Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) has begun operating direct flights from its primary hub in Baku to Malé, the capital of the Republic of Maldives. The inaugural flight landed at Velana International Airport today. The airline will operate this route twice weekly on Mondays and Saturdays.

Jamil Manizade, Chief Commercial Officer at AZAL, said:

We are pleased to launch direct regular flights from Baku to Malé. This service opens new opportunities for tourists seeking a paradise holiday experience. The Azerbaijani market has long needed more options for winter tourism, and the Maldives is one of the most popular destinations in the world this season.

Ibrahim Shiuree, Managing Director of Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation, stated:

We are thrilled to welcome Azerbaijan Airlines, AZAL, to the Maldives. This new direct flight from Baku provides excellent connectivity for travellers from Azerbaijan to experience the unparalleled beauty of our pristine islands.

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Under its new ownership, Air India is finding ways to improve passengers’ travel experiences. To provide flexibility in travel plans, the airline has just launched a new service called ‘Fly Prior’. As the name suggests, it allows travellers to take an earlier flight than they initially booked within India.

We’ve got to delve deeper to understand the limitations and conditions. First, the earlier flight cannot be more than 12 hours before the originally booked flight, and their departure dates must be the same. Of course, the carrier will provide this flexibility only if seats are available on the chosen flight. Once confirmed, the checked baggage will be instantly accepted for the modified itinerary. Also, purchased add-ons, such as excess baggage, priority handling, cabin upgrades, etc., will be applicable on the new flight. The only exceptions are seat selection and special meal requests.

The ’Fly Prior’ service is available exclusively at the airline’s ticket counters and check-in desks at airports throughout India. While it is complimentary for Gold and Platinum members of Air India’s Flying Returns programme, others can purchase it at an additional fee. The cost of the service will vary depending on the routes. It costs INR 2,199 for flights between major hubs, such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune. For others, the cost is INR 1,499.

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Two European airlines, Latvia’s airBaltic and Germany’s Lufthansa, have confirmed the extension of their codeshare partnership. The extension came into effect on November 6 for travels from November 20, 2024. Per the extended agreement, Latvia’s flag carrier will now place its code ‘BT’ on six Lufthansa flights from Munich to Bremen, Cologne Bonn, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, and Stuttgart. On the other hand, the German national airline will continue to place its code ‘LH’ on airBaltic’s services from Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius to Munich.

The two carriers first began their codeshare partnership in 2020. Where Lufthansa is among the largest airlines in Europe, airBaltic connects the Baltics with Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Caucasus region. Earlier this year, the duo extended their wet lease partnership.

Also Read: airBaltic Now Has 49 Airbus A220s In Its Fleet

Ethiopian Airlines has taken delivery of its first of four Airbus A350-1000s on order. That makes the carrier the first in Africa to have the said aircraft type in its fleet. The new widebody will service key destinations for the airline, including Washington D.C., London, Paris and Frankfurt.

With Airbus, Ethiopian Airlines’ order book for the A350 family aircraft now stands at 14. Of them, 11 are A350-900s and three A350-1000s. Presently, the airline operates a fleet of 21 A350 family aircraft. The newly inducted aircraft has 395 seats and features the largest business-class cabin in the airline’s fleet. Ethiopian Airlines will also introduce Airbus’ new HBCplus satcom connectivity solution.

The operational efficiency of the A350 is second to none in the 300-410-seater space. It also offers a 50 per cent reduction in noise over the previous-gen aircraft, packs the latest in-flight features, and is powered by new-gen lightweight engines. As with all Airbus aircraft, the A350 can fly on 50 per cent SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel). By the end of September this year, 60 operators from across the globe have ordered a total of 1,340 A350 family jets.

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Latvia’s airBaltic has taken delivery of its 49th Airbus A220-300 aircraft, registered as YL-ABW, in Riga. This is the third aeroplane that the airline has welcomed in 2024 and is part of the 50-aircraft order for the same type. That order is in addition to the one placed in November 2023, followed by another in August 2024.

airBaltic has been operating an all-Airbus A220-300 fleet since May 2020. While that keeps upkeep complexities to a minimum, the airline has been impressed with the aircraft’s overall performance. In addition to a noise footprint that’s half of the previous-gen jet, the Airbus A220-300 produces 25 per cent and 50 per cent less CO2 and NOX emissions, respectively.

To date, airBaltic has ferried 17,880,000 passengers on the A220-300 aircraft. The fleet has completed nearly 192,000 flights and clocked 422,000 block hours.