OAG Travel News

Every Sunday I head to the gym for a long swim; I always swim 100 laps.  Counting the laps keeps me focused on the task at hand, and I get the most out of my workout.  This week, as I was swimming, I tried to connect my strokes with air service.  After several laps, I decided that I would focus this week on airports that have exactly 100 daily flights (both departures and arrivals) – to match my 100 laps.  Using the flight information filed by airlines in the OAG Schedule Tapes, I was able to identify nine airports around the world that are connected by this simple measurement.

Arad International Airport, Romania (ARW)
Arad is located in the region of Transylvania, often associated with story of Dracula.  Blue Air, a Romania-based low-cost carrier, is the only airline to serve Arad.  The carrier provides service to Bucharest, Romania; Reus, Spain; Valencia, Spain; and Verona, Italy.  All service is aboard 144-seat Boeing 737-300 aircraft.

Carnarvon Airport, Australia (CVQ)
Carnarvon is situated on the western coast of Australia near the Shark Bay World Heritage area (as defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization/UNESCO).  Skywest Airlines, Western Australia’s largest regional carrier, is the only airline to serve Carnarvon.  With 50-seat Fokker 50s, Skywest provides nonstop service from Carnarvon to four destinations in Western Australia: Geraldton, Karratha, Monkey Mia and the state capital of Perth.

Chetumal International Airport, Mexico (CTM)
Chetumal, situated on the eastern end of the Yucatan Peninsula, is the capital of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo (which is also home to Cancun and Cozumel).  Only one carrier provides service at Chetumal International Airport – MexicanaClick operates flights to Mexico City on 101-seat Fokker 100 aircraft.

Iki Airport, Japan (IKI)
Iki is a city made up of five inhabited and 17 uninhabited islands just north of the island of Kyushu.  Like Chetumal, Iki is only served by one airline: Oriental Air Bridge, a Japanese regional carrier, operates 36-seat Dash-8 aircraft to Nagasaki.

Kogalym International Airport, Russia (KGP)
Kogalym is located in an oil-rich area of central Russia.  Kolavia (Kogalym Avia), an airline based in Kogalym, is the only carrier to provide service at Kogalym International Airport.  Flights to Ufa are operated with 164-seat Tupolev 154 aircraft, and flights to Moscow are operated with 68-seat Tupolev 134 aircraft.

Laoag International Airport, Philippines (LAO)
Laoag City is situated on the northwestern coast of the Philippine island of Luzon and borders the South China Sea.  Only one destination is served nonstop from Laoag International Airport – the Philippine capital of Manila.  Two airlines provide these flights: Philippine Airlines (using 156-seat Airbus A320 aircraft) and Cebu Pacific Air (using 72-seat ATR 42 and ATR 72 aircraft).

Marsa Alam International Airport, Egypt (RMF)
Of all the airports with 100 flights, Marsa Alam International has the most diverse air service in terms of destinations served and number of airlines.  Marsa Alam is situated on the west coast of the Red Sea in southeastern Egypt.  One of every three flights is on Egyptair to Egypt’s capital of Cairo.  Other destinations in Egypt served are Hurghada and Taba, both served Jetairfly, a part of the TUI family of airlines.  Two destinations in the United Kingdom – London/Gatwick and Manchester – are served by Thomson Airways.  Service to Munich is provided by TUI; service to Zurich is provided by SWISS; service to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Amman, Jordan, is provided by Egyptair.

Sovetsky Tyumenskaya Airport, Russia (OVS)
Sovetsky is situated in the same oil-rich area of central Russia as Kogalym.  Two Russian carriers serve Sovetsky – UTair and Gaspromavia – and both airlines compete on one route – service to Moscow/Vnukovo.  Otherwise, there is no competitive air service in Sovetsky: UTair flies to Beloyarsky and Tyumen (both in Russia), while Gaspromavia serves Nadym.  All flights at Sovetsky Tyumenskaya Airport are operated with Russian-made aircraft (Tupolev, Antonov and Yakovlev).

Wewak International Airport, Papua New Guinea (WWK)
Last but not least is Wewak International Airport situated on the northern coast of New Guinea.  Over 80 percent of flights from Wewak are to Madang – both Air Niugini and Airlines of Papua New Guinea provide this service.  Airlines of Papua New Guinea offers additional service to Mt. Hagen while Air Niugini provides flights to Vanimo.  All service at Wewak is operated using 36- and 37-seat Dash-8 aircraft.

Source: Official Airline Guide (OAG) Schedule Tapes for September 2009 only, unless otherwise noted; includes scheduled commercial flights only (no charter operations); Air Transport Intelligence