Airways Magazine June 2024 | Page 23

AIRLINE REVIEW BeOnd
6
7
8
Instead , BeOnd ’ s A319 has a much more routine life . Its base is Malè Velana International Airport in the Maldives . From there , it began to fly in November 2023 to Riyadh , Zurich , and Munich ( the latter transformed into a seasonal destination and discontinued at the end of March ). Milan and Dubai are soon to join these high-end markets , as a second airplane , a larger Airbus A321 ( a 2002-vintage , -200 series aircraft formerly with British Airways ) fitted with a 68-seat cabin will join the A319 in mid-2024 .
“ We will use the new aircraft to sustain the huge demand of the Riyadh service , where we ’ ll increase capacity by 150 %, to sustain the start of services to Dubai while gaining greater flexibility to match market demand ,” Taskila , BeOnd ’ s CEO , explained in an interview with Airways .
As a result , Milan Malpensa will become the only airport in the world served by both existing all-business airlines ( the other being French operator La Compagnie ). BeOnd will promote Dubai Al Maktoum ( DWC ) to a full destination with as many as six flights per week , whereas today it is used as a refueling stop only .
While the A319 is capable of flying non-stop between Malè and Riyadh , its range , even with so few seats ( and , consequently , light passenger and luggage loads ) is too limited to fly the nine-hour sectors from the Maldives to central Europe without a fuel refill . This may seem inconvenient if compared to a non-stop service along the same route because , about midway , the cabin has to be prepared for landing , which means seats in the upright position even
2 At Zurich Kloten airport , passengers find as many as three check-in desks . In Europe , the airline terminated its service to Munich at the end of March , but will start flying to Milan at the beginning of July .
3 BeOnd has three fares available for booking : ‘ Delight ’, ‘ Bliss ’, and ‘ Opulence ’. All give access to priority lanes at airports . Bliss adds access to the lounge and Opulence includes chauffeur transportation from home to the airport and back .
4 The Aspire First Club Lounge is situated on the first floor in Terminal E at Zurich Kloten airport . The terminal is dedicated exclusively to extra Schengen flights .
5 Wooden floors and leather covered armchairs make for an elegant and relaxing place where to wait for departure .
6 A small buffet area in the lounge offers cold cuts , cheeses and a good selection of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks .
7 Those who do not want to eat on the plane can have a proper lunch or dinner served at the table in a dedicated area of the lounge . Hot entrées and main courses are available from the lounge kitchen .
8 The lounge includes a small library with books and magazine and a relaxing reading area , separated from the eating one .
www . airwaysmag . com AIRWAYS MAGAZINE JUNE 2024 23