Category Airline, Organisations & Operators

Air New Zealand opens the Lookout Lounge ahead of major Auckland lounge redevelopment

Located on Level 2, closer to the departure gates, The Lookout Lounge will open daily during peak travel times (5:00–10:00am and 3.30–9:15pm), giving customers more room to relax and enjoy the friendly Kiwi service Air New Zealand is known for.

The Lookout Lounge will operate alongside the Koru Lounge during the summer holiday season and during the construction of the new lounges at Auckland International Airport. Customers will be welcomed at either lounge depending on availability, with both serving up the same signature Kiwi hospitality, great food and drinks, and that unmistakable Air New Zealand warmth before take-off.

WIZZ AIR LAUNCHES NEW ROUTE FROM LONDON GATWICK TO VALENCIA, SPAIN

Wizz Air today announces a new route connecting London Gatwick with Valencia, further expanding the airline’s connections from the UK to Spain.

The route is the sixth new Spanish route Wizz Air will launch in 2026, joining recently announced connections between London Luton and Bilbao, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia and Seville, reiterating Wizz Air’s position as a key provider of low-cost travel to Spain.

Turkish Airlines Opens its First European Lounge Abroad in Edinburgh

Turkish Airlines has opened its first-ever European lounge at Edinburgh Airport, aside from the world-famous one at its Istanbul hub, bringing another dimension of its world-renowned hospitality to travellers in Scotland. The new lounge further elevates Edinburgh’s premium travel offering while reinforcing the airport’s growing role as an international gateway.

Türkiye’s flag carrier, which flies to more countries than any other, hosted a celebratory event at Edinburgh International Airport on 10 December to mark the opening of its eighth lounge outside of Türkiye. Turkish Airlines continues to bring scaled-down slices of its five-star Lounge in İstanbul to its international gateways to maintain a seamless and luxurious experience.

flynas Celebrates Launching Its First Direct Flight Between Madinah and Baghdad

flynas, the leading low-cost airline in the world and the best LCC in the Middle East, celebrated today launching its first direct flight between Madinah and Baghdad, adding one more route to its flight network connecting the two brotherly countries, in line with flynas growth and expansion plan and in parallel with the national goals in the aviation sector

Etihad Airways and Condor announce strategic partnership and new Abu Dhabi routes

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and the German carrier Condor announced a strategic partnership alongside the launch of new daily flights connecting Frankfurt and Berlin to Abu Dhabi starting Summer 2026 and an extensive codeshare agreement.

From 1 May 2026, Condor will operate daily services between Frankfurt and Abu Dhabi using its Airbus A330 aircraft, followed by the launch of daily Berlin-Abu Dhabi flights from 15 June 2026 operated by Airbus A320 aircraft. The new services will significantly broaden direct access to Abu Dhabi for German travellers, with seamless onward connections to Etihad’s extensive network across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Jet2 announces the launch of flights and holidays to Egypt

Jet2 has revealed more exciting news for customers today, by announcing the launch of flights and holidays to Egypt, as well as a special offer on holidays to celebrate the arrival of the new destination.

From February 2027, the award-winning tour operator and airline will operate year-round to two hugely popular sunshine destinations in Egypt – Hurghada and Sharm-El-Sheikh – a move that will be warmly welcomed by holidaymakers.

Lufthansa joins the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program

Lufthansa joined the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program on December 1. The global program to support people with invisible disabilities enables affected individuals to discreetly indicate their needs in public spaces. The symbol is a yellow sunflower on a green background, usually in the form of a lanyard with a pendant. The “Sunflower” is used in many public, high-traffic locations such as airports, train stations, supermarkets, theaters, and universities. The Lufthansa Group’s goal is to have all its airlines join the program by the end of 2026. Austrian Airlines, Eurowings, SWISS, and now Lufthansa are already on board.

United Airlines and Travelport Announce Long-Term Strategic Relationship

United Airlines and Travelport have entered into a strategic relationship that represents a new model of collaboration between an airline and a multi-source content provider.

This marks a significant evolution from the traditional airline-distributor relationship, with teams from both companies working closely together to enable new capabilities and functionality for agency and corporate buying communities.

EVA Air, Evergreen Air Cargo Services and Evergreen Airline Services Corp. Earn IATA CEIV

EVA Air, Evergreen Air Cargo Services (EGAC) and Evergreen Airline Services Corp. (EGAS), which collectively obtained CEIV Lithium Batteries from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in January this year, have once again joined forces to earn dual professional certifications for CEIV Fresh and CEIV Live Animals, becoming one of the few airline systems worldwide to simultaneously hold three accreditations across airline operations, cargo warehousing, and ground handling services. This achievement highlights EVA Air and its affiliated service companies’ strong integration capabilities and international-level service quality in special cargo transportation.