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Edelweiss Air entered (01-Apr-2025) its new A350 into commercial service on 01-Apr-2025, operating from Zurich Airport to Tenerife. As previously reported by CAPA, the A350 will operate on short and medium haul routes, including Faro, Ibiza, Heraklion, Palma de Mallorca and Antalya, before transitioning to long haul service from 15-May-2025, starting with Las Vegas. [more - original PR]

Aircalin chief commercial officer (CCO) William Le Grand, speaking at Routes Asia 2025, stated (25-Mar-2025) "I think there should be much more cooperation between small airlines in the South Pacific", adding: "We are not strong enough alone". Mr Le Grand called for South Pacific carriers to work closer together to improve connectivity within region and for other connections.

Aircalin chief commercial officer (CCO) William Le Grand, speaking at Routes Asia 2025, stated (25-Mar-2025) the carrier's fleet size of four aircraft means groundings due to engine issues are "impacting a lot". Mr Le Grand said the groundings are preventing plans for new routes and may cause the carrier to reduce frequency on existing routes.

Aircalin chief commercial officer (CCO) William Le Grand, speaking at Routes Asia 2025, stated (25-Mar-2025) the carrier expects delivery of its first A350 in late 2026 or early 2027, subject to Airbus' delivery schedule. He said the aircraft will enable "no restrictions" on loads for services to Paris.

Aircalin chief commercial officer William Le Grand, speaking at Routes Asia 2025, stated (25-Mar-2025) the airline's priority will be to reopen closed routes, including Melbourne. Mr Le Grand said the carrier will also reconsider Japan, commenting: "We would like to fly to Japan again", but noting that the airline would need to serve Tokyo Haneda Airport for connections with partners and access to the airport is "very limited". Regarding new markets, Mr Le Grand said: "We would like to focus on India and China", and the airline could consider seasonal services to destinations such as Christchurch and Gold Coast.

Japan Airlines (JAL) VP international route strategy Motohisa Abe, speaking at Routes Asia 2025, stated (25-Mar-2025) the closure of Russian airspace is "a big burden for us" and the carrier has had to "sacrifice a lot of resources" and update its strategy to accommodate the situation. Mr Abe said the shortage of new aircraft and pilots also makes network planning "quite challenging", but also "quite interesting". He said JAL may focus more on longer haul markets, particularly connecting Asia to the US, over short haul markets where there is more LCC competition. He added that JAL may seek to expand operations from secondary airports in Japan, such as Hiroshima Airport or Sapporo Chitose Airport, if there is an opportunity.