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Lufthansa Cargo expands freight capacity to China

Lufthansa Cargo is expanding its route network in the 2023 summer flight schedule to meet increased demand. In particular, the route network will be expanded to include flights to China: In future, Lufthansa Cargo will offer a total of ten freighter flights per week to Shanghai (PVG). On two of these Shanghai connections, Lufthansa Cargo will also fly to Chengdu (CTU), doubling its capacity there. In addition, the number of weekly flights to Hong Kong (HKG) will increase from five to six, one of which will include a stop in Almaty (ALA). This destination in Kazakhstan was last part of the route network in 2019 and is now being resumed. The combined connection from Frankfurt via Mumbai (BOM) to Hyderabad (HYD) will also be increased to two flights per week. On short and medium-haul routes, Lufthansa Cargo will continue to offer more than 50 weekly connections using two Airbus A321F aircraft. By the end of July, the A321 freighter fleet will grow to four aircraft. Related adjustments and extensions to the flight schedule on short and medium-haul routes are currently still being planned, the carrier announced in a press release.

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Moldovan airspace closed for hours

Yesterday afternoon, the airspace over the Republic of Moldova was closed for several hours without any prior notice. The former Soviet Republic of Moldova temporarily closed its airspace on Tuesday, citing security risks. The state airline Air Moldova informed its passengers via Facebook that there would be flight delays. Affected flights to Chisinau were diverted to the northern Romanian city of Iasi. After about three hours, flight operations could continue as scheduled. It is unclear whether the temporary airspace closure was related to the Moldovan president's warning about Russian plans to destabilize the democratic order in the country. The closure, which lasted more than three hours, was decided "to ensure the safety of civil aviation," the country's aviation authority later announced. Media and operators of social media channels speculated that a Russian drone may have alerted the authorities. There were increasing reports of an alleged spy balloon that first flew over Ukraine, then on to Moldova and finally to the EU country Romania to the west. Romanian air traffic control confirmed that it had registered a balloon in the southeast of their country at an altitude of around 11.000 meters and had then sent two fighter planes there. However, the Ministry of Defense in Bucharest announced that they had not seen the aircraft - neither with their own eyes nor on radar. The spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuri Ihnat, had previously spoken of such objects in Ukrainian airspace.

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Phuket warns of poisonous jellyfish

After more than 30 tourists in Phuket were stung by poisonous jellyfish in a short period of time, local authorities have issued official warnings for affected beaches. Travelers should pay attention to signage and follow instructions to avoid contact with poisonous jellyfish. Although jellyfish are part of the natural fauna in Thailand and do not normally pose a danger, increased reports of jellyfish stings have prompted the warning. Fire jellyfish are the most common type and usually cause only mild symptoms such as a burning pain and hives. Lifeguards on beaches are well trained to help in the event of a sting. Other types of jellyfish such as the Portuguese man o' war and the box jellyfish are less common but more painful. Overall, however, the risk of a jellyfish sting in Thailand is low.

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Eurowings Discover: Free blankets for Economy Class passengers

From the summer flight schedule, Eurowings Discover will provide its passengers on long-haul flights with blankets free of charge - regardless of the class of travel. From the start of the summer flight schedule, Eurowings Discover will provide all economy class passengers on long-haul flights with a free blanket as standard. Passengers will find this on their seat together with a pillow when boarding. Previously, the blanket was only available in economy class for an additional charge. By introducing the free blanket for all economy class passengers, the airline is responding to criticism from guests and travel agents about the additional costs that have previously been incurred, as the online portal FVW reports.

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JetBlue takeover of Spirit in jeopardy

The US government is interfering between JetBlue and Spirit Airlines. The US Department of Justice plans to file an antitrust lawsuit against JetBlue Airways to prevent its takeover of Spirit Airlines. In the summer of 2022, the airline won the bidding war with Frontier Airlines. Now the deal may not go ahead after all. Although Spirit's board had expressed doubts about the feasibility of the deal for a long time, JetBlue was finally able to complete the purchase for 3,8 billion US dollars. The US Department of Justice wants to break up the "Northeast Alliance" - a pact between JetBlue Airways and American Airlines - to enable more airline competition in New York and Boston. This is reported by the German online portal Aero. As long as the matter is not resolved, a merger between JetBlue and Spirit has "little chance of antitrust approval", Spirit had warned its own shareholders in 2022 against merging with JetBlue.

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December 2022: Low passenger volume in the winter timetable period

In December 2022, the number of travelers fell by almost 500.000 compared to November. In total, German airports counted 12,02 million arriving and departing passengers. Compared to the pre-crisis level of 2019, the volume level was 70,6 percent of travelers. The recovery in German passenger volume, measured against the pre-crisis level of 2019, was well below the European average: across Europe, air traffic demand had already recovered to 87 percent in December. The number of commercial flight movements, with 114.616 take-offs and landings, was 5,3 percent higher than the previous year. Compared to 2019, almost three quarters of commercial flights were carried out. From January to December, more than 165,05 million passengers were counted at German airports. At +110,09 percent, the airports recorded intensive growth compared to the previous year - but are still 2019 percent short of the pre-crisis level in 34,1. In contrast, air freight demand in December fell by almost 14.000 tons compared to November. At 409.580 tons, around 17,3 percent less freight was handled compared to the strong previous year. Meanwhile, the logistics chains have adjusted to the airspace closures. "Significantly longer flight routes to the Asian markets resulting from a lack of overflight rights are placing a significant burden on air freight logistics. The uncertain overall economic situation is putting a strain on global supply chains," said the airport association ADV.

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Airlines in earthquake aid in Turkey and Syria

The earthquake in Turkey and Syria has triggered a wave of relief efforts in the travel industry. The German-Turkish airline Sun Express has already carried out 42 special flights to bring medical teams to the affected region. The airline has also evacuated more than 3500 people from the affected cities and is operating free domestic flights. Competitor Pegasus is doing the same, with the airline already operating more than 100 special flights. Those affected were able to book free domestic flights until yesterday. The travel industry is deeply concerned about the catastrophic consequences of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Many have reacted quickly and organized fundraising campaigns. Turkish Airlines is one of the airlines that is getting involved. The airline has already sent planes full of relief supplies from Nuremberg Airport to the crisis region.nt

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Tui is stepping up efforts to promote climate-friendly travel

The travel group has set binding targets for the airlines, hotels and cruise ships by 2030. For Tui airlines, which account for around 80 percent of the group's own emissions, emissions are to be reduced by 24 percent by then compared to 2019 levels. In the hotel segment, there is to be a reduction of at least 46,2 percent and for cruise companies by 27,5 percent. Plans include investments in modern aircraft, energy savings in all areas, the promotion of local purchasing for hotels and the use of sustainable fuels for cruise ships. Tui is also sticking to its previously set goal of offering climate-neutral cruises by 2030 at the latest, according to the German online portal Aero. In view of climate change, the travel industry is being criticized by environmentalists because air travel and cruises, among other things, cause high emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases.

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Russia continues funding closed airports

Russia has decided to continue funding the operation of eleven closed airports in the south of the country. These airports, which have to remain closed due to the war of aggression against Ukraine launched by Russia, will continue to receive state support, a representative of the aviation authority Rosaviatsiya announced. Last year, the equivalent of 85 million euros was already spent on the operation of these airports. Continuing this funding is important to keep the aviation industry in Russia stable and to ensure travelers' access to convenient options.

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Condor expands payment options: Paypal now available

Condor passengers can now also pay for their flights using PayPal. The new payment method complements the offer of paying the flight bill by debit card, credit card or bank transfer. The availability of the individual payment options may vary depending on the country. "For the time being, the payment method is only available for the original booking process for the flight and the associated special services via the Condor website or the Condor app," the carrier announced in a press release. PayPal is a digital payment service that allows users to send and receive money online.

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