Category Archives: Aviation

Singapore Tourism Board (STB) announced a new initiative to reimagine travel for Singapore and the rest of the world, by sparking conversations, stories and ideas to collectively shape the future of our sector.Called SingapoReimagine, this platform will kick off with ‘Reimagine Travel – Global Conversations’, a series of forums around the world to catalyse discussions on how to reshape global travel. For a start, STB will share our learnings on how the public and private sectors have come together to create new possibilities for our visitors. As part of the forums, global partners will be invited to share knowledge and exchange ideas, with the first one in Singapore this year before being hosted in other parts of the world. Closer to home, STB will also roll out “Reimagine Travel in Singapore”, a series of engagements with passionate members of the local community and tourism partners to co-create ideas and spur the renewal of Singapore tourism. This complements the SingapoRediscovers domestic campaign , which encourages locals to rediscover and reconnect with Singapore’s hidden gems and experiences. Keith Tan, Chief Executive, STB said, “COVID-19 is the biggest crisis we have ever faced in travel and tourism. But it also offers us an opportunity to reset and revive our industries in ways that we never imagined was possible a year ago. The journey to reimagine travel has already started in Singapore, and we want to continue this journey with those whose voices matter – our community in Singapore, and our partners here and around the world. We look forward to co-creating ideas and strategies with all of them, to make travel better.”

Lufthansa Group airlines and Sabre Corporation announced a new, mutually flexible distribution agreement that enables modern airline retailing as well as technology innovation. Under the agreement, which covers the carriers Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, Air Dolomiti and Brussels Airlines, Sabre will continue to distribute Lufthansa Group airlines’ content through traditional connectivity to hundreds of thousands of travel agents and thousands of corporations through its global distribution system (GDS). In addition, the agreement enables the distribution of Lufthansa Group airlines’ content via the New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard in the Sabre travel marketplace. “Our agreement with Sabre is a landmark deal for airline distribution. I am very excited to shape our joint path towards modern airline retailing and innovate by introducing a diversified NDC program with associated commercial models, – enabling agencies to agree bilaterally on NDC with Lufthansa Group airlines”, says Tamur Goudarzi Pour, Senior Vice President Revenue Management and Distribution Lufthansa Group Network Airlines and Chief Commercial Officer SWISS. “Sabre and Lufthansa Group airlines share an ambition to innovate at the forefront of our industry. Through this new level of flexibility, we jointly enable a diverse distribution ecosystem, extend the reach of NDC and allow for differentiated commercial models. With this customer-oriented agreement, Sabre and the Lufthansa Group airlines team up to put the interests of our travel agency partners and our joint clients at center stage.” “Today maybe more than ever, we are looking to engage creatively with our airline and agency partners to deliver outcomes that provide added value to all players in the travel ecosystem,” says Dave Shirk, President, Sabre Travel Solutions. “Sabre is committed to finding flexible, sustainable solutions that address traveler expectations, deliver against …

Qatar Airways resumed flights to Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a daily service. QR1164 from Hamad International Airport to King Khalid International Airport took off in Doha at 13:45 local time and landed safely at its destination at 15:10. The flight was operated by Qatar Airways’ Airbus A350-1000. Later this week, Qatar Airways will resume flights to Jeddah on Friday January 15 (QR1188 departing DOH at 18:50) and to Dammam on Saturday January 16 (QR 1150 departing Doha at 17:10). Passengers from KSA can once again enjoy the award-winning Qsuite, featuring sliding privacy doors and the option to use a ‘Do Not Disturb (DND)’ indicator. The Qsuite seat layout is a 1-2-1 configuration, providing passengers with one of the most spacious, fully private, comfortable, and socially distanced products in the sky. The national carrier of the State of Qatar continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 110 destinations with plans to increase to over 125 by the end of March 2021. A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by Skytrax. It is the only airline to have been awarded the coveted ‘Skytrax Airline of the Year’ title, which is recognised as the pinnacle of excellence in the airline industry, five times.

Oman Air is adding flights connecting Muscat with 25 cities including Doha, Dubai and London. Flights are added starting early January 2021. Flights connecting Muscat and Doha will also increase from 2 to 4 per week. Flights connecting Muscat and Dubai will increase from 3 to 5 flights per week. Flights connecting Muscat and London will increase from 2 to 3 flights per week. Additionally, flights will be added to and from Muscat to Mumbai, Cairo, Kochi, Delhi, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Lahore and Chennai. Oman Air will continue to maintain its comprehensive safety program throughout all elements of the travel journey to ensure that guests fly confidently. Masks are required when guests are on board the aircraft and in Oman’s airports. Distancing is maintained while guests board and exit the aircraft, which are carefully cleaned after each flight and at the end of every day. Cabin crew all wear a full set of personal protective equipment, meal service has been modified to further ensure safety and a number of other steps have been taken to ensure that the airline’s guests and crew are safe at all times.

Pegasus Airlines announced commencement of Muscat (MCT) – Istanbul Sabiha (SAW) v.v., to thrice a week operations effective Monday January 18, 2021. One way fare starts from AED520/-including all taxes and 20kg check-in baggage + 01 piece hand luggage allowance.Round trip fares start from AED1000/- including all taxes and 20kg check-in baggage + 01 piece hand luggage allowance.

Vistara Airlines will begin daily flights from the Sharjah International Airport to Delhi from January 20, 2021. Special fares are available for Economy, Premium Economy and Business class with special free baggage allowances from 30kg to 40kg check-in baggage and from 7kg to 12kg for hand baggage. Travellers can book in now and fly between January 20 and March 27, 2021. Bookings can be made via all GDS, travel agents or the Vistara website.

Emirates announced it will resume non-stop services to Seattle (from 1st February), Dallas and San Francisco (from 2nd March), offering its customers seamless connectivity via Dubai to and from popular destinations in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.The addition of these three destinations will take Emirates’ North American network to 10 destinations following the resumption of services to Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Toronto and Washington DC. Flights to/from San Francisco will operate four times weekly on Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER while flights to/from Seattle (operating four times weekly) and Dallas (three times weekly) will be operated with the two-class Boeing 777-200LR, offering 38 lie-flat seats in Business and 264 ergonomically designed seats in Economy class. The airline will also be providing its customers more options and choice with additional flights to New York , Los Angeles and São Paulo. Effective 1st February, Emirates will be operating double daily flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and a daily flight to Los Angeles (LAX). Emirates customers also have seamless access to other US cities via the airline’s codeshare agreements with Jetblue and Alaskan Airlines. In South America, Emirates will be introducing a fifth weekly flight to São Paulo (from February 5th), offering customers in Brazil even more travel options with greater access to its expanding network. Beyond São Paulo, Emirates customers can enjoy seamless connectivity and access to 24 other cities in Brazil via the airline’s codeshare partnership with GOL and its interline agreements with Azul and LATAM.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is inviting UAE residents to kick off the New Year in style with an exclusive one-time offer of 2,021 tickets to Greece for an ultra, ultra low fare of only AED 1. The 2,021 tickets include all seats on the airline’s inaugural flight to Athens on 15 January. The remaining New Year offer fares are AED 1 tickets for each one way ticket and are on a first-come-first-serve basis across a range of the airline’s flights to Athens and Thessaloniki. Kees Van Schaick, Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, said, “As the UAE’s new national airline, offering a new type of air travel, we are welcoming the New Year in style. As an ultra-low fare airline, we want to provide travellers with the opportunity to visit exciting destinations for super accessible prices. We expect these tickets to sell out fast – looking forward to seeing you on board soon!”

Emirates is making travel to Dubai even sweeter in 2021 with the return of My Emirates Pass – an exclusive offer that turns the Emirates boarding pass into a membership card giving customers deals and discounts in over 450 restaurants, leisure destinations and retail outlets across UAE. The pass has been extended this year giving customers even more chances to explore UAE for less. Emirates’ customers flying to and through Dubai from 1 January to 30 September 2021 can take advantage of the exclusive offers by simply presenting their Emirates boarding pass and a valid form of identification at any of the participating outlets. Travellers can explore all that the UAE has to offer; from family-friendly activities to shopping sprees and world class dining options. My Emirates Pass gives customers up to 50% off in over 300 restaurants across the country and in over 35 spas in world-class hotels. The Emirates boarding pass also unlocks offers at many tourist attractions including Atlantis Aquaventure and At the Top BurjKhalifa. The full list of participating outlets can be found here: emirates.com/myemiratespass. Emirates’ hub Dubai is open for business, fun and tourism and visitors will be spoilt for choice in the family-friendly city with its year-round sunshine, iconic landmarks, and a culinary scene to suit every taste.  

Oman Air will operate five weekly flights to Dubai. Flights to and from Dubai are operating on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday. Oman Air will maintain its comprehensive safety program throughout all elements of the travel journey to ensure that guests fly confidently. Masks are required when guests are on board the aircraft and in Oman airports. Distancing is maintained while guests board and exit the aircraft, which are carefully cleaned after each flight and at the end of every day. Cabin crew all wear a full set of personal protective equipment, meal service has been modified to increase safety and a number of other steps have been taken to ensure that the airline's guests and crew are safe at all times. Guests who are planning to depart from Oman should ensure that they are aware of all pre-departure requirements, which are provided at omanair.com, as well as the requirements at their destinations.