Boeing has received a fresh order from LATAM Airlines Group. The latter has placed a firm order for ten 787-9 Dreamliners with the option of purchasing five more aircraft of the same kind. The airline group presently operates a fleet of 37 787-8s and 787-9s, making it the largest 787 family aircraft operator in South America.

Including the latest order, LATAM aims to grow its 787 Dreamliner fleet to 52 by the end of the decade. The group’s Chief Financial Officer, Ramiro Alfonsin, clarifies that the new order means at least two new aircraft will join the fleet every year starting in 2025.

Modifying an aircraft’s interior is a mammoth task. In addition to vast amounts of money, it takes the plane out of service for a noticeable period. The latter is always a painful subject for airlines, as a grounded aircraft equals a huge sales loss. Also, the timelines can vary since the modification project is with third-party entities.

Air India has set the ball rolling for the Indian aviation industry. It has become the first airline to receive the Design Organisation Approval (DOA) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is designated as CAR 21 approval. This will allow the carrier to modify aircraft interiors in-house. That should positively impact operational efficiency and make Air India more self-sufficient.

The airline collaborated with Tata Technologies to improve the interiors of its aircraft per the CAR 21 approval guidelines. The duo plans to integrate digital thread solutions and modern-day Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) services.

Also Read: Air India And Singapore Airlines Announce 51 New Codeshare Destinations

The Latvian national carrier airBaltic has launched its 2024 winter schedule comprising nine new routes from its three bases – Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius. One of those routes went live today with the airline’s A220 connecting Riga with Madeira, Portugal. The per-sector flight time is approximately five minutes shy of six hours. This route and two others were announced in March this year.

On October 25, airBaltic began operating flights from Riga to Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt). The carrier connected Latvia’s capital with Hurghada (Egypt) the following day. Two more new routes from Riga are in the pipeline. One will go live on November 8 (to Rzeszow, Poland), and the other is scheduled for December 22 (to Riga-Innsbruck, Austria).

airBaltic will launch flights from Tallinn to Kittilä (Finland) on December 21 and to Barcelona (Spain) on February 19, 2025. Similarly, the carrier will begin operating flights from Vilnius to Oslo Torp (Norway) on October 29 and to Düsseldorf (Germany) on October 31.

Also Read: airBaltic Confirms A New Route To Poland

According to Etihad’s Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer, Arik De, the airline has witnessed significant demand on its Toronto and Boston routes. As a result, the UAE national carrier has made changes to up its game.

Starting October 27, 2024, the airline introduced its all-new Airbus A350-1000 on its Abu Dhabi-Toronto route. In addition to the latest interior design, the new aircraft has 44 seats in Business Class, opening options for travellers on a route that runs daily. Flight EY 0021 departs the UAE capital and lands in Toronto at 2:35 and 8:15, respectively. The return service—FY 0022—leaves from Toronto at 14:20 and arrives in Abu Dhabi at 12:10 the next day.

On the other hand, Etihad has decided to increase flight frequencies on its Abu Dhabi-Boston route to daily from November 1, 2024. This is quite a move for a route the airline introduced about six months ago. A Boeing 787-9, bearing flight number EY 0007, will depart from Abu Dhabi and land in Boston at 9:30 and 14:40, respectively. Those travelling the other way will board flight EY 0008, which will take off from Boston at 16:10 and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 13:05 the next day. All times mentioned are local.

Also Read: Etihad Announces More Direct Flights To Dusseldorf And Copenhagen

After revealing the names of two new destinations a few days ago, Air India Express (AIX) is back with another announcement. The airline has introduced a new daily service that directly links Vishakhapatnam with Vijayawada. The flight departs from Vishakhapatnam at 9:35 and lands in Vijayawada at 10:35. The return leg takes off from Vijayawada and arrives in Vishakhapatnam at 19:55 and 21:00, respectively.

Vishakhapatnam and Vijayawada become each other’s third direct destination for AIX. From Vishakhapatnam, the airline also serves nonstop flights to Bengaluru and Hyderabad. With one stopover, passengers can connect to 21 domestic destinations and three international locations. Similarly, AIX also flies direct flights to the capitals of Karnataka and Telangana. The carrier offers passengers connections to 15 domestic cities and one international destination with just one stop.

Starting December 1, 2024, Air India Express (AIX) will have two new destinations join its ever-expanding network. The airline will link Jammu with Srinagar and Delhi and connect Sir Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) with Bengaluru and Kolkata. All connections will be flown at least once every day.

An AIX flight will depart Delhi at 10:45 and land in Jammu at 12:10. The return service is scheduled to leave at 15:45 and arrive in the national capital at 17:20. Both sectors will operate once daily. From Jammu, the Srinagar-bound service will depart at 12:40 and reach its destination at 13:40. Those travelling the other way will board the AIX flight that leaves Srinagar and land in Jammu at 14:15 and 15:10, respectively. These two sectors will also operate once per day.

Linking Karnataka’s capital with the Andaman & Nicobar Islands capital will be AIX’s one daily service, departing from the former at 10:50 and landing at the latter at 13:15. The return flight will leave Port Blair and land in Bengaluru at 13:50 and 16:20, respectively. Between Kolkata and Port Blair, the carrier will operate two daily services, leaving the capital of West Bengal at 5:40 and 9:20 and landing at Port Blair at 7:50 and 11:40, respectively. The opposite sector’s timings are 8:35 and 12:20 departure and 10:45 and 14:35 arrival.

Once the routes mentioned above are live, Port Blair and Jammu will become AIX’s 46th and 47th destinations in its network.

Also Read: Air India Express And AirAsia India Merger Is Now Complete

Latvia’s national carrier, airBaltic, has announced a new route linking Latvia’s capital with Poland. It’s a direct service between Riga and Rzeszów that goes live on November 8, 2024. The airline believes this route will significantly help Ukrainian passengers travelling via Poland to the Baltic region and beyond. That’s because the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport is the closest Polish airport to the Ukrainian border. The one-way ticket on this route starts at EUR 34 for Economy.

Ukrainian passengers who plan to fly with airBaltic on the newly introduced route can reach the Rzeszów airport via bus or train. Direct bus connections to the airport and the Rzeszów city centre are available from multiple cities, such as Kyiv, Lviv, and Ivano-Frankivsk. Similarly, travellers can find train connections from various cities to Przemyśl in Poland. From there, they have train connections to Rzeszów and the local transport to get them to the airport.

Also Read: There’s Now A Codeshare Agreement Between airBaltic And Air Canada

South Korea’s flag carrier, Korean Air, has confirmed a new destination in China to further strengthen its network in the People’s Republic. From December 28, 2024, the airline will begin operating three weekly services, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, between Seoul Incheon and Fuzhou.

The outbound flight – KE127 – will depart from the carrier’s primary hub at 08:40 and land in the capital of China’s Fujian province at 10:30. The return leg – KE128 – will leave from Fuzhou and arrive in Seoul Incheon at 11:40 and 15:35, respectively. All times mentioned are local.

The airline has been witnessing a growing travel demand for China. From October 1, 2024, Korean Air began operating a daily service on the Seoul Incheon—Xiamen route. The carrier also resumed four weekly flights to Kunming from October 14.

Also Read: Korean Air To Resurrect Seoul-Kumamoto Route After 27 Years

Canada’s flag carrier, Air Canada, and Latvia’s national airline, AirBaltic, have entered a codeshare partnership. As with such agreements between two operators, the codeshare agreement has been devised to provide broader travel options for their customers.

Starting November 6, 2024, the Latvian airline will place its code – BT – on Air Canada-operated services from Toronto to Amsterdam and Copenhagen. The same activity will be carried out on the latter’s seasonal flights in the summer of 2025 from Montreal to Copenhagen and Amsterdam and from Toronto to Stockholm.

On the other hand, Air Canada will enter its code—AC—on ten airBaltic routes: from Riga to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Munich, and Stockholm, from Tallinn to Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, and Munich, and from Vilnius to the capital of the Netherlands.

To deepen ties, the airlines will also explore the benefits of each other’s loyalty programme in the future.

Also Read: airBaltic Has Extended Its Codeshare Partnership With British Airways

Dubai-based Emirates says its cargo business is booming. To meet the surge in demand for its services, the world’s largest international airline has decided to place another order for 777 Freighters with Boeing. This order is in addition to a similar one from earlier this year, making the new one the second aircraft deal between the two parties.

The latest order brings Emirates’ order book to 249 Boeing planes, including 14 777 Freighters. The airline aims to have 21 aircraft of this type serving its SkyCargo arm in the coming years. Presently, it has 11 cargo aeroplanes in its fleet.

With a range of up to 9,200km and a cargo capacity of 102 tonnes, the Boeing 777 Freighter offers the most nonstop flying distance and freight volume in the twin-engine jet space.