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February 2, 2022 – Norwegian has announced it will add a twice-weekly direct flight between Manchester and Trondheim in Norway from August 15th.

Norwegian to launch new Trondheim flight this summer

There has never been a better time to visit the vibrant food scenes of Trondheim and the Trøndelag region as the destinations celebrate being recognised as Europe’s Region of Gastronomy throughout 2022.

For a truly unforgettable gastronomic experience, Trondheim boasts three Michelin star restaurants – Fagn, Credo and Speilsalen.

Europe’s Region of Gastronomy tittle also recognises the abundance of farm shops and local producers that can be found throughout this renowned part of Norway.

For travellers wanting to see Trondheim from a different perspective then a two-hour urban kayak trip along the Nidelva river offers unrivalled views of the historic city and its renowned architecture.

Visitors to the region can also experience the full Viking way of life on a five-day trip, including three days of hiking in Trollheimen, guided by local experts.

The hiking route is famous for its wild nature and encompasses many cultural heritage sites dating back to the ice age.

“We are very pleased to announce this additional route between Manchester and Trondheim.

“UK visitors from Manchester will now have easy direct access to this beautiful Nordic region and we look forward to welcoming customers on board,” said Magnus Thome Maursund, executive vice president network, pricing and planning at Norwegian.

February 1, 2022 – Dublin Schedule by Ryanair – 120 Destinations & Over 900 Flights Per Week

Ryanair, Europe’s no.1 airline announced its largest ever summer schedule from Dublin Airport, with 120 destinations and over 900 weekly flights available for its Irish customers this summer. This record-breaking schedule, which includes fantastic sun getaways to Spain, Portugal, Italy, including Sardinia & Sicily as well as exciting destinations in the Greek islands, Croatia and regional France.

Dublin Schedule by Ryanair

Ryanair will also increase its investment with the basing of a 33^rd aircraft at Dublin Airport this summer, representing a further $100m investment and bringing its total investment at Dublin Airport to $3.3bn. Ryanair also confirmed today that it will create 30 direct jobs as a result of this additional aircraft based in Dublin.

Dublin Schedule by Ryanair: With an additional 22 routes compared with Summer 2019 and over 900 flights departing to over 120 destinations every week, this increased connectivity will delivery much needed inbound tourism while also giving Irish holiday makers an abundance of travel choices to top European destinations like Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia and Portugal.

After 2 years of stop\start ineffective travel restrictions, the daa have finally been given the tools to incentivise travel with its Traffic Recovery Support Scheme (TRSS) which was recommended by the Aviation Task Force in their report of July 2020.

This investment by Ryanair in its largest ever Dublin schedule is a direct result of the recently launched Traffic Recovery Scheme by the daa.

With many airlines cutting capacity and routes this summer, Ireland must lower access costs as it competes with regions and airports in other EU countries for a diminished pool of airline carriers in Europe which will shrink total short haul seats in Europe by up to 15% this summer.

Dublin Schedule by Ryanair – Ryanair is the only airline in Europe adding capacity in significant volume with the delivery of 67 new Gamechanger Aircraft (delivering -40% noise emissions, -16% fuel emissions, +4% seats) before the start of summer 2022.

If Ireland is to hold on to this capacity and connectivity then the TRSS scheme must at a minimum be extended by the Government into the winter ‘22/23 season to ensure that Irish inbound tourism, particularly post summer, secures the capacity, connectivity and tourists which are vital to the growth of the Irish economy.

To celebrate this exciting announcement, Ryanair has launched a limited-time seat sale with fares available from just €29.99 for travel until the end of June 2022 and if your plans change so can your booking, with our zero-change fee offer.

These fares are sure to be snapped up quickly, so make sure to log onto Ryanair.com before midnight Sunday, 23^rd January and make up for the lost summers of 2020 and 2021 with a well-deserved summer getaway.

February 01, 2022 – ITA Airways, the successor to Alitalia as Italy’s national carrier, has stated that MSC, a Swiss-Italian shipping corporation, and Lufthansa, have shown an interest in purchasing a controlling stake in the state-owned company.

MSC And Lufthansa Offer To Buy ITA Airways

MSC Group, which encompasses container shipping and logistics operations in addition to cruises, said late Monday in a statement that the merger will exploit efficiencies in both passenger and cargo, adding that Lufthansa has already expressed interest.

MSC and Lufthansa have both sought a 90-day exclusivity period to review ITA Airways’ financial data, during which time the state-owned airline will be unable to deal with other companies.

When ITA was launched in October of last year, its chairman Alfredo Altavilla told reporters that the company would seek a partnership with a larger airline by the end of 2022 since it is too small to compete on its own.

Altavilla also stated that he recognised synergies with freight, one of the most profitable areas of the business.

ITA Airways has been seeking an industrial partner, and a successful end to the MSC-Lufthansa business might assure the airline’s future as it replaces the faltering Alitalia.

ITA, or Italy Air Transport, was formally formed last October when insolvent flag carrier Alitalia landed its final flight, bringing to an end a 74-year commercial history marked by a succession of ignominious corporate dealings that failed to restore the carrier to health.

Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi rejected an offer by KLM-Air France to acquire Alitalia, citing its strategic importance, only to give it over to a group of reluctant Italian investors, who finally sold a 49-percent stake to Abu Dhabi Etihad in 2014. By 2017, Alitalia has declared bankruptcy for the second time in a decade.

According to the Italian publication Il Post, several corporations have recently expressed interest in acquiring ITA Airways, which currently has a fleet of 52 aircraft and plans to expand to 105 by 2025.

MSC is the world’s largest container shipping line. It also has a cruise company, MSC Cruises, and operates in the aviation industry by leasing cargo planes to transport goods.

According to Il Post, acquiring a part in ITA Airways would be immensely significant for MSC since the shipping business would no longer have to rely on external airline operators.

Lufthansa, Europe’s largest airline in terms of aircraft, would be the company’s fourth investment in a smaller European carrier, following Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings.

Several media reports stated recently that Lufthansa was ready to make a deal on its own to purchase a 40% interest in ITA, which launched last October with a fleet that was less than half the size of its predecessor Alitalia.

According to Reuters, the news of the expression of interest evoked an initial positive reaction from Italy’s National Air Transport Federation (FNTA), which described MSC and Lufthansa as “two excellent partners who could guarantee future growth to ITA with an excellent international positioning.”

January 31, 2022 – Emirates has confirmed it will resume passenger operations between Dubai and five African countries.

Emirates rebuilds Africa network with five returning routes

The restoration of services will include Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dar El Salaam, Tanzania; Nairobi, Kenya; Harare, Zimbabwe; as well as Emirates’ three South African gateways Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

Customers flying in and out of Emirates’ African gateways can safely connect to Dubai and to an array of onwards connections to Europe, Middle East, the Americas, west Asia and Australasia.

Flights between Dubai and South Africa will operate to and from Johannesburg, on a double daily basis, from February 1st.

Flights to and from Cape Town and Durban will operate daily from tomorrow.

Emirates is also operating ten weekly flights to Nairobi, while flights to Addis Ababa will operate daily.

The carrier will also operate to Dar Es Salaam, with five flights a week.

Emirates will operate to Harare with six weekly flights, linked to its Lusaka service.

All passengers travelling from Emirates’ African network with Dubai as their final destination require a 48-hour PCR test.

Passengers must present a valid negative Covid-19 PCR test certificate with a QR code for a test conducted at an approved facility, and validity must be calculated from the time the sample was collected.

Upon arrival in Dubai, passengers will undergo an additional Covid-19 PCR test and remain in self-quarantine until the results of the test are received.

Qatar Airways increase flights from Dublin

Qatar Airways new 4 weekly flights to Nigeria

Written by Traveltalksteam on January 31, 2022. Posted in Airline, Destination news.

January 31, 2022 – Qatar Airways new 4 weekly flights to Nigeria:

Doha, Qatar – Qatar Airways is boosting its service to Nigeria with the launch of four weekly flights to Kano (KAN) on 02 March 2022, and three weekly flights to Port Harcourt (PHC) on 03 March 2022, both operating via the Nigerian capital, Abuja.

The airline currently operates two daily flights to Lagos and four times a week to Abuja, which will expand to a daily service in March.

Qatar Airways new 4 weekly flights to Nigeria: Kano and Port Harcourt will become the seventh and eight new African gateways launched by Qatar Airways since the start of the pandemic. Both routes will be served by the state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner, featuring 22 seats in Business Class and 232 in Economy Class.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: “The airline was one of the few to keep operating to many African destinations throughout the pandemic and, as restrictions are lifted, is continuing to expand its network on the continent. As home to the largest economy and population in the region, we see tremendous growth potential for travel and trade in Nigeria. It is a key market and an important part of our African growth strategy; the expansion of our presence across two new gateways is a testament to our continuous commitment to Nigeria.

“We anticipate good reciprocal demand between Port Harcourt, UK, USA and destinations across Asia. For Kano we see the opportunity to grow traffic to and from markets such as KSA and India, as well as strong cargo prospects.”

As travel restrictions ease, Qatar Airways is restoring its services to all its African destinations. When Kano and Port Harcourt flights start operating, the airline will provide 188 weekly flights to 28 destinations in Africa. Qatar Airways African customers will also benefit from generous baggage allowances, which provide for up to 46kg in Economy Class split over two pieces and 64kg split over two pieces in Business Class.

A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was recently announced as the ‘Airline of the Year’ at the 2021 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. It was also named ‘World’s Best Business Class’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Seat’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Onboard Catering’ and ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’. The airline continues to stand alone at the top of the industry having won the main prize for an unprecedented sixth time (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021).

Qatar Airways has also become the first global airline in the world to achieve the prestigious 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by Skytrax. This follows the success of Hamad International Airport (HIA) as the first airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded a Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating. These awards provide assurance to passengers across the world that the airline’s health and safety measures are subject to the highest possible standards of professional, independent scrutiny and assessment. For full details of all the measures that have been implemented on board and at HIA, please visit qatarairways.com/safety.

Qatar Airways new 4 weekly flights to Nigeria:

Flight schedule (all times local):

Kano (KAN) – Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday

Doha (DOH) to Abuja (ABV) QR1431 departs: 01:45 arrives: 07:20

Abuja (ABV) to Kano (KAN) QR1431 departs: 08:50 arrives: 09:50

Kano (KAN) to Abuja (ABV) QR1432 departs: 18:35 arrives 19:35

Abuja (ABV) to Doha (DOH) QR1432 departs: 21:05 arrives 05:15 (+1)

Port Harcourt (PHC) – Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

Doha (DOH) to Abuja (ABV) QR1433 departs: 01:45 arrives: 07:20

Abuja (ABV) to Port Harcourt (PHC) QR1433 departs: 08:50 arrives: 10:00

Port Harcourt (PHC) to Abuja (ABV)) QR1434 departs: 18:25 arrives 19:35

Abuja (ABV) to Doha (DOH) QR1434 departs: 21:05 arrives 05:15 (+1)

Source

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