Airline, Organisations & Operators,

Heathrow Airport Sees 90% Passenger Growth in December as Transatlantic Travel Fueled Reunions Over the Holidays
Christmas and New Year reunions fuelled passenger growth during December, with more than 5.9 million passengers travelling in the month – up 90% compared with the same time last yearTransatlantic travel was a key driver behind last month’s high passenger volumes, with JFK clinching the top spot as the airport’s busiest routeForward planning and close collaboration with airport partners ensured we provided a smooth and efficient service to travellers throughout the festive period.  92% of passengers passed through security in under 10 minutes during the Christmas peak, service for passengers with reduced mobility improved, and arriving travellers reported a friendly and efficient journey through immigration in spite of industrial actionIn total, Heathrow welcomed 61.6 million passengers (76% of 2019 levels) during 2022 – 42.2 million higher than in 2021. This is the highest passenger increase of any airport in EuropeProviding excellent service remains our key priority for 2023, as the aviation industry rebuilds capacity and resilience. We are concerned that the recovery of the aviation sector, which is critical to the economy, could be set back by the reintroduction of testing for travellers in the UK and elsewhere in response to increasing COVID levels in China, even though governments acknowledge there is no scientific basis for doing so
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said:
“2022 ended on a high with our busiest Christmas in three years and a smooth and efficient service for passengers, thanks to the hard work of our colleagues and close planning with airlines, their ground handlers and Border Force.”

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Southern California’s Ontario International Airport finished 2022 with its highest annual passenger volume since 2008.
Ontario International Airport (ONT) welcomed more than 5.7 million airline travelers in 2022, outpacing pre-pandemic 2019 by 2.8% as the popular Southern California gateway recorded its highest passenger volume since 2008.At the same time, shipments of air cargo outpaced 2019 volume by nearly 9%, maintaining ONT’s position as a major commerce and logistics hub.
We experienced great demand for air travel through Ontario International in 2022 with passenger levels exceeding pre-pandemic levels for the entire calendar year,” said Atif Elkadi, chief executive officer, Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA). “Our airline partners restored air services suspended because of the pandemic while adding new routes and increased flight frequencies to popular destinations, and passengers showed their preference for our hallmark customer-friendly experience.”
Ontario’s 2022 passenger volume was 27.6% greater than the 2021 total of 4.5 million and was the highest since 2008, when 6.2 million passenger flew into or out of the airport. Since ONT’s return to local control in 2016, passenger volumes are up nearly 36%.
Ontario also ranks among the fastest recovering airports in the U.S. after the severe disruption in global air travel during the early months of the pandemic.
That growth is expected to continue into the new year. Based on current airline schedules, ONT will have 6.7% more flights and 12.3% more available seats in the first quarter compared with the same period last year.ADVERTISEMENTMeanwhile, Ontario International has fortified its role as a global air cargo center. For the year, freight and mail that moved through ONT totaled more than 850,000 tons, 8.9% higher than 2019 when the airport handled almost 782,000 tons of cargo.
Ontario ranks among the 10 largest cargo airports in North America, and according to a recent analysis by Oxford Economics, serves as the hub of a global supply chain network that generates $17.8 billion in economic activity.

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A busy summer has gifted Munich Airport massive growth in all traffic figures in 2022: Passenger numbers rose by 19 million year on year to a total of 31.6 million.The airport has thus regained two-thirds of its record-breaking pre-pandemic result from 2019. The number of aircraft movements nearly doubled compared with 2021 to more than 285,000 take-offs and landings. The seat load factor of the aircraft in Munich equaled the record figure of 77.5 percent from 2018. With a total of 210 destinations in 63 countries, Bavaria’s aviation hub now has excellent links with the global route network once again.
Jost Lammers, CEO of Munich Airport, says: “The gradual lifting of travel restrictions has re-awakened people’s desire to travel. This has prompted airlines to significantly expand their flight capacity. The bookings received by the airlines indicate that traffic growth at Munich Airport will continue in 2023.”
After a weak first quarter, which was still influenced by the pandemic, demand for flights increased enormously. While only four million passengers were counted at Munich Airport over the first three months, the busiest third quarter saw traffic of more than ten million travelers. The pent-up demand has been particularly noticeable in long-haul travel: Since July, traffic between Munich and destinations in the US has already been higher than the 2019 level. Since the flight schedule for winter 2022/2023 came into effect, this has also been true of traffic to destinations in India, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand.Air freight has also benefited from the boom in traffic at Munich Airport. In 2022, freight volume increased by 55 percent to a total of around 259,000 metric tons.

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Since the maiden flight 75 years ago, Zurich Airport has developed into Switzerland’s most important transport hub. In the anniversary year 2023, Zurich Airport looks back on its long history and looks ahead to future projects. The festivities include a big airport festival from September 1-3, an anniversary exhibition and many other highlights.
On June 14, 1948, a Swissair Douglas DC-4 was the first aircraft to take off from Zurich Airport to London – on the airport’s only runway 10/28 at the time. Only about five months later, the second runway 16/34 was put into operation and the third runway 14/32 opened in 1976. Over the years, docks B, A and E have been built where there once was a marshland. In five construction phases, Zurich Airport developed into an international transport hub with numerous direct connections to the world’s metropolises. Zurich Airport is not only of great importance for travellers, but also for the local population: it is a business location, workplace, commercial centre, excursion destination and meeting place. Zurich Airport employs around 27,400 people at over 300 companies.
Numerous highlights in the anniversary year 2023
Various celebrations and events will take place at Zurich Airport in the anniversary year. On June 14 – the day of the maiden flight – an anniversary exhibition will start in the Airport Shopping area. On the weekend of September 1-3, a big public airport festival will take place. President of the Swiss Confederation, Alain Berset, will be one of the guests of honour at the official ceremony on Friday evening. As part of the anniversary year, the airport’s history will also be digitally processed and the spotter areas as well as the observation deck will be upgraded.Constantly updated information on the anniversary year:Zurich Airport of the future
Zurich Airport is and will remain on the move and wants to be a safe, modern and sustainable airport for future generations. Projects such as the runway extensions or the new dock A are important elements in ensuring safe and high-quality airport operations. The expansion of the landside passenger zones (ELP) will enhance Zurich Airport in the coming years with generous passageways, better logistics processes, new retail spaces and a food hall with outdoor terraces. The sustainable construction of future projects and the replacement of fossil fuels are key components of Flughafen Zürich AG’s ambition to reduce its CO2 emissions to net zero by 2040. As a result, Zurich Airport will continue to be Switzerland’s gateway to the world, connecting people and places.ADVERTISEMENTAnniversary year – Celebrations at a glance
May 2023: Launch of airport historyJune 14, 2023: Opening of the anniversary exhibition at Airport ShoppingSeptember 1-3, 2023: airport festival

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the air travel recovery continued through November 2022.Total traffic in November 2022 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 41.3% compared to November 2021. Globally, traffic is now at 75.3% of November 2019 levels.
International traffic rose 85.2% versus November 2021. The Asia-Pacific continued to report the strongest year-over-year results with all regions showing improvement compared to the prior year. November 2022 international RPKs reached 73.7% of November 2019 levels.
Domestic traffic for November 2022 was up 3.4% compared to November 2021 with travel restrictions in China continuing to dampen the global result. Total November 2022 domestic traffic was at 77.7% of the November 2019 level.
“Traffic results in November reinforce that consumers are thoroughly enjoying the freedom to travel. Unfortunately, the reactions to China’s reopening of international travel in January reminds us that many governments are still playing science politics when it comes to COVID-19 and travel. Epidemiologists, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and others have said that the reintroduction of testing for travelers from China can do little to contain a virus that is already present around the world. And China’s objections to these policy measures are compromised by their own pre-departure testing requirements for people traveling to China. Governments should focus on using available tools to manage COVID-19 effectively—including improved therapeutics and vaccinations—rather than repeating policies that have failed time and again over the last three years,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
International Passenger MarketsADVERTISEMENTAsia-Pacific airlines had a 373.9% rise in November traffic compared to November 2021, which was the strongest year-over-year rate among the regions. Capacity rose 159.2% and the load factor was up 35.9 percentage points to 79.2%.
European carriers’ November traffic climbed 45.3% versus November 2021. Capacity increased 25.1%, and load factor moved up 11.6 percentage points to 83.6%, highest among the regions.
Middle Eastern airlines saw an 84.6% traffic rise in November compared to November 2021. November capacity increased 45.4% versus the year-ago period, and load factor climbed 16.5 percentage points to 77.7%.
North American carriers experienced a 69.9% traffic rise in November versus the 2021 period. Capacity increased 45.5%, and load factor climbed 11.6 percentage points to 81.0%.
Latin American airlines’ November traffic rose 59.2% compared to the same month in 2021. November capacity climbed 55.6% and load factor increased 1.9 percentage points to 82.9%.
African airlines had an 83.5% rise in November RPKs versus a year ago. November 2022 capacity was up 48.4% and load factor climbed 14.2 percentage points to 74.3%, the lowest among regions.
Brazil’s domestic RPKs rose 5.1% in November compared to November 2021 and are now at 96.2% of 2019 levels.
US domestic traffic climbed 5.0% in November compared to November 2021, pushing it to 99% of the November 2019 level.

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Oman Air has partnered with HSBC Oman on a unique and innovative international payments process, which will dramatically increase efficiency and security.Via a centralised treasury hub in Oman, HSBC’s Global Disbursement solution, developed as a bespoke service for Oman Air, will deliver simultaneous multiple currency payments and an improved track and trace function for every transaction.
The new service enables Oman Air to process foreign currency payments through a single bank account, using HSBC’s extensive global network and transparent FX rates. This reduces dependency on other third party banks, reducing the costs of processing these payment types and the hours worked in doing so. This strengthens the relationship with HSBC as Oman Air’s bank of choice for international payments.
“Oman Air continues to invest in innovative financial solutions as a crucial component of our success as a truly global airline,” said Oman Air Chief Executive Officer Eng. Abdulaziz Al Raisi.
“HSBC’s Global Disbursement solution provides us with simplicity, expediency, and security. We are confident that this partnership will enable us to achieve a more streamlined international payments procedure and ultimately, enhance our guest experience,” Eng. Abdulaziz continued.
“At HSBC Oman, we are committed to innovating in our technology to make banking easier, more accessible, and more secure for our clients. Our Global Disbursement solution is designed to simplify the cross border payment process by reducing costs, minimizing risk and improving transparency. Our Global Payments Solutions Team has a proven record of providing clients across the MENAT Region with a comprehensive suite of market leading, innovative solutions and products to help them do business every day,” said Melika Betley, CEO of HSBC Oman.ADVERTISEMENTThe Global Disbursement solution will introduce significant reduction in the overall working hours spent on payment creation and reconciliation, as it enables Oman Air to process multiple currency payments at the same time, provides detailed status reports and to track and trace every payment transaction.

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In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, British Airways Executive Club and IndusInd Bank, announced their partnership, to introduce the unique multi-branded credit card, with two leading international airlines powered by Visa.The multi-branded credit card is slated to be launched and made available to consumers in the first quarter of the financial year 2023 – 2024. Through this proposition, members will soon be able to collect Avios, the rewards currency for British Airways Executive Club and Qatar Airways Privilege Club, by signing up and choosing their preferred loyalty programme.
This credit card will be available in the Infinite variant of Visa, and will offer best-in-class rewards and benefits to elevate the travel experience of customers. Stacked with multiple attractive benefits suiting the requirements of frequent travellers, at the time of application, this credit card will give customers the flexibility to choose their preferred airline loyalty programme and select their preferred travel destination to collect maximum Avios and enjoy a host of other benefits.
Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer, Thierry Antinori, said: “Today Qatar Airways Privilege Club takes another step forward in providing our members with the best offerings in the industry, introducing a first-of-its-kind Visa multi-branded credit card, in India with IndusInd Bank.
“When adopting Avios as our rewards currency, we promised members that new and exciting opportunities would come, this collaboration with oneworld® partner British Airways is another manifestation of this. We look forward to seeing our members in India availing the extensive benefits of this new partnership, which is designed to enhance their future travels.”Oliver Currell, Head of Financial Partnerships, IAG Loyalty, said: “We are delighted to launch the new British Airways and Qatar Airways credit card with IndusInd Bank; a unique multibrand credit card. The Avios currency will give Indian consumers great value rewards and opportunities to do more when it comes to global travel and experiences.”
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Soumitra Sen, Head – Consumer Banking & Marketing, IndusInd Bank, said, “IndusInd Bank has always been a pioneer in bringing forth some of the most innovative propositions through its array of banking solutions and suite of credit cards. We are now delighted to collaborate with Qatar Airways and British Airways, to launch this multi-branded credit card, that aims to transform the way India travels. A credit card thoughtfully designed to meet the expectations of discerning travellers with a value proposition curated around travel and bespoke offerings. With this credit card, our aim is to shift the power of choice completely into the hands of the customers.”ADVERTISEMENTSujai Raina, Head – Business Development, India, Visa said, “With air travel rebounding fast post-pandemic, consumers will seek new destinations to travel to and unwind. At Visa, a key priority for us, thus, is to ensure that together with our partners, we provide a suite of benefits that are aligned to the needs of today’s traveller. We are delighted to partner with Induslnd Bank, British Airways and Qatar Airways to power this unique multi-branded credit card and deliver a seamless and secure travel and payment experience.”

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BOC Aviation Limited and Boeing today announced that the airplane lessor is growing its 737 MAX portfolio with an order for 40 additional 737-8 jets. With the order, BOC Aviation is advancing its strategy of purchasing new, fuel-efficient, environmentally sustainable airplanes that are in demand with airline customers.“We are pleased to continue to build on our existing relationship with Boeing, with this 40-aircraft incremental order for the fuel-efficient Boeing 737-8 aircraft. The incremental order takes our total 737 MAX 8 orderbook with Boeing to 80 aircraft,” said David Walton, BOC Aviation deputy managing director and chief operating officer. “We look forward to continuing to provide one of the industry’s most technologically advanced aircraft for delivery on lease to our airline customers, and to support their sustainable growth over the balance of this decade.”
Boeing continues to see strong market demand for the 737 MAX family, with more than 1,500 gross orders since late 2020.
“We are proud that BOC Aviation continues to invest in the 737-8 with its industry-leading versatility and ability to fly almost any short- and medium-haul market profitably,” said Ryan Weir, vice president of Global Leasing Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “We look forward to more opportunities to expand our relationship to support BOC Aviation and its customers.”
The 737-8 is designed to offer more fuel efficiency, reliability and flexibility in the single-aisle market. The airplane can fly 3,500 nautical miles – about 600 miles farther than its predecessor – allowing airlines to profitably serve new and more direct routes for passengers. Compared to the airplanes it replaces, the 737-8 also delivers superior efficiency, using 20% less fuel and significantly reducing CO2 emissions and operating costs.
As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures, and services commercial airplanes, defense products, and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability, and community impact. Boeing’s diverse team is committed to innovating for the future, leading with sustainability, and cultivating a culture based on the company’s core values of safety, quality, and integrity. Join our team and find your purpose at boeing.com/careers.ADVERTISEMENTBOC Aviation is a leading global aircraft operating leasing company with a fleet of 612 aircraft owned, managed and on order. Its owned and managed fleet was leased to 81 airlines in 38 countries and regions worldwide as of 30 September 2022. BOC Aviation is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEx code: 2588) and has its headquarters in Singapore with offices in Dublin, London, New York and Tianjin. For more information, visit www.bocaviation.com.

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