Public Sector Travel

Hungarian airline Malev collapses

Betty Low — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:35:49 +0000

Malev, the state-owned Hungarian carrier, has stopped flying.

The airline collapsed after the Hungarian Government withdrew financing.

Other carriers have scrambled to add capacity to and from Malev’s Budapest home. Ryanair said it would start serving the Hungarian capital from 17 February. The Irish low-cost carrier had previously announced plans to start flights to and from the city in March. It will now create a base at Budapest with four new Boeing B737s.

Wizz, the Hungarian low-cost carrier, is adding two Airbus A320s to its fleet. Air Berlin is adding a flight to Berlin and Lufthansa is adding a flight from Berlin and one from Hamburg.

Malev became the second European carrier to cease trading within a week. The Spanish airline Spanair ceased flying on Monday, 30 January.

Malev was a member of the Oneworld alliance.

Air Berlin to join Oneworld alliance

Betty Low — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:19:09 +0000

Air Berlin will become a full member of the Oneworld airline alliance on 20 March.

Air Berlin’s membership of the alliance will add nearly 70 destinations and significantly increase the alliance’s network in Germany and Central Europe.

At present all of Oneworld’s member airlines serve Germany but Air Berlin’s membership will add another 18 destinations in that country to the network.

Oneworld CEO Bruce Ashby said: “Air Berlin makes an ideal Oneworld partner. It has an excellent reputation for customer service – right in line with Oneworld’s focus on quality. Oneworld already features five of Europe’s best airlines. Adding the continent’s sixth biggest carrier and the second largest airline based in the continent’s biggest economy will greatly enhance our coverage throughout this region and, with the other airlines joining us this year, position Oneworld more strongly still as the alliance of choice, particularly for global business travellers.”

Air Berlin has developed from being a short-haul leisure carrier to also being a business airline with its Euro Shuttle service between many of Europe’s business destinations.

Air Berlin will be moving from Tegel to the new Brandenburg airport in Berlin in June.

The Oneworld alliance also includes British Airways, Iberia and Finnair in Europe.