KLM’s winter schedule for this season runs from October 27, 2024, to March 30, 2025. KLM’s network includes 155 destinations, 89 in Europe and 66 intercontinental via its hub in

New to the network is the previously announced American destination, Portland. Additionally, KLM offers 15% more seats to destinations in India compared to last year. The first new A321neo aircraft are also operational on European destinations such as Copenhagen, Berlin, and Stockholm. Furthermore, Premium Comfort is available to book on all Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft.

Spencer Birns, CEO of Cardiff Airport, said: “Cardiff Wales Airport is delighted with the news from KLM. This additional global connectivity is an excellent boost for Welsh tourism and is instrumental in helping to assist families, businesses and our world-famous educational centres of excellence in Wales to stay connected with their respective ties across the World. With flights operating for over 35 years from Cardiff Wales Airport, it is a great success story and we look forward to many more years of partnerships with KLM.”

This winter, the Premium Comfort class can be booked on all Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft. This newest class offers passengers comfortable seats with extra legroom and a unique catering concept. KLM will add three new A321neo aircraft this year and will also fly these to Paris, Prague, and Vienna. KLM expects to put a total of four of these aircraft into service this year.

On several European destinations, KLM will fly more frequently this winter. From October 28, there will be six flights per day to Billund and two flights per day to Belfast. Additionally, KLM will fly three times a day to Bilbao and four times a week to Malaga and Alicante. Capacity to Bremen will be increased to four flights per day. KLM will also fly three times a week to Rovaniemi (Finland), up from twice a week last winter.

This winter, KLM will fly to nineteen destinations in North America (Canada, USA, Mexico). In the USA, KLM will fly to Portland three times a week this winter, a new destination taken over from Delta Air Lines. Additionally, KLM will fly five times a week to San Francisco, increasing to a daily flight midway through the winter season. Furthermore, KLM will fly four to five times a week to Edmonton in Canada.

KLM will fly daily to Paramaribo this winter, which is one extra flight per week. Sint Maarten will be combined with Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago), with frequency increased to five times a week. During the Christmas and spring periods, the number of flights to and from Curaçao will increase.

KLM will fly daily to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Panama. Buenos Aires will be combined with Santiago de Chile, as it was last year. San José will be serviced four times a week, combined with Liberia (Costa Rica) after the runway maintenance is completed. Additionally, there will be six flights per week to Lima and the combination of Quito and Guayaquil.

KLM will fly seven times a week to Lagos this winter. Additionally, KLM will fly daily to two destinations in South Africa: Johannesburg and Cape Town. Capacity to Cape Town will be increased from the Christmas period to the end of the winter season with two extra flights per week on Tuesdays and Sundays. There will also be daily flights to Nairobi and Accra. This winter, passengers have the option to fly to three destinations in Tanzania: a daily flight to Dar es Salaam combined five times a week with Kilimanjaro and twice a week with Zanzibar. Furthermore, Kigali in Rwanda and Entebbe in Uganda will be serviced five times a week this winter.

Capacity to Asia has not yet fully recovered from the COVID pandemic, and due to rerouting around Russia, flights take longer than usual. This winter, the same schedule as last winter will be flown. KLM will fly daily to Shanghai and Beijing and four times a week to Hong Kong. KLM will also fly daily to Tokyo Narita and three times a week to Osaka. Seoul in South Korea will be serviced five times a week. Passengers can fly daily to Bali with a stopover in Singapore. Additionally, KLM will fly six times a week to Jakarta with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur. Bangkok is reachable every day with a daily flight. In India, Delhi and Mumbai will be serviced daily, and there will be a flight to Bengaluru five times a week.

KLM will fly daily to Dubai this winter. The route to Riyadh and Dammam will also be flown six times a week.

LUCIANA CIUBOTARIU, former Head of Trade and Investment for Thames Freeport and now CEO of Celtic Freeport, has enthusiastically accepted the role of Patron for the SPARC Alliance. Luciana is deeply committed to empowering young females, particularly in underrepresented sectors, and looks forward to collaborating with all stakeholders to ensure the continued success of this initiative.

The Celtic Freeport is at the heart of the green economy in south west Wales and will accelerate innovation and investment, especially in port infrastructure and sustainable energies.

The SPARC Alliance, established last July by Pembrokeshire College and Pembrokeshire County Council, with substantial support from RWE, Blue Gem Wind, Floventis (Cierco Energy), Ledwood Engineering, Port of Milford Haven, and the Swansea Bay City Deal Skills and Talent Fund, aims to engage young females in STEM careers.

A key priority for the Freeport is advancing the skills agenda to prepare the region for growth, this includes addressing gender disparities in engineering and construction sectors. SPARC is set to play a pivotal role creating an equitable talent pipeline that meets industry demands over the next 10 years.

Co-leads, Hayley Williams (Pembrokeshire College) and Rob Hillier (Pembrokeshire County Council) jointly commented, “We are thrilled to have Luciana as the face of the SPARC Alliance. Not only is she an inspiring role model for young women, but her expertise will also be invaluable in guiding SPARC’s development. With an imminent increase in high-value jobs, Luciana’s support will inspire the next generation of female talent to contribute to and thrive within our region,”

MONDAY (Sept 30) marked a significant turning point for the British steel industry with the closure of the last operational blast furnace at Tata Steel’s Port Talbot facility. This concludes the era of traditional steelmaking in Wales and results in the loss of approximately 1,900 jobs at Port Talbot, with additional redundancies across other Tata Steel operations in the UK.

This move is part of a broader reconfiguration at Tata Steel that plans to replace traditional blast furnace operations with an electric arc furnace (EAF) by 2027, which will recycle scrap steel in a more environmentally sustainable manner. The final day of operations saw the cessation of Blast Furnace 4, a process accompanied by notable “whooshing” sounds and large steam plumes, as described by Dean Cartwright, the works manager for coke, sinter, and iron. Cartwright reassured residents that these were standard shutdown procedures and posed no cause for alarm.

Roy Rickhuss, General Secretary of Community Union, which represents many of the workers, articulated the profound impact of the closure: “Today marks an incredibly sad and poignant day for the British steel industry and for the communities in and around Port Talbot which are so intricately connected to blast furnace steelmaking. The end of Blast Furnace 4 is more than just a technological shift; it represents a deep cultural loss. However, this is not the end for Port Talbot. We are committed to fighting relentlessly for our steel industry and the vibrant community of workers in South Wales.”

Environmental reactions were mixed. Kathy Oakwood, chair of the local branch of Friends of the Earth in Neath Port Talbot, acknowledged the potential environmental benefits of shutting down the furnace, such as improved air quality. However, she criticized the approach as a missed opportunity for securing green jobs. “The political response has been lackluster in protecting jobs or fostering green alternatives locally. This transition touches on more than just environmental issues; it deeply affects people’s mental health and community standing,” Oakwood stated.

Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens, responded to the closure with a message of support and resilience: “This is undoubtedly a challenging period for the workers, their families, and the entire community affected by Tata’s decision. My office moved swiftly to secure a more favorable deal that not only preserves the future of steelmaking in Port Talbot but also lays the groundwork for further investment and enhanced worker protections. We have already released millions in funding from the Transition Board to support affected businesses and workers, with more assistance on the way.”

Meanwhile, the Welsh Conservative leader, Andrew RT Davies, reflected on the broader implications for Welsh heritage and economy: “The closure of the last blast furnace is not just a loss for the community but a stark indicator that our industrial strategies may no longer be serving our communities effectively. We must reconsider our approaches and ensure equitable opportunities for our industrial bases.”

Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, offered a stern critique of the transition management: “The job losses announced today are nothing short of industrial vandalism. These transitions, happening too late and with too scant funding, leave workers bearing the brunt of poor planning and previous government neglect. However, with Labour’s recent commitment to a £2.5 billion investment in the UK steel industry, including a significant upgrade at Port Talbot, there is a pathway to a sustainable future for steel here.”

In response, Unite has engaged in ongoing discussions with Tata Steel regarding future investments, aimed at establishing new processing lines and securing job creation over the next year.

Deputy Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats David Chadwick MP said: “This is a devastating day for many across South Wales, including many in my own constituency with large-scale implications for people’s livelihoods, the regional economy and supply chain and national security.

“The community has been tremendously let down by the previous Conservative Government’s utter failure to provide a proper industrial strategy and by false hope offered by the incoming Labour Government.

“The focus now must be on making sure there is tangible action to replace the highly skilled jobs being lost. The Welsh Liberal Democrats will be holding both Labour and Tata’s feet to the fire to ensure promises are delivered.”

Tata said that as the traditional blast furnaces cool for the last time, the focus now shifts toward