Category Archives: Aviation

In a move to take all preventive precautions to protect citizens and residents from the Coronavirus and limit its spread, the new medical passport has been launched by the Ministry of health in Saudi Arabia in the Tawakkalna App. As Saudi Arabian Government is keen to preserve the health and safety of citizens and residents within its soil from the risk of the spread of novel coronavirus; The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) developed Tawakkalna App in order to support government efforts aimed at countering Covid-19. Tawakkalna App was developed to facilitate the issuance of movement permits electronically during the curfew period for government and private sector employees, as well as individuals, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and all relevant authorities during the curfew, thus helping to reduce the spread of the pandemic in the Kingdom. Tawakkalna helps individuals, security, health and private entities, that are exempted from the curfew, to automatize all transactions between relevant parties in order to mitigate the health, economic and social impacts that may result from the implementation of policies taken to eliminate the spread of Covid-19. Although cautiously people return to normal life, Tawakkalna is helping in this phase by new services such as showing Users’ health condition and other services. And as a part of promoting social responsibility, Tawakkalna has provided many services regarding raising concern if there are violations, as well as providing the ability to notify Ministry of Health in the event of a suspected case. The Minister expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and HRH Crown Prince for their care and continuous interest …

Etihad Aviation Training (EAT) has signed a contract with Israir Airlines to offer Full-Flight Simulator pilot training for Israir Airlines’ Airbus A320 pilots. As part of the agreement, Israir will dry lease EAT’s Full-Flight Simulators at the training facility located in Abu Dhabi. The training will be conducted by Israir instructors at the Etihad training facility. Captain Paolo La Cava, Managing Director Etihad Aviation Training, said: “Following Etihad’s announcement to commence services to Tel Aviv, EAT is delighted to further commercial opportunities with Israel by providing comprehensive aviation training services to Israir Airlines” “Continuing our commitment to providing highly skilled pilots by offering state-of-the-art training facilities, EAT is looking forward to working with Israir Airlines and is anticipating further collaboration with the airline to cement this landmark agreement,” added Captain La Cava. Uri Sirkis, Chief Executive Officer, Israir Airlines, said, “The short visit revealed to me a rare opportunity to use the EAT simulator facility, just a three-hour flight away from Israel. Beyond the economic and professional benefits, I believe that the more meeting points we find between the countries, the stronger the tourism movement will be. This is the true peace.”

Etihad Guest, the award-winning loyalty programme of Etihad Airways,  concluded 2020 with a positive outlook following a series of corporate social responsibility activations and member initiatives. During 2020, the programme and its members donated 48 million miles to support relief campaigns for COVID-19, Australia’s bushfires and the explosion in Beirut. In addition to this, multiple projects were launched to support and reward loyalty members globally. Etihad Guest and its members donated 23 million miles to buy ventilators, masks and soaps for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, 22 million miles supported Australia’s bushfires which equated to feeding over 1,100 koalas for one year, and 3 million miles were used to support home renovations following the Beirut explosion, in addition to food, medical and hygiene supplies. Throughout 2020, Etihad Guest continued its transformation journey to enhance its customer experience and as a result of the pandemic, evolved with the changing landscape. To recognise members who were unable to travel, Etihad Guest gifted monthly bonus Tier Miles to ensure guest statuses were not downgraded, reduced the tier requirements and provided various Tier Miles promotions. Expired miles were also reinstated, transferring to friends and family enabled and the GuestSeat change fee was removed. Kim Hardaker, Head of Loyalty & Partnerships, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Last year, Etihad Guest focused on delivering the greatest flexibility and support for members around the globe. The programme expanded customer choice, connectivity, and convenience by growing its partnerships with Aldar, Miral, Majid Al Futtaim and ADNOC. This year, Etihad Guest will continue to leverage those partnerships and form new collaborations to provide our members with more benefits both on the ground and in the air.”

Etihad Airways is encouraging residents to celebrate the start of the New Year with the launch of its New Year’s Sale – get two tickets for the price of one. To give guests peace of mind and to offer an extra level of reassurance to travel, 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. Travellers can jet off any time before June 15, 2021, and lay back and relax at a luxury resort, explore ancient architecture or spend the weekend discovering a new city. Fares from Abu Dhabi to Istanbul start from just AED 1,790, Dublin from AED 3,830 and Toronto from AED 5,790. The sale extends across all of Etihad’s cabins, with return Business fares starting from AED 8,750 out of Abu Dhabi to Maldives and AED 10,370 from Abu Dhabi to Istanbul.Flying to, from, and via Abu Dhabi is supported by the airline’s fully redesigned Etihad Wellness sanitisation and safety programme, 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 have been introduced by the airline to 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. The sale starts on Tuesday, 5 January 2021 and ends on Wednesday, January 13 at etihad.com. This offer is valid only for one guest and a companion. Booking for the companion must be made in the same transaction, and the companion …

Emirates Airlines announced that flights to Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait are now resumed. Emirates flights to and from Dammam, Jeddah and Riyadh has resume. All customers, excluding Saudi nationals, who hold a ticket to KSA and have visited Argentina, Brazil, India, South Africa or United Kingdom within the last 14 days will not be accepted for travel at their point of origin. Affected customers should contact their travel agent or Emirates contact centre for rebooking options. To receive update notifications, customers are requested to ensure their contact details are correct by visiting Manage your booking. Emirates flights to and from Oman have resumed with effect from 28 December 2020. Emirates flights to and from Kuwait has also resumed.

Turkish Airlines announced for flights to Turkey which have STD (schedule time of departure) 30 December 2020 00:00 or later with the dates and times of the countries where the flights are operated , 6 years and older passengers who will enter Turkey must submit negative PCR test documents taken 72 hours before the schedule time of departure of the flight (maximum 72 hours between the sample delivery time and the schedule time of departure of the flight). It must be nucleic acid test. Transit passengers who will not enter Turkey only should pay attention to the destination country regulations. This implementation is valid until March 1, 2021. Moreover, passengers (6 years and older) traveling from UK, Denmark or South Africa with the flights that have STD (schedule time of departure) 30 December 2020 00:00 or later with the dates and times of the countries where the flights are operated or passengers have been in these 3 countries in the last 10 days and will enter Turkey are required to submit negative PCR test documents taken 72 hours before the schedule time of departure of the flight (maximum 72 hours between the sample delivery time and the schedule time of departure of the flight). These passengers will be quarantined at their residences (if any) or in different places and they will be subjected to a PCR test 7 days later. If the test result will be negative, quarantine will be removed.

As the entry restrictions into Abu Dhabi relaxes, international tourists, residents and travellers from selected destinations, flying with Etihad Airways, will be allowed to enter the emirate without the need to self-isolate for 14 days. The list of countries eligible for entry without quarantine, referred to as ‘green’ countries, will be reviewed by the Department of Health on a two-week rolling basis. Travellers from ‘green’ countries will need to self-isolate until they receive a negative PCR test result. Those entering the Emirate from countries not on the ‘green’ list will be subject to a reduced quarantine period of 10 days. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “With Abu Dhabi at the forefront of the global response to COVID-19, the approach to managing the pandemic has positioned the capital as one of the safest cities in the world to visit. The gradual reopening of our border cements the rigorous health and safety measures we have implemented across the airline. We can proudly say Etihad has played its part, by positioning ourselves as an industry leader, ensuring guests travelling with us do so with complete peace of mind.” “As we approach the winter break and get ready to mark the end of a challenging year, the time to welcome the world to Abu Dhabi is now. We are tremendously grateful for the ongoing support of the Abu Dhabi authorities and will continue to work closely with them to ensure the highest level of safety measures are maintained,” Douglas added.

Pegasus Airlines new cabin baggage policy will be implemented from January 04, 2021 in which current 8kg hand baggage allowance will be removed and passengers will be allowed to take only 1 piece of the cabin baggage with the following rules:Passenger will be allowed to take only women’s handbag and 1 piece of cabin baggage with maximum dimension (55X40X20 cm) into the cabin – irrespective of the weight.If cabin baggage exceeds the specified dimensions or if more than one piece of cabin baggage, then the unsuitable piece or pieces shall be taken as check-in baggage. The excess baggage proceeds will be collected as piece concept payment at the boarding. If the extra piece/pieces will be taken at the check-in, then the regular excess baggage process by considering passenger baggage allowance will be collected. A Duty-free bag can be accepted together with the cabin baggage. But if it is found that there are other items in the duty-free bag, cabin baggage will be taken under the aircraft. And the guest will be able to take only a duty-free bag into the cabin. The bags with personal belongings similar to Duty-Free bags can only be accepted into the cabin if cabin baggage is none. The guest with an infant is allowed to carry a baby carriage bag additionally. – One piece of cabin baggage that fits in the baggage size will be considered as cabin baggage and will be allowed to be taken into the cabin without weight control.  PETC can be taken into the cabin together with cabin baggage. For the musical instruments, if the guest has only a musical instrument in the size of cabin baggage (55X40X20), payment will not …

Emirates is taking its signature A380 experience to the next level with the unveil of a brand new Premium Economy cabin product, together with enhancements and a refreshed look across all cabins onboard its newest A380 aircraft. Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said, “The Emirates A380 is already one of the most sought-after travel experiences in the skies, and now we’ve made it even better. While others cut back, Emirates is working hard to restore the products and services that we’ve had to suspend or adjust due to pandemic precautions, and introduce new offerings and enhancements. True to our fly better promise, Emirates continues to invest to offer our customers the best possible experience.” The airline received its newest A380 aircraft from Airbus’ Hamburg facility last week, and its remaining order of 5 A380s will also be delivered with premium economy cabins over 2021 and 2022. Emirates’ premium economy seats will also be installed on some of its Boeing 777X aircraft which are only due to join the fleet in 2023. Emirates is considering plans to retrofit its existing A380 fleet. Commenting on Emirates’ premium economy cabins, Sir Tim said, “Our Premium Economy product was carefully developed in keeping with Emirates’ brand positioning as a full-service airline of the highest quality. Our First, Business and Economy experiences reset industry standards when they were introduced, and we are confident that our Premium Economy will also make its mark as a distinct premium offering. Until we have a viable number of seats in our inventory to bring to market, we plan to offer the Emirates Premium Economy experience as a complimentary upgrade to valued customers. We’ll also deploy our newest A380 …

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi confirmed that Athens will be its inaugural destination, with flights from Abu Dhabi International Airport starting on January 15, 2021. Fares start as low as AED 129, with tickets already on sale on wizzair.com (which also has an Arabic booking website) and the airline’s mobile app. The airline is also to start flights from Abu Dhabi to Thessaloniki, starting on February 4, 2021 with fares starting at AED 149. Kees Van Schaick, Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, said, “The waiting is almost over for Abu Dhabi fans of our ultra-low fare airline. From January 15, 2021, a new model of air travel comes to Abu Dhabi, offering new choices and new competition, demonstrating that things are looking up for next year. Our network from Abu Dhabi will expand rapidly as destinations on our planned network are added to the ‘green countries’ list.  Thanks to the support of the government and our local business partners in Abu Dhabi, we are fully prepared. We have the aircraft, we have the crew, we have the partners, and we are ready to fly. We look forward to building a new travel segment in this important market.” Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is a joint venture established between ADQ and Wizz Air Holdings plc.  It initially announced a route network that also includes Alexandria, Kutaisi, Larnaca, Odesa and Yerevan.  Flights to these cities will launch as each destination joins the ‘green countries’ list.  Further destinations will be launched as the airline adds to its Abu Dhabi-based fleet over the coming months.