Pent-up demand and gaps in the market resulted in opportunities for new airlines to emerge, only for the war in Ukraine, the closure of Russian airspace and soaring fuel costs to put several spanners in the works.
Nonetheless, the list of potential start-up carriers continues to grow, and here we round up some of the contenders. As we have learnt with the airline industry, nothing is ever certain and some of these carriers may never see the light of day. The following information was correct at time of writing, but we will keep the online version up to date to reflect the situation.
BONZA
Plans for Australia’s newest airline were unveiled in February 2022, with Bonza targeting an initial route network of 27 domestic routes across 17 destinations operating from bases at Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast airports.
Bonza said that 93 per cent of its planned routes are currently unserved and that 96 per cent are not currently served by a low-cost carrier. Unlike most airlines, customers can only book flights via the Fly Bonza app, with the carrier reporting that 100,000 tickets had already been sold by late March.
The start-up carrier has taken delivery of four B737 Max 8 aircraft (named Shazza, Bazza, Sheila and Malc) with four more on order. The airline launched flights from the Sunshine Coast to Whitsunday Coast in January, and had rolled out all 27 routes by the end of May.
CANADA JETLINES
Canada Jetlines launched last year, nearly a decade after plans for the low-cost airline were first unveiled.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July - August 2023 من Business Traveller Asia-Pacific.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July - August 2023 من Business Traveller Asia-Pacific.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Our guide to... VPNs (Virtual Private Networks)
We all know that online activity needs to be private and secure. If you suspected that the business-critical information you're about to share with a colleague is at risk of being seen much more widely, you would hesitate to send it.
Raffles London at The OWO
BACKGROUND The first Raffles hotel in London, owned by the Hinduja Group and operated by Accor, opened in September 2023. It is housed in The OWO, a legendary Edwardian Baroque-style building, with the guest experience built around its exceptional history. The Grade II Old War Office was built for the British Army in 1906.
Hilton Colombo
BACKGROUND Hilton Colombo has been operating in Sri Lanka's capital since 1987. Given its long-standing status and rather dated design, renovations of its guest rooms are underway, with all 345 set to be complete by the time of going to press. Hilton has three more properties in Sri Lanka, including Hilton Yala Resort (see page 44).
The Leela Palace Bengaluru
BACKGROUND The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts operates 12 properties in India, in locations including Bengaluru, Chennai, Jaipur, New Delhi, Mumbai and Udaipur, with hotels to follow in Hyderabad, Agra and Sikkim. The group is a member of the Global Hotel Alliance, and Preferred Hotels and Resorts.
Air France Boeing 777-300 premium economy PARIS-NEW YORK
BACKGROUND Air France has been upgrading its Boeing 777-300 aircraft with its latest premium economy product, already seen on its A350. The 777-300 features 48 seats in the premium economy cabin, arranged in a slightly staggered 2-4-2 formation.
Qatar Airways A330-300 business class DOHA-COLOMBO
BACKGROUND Qatar Airways has eight Airbus A330-300 aircraft in its fleet, which are often used for the carrier's medium-haul services such as this Doha-Colombo flight.
Pre-flight checks
There's a familiar list of announcements when boarding a plane, but what do they actually mean? Our undercover pilot shines a light on pre-flight procedures
Auckland
Thrill-seeking activities, mind-bending art - and performing the haka
Yearning for Yala
Searching for leopards and nibbling wild sage in Sri Lanka's Yala National Park
RISKY BUSINESS
Business travellers need their wits about them more than ever these days - with strategies in place should the worst happen
