Category Archives: Aviation

Emirates and Garuda Indonesia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a codeshare partnership between both airlines. The new partnership allows customers of the world’s largest international airline, based in Dubai, and the flag carrier of Indonesia to enjoy seamless connectivity on new routes across the Americas, Middle East, Africa and Europe. In addition to expanding the breadth of each airline’s networks, with travel made possible on a single ticket, Emirates and Garuda Indonesia will also explore opportunities to cooperate on their respective frequent flyer programmes, to enable customers of both airlines to earn and redeem loyalty points for reward tickets, upgrades and other exclusive benefits. Subject to required regulatory approvals, the codeshare agreement is expected to come into effect from January 2022, with customer benefits to include seamless booking, ticketing, one baggage policy and check-through to the final destination in addition to travel benefits across 18 routes on both airlines’ networks. Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates said: “We are pleased to forge a codeshare partnership with Garuda Indonesia to provide our customers with access to additional destinations in Indonesia and which also allows them to enjoy seamless and convenient connectivity to eight domestic destinations to and from Dubai and to our global network through Jakarta, and three destinations through Denpasar. Indonesia is an important market for Emirates and our partnership with Garuda Indonesia is testament to Emirates’ commitment to continuously strengthen our network, and complement our offering. Through the expanded, combined network of both airlines, we are able to offer our customers a more seamless experience through check-in, bag check and boarding on every leg of their journey, all with a single ticket. We look forward …

Oman Air has launched a suite of new services for passengers arriving and departing Muscat International Airport. Available for purchase, the add-ons are part of the airline’s commitment to offer more choice of services and convenience to Oman Air passengers while at the airport, regardless of ticket class. “As a premium airline with a long list of award-winning products and services, easing the airport journey was the natural next step in providing more flexibility and convenience for our guests,” said Oman Air Chief Executive Officer Eng. Abdulaziz Al Raisi. “Enhanced add-ons are a great way for our guests to sample different services and discover those that best suit their travel needs—whether an expedited check-in, premium lounge experience, or dedicated fast track lane through passport control and security.” The new services are operated by TAV OS and are currently available for purchase online at omanair.com Primeclass Meet & Greet Arrival When arriving to Muscat International Airport, Meet & Greet Arrivals provides a quick, easy and expedient airport check-out. Passengers are greeted at their arrival gate and escorted through fast track passport control and customs to the main arrivals area. Service also includes buggy transfer to the Primeclass Lounge for light refreshments, dedicated porter at baggage carousels, and personal escort to ground transportation or pick-up point.   Primeclass Meet & Greet Departure When departing Muscat International Airport, Meet & Greet Departures offers expedited check-in at Departures Gate A (First and Business Class Gate) followed by fast track escort through immigration and security and through the airport to flight boarding gate. Service also includes dedicated curbside assistance, complimentary 3-hour access to the Primeclass Lounge, buggy transfer, and personal porter to assist with bags. …

The flight to Moscow will operate daily services, four times a week on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday (in December 2021 and January2022), ramping up to seven days a week in February. Tickets are on sale on wizzair.com and WIZZ mobile app with fares starting as low as 49.99 EUR *. The UAE has long been a popular travel destination for those in Russia, and vice versa. The Moscow route brings Wizz Air Abu Dhabi to a total of 33 announced flight destinations, since it launched operations in January 2021. The airline has been going from strength to strength after travel restrictions in and out of the UAE’s capital were eased in September 2021. This latest route addition connects Abu Dhabi International Airport to Moscow and provides affordable travel opportunities for both business and leisure travellers between the UAE and Russia. This new service allows travellers to experience each of the capitals’ rich cultures and history with a convenient WIZZ flight schedule Speaking at the Wings of the Future conference in Moscow today, József Váradi, Group Chief Executive Officer of Wizz Air said: “Today’s announcement underlines our commitment to bringing a growing number of low-fare opportunities for Russian travellers, and importantly, Wizz Air’s long-term strategic interest in the Russian market. With this new route, we are looking forward to opening up a Middle Eastern gem to Russian travellers, while allowing them to experience our high-quality on the young and sustainable fleet of our newest national airline, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi. It is with excitement and great pleasure that I welcome passengers on board this new route.” Dmitry Saprykin, Director General of Vnukovo International Airport JSC, said “On behalf of Vnukovo …

Emirates announced that it will reintroduce flights to Algiers, Algeria from 9 November. Flights from Dubai to Algiers will operate twice a week. The resumption of flights to Algiers boosts Emirates’ African network to 21 destinations, and represents a full restoration of the airline’s operations into North Africa. With the easing of travel restrictions, and the acceleration of passenger demand, the airline is advancing its plans to expand its presence across Africa, and will operate 116 weekly flights into the continent with the addition of Algiers. Customers flying to and from Algiers can safely fly to Dubai and enjoy convenient onwards connections to Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and West Asia. Emirates will operate to Algiers with two weekly flights on Tuesdays and Thursdays and the return flight to Dubai will be linked with Tunis. EK 757 will depart Dubai at 0930hrs, arriving in Algiers at 1400hrs. EK 758 will depart Algiers at 1700hrs, stopping in Tunis at 1820hrs. The flight will continue to Dubai, taking off at 1920hrs from Tunis, arriving in Dubai at 0355hrs the next day. Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, Emirates sales offices, via travel agents as well as online travel agents. Flexibility and Assurance: Emirates continues to lead the industry with innovative products and services and recently took its customer care initiatives further with even more generous and flexible booking policies, which have been extended to 31 May 2022. It has also extended its multi-risk insurance cover, and is helping loyal customers retain their miles and tier status. Dubai and Expo 2020: Since it safely resumed tourism activity in July, Dubai remains one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, …

Oman Air and Qatar Airways have signed a reciprocal loyalty partnership where members of Oman Air Sindbad and Qatar Airways Privilege Club can earn loyalty miles for travel on both airlines between Muscat and Doha exclusively, in either direction. With this partnership Sindbad members can earn Sindbad miles on Qatar Airways flights on the sector; reciprocally, Privilege Club members can earn Qmiles on Oman Air flights. Members of both loyalty programs will be able to redeem their miles for flights on either airline between the two cities. “The strong relationship between Oman Air and Qatar Airways offers a world of exciting travel possibilities and we’re delighted that our Sindbad members can now earn and redeem Sindbad miles for travel on Qatar Airways between Muscat and Doha,” said Oman Air CEO Eng. Abdulaziz Al Raisi. “We’re equally delighted to welcome Qatar Airways Privilege Club members on board Oman Air flights on the popular sector, where they can earn and spend Qmiles.” Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker stated, “Qatar Airways is delighted to launch this new partnership with Oman Air, offering valued members flying between Qatar and Oman significant opportunities to earn and spend miles across both airlines. This new loyalty partnership cements our dedication to the Sultanate of Oman, and we will remain committed towards creating more unique opportunities to reward our members, in addition to offering various avenues to use Qmiles with our airline partners”. The reciprocal loyalty program partnership follows the strengthening of the relationship between both airlines and builds on the benefits of expanded code-sharing. In December last year, Oman Air and Qatar Airways announced greater cooperation that would allow both airlines …

Emirates announced it will launch a daily non-stop flight between Dubai and Tel Aviv, Israel, starting 6 December. The move comes as the UAE and Israel continue to develop greater economic cooperation to drive growth across a range of sectors, in addition to boosting trade flows between both nations. With the new daily flights, Israeli travellers will be able to connect safely, seamlessly and efficiently to Dubai, and through Dubai to Emirates’ global route network of over 120 destinations. The flight timings to/from Tel Aviv will offer travellers convenient access to major leisure destinations beyond Dubai like Thailand, the Indian Ocean Islands and South Africa, among others. Furthermore, the new flights introduce convenient inbound connections to Tel Aviv from close to 30 Emirates gateways across Australia, the United States, Brazil, Mexico, India and South Africa, all home to some of the largest Jewish communities in the world. Travellers from the United States looking to stop in Dubai before embarking on their onwards journey to Tel Aviv can avail the Dubai Stop Over package, which includes stays at world-class hotels, sightseeing, and other activities.   Dubai also continues to attract leisure travellers from Israel with its ever-expanding list of experiences, including hosting Expo 2020 Dubai which has drawn in more than 2 million visits in its first month. Israel is participating at Expo 2020 Dubai with its own country pavilion under the theme ‘connecting thoughts – creating the future’. Emirates’ new flights will also boost connections for business communities in both countries, creating new channels to network and forge investment opportunities across industries. With the opening of visa-free travel between both countries and the easing of restrictions across the Emirates network, …

Gulf Air announced the launch of private charter services under the title of “Boutique Charters” allowing its global clientele to book private direct charter flights with personalised itineraries. The new service is available to government and corporate delegations, group travel, destination weddings, private family holidays as well as private cargo consignments. Available on various types of aircraft from the airline’s young fleet, the private charter services can be booked on narrow body fleet, Airbus A320neo or A321neoLR, or on wide body fleet, the airline’s flagship Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. In 2019 and in line with its strategy to become the customer’s airline of choice, Gulf Air announced its boutique business model concept which would reinforce its focus on product and customer experience. Similarly with the hospitality industry, Gulf Air differentiates itself as a boutique airline that is different and unique in the way it operates comparing to the bigger airlines that are more volume driven. This new concept is derived from the airlines business model to offer its boutique services to a more niche clientele whilst highlighting the key services the airline is renowned for. The new private “Boutique Charters” will allow customers to choose from a number of in-flight services and preferences from fresh flowers, bespoke amenities, unlimited WiFi connection, selection of newest movies and TV shows, choice of food and beverage, tailor made menus with cold and hot meals that are served by expert multinational flight attendants. Commenting on the launch, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi said: “This is a major milestone for the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain. We will now extend our boutique excellence to a new niche clientele to offer …

Oman Air will resume flights between Muscat and Bangkok from 11 November 2021. The flights will operate twice weekly on Thursday and Saturday. The Thursday flight will depart Muscat at 22:00 local time and arrive in Bangkok at 06:45 local time on Friday. The flight from Bangkok will depart at 09:15 local time on Friday and arrive in Muscat at 12:35 local time on Friday. The Saturday flight will depart Muscat at 09:00 local time and arrive in Bangkok at 17:45 local time. The Saturday flight from Bangkok will depart at 20:05 local time and arrive in Muscat at 23:25 local time. All flights are scheduled to operate with Boeing 787 Dreamliner. 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’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. Meal service has been modified to further ensure safety, and a number of other measures have been implemented 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 travelling to Thailand should ensure they are aware of official requirements to enter or transit through the country. Guests departing from Oman should also ensure that they are aware of all pre-departure requirements and requirements during their flights, which are provided at omanair.com.        

As part of its continuous endeavour to gradually return to normal operation and provide a variety of options to its valued customers, Kuwait Airways announced the resumption of its scheduled commercial flights to Baku in the Republic of Azerbaijan as of 18th November 2021, with two flights per week, on Sundays and Thursdays. In this regard, the Director of Public Relations and Media Department Fayez Al-Enezi stated, “Kuwait Airways is pleased to announce the operation of its direct flights to Baku, Azerbaijan, as this comes within the framework of Kuwait Airways keenness to launch new destinations that meet the requirements of its valued passengers, and provide different options and alternatives for them, especially since Baku is one of the destinations that has been witnessing tremendous demand in recent times because of its tourist and historical attractions, rich in diverse cultures, as well as its moderate climate throughout the year.” Al-Enezi added, “Kuwait Airways is constantly striving to serve its valued customers and provide them with all means of comfort while they travel on board, in addition to providing its services to its passengers in an integrated manner and overcoming all obstacles ahead of them; commencing with the reservation of tickets, entering Terminal 4, completing travel procedures, and boarding the aircraft to enjoy a comfortable and safe travel.” Al-Enezi concluded by extending appreciation for all the tangible efforts by all government agencies operating at the Kuwait International Airport and for their best efforts to serve the country and citizens. It is worth noting that Kuwait Airways had earlier launched several permanent and summer destinations as part of its gradual return to normal operations from mid-June until now, which include London, Sarajevo, …

Emirates and TAP Air Portugal are further expanding their existing codeshare arrangement by adding 23 more destinations to the partnership from 2 November. This brings the total number of destinations where customers can enjoy seamless connectivity to over 90 points. TAP Air Portugal will place its code on popular Emirates flights to four additional Asian destinations – Hanoi and three Japanese gateways – Narita, Osaka and Haneda, subject to government approval. Emirates will place its code on TAP Air Portugal operated flights to 19 additional destinations via Lisbon. They include Belem, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Maceio, Natal, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador, Praia, Sal Island, Sao Vicente, Conakry, Ponta Delgada, Porto Santo, Terceira and Dakar. Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline said: “The further expansion of the Emirates – TAP Air Portugal partnership attests to the strong collaboration of both airlines and our shared commitment to provide customers with seamless connections to and from Portugal. By leveraging our mutual networks through codeshare flights, we enable our customers to travel to more places on a single ticket with a one baggage policy and fare conditions. We look forward to bringing more benefits to our customers through this partnership”. Silvia Mosquera, Chief Commercial & Revenue Officer of TAP Air Portugal said: “TAP Air Portugal is pleased to be able to implement this expanded partnership with Emirates, allowing our customers greater geographic access, with particular emphasis on destinations in the Middle East and Asia. TAP is eager to be able to take Emirates customers to more cities in Portugal and to our destinations in the Americas and North Africa, aboard our modern fleet of state-of-the-art aircraft, in an …