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October 1th

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October 1th

On our own behalf: Welcome to Aviation.Direct!

Granite Pireci 1 October 2020 18:49

On Sunday afternoon, Aviation.Direct went online after a beta test phase in which around 250 users took part and gave us valuable feedback. Without any accompanying blabla. Why would it be? Nobody is interested in any self-congratulatory texts about how great you are or how many likes you have. However, we would like to thank you for the many, many emails, WhatsApp messages and calls that we have received in the last few days. We were particularly pleased about the congratulations and praise, but constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement are also important to us. We are always happy about this. The daily access figures have been a massive, positive surprise. We did not expect that the demand for a new, innovative specialist portal would be so great. We also received numerous questions, which we are happy to answer publicly in the interests of transparency. We have nothing to hide. Is Aviation.Direct Austrian or Maltese? Both. Aviation.Direct's home bases are Vienna and Qawra. The editorial team is based in Austria, while tasks such as customer service, support, advertising marketing and licensing of texts and other content are handled by our charming colleagues in Malta. Why is something in Malta when the focus is on the DA-CH region? Setting up a new specialist medium, including the corresponding infrastructure that is needed in the background, costs a lot of money. Thankfully, three investors, two German citizens and a major Maltese bank that is omnipresent on Gozo and Malta, are supporting us with initial investments. The renowned financial institution provides us with important services such as service centers. In addition, typical publishing activities, which can be described simply as daily paperwork, are carried out by

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Tui plans 2021 percent capacity for 80

Jan Gruber 1 October 2020 16:45

Tour operator Tui has given an initial outlook for 2021: Capacity is expected to be around 80 percent of the level it had before the coronavirus pandemic. CEO Fritz Joussen is hoping for a rapid recovery, although he does not expect this to happen before 2022. In terms of advance bookings for the 2021 summer season, the Tui Group is doing quite well. In direct comparison with the same time last year, there was even an increase of 84 percent. But Tui also has a guess as to why this might be: many customers accepted vouchers and immediately redeemed them for new bookings for 2021. From Tui board member Joussen's point of view, however, the decisive factor will be how booking behavior develops in the first quarter of 2021. This could then be used to adjust the summer offer. Tui is also pinning its hopes on rapid tests and is calling for them to be approved quickly. These should be used as an alternative to travel warnings and quarantine. The group is also demanding that the warnings be issued specifically for affected regions and not for entire countries. According to Joussen, the proverbial salvation could come with the approval and general availability of vaccines. The sooner that happens, the better. In the wake of the corona pandemic, the Tui Group is also making significant staff cuts. Around 8.000 jobs are being lost and the German subsidiary Tuifly is reducing its fleet to 17 aircraft. The comeback on long-haul flights from Düsseldorf has been called off, at least for the time being.

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Etihad includes PCR test, Air Canada orders rapid tests

Jan Gruber 1 October 2020 16:33

When it comes to boosting demand, airlines are getting quite creative. Low-cost airlines are selling their tickets for 7,99 euros and less, and Etihad Airways is now including a free PCR test with every booking from Abu Dhabi until the end of the year. This does not apply to flights to China. A negative result is required in many countries in order to be allowed to enter the country at all. The United Arab Emirates also require this, by the way. Etihad Airways is now trying to boost demand by including a PCR test. However, this is also difficult because some countries do not allow entry even if the test is negative. Air Canada is taking a different approach and has placed a large order with Abbott. The new rapid test will soon be used across the network. First, however, the company wants to test its own employees. Later, it is also planned that passengers across the network will have to take a rapid test before each departure. At the airports in Toronto, arriving travelers are currently being tested at specific points in order to gain initial practical experience. "Rapid testing is also a means to enable governments to appropriately ease current blanket travel restrictions and quarantines while ensuring the health and safety of the public," said Jim Chung, Chief Medical Officer of Air Canada. "We are further encouraged in our belief in the effectiveness of testing, including self-administered testing, by the preliminary results of our partnership with MHL and the GTAA. The preliminary results suggest that a shorter, test-based strategy may be available and safe, and may provide an alternative to 14-day quarantine." Since the Toronto Pearson study began on September 3, MHL has tested nearly 13.000

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Hotelplan UK under new management from November

Jan Gruber 1 October 2020 15:59

The UK branch of the Swiss tour operator Hotelplan will be under new management from November 1, 2020. Joe Ponte will take over the role of Chief Executive Officer and report directly to Thomas Stirnimann, CEO. For the last two and a half years, Joe Ponte has been Managing Director of Hotelplan UK's subsidiary Explore Worldwide. Before that, the 44-year-old worked in various companies in the tourism sector, among others. "I am convinced that we have found the ideal successor in Joe Ponte. From his previous role, he knows Hotelplan UK and the current challenges very well. I wish him much joy and success in his new role," explains Thomas Stirnimann, CEO of Hotelplan Group. Paul Carter has been CEO of Hotelplan UK since spring 2017. His resignation is not related to the current Corona crisis, but is for personal reasons. "I regret that Paul Carter will no longer be working for Hotelplan UK, but I can also understand that he wants to devote more time to his family. On behalf of the entire Group management, I would like to thank Paul Carter for his tireless commitment over the last few years. We wish him all the best for his private future," says Thomas Stirnimann. The search for a successor to Joe Ponte's previous role as Managing Director at Explore Worldwide has begun. John Telfer, Deputy Director at Explore Worldwide, will take over the leadership of the adventure travel specialist on an interim basis.

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Azerbaijan is closing the airspace

Jan Gruber 1 October 2020 15:52

Due to the escalation in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, numerous airlines are suspending their services to Armenia and Azerbaijan or, like Ukraine International, postponing their flights. The Ukrainian carrier announced that it will not fly to Baku until the end of October at the earliest. But this is also due to the fact that Azerbaijan issued a NOTAM on Wednesday and banned all take-offs, landings and overflights for security reasons. How long this measure will last is not foreseeable due to the extremely tense situation regarding the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been arguing for many years about the affiliation of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is predominantly inhabited by Armenians but belongs to Azerbaijan under international law. While the conflict has been dormant in recent years, military clashes have flared up in recent days. The quarrelers also have allies: Armenia has the Russian Federation as its protecting power, which recently demanded the immediate withdrawal of troops and a cessation of hostilities. Behind Azerbaijan is Turkey, which is also anything but happy about the flare-up of the conflict. Both parties are blaming each other and accusing each other of using "foreign mercenaries".

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Impressive views with the Bernina Express

Jan Gruber 1 October 2020 15:38

Switzerland has a lot to offer and is world-famous for its railway lines, some of which offer breathtaking views. The Rhaetian Railway offers a particularly exciting journey on the Bernina Express on the Chur-Tirano route. With its picturesque landscape, delicious cuisine and deep-rooted hospitality, Switzerland is just made for a break from everyday life. There are also special offers: in the legendary Bernina Express of the Rhaetian Railway, guests can travel by train from Chur to Tirano for 31 euros from now until March 2021, 139. Passing mighty mountain peaks and Mediterranean palm gardens, the route is a visual delight. There is also plenty to eat and drink. In Poschiavo, Le Prese or Tirano, the service team treats fellow travelers to a starter salad and pizzoccheri - a specialty of this region. Hardly any train journey in the world is as photogenic along its entire length as the journey on the Bernina Express. On the way in the panorama carriage, new perspectives and motifs open up for the guests with each new section of the route. The floor-to-ceiling windows in all carriages provide the necessary visibility. The starting point of the route is the 585-meter-high train station in Chur, the capital of the canton of Graubünden. After a short journey through urban areas, the concrete desert soon gives way to lush green hills. The Bernina Express then winds its way over the impressive Landwasser aqueduct near Filisur, through the fascinating mountain ranges of Albula and past the eponymous Bernina Pass. This part of the route is so fascinating due to its unique construction technology and routing that

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Weeze: Exxareo is stationing second Premier 1A

Jan Gruber 1 October 2020 15:27

There is news in the field of business aviation at Niederrhein Airport: the on-demand airline Exxaero is adding a second Beechcraft Hawker Premier 1A aircraft to its fleet. The company has stationed two six-seater jets in Weeze. The originally Dutch private jet company Exxaero is delighted with this latest expansion of its German fleet, says CEO Rogier Buijs. "In view of the ongoing global health crisis, more and more people are choosing the advantages of private flying over commercial flying. We are currently seeing increased demand, especially for smaller private jets. The second Premier 1A is a very welcome addition to our fleet and will not only strengthen our position in the German market. It also enables us to offer our high-end services even better to both existing and new customers in the eastern regions of the Netherlands." Over the years, Exxaero has developed an established name in the Dutch private aviation industry. In addition to its offices in Amsterdam and Eindhoven, the company has expanded its business to Germany in recent years, where it operates from Weeze Airport with its own German Air Operator Certificate and maintains a close relationship with its subsidiary Solid Handling. In addition to the Premier 1A, the airline operates a diverse fleet of private jets such as the Dassault Falcon 7X, various Falcon 900s and the Cessna Citation Sovereign.

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Frankfurt: Lufthansa continues to expand long-haul tourist routes

Jan Gruber 1 October 2020 15:21

In summer 2021, the Lufthansa Group will offer four more long-haul tourist destinations from Frankfurt am Main: Punta Cana, Anchorage, Mombasa and Zanzibar. In addition, the Group also plans to fly to Mauritius and the Maldives in the 2021 summer flight schedule. The new subsidiary Ocean GmbH will be responsible for operational management. Punta Cana will be served three times a week from March 29, 2021. Zanzibar will be offered with a stopover in Mombasa from March 31, 2021. Two weekly rotations are currently planned. Lufthansa will start serving Anchorage on June 3, 2020 and will serve it three times a week. Mauritius and Malé will not only be offered in the winter flight schedule period, but will be extended into summer 2021. The operational operation of the flights to Punta Cana, Anchorage and Mauritius will be carried out by Brussels Airlines. They can also be booked through Eurowings. The destinations Malé, Mombasa and Zanzibar will be marketed under the Lufthansa brand. The Kranich Group writes about its strategy: "Lufthansa's goal is to play an active role in shaping the future of tourism. This was already a strategic focus before the Corona pandemic. Numerous additional tourist destinations have been offered since the beginning of July 2019."

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Brussels focuses on Africa in winter

Granite Pireci 1 October 2020 12:23

The Lufthansa subsidiary is also presenting its winter flight schedule. The Belgian airline will expand its long-haul offering by 14 destinations - and will fly exclusively to Africa. The carrier has announced that it will fly to Abidjan daily during the winter season. In addition, additional frequencies will be offered to Banjul, Bujumbura, Dakar, Douala, Entebbe, Freetown, Kigali, Kinshasa, Monrovia and Yaoundé during the winter holidays. The bottom line is that the airline will offer 40 percent more flights than in September and October. There is also something for America lovers: In February 2021, Luanda and New York JFK will also be added back to the network. In addition, the airline will offer additional short-haul flights to the European holiday destinations of Alicante, Gran Canaria, Faro, Malaga, Lisbon and Tenerife. In addition to these most popular destinations, the airline offers a variety of winter destinations, including Catania and Lanzarote, but also Krakow and Oslo.

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Bolzano postpones the Sky Alps start again

Granite Pireci 1 October 2020 12:08

The South Tyrolean airport's comeback in scheduled flights is being delayed further. December was actually set as the start date. However, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, it was not possible to take off as planned - not surprisingly. The start-up company therefore had to postpone the date again. This time to April of next year. Under the "Sky Alps" brand, the privatized Bolzano airport plans to offer scheduled flights to Rome and other destinations. A DHC Dash 8-400 turboprop aircraft will be used as the aircraft. The Maltese company Luxwing will be responsible for operations. Previously, the carrier was primarily active in the business jet business.

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