AirAsia eyes Gulf hub as it ponders return to Europe

Malaysia-based low cost carrier AirAsia is looking to expand its flight destinations into Europe.

AirAsia has plans to establish an airport hub in the Arabian Gulf, giving it a stepping stone to resume European flights after a long absence.

It is eyeing one-stop flights from Kuala Lumpur to London Gatwick among other major cities.

AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes said talks were held with government officials from some Gulf states recently, but no location has yet been decided.

“From there, Europe is a shorter distance," he told the Financial Times. "We can then start looking at those kinds of exciting, longer-haul fares, and start taking people around the world through a one-stop and multi-hop strategy."

The airline has tried non-stop flights to Europe previously, including to London and Paris, but found the high costs a negative factor.

Costs are a major factor in the Asia market with rival Jetstar Asia recently announcing it will shut down.

“I think destinations that decide that they’re premium are missing out on a big market," Fernandes added.

"We’re going back to the Ryanair strategy of looking at alternative airports to serve those markets.”

AirAsia currently only has about 8% of its passenger traffic taking connecting flights.

It hopes to significantly grow this.

“Airlines such as ours have just been point to point, but a shift could be a very, very profitable part of the business for us,” Fernandes said.

Airline cancels thousands of flights

If you have booked northern summer flights with budget airline easyjet then you might want to check your ticket is still valid.

Thousands of holidaymakers’ plans are up in the air after easyjet cancelled 1,700 flights with an eye on possible strikes across Europe.

The airline scrapped flights for July, August and September, most of them to and from London's Gatwick Airport, Travel Mole reported.

The carrier cited potential air traffic control issues caused by mooted strikes, as canvassed here a few days ago.

Most of the thousands of affected customers have already been re-booked onto other flights, the airline said.

Easyjet noted the "challenging conditions this summer" with rail strikes at home, airspace constraints and the planned strikes by air traffic controllers in Europe.

“We have made some pre-emptive adjustments consolidating a small number of flights at Gatwick,” the airline said.

“All customers are provided with the option to rebook or receive a refund.”

Apparently, around 180,000 flyers in total are affected.

Prankster punks puzzled passengers

It is an old stunt - but a good one.

Passengers flying into London’s Gatwick are being perplexed by a huge sign near the runway - clearly visible from the air - that says: “Welcome to Luton”. 

The large, white lettering seen in a field is a work by Youtuber Max Fosh, Travel Mole reports. 

Luton is another airport in the London region but it is about 100km away from Gatwick. On the other side of the city.

Reminds me of the in-flight announcement on my Jetstar flight from Melbourne last Friday. 

“Welcome to your flight to Sydney,” passengers were told. Which prompted guffaws as we were heading to Hobart. 

The Gatwick prank is not the first.

A ‘Welcome to Perth’ rooftop sign was once placed near Sydney Airport and a ‘Welcome to Cleveland’ sign was once familiar to those flying into Milwaukee.

Budget airline expands its footprint in Europe

Budget airline Wizz Air is name that anyone who fancies a cheap trip from London this summer should jot down. 

Wizz this week announced it will launch four new routes from its London Gatwick base to Burgas and Varna in Bulgaria and Venice and Palermo in Italy.

It will also increase the frequency of flights on recently announced new routes to Larnaca in Cyprus, Milan and Vienna, Travel Mole reports.

Tickets are available now on wizzair.com starting from £8.99 - which is an incentive to hop on a flight to somewhere you have never visited before. 

Wizz Air will fly five times a week to Venice from March 27 and twice weekly to Palermo, the capital of Sicily, from March 29.

From June 15 it will launch five flights a week to Varna and four flights a week to Burgas. 

From the end of March, all of Wizz Air’s flights from Italy to London will be operating from and into London Gatwick. 

"Today marks another important step in our continued expansion at Gatwick," said Marion Geoffroy, managing director of Wizz Air UK.

"The lifting of Covid travel restrictions for fully vaccinated passengers arriving in the UK is a positive development for the travel industry, and we’re looking forward to welcoming more customers onboard."