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Leisure operator TUI is set to begin winter flights to the Canary Islands, with services to Gran Canaria beginning this week, from Bournemoth Int’l Airport (BOH) in the United Kingdom. The winter service by TUI is set to depart 2 October, with Tenerife services following shortly after on 3 October.

British sunseekers will find a once weekly flight to Gran Canaria and a twice-weekly service to the island of Tenerife.

TUI is currently the largest operator out of Bournemouth and will see a capacity increase of roughly 33% this year with a second based aircraft.

Canary Islands on the Charts

With respect to scheduled Canary Islands services, British holidaymakers will from October 2 be able to fly from Bournemouth to Gran Canaria, as TUI readies up its winter programme for the 2023/2024 season.

Additionally, Tenerife is on the charts for the following day, allowing passengers of Bournemouth Int’l Airport to escape the rapidly approaching cold weather in exchange for sun and beaches.

TUI will operate with their Boeing 737 fleet, with G-TUKM, a Boeing 737-800, scheduled to complete the first flight to Gran Canaria.

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Bournemouth Airport’s managing director, Steve Gill, stated the following on the new seasonal routes: “The Canaries are hugely popular for winter getaways and the start of TUI’s Gran Canaria service and extra capacity for Tenerife means there is even more choice for passengers from Bournemouth.”

“And for those who prefer the ski slopes over a sunny beach, easyJet starts its seasonal flights to Geneva on 2^nd December and has just announced a new weekly service to Lyon, gateway to the French Alps, from 13^th January.”

TUI – High Expectations for Winter

TUI finished off the 2023 summer season with high rates, and In their release from September 19, TUI detailed some key highlights from the Summer 2023 season, as the focus now goes to the Winter.

Across the entire period, the carrier received 13.7m bookings, which is an increase of five per cent compared to the same period last year.

They noted that they are close to pre-pandemic levels, of which the current figure is 96%, showing how close they are to pre-pandemic levels so then the focus can shift onwards to growth.

For Q3 of this year, 1.1m additional bookings have been received, which is eight per cent higher than the same period last year as well.

Looking to the Winter 2023/24 season, TUI is feeling very upbeat, with overall bookings up 15% compared to Winter 2022/23.

In the UK alone, they have already sold 38% of the season so far, with bookings up eight per cent compared to last year.

So, with that all in mind, it looks like TUI has a busy Winter season ahead of them, and all eyes will be on them to see how that period goes for them.

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As of 19 November, Major Scandinavian carrier Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) will put an end to decades of Boeing 737 fleet operations, with the last commercial flight to take place on the evening of November 19 between Stockholm Arlanda and Oslo Gardermoen.

The initial plans of phasing out the Boeing 737 has been known for the past three years, with the company gradually phasing in their dominating Airbus A320neo fleet, further enabling SAS to become greener and more efficient with the newer generation aircraft.

AviationSource is to be present on the last commercial flight, and will provide and in-depth report on the event from start to end!

End of an Era: Last 737 flight

Having previously been seen operating an inter-scandinavian and inter-european route network with Boeing 737s all the way from the 737-400 to the Boeing 737-800, the carrier is nowadays more seen flying its Airbus fleet to the same destinations.

SAS made it known a few years back that the Boeing 737 would eventually see its fate and retirement, given the company’s introduction of more fuel-efficient and greener aircraft from Boeing’s European rival – Airbus.

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First speculated amongst the Norwegian spotting community in early 2023, the Boeing 737 fleet was reportedly to be held from retirement until the beginning of 2024 due increasing demand, however that seems to be a far-fetched plan for SAS.

It was recently revealed on SAS’ social media accounts that the end of the 737 era was to take place on November 19 2023, under the flight number of SK737, and at the time of writing, the flight has been sold out.

AviationSource writer Adrian Olstad will be present on this historic moment in Scandinavian aviation, thus leaving an in-depth experience report in the time after.

According to the SAS flight status website, the last Boeing 737 to leave the fleet and also to operate the final flight is LN-RRB, a 16 year old Boeing 737-700 aircraft. SAS has previously phased out their Boeing 737-800 fleet earlier this year.

Currently active 737s in SAS fleet

As mentioned earlier, SAS has already phased out the majority of their Boeing 737 fleet, with the last 737-600 bidding farewell in November of 2019, and the 737-800 in late spring of this year.

However, some do remain active until the last flight this November, and one special 737 is to remain until 2024.

The current active commercial Boeing 737 fleet consists of just four Boeing 737-700 aircraft, respectively registered LN-RRA (MSN 30471), LN-RRB (MSN 32276), LN-TUM (MSN 29098) and SE-RJX (MSN 34754).

SAS recently also transferred the fifth commercial Boeing 737 remaining to Canadian North (5T) after repainting in Ostrava. The aircraft was regsitered LN-RNW (MSN 34549), but will continue under the registration C-FHCN.

Despite all these leaving the fleet, the sole Boeing 737-700 of SAS without winglets registered LN-RPJ (MSN 30192), will likely remain airborne until 2024 reasoned a contract with the Norwegian military.

The aircraft has for the past year been operating exclusively under contract in equipment transfer and medical transport due the Ukraine war.

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Serbian flag carrier Air Serbia saw the delivery of its seventh ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft, and the fourth from lessor German Operating Aircraft Leasing GmbH & Co. (GOAL) on September 1.

The 9.2 year-old ATR 72-600 series aircraft was originally inaugurated into service with Stobart Air in Ireland, back in 2014, when it operated on behalf of Aer Lingus Regional.

The aircraft was then returned from lease and stored at East Midlands Int’l Airport (EMA). It was subsequently repainted in the period between August 18 and August 27, 2023.

ATR Number Four – A Year for Turboprops

As previously mentioned, Air Serbia, the flag carrier of Serbia has officially taken delivery of the airline’s seventh ATR 76-200 turboprop airline.

Thus far, 2023 has been Air Serbia’s turboprop year, as the company took delivery of the other three earlier this year, also from German Operating Aircraft Leasing GmbH & Co. (GOAL).

The aircraft, which was registered as EI-FCZ under Stobart Air, started its life operating for Aer Lingus Regional in July of 2014, and with this transition it will be registered under the Serbian registration of YU-ASD.

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The four aircraft delivered this year, registered YU-ASD, YU-ASC, YU-ASA and YU-ALZ, represents the significant commitment between German Operating Aircraft Leasing GmbH & Co. (GOAL), and Air Serbia themselves.

On the recent delivery, Jochen Baltes, Managing Director of GOAL, said: “We are very pleased to have the fourth ATR72-600 successfully delivered to Air Serbia and thereby enhancing our strong relationship with Air Serbia.”

Recent Codeshare with JetBlue

On August 5, AviationSource reported on Air Serbia’s new codeshare agreement with the rapidly European-expanding JetBlue.

Commenced as of July 26, 2023, JetBlue has strategically placed its recognizable “B6” airline code on Air Serbia-operated nonstop flights originating from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD).

These flights are directed towards the thriving Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG) in Belgrade. The partnership doesn’t stop there—JetBlue also has plans to extend its “B6” code to encompass flights connecting Belgrade with various destinations across Europe in the near future.

On the other hand, the carrier is all set to imprint its “JU” airline code on a spectrum of 25 JetBlue network destinations.

Robin Hayes, the Chief Executive Officer of JetBlue, expressed the company’s commitment to broadening its collaboration horizons. He stated, “We continuously look to expand our partnerships to offer more options to our customers.”

“Air Serbia has been a successful interline partner since 2016 and we see great potential with this new codeshare.” Hayes warmly welcomed Air Serbia’s customers aboard JetBlue flights, emphasizing the chance to experience the airline’s hallmark low fares and exceptional service.

Jiri Marek, Chief Executive Officer of the airline, shared his thoughts regarding the future prospects of this partnership.

He emphasized, “We are very pleased with the future collaboration with JetBlue and believe that this significantly enhances the travel possibilities between the United States and destinations within the Air Serbia network, especially those in the broader Balkan region.”

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Cypriot flag carrier Cyprus Airways has recorded strong figures for the month of July, with a recorded 77,656 passenger carried and 548 operated scheduled flights. Compared to last year, this marks a 70% increase for the airline.

In addition to these results, the airline recently became the first operator in the Mediterranean to feature Airbus A220-300 aircraft in its fleet, which plays an important role in the airline’s plans of a fleet overhaul.

The results

The Cypriot flag carrier recently published its recorded statistics for the month of July, and with stunning results – we will get right into the details.

Cyprus Airways has in the month of July carried 77,656 passengers, the airline has revealed. This number serves a 70% increase compared to July of last year, and has also proven to become a record month for the airline.

The record month is further explained with the company announcing that July saw the same amount of passengers flown in 31 days than it did in the entirety of 2021, a time heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Overall, the company has exceeded its pre-pandemic 2019 passenger numbers by 41%.

Through the month of July, the airline operated 548 scheduled flights and registered an equal load factor to the same period of last year. As mentioned, with the pre-pandemic 2019 benchmarks, Cyprus Airways operated 25% more flights and carried 41% more passengers.

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Official statement

On the record-month, Cyprus Airways CEO, Paul Sies, said the following: “July’23 was a very busy, successful, and important month for us. Last month we hosted the same number of passengers we carried in all of the year 2021, a record number over the past years,”

“In July we also welcomed to our fleet the new and advanced Airbus A220. This aircraft, which entered into services earlier this month, is offering our customers an unparalleled on-board travel experience whilst striking the best balance between passenger comfort, operational efficiency and our sustainability targets.”

“Preliminary figures for August, our busiest month, are very good and we are looking forward to registering another record month for tourism arrivals on our 60 weekly flights from 19 destinations this summer.” Mr. Sies concluded.

Cyprus Airways welcomes the A220

As previously mentioned, Cyprus Airways has welcomed the first two Airbus A220 aircraft to its fleet.

The airline marked the occasion with an official inauguration ceremony. The event took place at the Private and Presidential Terminal, Skylink Services Ltd, under the presence of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides.

Transitioning from being an A320 operator to incorporating the advanced A220-300 into its fleet signifies a new era for Cyprus Airways.

The A220-300 brings forth remarkable advancements, promising an unparalleled on-board travel experience, enhanced operational efficiency, and a substantial decrease in the airline’s environmental footprint.

Cyprus Airways CEO, Paul Siesm emphasized that the A220-300 is celebrated for its exceptional features and capabilities, aligning perfectly with their vision to strike the best balance between passenger comfort and operational efficiency.

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Irish low-cost giant Ryanair has announced that it will put 20.7 million seats on sale within the UK, for the coming Winter 2023 season. The announcement comes together with the company’s recently announced Winter schedule, marking their biggest ever schedule for the UK region.

Ready, Steady, Fly!

20.7 million seats are now on sale through Ryanair’s official website, following the company’s release of the 2023/2024 winter network for the UK. The network is aimed for the UK’s holidaymakers looking to soak up some winter sun, either solo or with friends and family.

The flights on the newly released network will operate first in October, and last until the end of March 2024.

Among the schedule are offers for popular ski destinations, Christmas market, seasonal shopping, city escape and winter sun destinations. Fares start at a low of £29.99.

On the major seat sale, Ryanair’s Dara Brady, said: “We’ve received a huge volume Winter ’23 schedule requests from early bird customers looking to get ahead of the flock and book a Ryanair flight for their Winter ’23 getaways.”

“Whether looking to soak up some with sun, hit the slopes or enjoy the festive season in one of Europe’s breath-takingly beautiful cities, you won’t be disappointed with the unbeatable selection of top ski, Christmas market, seasonal shopping, and winter sun destinations we have on offer at the lowest fares in Europe.”

“To celebrate the launch of our biggest ever Winter schedule, Ryanair has launched a special seat sale with fares available from just £29.99 only at Ryanair.com.”

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Increase in June

As previously reported by AviationSource, June 2023 proved successful for Ryanair as it handled 17.4 million passengers; an increase of 9% compared to the same period in 2022.

As mentioned, load factors remain unchanged at 95%, with the airline being able to hold that figure for quite some time now consistently.

With respect to the whole year, this means that Ryanair is at 173.4 million passengers, which is a positive change of 29% compared to the same period last year.

Load factors have increased by eight percentage points to 94% from 86%, which is highlighting a significant rise in demand over the last 12 months.

Milestones reached

In the last week or so, Ryanair has achieved two big milestones regarding its operations within the United Kingdom.

The first came on June 26 when it was revealed that they had been operating out of Newcastle Airport for 20 years and had handled 60 million passengers during that time.

As another milestone, Ryanair celebrated its 15th anniversary of base operations out of Bournemouth, following its inaugural flight there from Dublin in 1996.

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