TAROM

An Islamic State affiliate group operating in Egypt has claimed responsibility for the airplane crash of Russian passenger Airbus 321 belonging to Kogalymavia airlines in the Sinai peninsula. Islamic militants, waging an insurgency in the area, released a statement:

“The soldiers of the caliphate succeeded in bringing down a Russian plane in Sinai.”

Romania's cash-strapped national airline, Tarom, is to open preliminary talks with several companies interested in restructuring and taking a significant stake in the state-controlled company.

In its strategy for the TAROM national air carrier, the Transport Ministry aims either to turn private some of the airline or enter cooperation with a big company, Transport Minister Ioan Rus told the Romanian Senate's Transport Committee on Tuesday, adding that negotiations are underway with the Economy Ministry to take over the Romaero air services provider.

AGERPRES correspondent Doroteea Purcarea reports: Prime Minister Victor Ponta met the CEO of Qatar Airways on Sunday, and subsequently announced he submitted a call for investments in a package comprising the Otopeni Airport near Bucharest and the Romanian airline TAROM.

Photo credit: (c) Liviu SOVA / AGERPRES PHOTO

TAROM is launching today its Dragobete [Romania's love-celebrating holiday, marked on Feb. 24] offer by selling tickets with a starting price of 99 euros for round trips, with all charges included, according to an airline's release.

Photo credit: (c) Alex Tudor / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

A TAROM flight between Bucharest and Amman returned on Sunday to Bucharest with no passengers aboard due to the crew exceeding the legal rest time after the flight was diverted due to unfavorable conditions in the Jordanian capital.

Photo credit: (c) Adrian CUBA / AGERPRES PHOTO

By Alexandra Kassimi

Aegean Airlines celebrated the first anniversary of its merger with Olympic Air, announcing that the two carriers’ international traffic has grown by 493,000 passengers year-on-year to reach 4.7 million, while domestic traffic has gone up by 652,000 passengers to 5.1 million.

Fares to all destinations have fallen by an average 34 percent.

Transport Minister Ioan Rus convened the leadership of TAROM national airline and the representatives of its trade union at the headquarters of the ministry on Tuesday with a view to unblocking the situation that led to the delay or cancellation of flights in the last two days.

TAROM Airlines, in a release to AGERPRES on Thursday, informed that it is going to introduce an additional number of flights, during the 2014-2015 winter season, on four of its already existing routes.

Thus, the Bucharest-Rome-Bucharest route will have two extra flights added, reaching thus to six weekly flights.

Romania will set up its own stand at the 39th edition of the Khutsot Hayotser Jerusalem International Arts and Crafts Fair, to be hosted by Jerusalem, August 11-23, in the tourist area near the Old City, the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) in Tel Aviv reported on Friday.