Routes

Virgin Atlantic will begin daily services between London Gatwick and Toronto from next summer, using Boeing 747s. Angel Air began co-operation with China Northern Airlines on 29 Nov-ember, flying between Bangkok and Hong Kong with the first of three Airbus A300-600Rs it is leasing from the Chinese carrier. Angel is pursuing rights to fly to Japan and South Korea. UK start-up Air Wales plans to begin two flights a day between Cardiff and Manchester from the end of January, using a Fairchild Dornier 228. The airline is adding a second 228 and plans to launch flights next year between West Wales airport (Withybush) and London Stansted, initially via Cardiff. Ecuatoriana is about to launch flights from Quito and Guayaquil in Ecuador to New York, in a joint venture with LanChile. Flights will be operated by two of LanChile's Boeing 767-300ERs on wet-lease. Services from Quito and Guayaquil to Miami will begin in January. British Airways' Italian franchise partner National Jets Italia (NJI) will introduce twice daily services between Rome and Athens next month, using two Boeing 737-300s leased from British World Airlines. The UK airline provides the NJI's air operator certificate for its BAe 146 operation. NJI will boost its BAe 146 fleet to five early next year with the acquisition of two more aircraft. Belgian low cost airline City Bird is launching a French arm this month, using a Boeing 737-400 transferred from the Belgian airline. The carrier recently began a five-month wet-leasing agreement with Vietnam Airlines, operating a Boeing 767 between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Hanoi three times a week. The airline also operates a 767 on a three-month wet-lease agreement for Air France between Charles de Gaulle and West Africa, and has a deal to provide a 767 to Cameroon Airlines for two months until the end of January. TACA Peru is beginning flights from Lima to La Paz and Santa Cruz, Bolivia, this month using Airbus A320s.

Source: Flight International