Etihad Airways Debuts Warsaw, Prague Flights —Get Ready for Adventure!

Pack your bags and polish your passports because Etihad Airways is spreading its wings even wider! Starting June 2025, you can fly direct to Warsaw, Poland, or Prague, Czech Republic, with Etihad’s brand-new routes. That’s right, folks—your dreams of sipping espresso in Prague’s Old Town Square or strolling through Warsaw’s vibrant streets just got a whole lot easier.

Come June 2 2025, Etihad debut’s its first direct flights to Poland and Czech Republic and it promises to be a very warm welcome. Operated by Boeing 787 Dreamliner which has ultra-comfortable business class and economy on 4 weekly flights, you will be air-gliding in style whether in business class or snug in the economy. Delectable food, comfortable seating, and a smooth flight who can tell that will land in Europe and be ready for adventure.

Yet, it’s not all about getting new stamps in the passport – Etihad has a larger scheme in progress. All these new routes have been incorporated in a grand strategy of European expansionism with the specific goal of making Abu Dhabi the world destination that it should be. From its unique buildings to booming entertainment, Abu Dhabi is ready to showcase its cultural amenities to the tourists, and the best thing is that it is now much easier to travel there.

And yo, for those who want to earn extra miles, connecting to cities like Sydney, Mumbai and Bangkok are also made possible with Etihad’s new routes. So whether you are making plans for a trip around Europe or wishing for a continent-hopping adventure, well don’t worry, you will have Etihad (and your bag) to help.

Etihad Airways Debuts Warsaw, Prague Flights

Last minute tip: Make sure to book through Etihad.com and take advantage of a free stopover in Abu Dhabi for two nights. Yes, that is right, two full days to explore the beautiful skyline, luxury shopping and possibly even the fastest roller coaster in the world. You’re welcome.

So, what are you waiting for? Europe’s calling, and Etihad’s got the perfect flight to get you there.

Our fantastic DMC's can help you with your chosen destination - in coming up with a fantastic itinerary to accomodation. 

airBaltic Unveils 16 New Global Destinations

Please sit tight and do watch out for the seatbelt signs, for airBaltic is about to raise your travel aspirations to another level. Announced on September 4, 2024, the airline is enhancing its destinations, as 16 new routes will be added from Baltic bases. Whether it is the warm beaches of Greece that beckon, the lovely streets of Barcelona, or a touch of thrill in the heart of Iceland, airBaltic will meet your needs.

What’s New on the Flight Path?

In an aviation celebration that will most definitely set your desire to travel ablaze, airBaltic is starting to introduce these new cool features:

From Riga (RIX), Latvia:

• Rzeszow (RZE), Poland: Launching on October 28, 2024. Polish your language skills and get ready for a journey!
• Cluj-Napoca (CLJ), Romania: Starting May 2, 2025. Time to explore Romania’s medieval charm!
• Stavanger (SVG), Norway: Take off from June 3, 2025. Watch out for those stunning fjords!
• Mykonos (JMK), Greece: Beginning June 5, 2025. Sun, sand, and souvlaki await!

From Tallinn (TLL), Estonia:

• Barcelona (BCN): Kicking off February 19, 2025. Tapas and Gaudí, here we come!
• Palma de Mallorca (PMI): Starting April 13, 2025. Pack your sunscreen for this sunny getaway!
• Hamburg (HAM): Taking off May 2, 2025. Get ready for some bratwurst and harbor views!
• Keflavik International Airport (KEF): From May 14, 2025. Ice, lava, and magical landscapes are just a flight away!
• Tirana (TIA): Launching June 2, 2025. Discover Albania’s hidden gems!

From Vilnius (VNO), Lithuania:

• Tel Aviv (TLV): Starting March 30, 2025. A blend of ancient history and modern vibrancy!
• Prague (PRG): Also from March 30, 2025. Time for some fairy-tale magic in the Czech capital!
• Chisinau (KIV): Starting April 2, 2025. Moldovan adventures await!
• Rhodes (RHO): Also beginning April 2, 2025. Sunlit Greek islands are calling!
• Valencia (VLC): Launching April 16, 2025. From paella to festivals, Valencia has it all!
• Tirana (TIA): Starting June 3, 2025. More Albanian delights coming your way!
• Ibiza (IBZ): Also from June 3, 2025. Dance the night away on this legendary island!

Route Frequency:

• Most of these routes will operate twice weekly, with the exceptions are Vilnius–Chisinau, Tallinn–Keflavik, and Riga–Mykonos, which will operate once a week.

Why Is airBaltic Flying High?

It is not only about increasing the number of regions that airlines can offer. When planning airBaltic’s new routes, it is important that whether you’re skipping cities or going out to explore, you get the perfect travel experience. Thus, The new routes of airBaltic will be able to ‘catch’ the flows from other Baltic stations and further. There’s nothing short of putting out the fire in your cross border travel.

AirBaltic you see, should be offering tickets to the majority IPO or perhaps all in the future. This makes it possible for airBaltic to fly to new heights without compromising on service. 

In a Nutshell airBaltic Unveils 16 New Global Destinations:

• New Routes: 16 exciting additions from October 2024 to June 2025.
• Airbus A220-300: All new routes will be flown on this sleek aircraft.
• New Destinations: From Mykonos to Reykjavik, there’s a destination for every traveller’s taste.
• IPO Prep: airBaltic is revamping its share structure to make its upcoming IPO even more enticing.

So, pack those bags and get ready to explore the world with airBaltic’s new network—where adventure meets convenience and every flight is a new opportunity to discover something amazing!

Need help planning your  next trip? Check out our fabulous DMC who covers Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania  who can help you with everything you need to put together the best trip for your clients. 

Air Travel: New Paths Unveiled : New Routes, New Adventures, and Plenty of Legroom (Well, Maybe)

As global air travel continues to recover in 2024, airlines around the world are pulling out all the stops, launching new routes to connect us to far-flung corners of the globe. Whether you’re itching for a quick getaway to a tropical paradise or plotting a sneaky business trip somewhere exotic (we see you!), these airlines have got you covered. Let’s dive into the latest flight paths that’ll get you soaring—literally—from Jetstar’s Perth to Bangkok to Airlink’s brand-new Cape Town to Gaborone service.

Jetstar’s New Perth to Bangkok Route: Bringing Pad Thai Closer

It’s been love-hate relationship with  Jetstar, a budget carrier famous for taking you from point A to point B with a toll that is not exorbitant, because in the year 2024, things are changing. On September 6, the Australian carrier will start operations between Perth and Bangkok, offering up to four flights per week. That means, you might be chomping on some street food in the meandering lanes of Bangkok, yet retaining the “breakfast toastie” from the airline inside you. There is room for adventure!

Why Perth to Bangkok, You Ask?

After family trips to Sydney and Perth, Bangkok is the it destination for anyone who loves crazy streets and markets and fancy temples and has a nightlife that makes your average weekend look like a PTA meeting. Also, with this route being launched, the demand for direct Australia-Southeastern Asia route flights is fulfilled. It is part of a larger scheme to position Perth as a Jetstar operational centre for the Asia Pacific, in addition to their already busy routes of Singapore and Phuket. So if you love low prices on tickets and even more reasons to fly, then Jetstar is the airline for you.

And with a new pilot base covering four Airbus A321LR at Perth Airport, Jetstar is now on a beauty parade with Western Australia. For those who think a tiki souvenir is a bit too much or those who plan a rather spontaneous fly to Bangkok today (or rather relish snacks offered by in-flight managers), would do it now!

Airlink’s Cape Town to Gaborone Route: Diamonds and Table Mountain, Anyone?

Not to be outdone, South Africa’s very own Airlink is giving us something new to look forward to, too. Come 1st April 2025 (and nope not an April fools joke), you will be able to explore direct flight services between Cape Town, South Africa and Gaborone, Botswana, thanks to the South African government and cease-fire. The only thing that gets better than doing away with a layover at an airport? Recognising the fact that the person sitting next to you probably doesn’t even know that either of the two cities on the layover is on the map—bragging rights galore!

Why Fly Cape Town to Gaborone?

If you have ever wanted to shift your base from a wine growing region to one housing diamond mines gradually then this is the time for you. Gaborone is the political center of Botswana and is known to attract lots of business tycoons particularly in the mineral and financial sectors. As for Cape Town, famous for the Table Mountain, more than just beaches and art galleries to safaris, introduction is superfluous. This route works well for both body in suits and ones in pursuit of unhindered sunsets for camera clicks.

Airlink’s Rodger Foster summed it up best: “Cape Town and Gaborone? Dream team.” (Okay, we may have paraphrased a bit there). Expect the airline’s comfy Embraer E140 to zip you across southern Africa with ease—44 seats, no turbulence (we hope), and zero layover drama.

Air Arabia Connects Sharjah to Warsaw: The UAE Meets Pierogi

Even Air Arabia is in a hurry and announces a new service connecting the two cities – Sharjah and Warsaw beginning December 2024. So for those who want dunes and the capital of Poland it’s a Win Win. Operating 5 flights a week means that you could be relaxing in a cafe in Warsaw one day and the next day be immersing yourself in the culture of Sharjah.

This is Air Arabia’s second entry into the Polish market after Krakow. So take your handbag with you as well as the one for the pierogi and extend your gratitude towards Air Arabia for making the East and the West not very far from one another. “Two cities known for their rich history and culture are going to be connected now,” so came the Group CEO of the company, Adel Al Ali, who is pretty stoked about the new route. This translates into: This flight is a must!

Not Every Flight Soars: Transavia France Pulls the Plug on Paris Orly to Pau

Within the ongoing expansion of network after network, however, not all off routes proved useful. Transavia France has chosen to withdraw its service Paris Orly to Pau – for winter 2024, they will take a short break. Let’s be frank, it’s hard to lose some flights, some of them will have to sink and at times, people are just not interested no matter how any endeavors are made.

Ready for Liftoff? Here’s the September 2024 Lineup

If all this travel talk has you itching to book a flight, check out Air Travel: New Paths Unveiled and some of the newest routes for 2024:

Austrian Airlines adds New Routes to Innsbruck - 

Austrian Airlines will increase the number of flights between Vienna and Innsbruck for the winter season 2024/2025. The company will also initiate direct connections to some popular European cities.

The Viennese carrier will operate as many as 19 flights a week on the Vienna-Innsbruck route starting in October 2024. It will additionally offer weekly direct flights from Innsbruck to Brussels, Copenhagen and Warsaw. Between December and March; Amsterdam services will be extended. Charter flights are planned from Innsbruck to Stockholm and Billund during the peak ski season.

Austrian Airlines adds New Routes to Innsbruck

CCO Michael Trestl said of this offer that it represents flexibility but also recognises its importance for Tyrolean tourism: “More frequent connections mean more choice for our passengers. Once again we live up to our role as Austria’s home carrier by offering more flights.” Marco Pernetta, Managing Director of Innsbruck Airport added: “The increased frequencies and new routes are a clear sign that Austrian Airlines continues to invest in our region.”

Lufthansa Airlines also has an expanded schedule for the upcoming winter season: There will be 11 weekly flights between Frankfurt – Innsbruck or Munich –Innsbruck which can be supplemented by using the Lufthansa Express Bus service which connects Munich Airport with downtown Innsbruck. 

Discover Innsbruck: A Winter Wonderland

In northern Europe there is a city called Innsbrook that sits in the middle of the Alps mountain range. This place is not only a popular destination for those who love skiing but also provides beautiful alpine scenery all year round which makes it perfect for people looking forward to having their souls healed by nature. As “The Capital of the Alps,” it features world class ski resorts where visitors can enjoy snowboarding as well as many other winter sports activities.

Best Things to Do in Innsbrook:

• Nordkette Mountain Range: This mountain range offers splendid views and excellent skiing facilities which are easily accessible from downtown.
• Old Town (Altstadt): Visit the golden roof, medieval houses or just sit down at a delightful café.
• Innsbrook Cathedral (Dom zu St. Jakob): A baroque cathedral with impressive frescoes inside its walls that shouldn’t be missed by anyone who loves art.
• Bergisel Ski Jump: An architectural masterpiece which also serves as an observation tower giving panoramic views over the cityscape below while hosting international ski jumping competitions on its slopes.
• Ambras Castle: A renaissance castle housing significant art collections and beautiful gardens where you can take long walks through enjoying every bit of nature’s beauty around you.
• Winter Sports: Axamer Lizum is one among several ski resorts close to Innsbruck offering slopes for all levels of skier ability; Patscherkofel or Nordkette are others worth mentioning here too. Ice-skating opportunities exist within the city itself along with snowshoe trails and winter hiking paths for those looking forward to more adventurous experiences during their stay in this marvelous part of Austria.
• Cultural Experiences: If you have never been there before then don’t miss out on any winter festival happening at Christmas time as they never disappoint when it comes down to Austrian food, crafts or festive atmosphere creation at its best

Flight Schedule Overview:

• Vienna-Innsbruck: Multiple daily flights
• Innsbruck-Brussels: Saturdays
• Innsbruck-Copenhagen: Saturdays
• Innsbruck-Warsaw: Saturdays
• Innsbruck-Billund: Peak ski season
• Innsbruck-Stockholm: Peak ski season
• Innsbruck-Amsterdam: Saturdays, extended until end of March

Need help booking your next group trip? Contact our marvelous DMC in Austria

Brussels Airport Announces 9 New Destinations

Spring may be late but as anticipated on 31st March, the summer season at Brussels airport will open again with a number of classic sunny destinations and new routes. For this summer, travellers from Brussels will have direct flights to 178 destinations in 64 countries through the 64 airlines operating there. The other eight are Singapore, China’s Shanghai, Kenya’s Nairobi, Norway’s Bergen, Poland’s Krakow; Italy’s Bari; Romania’s Bacau and Turkey’s Gazipasa. Additionally, Brive-la-Gaillarde Vallée de la Dordogne Valley is also expected to touch down at Brussels Airport for the first time.

Like last year's three-month break millions of Europeans can opt for distant trip or stay near their homes using city trip or spending family holidays by the sea or visiting friends abroad: 178 direct connections all over the world with air carriers (among which six are new ones) offer something to everyone.

Useful information:

Summer season has brought 178 direct routes from Belgium served by 64 air companies. They have added another 8 new destinations including Singapore, Shanghai, Nairobi,Bergen,Krakow,Bari,Bacau,Gazipasa. Also they’ve got Juneyao Airlines,Hainan Airlines and Singapore Airlines among six additions this year.

Brussels Airlines will introduce two new services this summer: Nairobi and Krakow. In addition they plan on buying one A330-300 aircraft and three A320neos thereby enabling them to operate on a total of 88 destinations. This includes their presence in Sub-Saharan Africa that consists of eighteen cities and two North American centres. Moreover Transavia will park its third aircraft at Brussels Airport for the period.

United Airlines is planning a second daily flight to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) therefore making four flights per day only from there. Air Canada has decided to serve more flights to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) while Air Transat is putting on more services between Montreal Trudeau International Airport (YUL) and YYZ.

Air Arabia Maroc has enriched its Moroccan network with two new routes: Tetouan (TTU) and Rabat-Sale (RBA). Therefore, the total of them within Morocco is seven.

This summer Brussels Airport has a strong schedule that satisfies customers’ various needs both for Europe and even beyond!

Tunisia's Soaring Connectivity to Europe: A Record-Breaking Summer

Tunisia has more capacity to Europe than any other African country, after Morocco and Egypt, . It will offer a record 3.54 million departing seats between April and October, according to Cirium data, a 14.6% rise over 2019. In the past two decades, this is only the fourth time that Tunisian capacity has exceeded three million seats — showing strong recovery from the  global pandemic among other things.

Highlights of Tunisia's Soaring Connectivity to Europe:

• Record Capacity: Highest ever for Tunisia with 3.54 million departing seats.
• Strong Growth: Up by 14.6% on 2019.
• Resilient Recovery: Overcoming the impacts of theglobal pandemic etc.

However, development has been held back by delays to an eagerly anticipated EU open skies agreement – much like Morocco, increased foreign (Ultra)LCC presence would benefit Tunisia to stimulate tourism and VFR traffic. Nevertheless, significant growth has been recorded by Nouvelair – a leisure operator based in Tunisia.

A Record Summer with Many New European Routes:

Over 30 new routes have been launched this summer – all are brand-new or not operated within the last decade by stated carriers; All are 2-weekly, except those with an *, which are weekly, and **, which are 3-weekly:

• 14 March: Nouvelair, Tunis-Basel (Switzerland)
• 27 March: easyJet, Bristol-Enfidha
• 31 May: Eurowings, Stuttgart-Monastir*
• 31 May: TUI fly Deutschland, Stuttgart-Djerba*
• 3 April: Nouvelair, Tunis-Berlin
• 5 April: Eurowings, Dusseldorf-Monastir
• 7 April: Nouvelair, Tunis-Bordeaux
• 19 April: Nouvelair, Sfax-Paris CDG
• 3 May: Eurowings Discover, Frankfurt-Monastir
• 6 May: Bulgaria Air, Sofia-Djerba*
• 26 May: Nouvelair, Tunis-Munich
• 1 June: Nouvelair, Djerba-Poznan*
• 1 June: Nouvelair, Sfax-Istanbul IST
• 12 June: Neos, Milan MXP-Djerba
• 12 June: Neos, Verona-Djerba*
• 12 June: Nouvelair, Monastir-Lublin/Katowice*
• 19 June: Neos, Bologna-Djerba/Monastir*
• 19 June: Neos, Rome FCO-Djerba/Monastir*
• 28 June: Nouvelair, Monastir-Bratislava*
• 19 June: Nouvelair, Tunis-Stockholm ARN*
• 2 July: Brussels Airlines, Brussels-Monastir
• 4 July: Eurowings, Hamburg-Tunis*
• 7 July: Nouvelair, Monastir-Banja Luka*
• 17 July: Nouvelair, Tunis-Milan MXP
• 10 September: Nouvelair, Tunis-Frankfurt**
• 11 September: Nouvelair, Tunis-Copenhagen*
• 14 September: Nouvelair, Tunis-St Petersburg
• 17 September: Nouvelair, Tunis-Bologna
• 29 October: easyJet, Basel-Enfidha
• 30 October: easyJet, London LTN-Enfidha**
• 30 October: Transavia France, Paris ORY-Tozeur

This year has seen a tremendous increase in the number of flights between Tunisia and Europe, with new routes being added at an unprecedented rate. Six airports in Tunisia now have direct flights from European cities, including Tozeur which will receive its first European flight since Tunisair stopped flying there last year when Transavia France starts serving Paris Orly on 30 October.

These developments demonstrate that Tunisia is serious about growing its tourism industry and aviation sector – an exciting future awaits for travellers and the country’s economy.

Tunisia has never been so easy to get to. Why not let our fantastic DMC in Tunisia help plan your next trip? Contact Barclay's Group Travel and get planning the trip of a lifetime!

200 weekly flights and 17 new routes announced by Ryanair

June 8, 2023 -  Ryanair has announced a significant expansion for its Winter '23 schedule, including 200 weekly flights and the introduction of 17 new routes to and from Albania. This expansion marks Albania as the 37th country within Ryanair's extensive network. It will offer immediate access to vital inbound tourism markets, including Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Sweden, and the UK. Additionally, this initiative will bring competitive fares and improved connectivity for Albanians who wish to travel to their homeland or visit friends and family abroad.

These exciting new Winter routes will help Albania in achieving substantial growth in the tourism industry. It is well-established that countries benefit greatly from the presence of major airlines like Ryanair, which can contribute to capacity growth. Ryanair has consistently and successfully demonstrated its role in supporting European economies heavily reliant on tourism, such as Spain, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, and Malta.

Source: https://ryanair.com