Wizz Air Abu Dhabi announced that it will base two state-of-the-art brand new Airbus A321neo aircraft and start six highly anticipated routes from Abu Dhabi on 1 October 1, 2020. The joint-venture established between ADQ, one of the region’s largest holding companies, and Wizz Air Holdings Plc, has just received national carrier status from the UAE government subject to meeting regulatory standards prior to starting operations. József Váradi, Chairman of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and CEO of Wizz Air Group said, “This announcement is the first step of a long and much awaited journey as we are dedicated to developing our presence in Abu Dhabi, contributing to Abu Dhabi’s economic diversity strategy while offering ever more affordable travel opportunities on our low fare network. We much appreciate the support we have been given by the government, its affiliated organizations and our local business partners in Abu Dhabi. He added, “Our state-of-the-art Airbus A321neo aircraft, as well as our enhanced protective measures will ensure the best possible sanitary conditions for travellers. Wizz Air is the lowest cost producer operating the youngest and economically most efficient fleet of aircraft with the lowest environmental footprint.” Shareef Al Hashmi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, commented, “With the addition of the new airline, the number of destinations and connections passengers are able to access through Abu Dhabi continues to grow, demonstrating our commitment to enhancing our network and placing our customers first.” “In addition to implementing comprehensive health and safety measures across our airports, we have made a series of strategic investments to ensure our facilities and services make Abu Dhabi International Airport an optimal regional gateway for airlines from across the world,” he concluded.

Dubai has launched its third stimulus package to ease the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on businesses. Worth AED1.5 billion, the new package raises the value of business incentives introduced by the emirate’s government in the past few months to AED6.3 billion; under the directives of Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The first stimulus package announced by the Dubai government was worth AED1.5 billion while the second was worth AED3.3 billion. Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum emphasised the Government of Dubai’s commitment to continue supporting all economic sectors in overcoming the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our economy is strong, has a stable foundation and has shown high resilience to crises, all of which enable us to effectively navigate any global challenge. We stand together with the private sector to overcome the impact of the pandemic. We are keen to help businesses renew their growth momentum as soon as possible,” HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said. “SMEs constitute a highly strategic sector and are a major contributor to the emirate’s GDP. Supporting this sector in tiding over the current challenges is vital to accelerate our progress towards a diversified knowledge-based economy,” HH Sheikh Hamdan added.

Etihad Airways has partnered with Travelfusion as it continues its New Distribution Capability (NDC) strategy launched earlier this year. The venture will provide access for travel agents and corporate clients to Etihad’s content and enhance the sales distribution of tickets and ancillaries. Travelfusion will make use of the airline’s International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) certified NDC platform to provide all relevant booking information such as cabin details, fare rules, baggage allowances, as well as access to book flights. Dieter Westermann, Vice President Revenue Management, Etihad Airways, said, “The adoption of NDC is a major milestone and partnering with Travelfusion gives us the ability to connect with new-age travel technology companies, as well as forge stronger relationships with travel agents and corporate clients. Connecting through Travelfusion benefits the travel trade and reduces the investment required to build an independent IT system.” Moshe Rafiah, CEO, Travelfusion, said, “Travelfusion has been a pioneer in NDC since the birth of the programme and we are very pleased with the opportunity to bring our experience to bear in working with Etihad Airways in this exciting new dimension in their distribution strategy.”

flydubai landed in Kyiv’s Boryspil International Airport (KBP) on July 8, marking the start of scheduled services following the lifting of flight restrictions that were implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. flydubai flight FZ 727 departed from Terminal 2, Dubai International (DXB) at 09:20 and landed in Kyiv’s Boryspil (KBP) at 14:10 where it was welcomed by officials from the airport. Onboard the aircraft were 12 Business Class passengers and 155 Economy Class passengers. Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations for flydubai, said, “we would like to thank the authorities and members of the travel industry for their involvement in supporting the resumption of our scheduled flights to Kyiv. These combined efforts have enabled Kyiv to be one of the first destinations to open on our network and we look forward to bringing more passengers to Ukraine.” flydubai’s passenger experience has been redesigned to enable travel in a safe environment that minimises crew and passenger contact, and every passenger will receive a complimentary snack or meal onboard. During a flight, air is exchanged in the cabin every two to three minutes and is sterile when it enters the cabin after passing through high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. flydubai’s aircraft are disinfected every day with manufacturer-certified cleaning products.From 07 July, Dubai is ready to receive visitors and has implemented stringent public health and safety measures to ensure that visitors feel safe when they arrive. Efendi added, “We have been hard at work to redesign our passenger journey in order to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19, and these efforts are to ensure that visitors feel safe when they arrive in Dubai. To realise the benefits of travel, flydubai …

Ramada Hotel & Suites by Wyndham Dubai JBR announces that it is now a CovidClean certified hotel, after completing and passing an on-site audit by Safehotels. Major protocols that the hotel have in place include: thorough and regular disinfection of all rooms and public areas, placement of safety signages and sanitizers for guests’ use, limited seating capacity in restaurants, temperature check of guests and staff, and wearing of personal protective equipment based on the associates’ tasks, to name a few. Binu Varghese, Hotel Manager, commented, “Our priority has always been the health, safety and wellbeing of our guests and employees. Facing the new normal, we have partnered with a company that is trusted by the hospitality and travel industry to provide peace of mind to our guests during the entire duration of their stay.” The certification, which is valid for a year, is in accordance with the CovidClean Standard of Safehotels Alliance AB. Based in Sweden, SafeHotels is the world’s leading hotel safety and security certification company.

Dubai Airports welcomed the resumption of scheduled operations by foreign carriers at Dubai International (DXB). A total of 13 international airlines resumed scheduled flights this week as Dubai opened its skies and arms to tourists effective July 7. Airlines resuming operations at DXB include Air Blue, Air France, Cebu Pacific, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, Gulf Air, KLM, Lufthansa, Mahan Air, Middle East Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines, Philippine Airlines and Royal Jordanian with more expected to join later. In addition to foreign carriers, DXB-based Emirates airline and flydubai have boosted their schedules. “We have ensured everything is in place to welcome airlines from around the world back to Dubai as a growing number of bilateral agreements between countries conclude to facilitate the opening of borders and the gradual return of traffic,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. “Our ability to resume passenger operations has been enabled by the significant and early steps the UAE government took to tackle the threat of the spread of the virus, together with the robust health and safety measures in place at DXB, and the excellent advanced healthcare services available here in Dubai. We remain in close discussions with government officials and airlines to support the resumption of additional services as approvals are granted in the weeks and months ahead. The message is that we are ready to welcome visitors back to Dubai and we will do our utmost to take care of them whilst they are here” As services resume passengers are being advised to always confirm their terminal of departure and arrival with their airline prior to coming to the airport as some carriers may have temporarily changed terminals.

The Travel Corporation (TTC) has announced an industry first with a new innovative initiative, adding to its comprehensive, new wellbeing and hygiene measures for every guest and team member. Fully appreciating clients’ understandable concerns in this new post COVID-19 world of travelling, TTC is investing in a newly conceived, dedicated Wellbeing Director (WD) position who will be present on every Trafalgar, Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold guided holiday (excluding Australia and New Zealand) beginning with the launch of its immersive domestic trips this year. The addition of a dedicated Wellbeing Director on every trip (excluding Australia and New Zealand) will help ensure adherence to all standards and that guests can remain up-to-date with the latest guidelines and recommendations. Working alongside an expert Travel Director and professionally trained Driver, who will also be aligned with all new protocols, travellers will have the added reassurance and confidence to explore amazing destinations again. The WD’s will be with clients from the first day and throughout their entire journey to ensure all hygiene and physical distancing measures are implemented every step of the way. “As we shift to this new normal and as part of TTC’s commitment to provide each guest a greater sense of comfort and care when they travel with us, we have added the support of a specially trained Wellbeing Director on every guided holiday,” said Brett Tollman, Chief Executive of The Travel Corporation. “During our first 100th anniversary, the inception of our Wellbeing Directors is a reflection of our family legacy and company ethos, “Driven by Service” and is an initiative that came directly from our Chairman,” he concluded.

Etihad Airways has announced a codeshare agreement with Abu Dhabi’s first low-cost airline, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi. Etihad will place its ‘EY’ code on Air Arabia Abu Dhabi’s inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi to the Egyptian city of Alexandria on July 14, followed by the Nile city of Sohag the next day. The new agreement enables guests to book Etihad flights in conjunction with Air Arabia Abu Dhabi services, connecting its global route network beyond the UAE capital to new airline’s routes. Etihad plans to add further codeshare destinations to the partnership scope as more Air Arabia Abu Dhabi destinations are announced in the coming weeks. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi was formed following an agreement by Etihad Airways and Air Arabia to establish an independent joint venture company that will operate as a low-cost passenger airline with Abu Dhabi International Airport as its hub. The airline will start its operations with two Airbus A320 aircraft based at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

flydubai has begun welcoming tourists to Dubai following the lifting of flight restrictions that were put in place in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 8, flydubai flight FZ 728 from Kiev’s Boryspil International Airport (KBP) arrived at Terminal 2, Dubai International (DXB) at 21:45. Onboard the flight were 07 Business Class passengers and 159 Economy Class passengers who were welcomed on arrival from representatives from the airline, Dubai Airports, Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) and other key stakeholders. Amongst the passengers were 25 tourists who chose Dubai as their first holiday destination. Hamad Obaidalla, Chief Commercial Officer of flydubai, said, “As more airports around our network begin to lift flight restrictions, we look forward to seeing our network grow to 66 destinations over the summer period. We have been hard at work to redesign our passenger journey in order to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19. These efforts are aligned to the stringent public health and safety measures that are in place to ensure that visitors feel safe when they arrive in Dubai.” Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), said, “The overall destination experience is our top-most priority, and together with flydubai, are ensuring that the health and safety of visitors is present at every step of the travel process. As Dubai continues to feature as a must-visit destination, we want to assure our visitors that the city is safe and we are very excited to welcome international visitors back.” “All of the staff at Dubai Airports have been eagerly awaiting the restart of operations of our home-based airlines and therefore it is a welcome milestone to see people coming back …

As Dubai reopened the city to international tourists on July 7, the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) marked the moment by launching its latest digital activation #Ready When You Are. The short video is the third in a series of global digital campaigns launched by Dubai Tourism amid the pandemic to ensure that the city continues to stay front of mind among travellers and to encourage them to make Dubai their must-visit destination. The first campaign was titled #Till We Meet Again, followed by the #We Will See You Soon digital activation. In the wee hours of July 7, Dubai gave a warm welcome to the first international visitors to arrive in the city after a lull in inbound travel. Wearing masks and adhering to social distancing measures, the passengers including families from different nationalities were greeted on arrival by Dubai International Airport staff, who gave them welcome kits containing mementoes provided by Dubai Tourism as a token of appreciation for choosing Dubai as their safe destination of choice. Dubai has deployed strong precautionary measures across various sectors throughout the city, as part of its ‘Tourism Readiness’ strategy to reassure travellers and ensure the safety of visitors at every touchpoint of their journey from arrival to departure from the city. The reopening of the city to tourists follows the successful management of the pandemic, guided by the vision and wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and based on the follow up by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council …