IHG Hotels & Resorts announced the signing of Crowne Plaza Madinah Al Haramain, a 383-key hotel in partnership with Arbah Tayba Real Estate Company. Slated to open in 2026, the hotel will be managed by IHG and will further strengthen the company’s premium portfolio in one of Saudi Arabia’s most significant religious and cultural destinations. Located opposite the new Haramain high-speed railway station in Madinah, the hotel will offer direct access to the station via an underground tunnel, providing guests with effortless connectivity to major cities including Jeddah and Makkah. Crowne Plaza Madinah Al Haramain is part of a larger mixed-use development and in proximity to other upcoming key projects such as Knowledge Economic City and Rua Al Madinah, making it an ideal choice for travellers seeking convenience, comfort, and modern amenities just outside the bustling city centre. Upon completion, the hotel will feature 383 well-appointed rooms and suites, along with two signature food and beverage outlets. Its design and services will reflect Crowne Plaza’s premium identity, prioritising seamless integration between work and leisure for today’s modern traveller. Haitham Mattar, Managing Director, IHG Hotels & Resorts, India, Middle East and Africa, commented: “As the Kingdom continues to enhance its tourism and hospitality offering in line with Vision 2030, we remain committed to bringing world-class experiences and trusted brands to Saudi guests and global travellers. This partnership with Arbah Tayba Real Estate Company to introduce Crowne Plaza Madinah Al Haramain is the latest milestone in our growing Saudi portfolio and further underlines our commitment to the Kingdom.” He added: “Our Crowne Plaza brand crafts experiences that suit every journey, inspiring connection, collaboration, and well-being of our guests. It perfectly suits the broad …

Emirates is set to operate a third daily service to Dublin this winter starting from 26 October 2025. The world’s largest international airline will offer customers more travel choices to Dubai and beyond, as well as increased cargo capacity to/from Dublin. Emirates flight EK165 will depart Dubai at 02:10hrs and arrive in Dublin at 06:25hrs, local time. The return flight, EK166, will depart Dublin at 08:25hrs and arrive in Dubai at 20:00hrs local time. The additional flight will provide Irish travellers with an early morning departure option, complementing the existing afternoon and evening departures offered by the airline’s double daily service to the country. The third daily flight will operate utilising a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft set in a three-class configuration, offering customers 8 private suites in First Class, 42 lie flat seats in Business Class and 304 spacious seats in Economy Class. The added service will also provide travellers with enhanced connectivity to popular destinations across Emirates’ network including Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok. Last month, the airline officially introduced its newly retrofitted Boeing 777 on the Dubai to Dublin route, offering Irish passengers an upgraded experience with its four-class configuration, featuring its award-winning Premium Economy cabin and latest Business Class experience. The airline has also announced it will deploy its second refurbished Boeing 777 to Dublin starting from 16 October. Customers travelling with Emirates can look forward to the warm hospitality of the airline’s multinational crew, regionally inspired meals, and award-winning inflight entertainment system – ice – offering up to 6,500 channels of the best movies, TV shows, podcasts and more. Premium passengers will also experience an essence of Ireland onboard with VOYA bathroom amenities, Keogh’s Crisps and Killowen yogurt. …

Etihad Airways marked the launch of its inaugural flight to Al Alamein (DBB), adding the Egyptian coastal city to its list of seasonal summer destinations. This new direct service brings travellers closer to one of the Mediterranean’s most alluring seaside destinations, with twice-weekly flights from Abu Dhabi to Al Alamein. The conveniently timed flights operate on Thursdays and Sundays enabling a quick weekend getaway or longer break away. Nestled along the Mediterranean and within reach of Alexandria, Al Alamein is a hidden gem, poised to become a major leisure destination for travellers from the UAE, the wider Gulf region, and beyond. Its unique blend of seaside luxury, scenic shoreline, and upscale retreats make it an ideal location for leisure travellers seeking relaxing beach holidays and rejuvenating getaways. “The launch of Al Alamein reflects our strategic focus on expanding Etihad’s network to serve high-demand seasonal routes,” said Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer at Etihad Airways. “As leisure travel continues to grow, destinations like Al Alamein offer tremendous appeal for our guests seeking premium summer experiences. This new connection supports our broader commitment to offering more choice and flexibility across our rapidly growing network.” The new service will be operated by Etihad’s Airbus A320 aircraft, featuring eight Business seats and 150 Economy seats, combining comfort, convenience, and the airline’s renowned hospitality.

Boeing and Gulf Air have announced an agreement for the purchase of 12 787 Dreamliner jets with options for six more as the Bahrain-based airline looks to further develop its international network. Once finalized, this order will bring the carrier’s firm order book to 14 of the versatile widebody jets and will support 30,000 jobs across the U.S. Bahrain Minister of Finance and National Economy Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick joined Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stephanie Pope and Gulf Air Group Chairman Khalid Taqi to witness the signing. “This agreement marks a transformative step in Gulf Air’s strategic growth journey as we expand our global footprint and modernize our fleet with one of the industry’s most advanced and efficient aircraft,” said Khalid Taqi, chairman of Gulf Air Group. “The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has proven to be an exceptional aircraft for our long-haul operations, and this new order reflects our confidence in its performance, passenger appeal and contribution to our sustainability goals. We are proud to deepen our partnership with Boeing and reaffirm our commitment to positioning Bahrain as a key global aviation hub.” The 787 Dreamliner, recognized for its fuel efficiency, range and passenger experience, already serves as the backbone of Gulf Air’s long-haul operations connecting over 50 destinations. With 10 787 airplanes in service, the airline is well-positioned to grow its network, serving new and existing markets across Asia, Europe and the U.S. “We are excited to build on our more than 60-year partnership with Gulf Air as we deliver the market-leading 787 Dreamliner to help the airline serve more passengers and connect more destinations,” said Stephanie Pope, president and CEO …

The initiative brought together 120 key business partners and travel professionals at a major event in Lagos, attended by more than 100 guests, followed by an exclusive Business Networking luncheon in Abuja, which hosted 20 senior tourism stakeholders.  These events aim to highlight Qatar’s unique tourism potential, enhance opportunities for business-to-business collaboration, and establish Qatar as a preferred leisure tourism destination in the region. Through these activities, Visit Qatar and its partners seek to identify collaborations with partner tour operators and travel companies, promote Qatar’s key tourist attractions, hospitality infrastructure, and stopover packages, and connect travel agents from Nigeria with destination management companies, hotels and suppliers in Qatar, paving the way for fruitful future collaboration. By highlighting Qatar’s global experiences and accessibility across Qatar Airways’ extensive network, the roadshow underscores Qatar’s commitment to enhancing the tourism potential of the Nigerian market and strengthening trade ties with the West African region.

Saudi Arabia ranked first globally in growth of international tourism receipts in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the first quarter of 2019, according to the World Tourism Barometer published by UN Tourism. As outlined in the report, the Kingdom placed third worldwide in growth of international tourist arrivals and second in the Middle East, in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2019. During the first quarter of 2025, the Kingdom recorded a remarkable 102% increase in international tourist arrivals compared with the same period in 2019—far exceeding the global average of 3% and the Middle East average of 44%. This outstanding growth underscores Saudi Arabia’s position as a key player in both regional and global tourism and underlines the Kingdom’s unwavering commitment to advance the sector and realize its objectives set in Saudi Vision 2030.

Ethiopian Airlines launched its new daily passenger service connecting Addis Ababa with Abu Dhabi. The inaugural flight marks a significant milestone in Ethiopian Airlines’ efforts to strengthen its presence in the Middle East and Gulf region. Speaking at the ceremony, Mesfin Tasew, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, stated, “The launch of our new service to Abu Dhabi reflects Ethiopian Airlines’ strategic commitment to connecting Africa with the world. Through our collaboration with Etihad Airways, we are creating more opportunities for trade, investment, and tourism between our nations while offering our passengers expanded choice and convenience. This partnership is a powerful example of what can be achieved when two national carriers come together to unlock mutual growth.” This new daily service to Abu Dhabi expands Ethiopian Airlines’ already extensive operations in the Gulf region. The airline currently operates over 100 weekly passenger flights to 13 destinations across the Middle East and Gulf. In June 2025, Ethiopian also launched a new four-times-weekly passenger service to Sharjah. With the Addition of Abu Dhabi, Ethiopian now operates flight to/from four airports in three cities in the UAE: Dubai, Dubai International Airport DXB & Al Maktoum International Airport DWC (cargo), Sharjah, now Abu Dhabi, the futuristic Zayed International Airport. This new route is part of a landmark joint venture agreement between Ethiopian Airlines and Etihad Airways, designed to foster closer cooperation between the two carriers. The agreement supports joint development and expansion of routes between Ethiopia and the UAE and strengthens connectivity across their respective global networks. Ethiopian Airlines continues to fulfill its mission to bring Africa closer to the world through superior connectivity, service excellence, and strategic partnerships.

Turkish Airlines signed a comprehensive codeshare agreement with South Africa-based Airlink to strengthen its presence on the African continent. The agreement, which will take effect on 1 August 2025, was signed at a ceremony held at Airlink’s Head Office in Johannesburg, with the participation of senior executives from both companies. This strategic collaboration will significantly expand guests’ travel options by integrating Turkish Airlines’ unparalleled global network with Airlink’s extensive domestic and regional routes across South Africa and its region. The partnership enables seamless multi-sector travel on a single ticket, offering greater convenience and flexibility for international and regional travelers. Under the new agreement, Turkish Airlines will place its “TK” flight code on Airlink-operated flights, allowing smooth connections from Turkish Airlines’ services into Cape Town and Johannesburg to a wide range of South African and regional destinations. Commenting on the agreement Turkish Airlines Chief Investment & Strategy Officer Levent Konukcu stated; “As Turkish Airlines, we give importance to this cooperation with Airlink so as to enhance our connectivity in South Africa and the region. We aim to improve our partnership to maximize the travel opportunities offered to our guests. We believe that this partnership will not only bring benefits to both carriers from a commercial perspective but also improve the cultural and tourism relations between the two countries.” Airlink CEO de Villiers Engelbrecht said: ”This collaboration with Turkish Airlines represents a significant opportunity to deepen ties between the two airlines. The agreement is a further endorsement of Airlink’s brand, while for our respective customers, it means more convenient travel options, with world-class service and easier access to destinations across our combined and extensive route networks.” With this collaboration, Turkish Airlines will not only …

According to Cirium flyadeal was number one in the Middle East and Africa category. Cirium’s June data also showed flyadeal recorded a 99.2 per cent completion rate meaning minimal cancellations throughout the month. With sister airline Saudia topping the global airlines category at 91.33 per cent – the top 10 per cent of all passenger airlines by capacity – flyadeal emerged as the most punctual overall when considering all carriers published in Cirium’s June 2025 report. OTP measures flight punctuality within 15 minutes of scheduled arrivals. Almost eight years old, flyadeal operates more than 200 scheduled flights a day from three bases in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Steven Greenway, flyadeal Chief Executive Officer, said: “In September last year flyadeal secured Number 1 status as the world’s best for operational performance. Today we are celebrating again being the world’s most punctual airline based on all airlines in Cirium’s monthly data. This is an incredible achievement as we’ve continued to grow capacity, the number of passengers flown and introduced new domestic and international routes. “With this comes the need for consistency. Every month since the beginning of the year, flyadeal has maintained great consistency being the number one low-cost airline for punctuality in the Middle East that demonstrates our continued focus on safe and reliable operations. “As we celebrate Saudia topping the global airlines category, in June, our OTP was the adjudged the best among all airlines in the Middle East and Africa in what was one of the busiest months of the year operating scheduled flights and Hajj charters. Congratulations go to flyadeal colleagues and our airport partners across the network for their dedication and commitment to maintain our operations at …

SAUDIA has taken a step forward in its digital transformation journey by moving to more guest-centric operations by translating traditional booking records (PNRs) and electronic tickets into Orders. This paves the way for a more personalized and smooth travel experience. An Order is a single, dynamic record of everything the traveler has purchased for their journey. It provides a real-time, consolidated view of all services, enabling the airline to better serve the traveler at every touchpoint – from booking and payment to fulfillment and servicing. By adopting Order capabilities, SAUDIA is fast-tracking its ability to deliver more flexible offers, tailor-made pricing, and fully digital servicing. This transformation marks a foundational step in the airline’s broader ambition to redefine guest experience and operational agility through data-driven retailing. The milestone was achieved using Amadeus’ smart bridging capabilities, which translate traditional records from SAUDIA’s existing Amadeus Altéa Passenger Service System (PSS) into single order records in its new Amadeus Nevio environment. Performing Smart bridging means SAUDIA can begin to operate with orders, accelerating the benefits of the airline retailing transformation in the new Amadeus Nevio environment for its guests while ensuring business continuity with existing traditional infrastructure. “SAUDIA is committed to delivering the highest standard of guest experience and technology innovation is crucial to this objective. Moving to single Orders means we can gain a better understanding of our guests, what they’ve purchased from us, and our partners across the entire journey. Orders are the foundation for a more connected travel experience.” Arved von zur Muehlen, Chief Commercial Officer, SAUDIA, “SAUDIA is one of the airlines leading the industry with its ambitious transformation program. Moving to Orders with smart bridging is an important milestone that …