Category Archives: Aviation

Cathay Pacific will resume non-stop weekly flights between Dubai and Hong Kong from Friday, 21 May 2021. Flights will operate from Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport. The service will provide UAE residents and visitors with convenient access to Hong Kong and onward connections across the carrier’s Asian network including Philippines, Indonesia, Chinese mainland, Japan and more. Cathay Pacific will deploy the Airbus A330-300 on the route, configured with a two-class cabin that features the airline’s award-winning fully-flat bed business class seats that include privacy partitions, adjustable lighting, expansive tables, power outlets and one-click sitting and sleeping settings. “Dubai has been an important route for us for more than four decades and we are extremely excited to be resuming our operations from here. We look forward to welcoming travellers from the region who will once again be able to experience our warm, thoughtful service, together with our traditional Asian hospitality. Our customers can now fly confidently with Cathay Care, our commitment towards the wellbeing of our passengers, as we endeavour to provide a safe, secure and comfortable travel experience throughout their journey.” said Vishnu Rajendran, Area Manager – Middle East, Cathay Pacific. “The resumption of this strategic route taps into the resurgent travel demand and underlines our ongoing efforts to recover our business from the impact of the pandemic. It will also provide for additional cargo space to support our scheduled freighters that have been operating through these times,” he added.

Dubai International (DXB) ended the first quarter of the year on a relatively positive note, registering a gradual but steady recovery in both customer numbers and cargo volumes. By the end of Q1 2021, DXB served 63% of the destinations in 89% of the countries on 74% of the airlines compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic. Boosted by passenger numbers breaching the 2 million mark in March, DXB’s passenger volumes for the first quarter this year reached 5.75 million. This translates to a contraction of 67.8% compared to Q1 of 2020, which was largely unaffected by the pandemic-related suspension of operations by airlines and airports worldwide towards the end of March. India, which is traditionally a strong market for the UAE, retained its position as DXB’s top destination country with traffic for Q1 reaching 1,384,448 – propelled by top city destinations New Delhi and Mumbai. Pakistan was placed second with 454,294 customers, followed by Bangladesh (221,027 customers) and Russia (196,890 customers). Other destination countries of note include Egypt and Turkey. The top three cities were New Delhi (262,035 customers), Dhaka (178,593) closely followed by Addis Ababa (169,715 customers). Commenting on DXB’s Q1 performance, Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports said, “Whilst passenger numbers for the first quarter remained significantly below the monthly volumes we handled before March 2020, in the context of the current global situation they are very encouraging and reflect the consolidation phase in our business recovery. Despite the ongoing challenges to air travel as the world continues to battle against the impact of the global pandemic, as an important hub, DXB will continue to play its role of enabling mobility and connectivity and contribute to the much …

Oman Air has extended its complimentary COVID-19 coverage until 31 December 2021. The complimentary coverage is for expenses incurred by medical treatment or quarantine related to the COVID-19 virus, and applies to tickets issued for travel after 1 October 2020 until 31 December 2021. The coverage is provided to guests who purchase tickets on omanair.com, through the airline’s Call Centre, at Oman Air’s offices or through travel agents after 1st October 2020, and is part of the airline’s expansive efforts to ensure that guests are safe at all times so they can fly confidently. Details are available at omanair.com. The coverage now includes Oman resident cardholders (expats) who are required to present medical coverage for their destination and return to Oman, if travel is completed within 31 days. Omani and GCC nationals do not require Covid-19 insurance, as per the directive issued by Oman’s Supreme Committee for COVID-19 safety. Oman Air will maintain its comprehensive safety program throughout all elements of the travel journey. 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. Guests who are planning to travel to Muscat should visit the Civil Aviation Authority website, caa.gov.om, to ensure they are prepared to comply with requirements to enter the Sultanate. Guests departing from Oman should also ensure …

Etihad Airways has launched a sale on fares to Greece, as travellers from the UAE are not required to quarantine on arrival. Fly from Abu Dhabi to Athens in Economy for just AED 995 return or AED 9,995 in Business. Fares are valid until 3 May 2021 for travel until 20 November 2021. Etihad operates twice a week to Athens with convenient departures on Thursday’s and Saturday’s, with the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner offering Business, Economy and Economy Space options. Whether travellers are staying in Athens to explore archaeological sites or connecting to the beautiful white-sand beaches of the Greek Islands, restaurants, beaches and entertainment venues are open for visitors to enjoy the ultimate break. Flying to, from, and via Abu Dhabi is supported by the airline’s fully redesigned sanitisation and safety programme, Etihad Wellness, which ensures the highest standards of hygiene are maintained at every stage of the customer journey. This includes specially trained Wellness Ambassadors, a first in the industry, who provide essential travel health information and care on the ground and on every flight, so guests can fly with greater ease and confidence. All passengers travelling with Etihad receive complimentary Covid-19 insurance, which is valid for travel until 30 September 2021. Etihad was the first airline in the world to announce it is operating with 100% of its crew on board vaccinated. To give guests peace of mind, Etihad is the only airline in the world requiring 100% of its passengers to show a negative PCR test before departure, and on arrival in Abu Dhabi.  

Emirates has announced it will resume four weekly services to Mexico City (MEX) via Barcelona (BCN) from July 2, re-opening connectivity and boosting trade and tourism while providing customers worldwide with more connectivity, convenience and choice. The BCN-MEX route will be operated with a two-class Emirates Boeing 777-200LR which offers 38 Business Class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration and 264 seats in Economy Class. The resumed service between Dubai-Barcelona-Mexico will serve Emirates’ customers in Mexico and offer more choice to travellers heading from Europe, India, South East Asia and the Middle East via Dubai or Barcelona. The service will also provide additional connectivity to global markets for Mexican exports such as avocados, berries, mangoes, automotive parts and medical supplies. Emirates SkyCargo has been flying freighters to/from Mexico City since 2014 already, marking seven years of operations to the country this month. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Emirates SkyCargo continued its cargo connectivity to Mexico City on freighter and passenger freighter flights, bringing in much-needed PPE and COVID-19 vaccines into the country while continuing to support Mexican exports.

Emirates and the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) have begun to implement full digital verification of COVID-19 medical records connected to testing and vaccination for travellers based in the UAE. Emirates customers who have undertaken a PCR test in Dubai can choose to check-in without presenting their physical COVID-19 PCR test report. Moreover, customers who have received their COVID-19 vaccination at a DHA health centre in Dubai can, together with their COVID-19 PCR test results, have their documents synchronised during flight check-in. The new streamlined verification procedures will enable secure and faster processing times for customers departing from Dubai International Airport. The information will then be matched up with the entry requirements of the destination. Emirates will only process the relevant information specifically related to the COVID-19 entry requirements of the customer’s destination. Once check-in formalities are completed, information related to COVID-19 medical records will be immediately discarded from the Emirates systems. The integration comes less than two months after the signing of the MoU between Emirates and the Dubai Health Authority and is a first-of-its-kind agreement between an airline and a government health authority. The integration also makes Dubai one of the first cities in the world to implement full digital verification of traveller medical records related to COVID-19 testing and vaccination. Adel Al Redha, Chief Operating Officer for Emirates Airline said: “The UAE government has been very supportive and is one of the leading countries in the use of technology and digital applications. This initiative is in line with the government’s vision and we are delighted to take this step within the aviation sector to cooperate with DHA in linking our systems together to enhance the customer experience by …

Qatar Airways to operate three weekly flights to Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire via Accra from 16 June 2021 becoming the fourth new destination in Africa announced by the national carrier of the State of Qatar since the start of the pandemic. The Abidjan service will be operated by the airline’s state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner featuring 22 seats in Business Class and 232 seats in Economy Class. His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive, Qatar Airways said, “We are delighted to be launching flights to Abidjan, our fourth new destination in Africa since the start of the pandemic. At Qatar Airways, we remain committed to the African market, expanding our network across the continent and offering seamless connectivity to the largest network of destinations across Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and North America. We are thankful to the Côte d’Ivoire Government for their support to launch these flights, providing an opportunity to reunite family and friends with their loved ones across the globe.  We look forward to working closely with our partners in Côte d’Ivoire to steadily grow this route and support the recovery of tourism and trade in the region.”

Etihad Airways operated its first ecoFlight for 2021, continuing research and testing under the Etihad Greenliner programme to assess environmental sustainability initiatives during scheduled services. This is Etihad’s fourth ecoFlight, operated on the airline’s signature Greenliner aircraft which is fully offset for all operations through 2021 as part of the airline’s mission toward carbon neutral flying. The maiden 2021 ecoFlight, EY83, departed Abu Dhabi for Rome on April 17, testing a range of flight and engine optimisation initiatives, as well as onboard product enhancements to reduce weight and single-use plastics, with successful trials to be incorporated into regular scheduled operations. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Etihad made a significant and tangible commitment to sustainability and the future of aviation over a year ago, first when we launched the Greenliner programme in partnership with Boeing, GE and other aviation leaders, then with our commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and halving our net emission levels by 2035. ‘Since then, and throughout the pandemic we have remained on track, with a number of ecoFlights during 2020, as well as partnering with Boeing, NASA and Safran on the 2020 ecoDemonstrator programme. Now in 2021 we are stepping up our efforts so eco testing won’t be confined to quarterly dedicated ecoFlights, but instead an always on, ever present part of operations to test, refine and implement sustainability initiatives. This kind of incremental, real world testing is the foundation of the Greenliner programme, which will allow us to continue R&D efforts into decarbonization opportunities. “This isn’t about solving only Etihad’s emissions, but about supporting the entire industry to address the biggest challenge we face over the next three decades.”

Wizz Air announced the introduction of its chatbot, ‘Amelia’. Wizz’s new virtual assistant will further raise the company’s customer experience standards and will enable customers to easily acquire information related to their flights while also providing a number of useful general information to the travelling public. Wizz Air’s new chatbot was inspired by Amelia Earhart, the American aviation pioneer who was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Wizz Air is a company of inclusivity, diversity and of infinite career opportunities and is a fierce supporter of gender equality. Naming its chatbot after such a fantastic woman, the airline wishes to pay tribute to all women in aviation and underpin its commitment to a more gender-equal industry. Zsuzsa Poos, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at Wizz Air, commented, “I am delighted to introduce Amelia, our virtual assistant who is a real gamechanger in Wizz Air’s customer experience solutions. Automating and digitalizing our processes is key in delivering ever-higher customer satisfaction. Wizz Air is dedicated to broadening Amelia’s expertise and to supporting our passengers with an always expanding array of self-service options to manage their travel details. Let’s welcome Amelia on board.”

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) and Gulf Air held talks to discuss their close commercial relationships and explore ways to build on the ties by establishing a codeshare agreement. Being the first two airlines that started operations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, SAUDIA and Gulf Air will cooperate to expand their footprints regionally and internationally by sharing their codes and offering guests the signature warmth of Arabian hospitality. The codeshare will further enhance seamless travel options for passengers of SAUDIA and Gulf Air, providing wider choices of domestic destinations in Saudi Arabia and other international destinations across each airline’s network. SAUDIA will place its ‘SV’ code on Gulf Air flights from Bahrain to Riyadh, Jeddah, Tbilisi, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Baku, and Multan. On the other hand, the agreement will see Gulf Air place its ‘GF’ code on SAUDIA flights from Riyadh and Jeddah to Bahrain, Abha, Jizan, Yanbu, Aljouf, Ha’il, as well as Tunis–Carthage airports. These codeshare operations will commence from the upcoming summer schedule of 2021. Commenting on the partnership, Captain Ibrahim S. Koshy, CEO SAUDIA Air Transport Company, said, “SAUDIA and Gulf Air are key partners in connecting guests on each carriers’ diverse route networks. Both airlines have a long history of partnership, in which this expanded codeshare agreement further enhances connectivity, convenience and flexibility for travelers.” For his part, Captain Waleed AlAlawi, Acting Chief Executive OfficerActing Chief Executive Officer, Gulf Air said, “The relationship between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been strong on many fronts, and aviation is one of them. Gulf Air and SAUDIA are the pioneer airlines in the GCC with over 70 years of legacy. We look …