AIRLINE NEWS

EMIRATES will upgrade one of its three Perth services to an A380 on May 1. The superjumbo will replace a B777-300ER, resulting in an additional 136 seats per flight, or an extra 1,904 seats per week. ETIHAD will operate a second daily service to Melbourne from August 1. The carrier will roster a B777-300ER with eight seats in first class, 40 in business and 280 in economy on to the route. VIETNAM AIRLINES will move its London services from Gatwick to Heathrow on March 30. The carrier operates two twice-weekly flights to the capital, one from Hanoi and the other from Ho Chi Minh City. AIR BERLIN will follow in the footsteps of Lufthansa and BA when it introduces “slimline” seating across its A320 short- and medium-haul fleet this spring. The roll-out is due to finish in 2017. CYPRUS AIRWAYS has been shut down after the European Commission ordered it to repay more than E65 million of illegal state aid. The Cypriot government, which owns 93 per cent of the airline, had broken regulations on support for struggling companies. KLM will launch a daily service between Amsterdam Schiphol and Belfast City on May 18. The Dutch carrier last operated a scheduled service to Northern Ireland 15 years ago. FLYBE is adding a fifth weekday service from Belfast City to Glasgow and a fourth weekend service from Belfast City to London City on February 2. It is cancelling its LCY-Inverness service on February 22. TURKISH AIRLINES will boost its Istanbul-Manchester service this summer. It currently flies the route twice daily – from May 25, an extra four weekly flights will be added, followed by another three on June 22, making 21 weekly flights, or three daily.