Aviapartner Handling announced last week it has signed a major contract with Iberia for the provision of full handling services in Rome-Fiumicino, Milan-Malpensa, Milan-Linate, and Venice. The 3-year contract covers between 2,800 & 3,000 flights in Rome, around 2700 flights in Milan, and around 1750 flights in Venice. These flights are operated with MD87, MD81, A320, A321, B757 aircraft.

LAB, the Bolivian airline, is again offering its route Spain’s Madrid in an L-1011, 309-passenger jetliner. In the same way, two Boeings 767s are available to cover the Northern route (Panama, Mexico, Miami and Washington). The flights to Madrid will leave on Mondays and Thursdays and a third weekly frequency is planned to be offered beginning September.

KLM is to adjust its product and services between Amsterdam and the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba over the coming year in response to changing market conditions. From summer 2007, all flights to the Antilles and Aruba will be carried out using MD-11 equipment.

According to recent media reports, low-cost carrier Flyglobespan will begin non-stop weekly flights from Glasgow to Barbados on Sundays starting January 21 until April 15, 2007 with Boeing 767-300 aircraft. “It opens up the Scottish market with a direct service eliminating the need for expensive connecting flights or overnight stays at Gatwick or Heathrow,” says Barbados hotelier Adrian Loveridge.

Copa Airlines, a subsidiary of Copa Holdings announced this week the beginning of direct flights to the city of Rio de Janeiro, starting November 15. “With the addition of flights to the city of Rio de Janeiro, Copa Airlines continues to strengthen its position in the region and the success of our Hub of the Americas, the main hub in Latin America for both business and leisure travelers,” said Jorge Garcia Icaza, Commercial Vice President of Copa Airlines.

Virgin Atlantic said last week it plans to introduce the world´s first in-flight texting service, which will allow passengers to have questions answered on any topic at 35,000 feet. Passengers will be able to text questions from their seat-back television screens to an existing land-based text answer service which promises to answer any question within minutes.