part of the Tata Group, is undergoing a massive transformation. In addition to revitalising the brand with a new fleet of aircraft and a fresh outlook on the end-to-end flying experience, the plans include reshaping operations of the four airlines part of the group. In short, merge Air India with Vistara to make a stronger global airline, and the same fate for the two low-cost carriers – Air India Express and AirAsia India. The merger of the latter two is now complete.

The merged entity will operate under the name Air India Express and have a unified airline code: IX. The whole merger process took less than a year to complete. It included blending operation manuals and transferring Air Operator Certificates. All this while, Air India Group worked closely with India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation. At the same time, the merger received support from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, among other key stakeholders.

Also Read: Air India Begins Refitting Planes With New Interiors And Livery

With the merger completed, Air India Express will continue to grow. The airline’s fleet has risen to 88 aircraft, and it continues to receive nearly four new aircraft every month. At this rate, the fleet size should touch 100 by the end of the current fiscal year. On the other hand, AirAsia India (AIX) has increased the route count from 74 to 171 while the passenger count has risen by 400 per cent since Tata Group came into the equation in 2022. 

Serbia’s flag carrier, Air Serbia, has begun direct flights to Guangzhou in the People’s Republic of China from its primary hub at Belgrade. An Airbus A330-200 widebody jet will ferry passengers to and fro twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays. The inaugural flight – JU988 – took off from Belgrade at 00:20. It arrived at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, approximately 28km from the city centre. The airport is also the primary airport in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.

The link to Guangzhou becomes the airline’s second direct service to mainland China. The first was to Tianjin, a service which recommenced in December 2022.

Also Read: Air Serbia Reconnects Belgrade With Nice After Five Years

Hong Kong-headquartered Cathay Pacific has confirmed that from April 24, 2025, it will begin operating four weekly flights to Dallas Fort Worth from its primary hub. The carrier has never operated this route, and it will start with four weekly flights on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

The outbound flight – CX898 – will depart Hong Kong and arrive in Dallas Fort Worth at 16:05 and 17:55, respectively. The return leg – CX897 – will leave Dallas Fort Worth at 23:55 and land in Hong Kong at 05:05, two days ahead. An Airbus A350-1000 will ferry passengers on both sectors. Once operational, this new route will become the sixth passenger destination in the USA and the eighth in North America. With Cathay Pacific’s codeshare partnerships, travellers can connect to more than 190 destinations across the USA and 11 in Central and South America via Dallas Fort Worth.

Also Read: Cathay Group’s Love For The Airbus A330 Grows Stronger

Presently, the airline operates 88 return passenger flights to destinations in North America every week. These include Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, and Vancouver. However, the weekly count is set to increase to 108 return flights by May 2025. Cathay Pacific will increase flight frequencies, including three daily services to New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Also, a daily return flight to Boston and Chicago is in the pipeline. In Canada, the airline will operate two daily return services to Vancouver and 13 weekly flights to Toronto.

To strengthen flight operations for the upcoming winter season, Korean Air has confirmed an increase in frequencies on select routes. Starting October 20, 2024, the Korean flag carrier will operate two daily services between Seoul Incheon and Bali, up from eleven weekly flights. This schedule will run until March 27, 2025, and a Boeing 787-10 will ferry passengers to and fro.

Similar changes go live for the airline a week later. Beginning October 27, 2024, Korean Air will increase flight frequencies from one daily to twice daily on the Seoul Incheon-Nha Trang route and from five weekly services to daily on the Seoul Incheon-Kagoshima route. From the same date, the carrier has planned to fly a daily service from its primary hub to Las Vegas (up from five weekly flights), four weekly flights to Madrid (up from three), a daily service to Taichung (up from four weekly) and eleven weekly flights to Vancouver (up from 7~10 weekly). The Seoul Incheon-Vancouver route will see another uplift to two daily services from December 1, 2024.

Korean Air has also planned to operate an additional daily service to Phu Quoc from Seoul Incheon, bringing the daily count to two. The airline predicts that capacity will reach 100 per cent of pre-pandemic levels during the winter season.

Also Read: Korean Air Is Now Offering Direct Flights To Lisbon