Those travelling to Germany on an Air India flight will appreciate this new development. The carrier has inked an intermodal interline agreement with WorldTicket, the exclusive distributor for Europe’s largest railway operator – Deutsche Bahn.

This enables Air India customers to travel on a single intermodal ticket beyond Frankfurt to over 5,600 train stations in Germany on the Deutsche Bahn network. It especially comes in handy for travelling to cities without airports. Furthermore, the travellers can take train connections to and from Amsterdam, Brussels and Zurich via Air India’s Frankfurt link and benefit from the same baggage allowance as allowed on the flights. WorldTicket, an IATA travel partner, also has its AOC-holding airline – FlexFlight (W2).

Before this partnership, Air India entered into a similar intermodal agreement to provide travellers access to a network of rail and bus operators across the UK, Italy, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands. Presently, intermodal tickets are available with travel agents worldwide. Progressively, it will be extended to Air India’s own sales channels.

British carrier Virgin Atlantic has restarted flights from London, UK, to Dubai, UAE. The first flight for this winter season flew from London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) on October 30, 2023, and landed at the Dubai International Airport (DXB). This seasonal four-times-a-week service until March 2024 will be operated on a Boeing 787-9 aircraft, featuring 31 Upper Class seats, 35 Premium and 192 Economy Delight, Classic and Light seats. Apart from that, each flight will offer 20 tonnes of cargo capacity. This should be handy for companies looking for a quick turnaround time for exporting or importing goods.

The scheduled departure time for flight VS400 is 18:30, while the expected landing time is 05:30 the next day. The return leg – VS401 – leaves DXB at 13:45 and lands LHR at 17:50 (all times mentioned are local). The return Economy fares start at AED 2,533.

Virgin Atlantic confirms that this particular service between London and Dubai will be ramped up to a daily service in winter 2024 (October 2024 – March 2025).

On November 1, 2023, the Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) welcomed the first guests at its newly constructed Terminal A. The new terminal can serve more than twice the current passenger capacity while accommodating 79 aircraft simultaneously. Moreover, it can handle 11,000 passengers every hour. Also, Terminal A can process up to 45 million travellers annually.

Until November 14, 2023, AUH will use terminals A, 1, 2 and 3 concurrently to serve 28 airlines. From the following day, November 15, 2023, all flights will land and depart from Terminal A. The airport confirms that 637 flights will be handled from the new terminal over the first seven days of operation.

The official opening ceremony of Terminal A is scheduled for February 9, 2024. That’s also the day the Abu Dhabi International Airport will be renamed Zayed International Airport.

In a push to modernise its fleet, Air Niugini has placed an order for six Airbus A220-100s. In addition, the national carrier of Papua New Guinea will acquire three A220-300s and two A220-100 jets from third-party lessors.

Air Niugini will operate the A220 fleet across its domestic and regional networks. Where the A220-100 is suitable for the 100-135-seat market, the largest A220-300 offers more space with a seating capacity between 120 and 150. Powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, the jets can fly up to 3,450 nautical miles (6,390km) nonstop. Airbus confirms that, as with the rest of the portfolio, the A220 is compatible with up to 50 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The manufacturer aims to make all its aircraft capable of operating with 100 per cent SAF by the end of the decade.

Apart from ordering the jets, Air Niugini has also chosen Airbus for flight planning support. Provided by Airbus’ subsidiary NAVBLUE, the N-Flight Planning will help the carrier optimise fuel, cost and time to meet operational needs.

Complementing its nonstop daily year-round service between Toronto and Dubai, Air Canada has launched a new direct flight that links the western part of Canada with the Middle East. The new service is a four-times-a-week direct service between Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Dubai International Airport (DXB).

A Boeing 787-9 aircraft featuring a three-class layout – Economy, Premium Economy and Air Canada Signature Class – will be used on the newly introduced route. For the record, Air Canada Signature Class offers a personal cabin with lie-flat seating, personalised service and cuisine, extra baggage allowance and access to priority airport services. In total, the flight will have seating for 298 passengers.

The outbound flight (AC 78) will depart from Vancouver at 21:15 and land in Dubai at 00:05 (+2 days). The return leg (AC 79) will start at 02:05 and arrive at 05:55. All mentioned times are local.

Boeing has announced that one of its oldest clients, Southwest Airlines, has ordered an additional 108 737 Max jets. To be precise, the order is for the 737-7 variant. The latest deal means the Texas-based carrier’s orderbook for this derivative extends to over 300. The airline has been purchasing services and aircraft from Boeing for more than five decades. Over the years, the carrier has purchased more than 500 737 Max family jets.

Southwest Airlines has the world’s largest all-Boeing, all-737 fleet. In fact, the airline was the launch customer for the Boeing 737-7. The aircraft offers the longest range in its segment, capable of flying up to 3,800 nautical miles (7,038 km) and carrying up to 172 passengers.

Abu Dhabi-based carrier Etihad Airways and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) have signed a codeshare agreement wherein passengers can benefit from enhanced connectivity options. For instance, this partnership gives Etihad customers one-stop access to several Scandinavian destinations, including Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Gothenburg, Bergen and Aarhus. Similarly, those travelling on SAS flights can connect to destinations in India, Sri Lanka, the Seychelles and others.

This partnership strengthens the relationship between the two carriers further. The duo already extend the benefits of their frequent flyer programmes to travellers on both airlines. The new agreement of codeshare will come into full service at the end of December 2023.

After a four-year gap, British Airways will restart flights to Abu Dhabi. This route will commence on April 20, 2024, and will be available all year round. During summers, the outbound flight, BA73, will depart from London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) at 22:25 and arrive at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) at 08:30+1. The return leg, BA72, will fly out of AUH at 10:10 and land at LHR at 15:20.

Flight departure and arrival times at LHR during winter will remain the same. However, courtesy of daylight saving, those will move 1 hour further for AUH. The new flight linking England’s and UAE’s capitals will be operated using a Boeing 787-9 in the summer of 2024. Bookings are already underway, and those who get their reservations in before November 12, 2023, stand to benefit from introductory return fares, which start at GBP 449.

Note: All times mentioned above are local.

At the ongoing National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas, Boeing Business Jets announced a new way for customising cabin interiors for the BBJ 737-7. Under BBJ Select, Boeing is offering an array of pre-designed cabin layouts and configurations for the VIP jet. The aircraft manufacturer confirms that taking the BBJ Select route reduces the cost. At the same time, the installation process is far quicker.

The portfolio includes everything from guest rooms and private offices to family rooms and VIP passenger seating layouts. All in all, BBJ Select has 144 unique modular cabin combinations in three colour palettes. They cover multiple themes, including personal, business and head-of-state aeroplane needs.

As per Boeing, all options under BBJ Select were designed in collaboration with Aloft AeroArchitects and Greenpoint Technologies.