Routes

In a surprise move, SAirGroup airlines Sabena and LTU have begun code-share flights between Brussels and LTU's hubs Munich and Düsseldorf, between Brussels and Stuttgart, and Brussels to Frankfurt. The agreement with the German charter airline will enable Sabena to serve long-haul holiday destinations and help it to reduce the size of its long haul-fleet. Meanwhile Sabena has ceased services to Burundi's capital Bujumbura following an incident on 4th December in which one of its Airbus A330s came under gun fire during its approach. Bujumbura was a stop on the airline's weekly service to Nairobi. Delta Air Lines has expanded international services, including daily flights between Atlanta and Bogota, Colombia; Cincinatti and San Juan, Puerto Rico; and New York Kennedy and Aruba and Grand Cayman. The US carrier will begin three weekly Atlanta-Rio de Janiero, Brazil, flights on 14 December. China Southern Airlines has begun twice weekly services from Guangzhou to Sydney via Melbourne, plus a once weekly direct flight service. American Eagle has launched new routes between Florida and the Bahamas, with daily Fort Lauderdale- Freeport ATR 42 and Tampa-Nassau ATR 72 flights. LanChile will begin daily services between New York Kennedy and Guayaquil, Ecuador, on 15 December. AeroMexico will begin daily Boeing MD-80 service between New York Kennedy and Monterrey, continuing to Guadalajara, on 8 January. Korean Air (KAL) hopes to reinstate suspended codeshares with Air France and Delta Air Lines by March next year, following the revival of codesharing with Alitalia. The Alitalia codeshare covers KAL 747-400 services between Seoul and Rome, increasing frequency on the route from two to three times weekly from 6 December. The Alitalia codeshare was suspended at the start of Asia's 1997/98 economic crisis.

Source: Flight International