Welcome to the bumper AIR-Special of Transport Times this week. We've got three big aviation-related stories for this week!

AIR: Lufthansa cuts 20,000 summer flights

Lufthansa Aircraft Grounded | Source: BBC News

German airline Lufthansa has cut over 20,000 flights from its summer schedule for this year, ahead of predicted fuel issues and already rising fuel prices caused by the ongoing war with Iran in the Middle East and associated blockades.
The move sees a number of European destinations cut off from the Lufthansa network for the summer season, including Cork (IRE), Gdansk and Wroclaw (POL), Ljubljana (SLO), Stuttgart and Trondheim, along with some others. Affected passengers are able to claim a refund from Lufthansa, or will be rebooked on other Lufthansa Group carriers such as ITA Airways, SWISS and Brussels Airlines.

Manchester Airport to receive hourly overnight train service

The Station-Terminal Connection at MAN | Source: National Rail

Manchester Airport is receiving a boost to its train services, with Transpennine Express to introduce additional overnight services to the airport to help improve connectivity for passengers arriving or departing on late evening/early morning flights. The additional services link to Liverpool, York and Manchester's Piccadilly Railway Station, and provide a train on average every 60 minutes throughout the night. Andrew McClements, Customer Experience & Transformation Director at TPE, said: “We’re pleased to be introducing services that give customers more choice, added flexibility, and an improved overall experience when travelling with us.”

Guernsey to Heathrow route takes to the skies

The Flight Crew and local representatives at Guernsey Airport | Source: Guernsey Airport

British Airways' new route to the British Overseas Territory of Guernsey departed London Heathrow for the first time this week, marking the return to the territory for the first time since 1980 from Heathrow.
The new route, which operates once daily using an Airbus A320 family aircraft (A319, A320 or A321), runs around lunchtime most days, and runs alongside the continued service to London City and London Gatwick by Aurigny, Guernsey's state airline. Neil Chernoff, chief planning and strategy officer at British Airways, said the route was an "important addition to our network, strengthening connectivity between the Channel Islands and London, and opening access to further destinations across Europe, North America and beyond".