Here’s our weekly roundup of new air routes and codeshare partnerships
Emirates introduces retrofitted Boeing 777s to Seoul and London Stansted
Emirates will expand its refurbished Boeing 777 service to Seoul, South Korea from April 14 and London Stansted in the UK from May 7.
The four-class Boeing 777 will operate flights EK324/325 between Dubai and Seoul three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. By July, Emirates will offer over 3,150 weekly seats in Premium Economy across key destinations in South-east and East Asia.
London Stansted joins Heathrow and Edinburgh as a UK destination with the airline’s upgraded cabins. The retrofitted Boeing 777 includes Premium Economy, Business Class with fully flat beds and mini-bars, and First Class with exclusive Gamechanger suites on select aircraft.
Vietnam Airlines strengthens connectivity between India and Vietnam
Vietnam Airlines is expanding its presence in the Indian market with the launch of direct flights from Bengaluru and Hyderabad to Hanoi starting in May.
The airline will operate four weekly flights from Bengaluru and three weekly flights from Hyderabad, using its modern Airbus A321 aircraft.
The new routes also offer convenient connections to destinations across Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, and South-east Asian countries.
The Cathay Group adds China’s Urumqi to network
Cathay Pacific will introduce direct flights between Hong Kong and Urumqi starting April 28, with a new weekly return service operating on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
This addition brings the Cathay Group’s combined passenger network in China to 20 destinations.
This summer, Cathay Pacific and low-cost carrier HK Express will operate over 290 return flights per week between Hong Kong and various Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and more. The Hong Kong-Urumqi route will be serviced by Airbus A330-300 aircraft, offering both Business and Economy cabins.
Aside from Urumqi, Cathay Pacific will also launch direct flights to Hyderabad in March, Dallas in April, Rome and Munich in June, and Brussels in August this year. HK Express commenced services to Sendai in January and will launch direct flights to Nha Trang, Komatsu and Ishigaki in April, and Miyako (Shimojishima) in June.
Vietjet to launch new Hanoi-Shanghai route
Vietjet will launch a new direct service connecting Hanoi, Vietnam, to Shanghai, China, on April 29. This new route is Vietjet’s fifth to China.
In addition, the airline will introduce four new services between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Beijing and Guangzhou in March and April.
Vietjet will also begin two new routes linking Ho Chi Minh City with Hyderabad and Bangalore in India this March.
