Nigel Mayes is the senior vice president, consulting & product development at ASM. Nigel has more than 15 years’ experience in route development and is responsible for product development at ASM.

The sister company to Routes, ASM is the world‘s leading route development consultancy and has supported the creation of new air services since 1993.

Route 1: Shijiazhuang – Hangzhou – Singapore

Data

Carrier
Aircraft	Boeing 737-800
Frequency	Daily
Start Date	29 October 2017
Distance	1,026km (SJW-HGH) 3,676km (HGH-SIN)
O&D Traffic Demand (2016)	587,618 (SJW-HGH), 254,454 (HGH-SIN)
Growth % YOY	66.1% (SJW-HGH), 50.5% (HGH-SIN)
Average Fare $ (one way)	$146.32 (SJW-HGH), $192.69 (HGH-SIN)

Insight

Hebei Airlines is continuing its international expansion with flights to Singapore, which started on 29 October 2017. The airline, previously known as Northeast Airlines (China) until it rebranded in 2010, will operate the Shijiazhuang – Hangzhou – Singapore service daily on Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

The launch of the route comes a year after the Shijiazhuang-based carrier applied to the Civil Aviation Administration of China to increase the scope of its operations outside of China. Hebei will be going head-to-head on the Hangzhou – Singapore leg with Scoot and XiamenAir.

Route 2: Chengdu – St Petersburg

Image credit: byeangel

Data

Carrier
Aircraft	Airbus A330
Frequency	Twice weekly
Start Date	17 December 2017
Distance	6,230km
O&D Traffic Demand (2016)	4,395
Growth % YOY	70.25%
Average Fare $ (one way)	$364.95

Insight

Lucky Air has tentatively scheduled a Chengdu – St Petersburg service launch for 17 December 2017, which will operate twice weekly. The HNA Group carrier launched its first intercontinental service to Moscow in June and will now serve Pulkovo Airport in the northern Russian city. It will also serve St Petersburg from Kunming.

Details of the flight, as well as services to Finland's capital Helsinki, were announced at a signing ceremony at World Routes 2017 in Barcelona.

China remains one of the fastest-growing flight directions for Pulkovo Airport and Chengdu and Kunming will become the fourth and fifth Chinese mainland destinations with direct scheduled service.

Route 3: Tivat – Copenhagen

Data

Carrier
Aircraft	Embraer 195
Frequency	Weekly
Start Date	15 June 2018
Distance	1,542km
O&D Traffic Demand (2016)	730.88
Growth % YOY	-15.7%
Average Fare $ (one way)	$139.68

Insight

Montenegro Airlines is resuming Tivat - Copenhagen, a route previously served during summer 2012 as well as a one-time service in June 2015. It will operate the route from 15 June to 17 August 2018.

Tivat - Copenhagen is currently unserved and Montenegro Airlines will be hoping to attract Danish tourists to the coastal town in south west Montenegro during the summer months. Tivat is already a popular destination for Russian tourists, but the Scandinavian market remains relatively untapped.

Source: Sabre Market Intelligence