Category Archives: Aviation

It was the second consecutive year that RwandAir sponsored the EmQuest Cricket Mania event recently with other partners such as Turkish Airlines, Seychelles Tourism Board, Millennium Hotels Dubai, Flexible Autos etc. The two-day event saw a total of about 800 participants from the travel trade which included players, spectators etc. EmQuest Cricket Mania is a large scale event that witnesses the coming together of travel management giants in the industry to compete against each other for the ever rolling trophy. Built on the success of the previous year, EmQuest, a division of Emirates returned with their annual cricket championship tournament EmQuest Cricket Mania 2019 for all Sabre users across the UAE. With Turkish mega carriers, Turkish Airlines as the platinum sponsors and the fast rising giants in the aviation industry — RwandAir as the gold sponsors of EmQuest Cricket Mania 2019. Kanoo Travels were announced as the winners of EmQuest Cricket Mania 2019 and dnata emerged as the runners up. Timothy Njihia, Area Manager, RwandAir,  stated, “RwandAir has been a consistent sponsor of EmQuest’s Cricket Mania tournaments for the last two years, as the T-Shirt Sponsor and in 2019 as the Gold Sponsor. We sponsor the tournament during the event days, that is, the two  weekends that the tournaments last.  This partnership is very important to us as it is a top-of-mind brand awareness to the travel trade, with trade engagement through sports, that is, cricket in order to strengthen partnerships between stakeholders RwandAir, EmQuest & the travel trade.

Abu Dhabi Airports has welcomed GoAir’s launch of two new daily flights, the first between Mumbai International Airport and Abu Dhabi, and the second to Delhi International Airport, further connecting the UAE capital to the two major Indian cities. GoAir’s inaugural flights from Delhi, India’s capital and Mumbai, the financial capital of the world’s sixth largest economy to Abu Dhabi, was received with warmth and fanfare on July 22, as the Indian subcontinent remains one of the most popular destinations for travellers departing from Abu Dhabi. Maarten De Groof, Chief Commercial Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “The new daily flights to Abu Dhabi reflect the capital’s status as a key destination and a transit hub for business and leisure, which forms a part of our strategy to attract new airlines to our network, and support the growth of tourism in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.” Jeh Wadia, Managing Director of GoAir, said, “Our daily flights from Mumbai and Delhi to Abu Dhabi is a manifestation of GoAir’s vision for the Middle East. In less than six months, we have introduced a new set of routes that supports business and leisure, and reinforces the strong relations between India and the UAE.”  

Sharjah Airport recently received Air Peace’s inaugural flight from Lagos. The Nigerian airline’s first international airport outside Africa, Sharjah Airport offers the advantages of Sharjah’s geographic location and the level of service that the Airport provides to airlines and travellers. The fact that Air Peace chose Sharjah Airport underlines the importance of the growing travel market and tourism and economic activity in the Emirate of Sharjah. The company has appointed Sharjah Airport Travel Agency (SATA) as its exclusive agent in the UAE market. After the plane landed, it was received by a number of officials from the airport’s management and a delegation from Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority and Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The passengers and crew were welcomed with authentic UAE hospitality. HE Ali Salim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Airport Authority, said, “We welcome the arrival of Nigeria’s Air Peace, which operates flights from Sharjah Airport as a hub and destination.” His Excellency emphasised that the airport is keen to provide the best services and facilities to Air Peace and all airlines operating from Sharjah Airport to ensure their success and enable them to provide services to passengers efficiently. Allen Onyema, Air Peace’s Chairman and CEO, said, “We thank the officials of Sharjah Airport Authority and the employees at the airport for the great support they have provided to Air Peace and for facilitating all procedures necessary to start operating flights to Sharjah.”  

Indonesia’s Bali is one of the most favoured destinations by the Middle Eastern traveller, hence Turkish Airlines has now made it part of its network by adding direct flights from Istanbul. Global carrier’s Istanbul-Bali direct flights will be operated as seven frequencies per week. Flying to more countries and international destinations than any other airline in the world, Turkish Airlines inaugurated its direct flights between its home base Istanbul and world-renowned tourist destination, Bali (Indonesia) on July 17, 2019. Having operated with the airlines’ first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which joined to its ever-expanding fleet a few weeks ago, TK 066 coded first flight conducted with 84 per cent load factor and carried 250 passengers. Introductory flight fares are available from Istanbul to Bali starting at 748 US Dollars (including taxes and fees). Commenting on newly commenced Istanbul-Bali flights, Kerem Sarp, Senior Vice President Sales (2nd Region), Turkish Airlines, said, “With our new generation aircrafts continuing to join our fleet, we feel highly encouraged to launch new direct flights to farther destinations in the world. By inagurating direct flights to Bali, our second destination in Indonesia, we keep strengthening our mission to reach all corners of the world.”  

Emirates has announced a daily service from Dubai (DXB) to Mexico City International Airport (MEX), via the Spanish city of Barcelona (BCN). The flight will commence from December 9, 2019. Emirates’ Mexico City flight will be a linked service with Barcelona. Citizens from Mexico, Spain and the UAE only need their passports to enjoy visa-free travel to respective countries.  The new 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 new 777 flight will also offer up to 14 tonnes of cargo, opening up access to more 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 and in the last year carried over 22,500 tons of cargo on the route. Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airlines, said: “The availability of high-quality, daily international air services is essential for the development of tourism, business and cultural ties. Trade, especially in high-value and time-sensitive products, will be facilitated by the ample cargo capacity on Emirates’ Boeing 777 aircraft. We also expect tourism to receive a major boost from the daily flights on our newly-refurbished Boeing 777-200LR. Due to the high altitude of Mexico airport, it is not possible to operate a non-stop flight from Dubai, and Barcelona was a natural choice for a stopover.” “Mexico supports the launch of the long-awaited flight Dubai-Barcelona-Mexico City, which responds to Mexico’s Government tourism policy towards opening new markets and strengthening connectivity between the Middle East and Mexico. We are eager to receive tourists from this part of the world,” said …

Dubai International (DXB) welcomed Air India’s inaugural flights from the cities of Indore and Kolkata on the evening of July 15. The thrice weekly service from Indore is the first international flight out of the city, which is the commercial capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh. Air India’s Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani was among the 150 passengers who arrived on the inaugural flight and was given a warm welcome by representatives of Dubai Airports and its service partners. Air India will operate three weekly flights between Kolkata and Dubai providing needed capacity on the route. Following the new additions, DXB is now served by four Indian carriers operating 382 weekly flights to 20 destinations across India. India is the single largest destination country in terms of contribution to traffic volumes at DXB with 12.3 million passengers recorded in 2018.

In line with the drive for global connectivity, Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku has partnered with Amadeus to implement its core airport management systems, and the national flag carrier Azerbaijan Airlines is implementing Amadeus Altéa Passenger Service Systems (PSS) and Revenue Management solutions. With regards to Heydar Aliyev International Airport, Amadeus’ Airport IT technology include all its core airport management systems such as an operational database, resource management and flight information display systems. The airport will also deploy its key passenger processing systems using Amadeus’ cloud-based Airport Common Use Service. The move represents the first time an airport has relied on the cloud to deliver all its core systems. The move to Amadeus’ cloud-based Airport Operational Database (AODB) will ensure real-time awareness of airline schedule changes thanks to automated updates to the system. Azerbaijan Airline’s signature for the Amadeus Altéa PSS will allow the airline to streamline its reservation, inventory, departure control and ticketing systems. The Amadeus Altéa Suite will enable the airline to deliver a more consistent and personalised customer service, pursue additional revenue generating opportunities, and improve operational efficiency. In addition, the airline has signed for Amadeus Altéa Revenue Management, a solution which draws on real-time data from multiple sources and AI-based forecasting techniques in order to provide faster, more accurate and intelligent recommendations on the best price and packaging of airline offers. Jahangir Asgerov, CEO of Azerbaijan Airlines QSC, Azerbaijan Airlines, said, “We are eager to accelerate travel growth in Azerbaijan and technology allows us to do just this. Our partnership with Amadeus will help us develop new revenue streams and improve operational efficiencies.”    

Consistently striving to increase the overall travel comfort of its passengers, the national flag carrier of Turkey now offers new travel kits specially designed by Versace, one of the leading representatives of fashion world, and Mandarina Duck specialised in travel products. Increasing its market share and number of passengers in the global aviation sector every year, Turkish Airlines has now started to welcome its Business Class passengers on intercontinental flights with the elegant and sophisticated designs of Versace sets as from July 2. Socks, earplug, sleep mask, warning stickers, Versace lip balm, hand lotion, facial mist and hairpin (in women’s sets only) are all placed within the sets in order to meet passenger’ needs in this respect during their travel. The other travel set offered for economy class passengers on intercontinental flights of the carrier as of July 3, is designed by Mandarina Duck, which is renowned for bringing innovative and functional solutions to travellers with its smart and unique designs. This set includes sleep mask, socks, earplug, lip balm, toothbrush and toothpaste. Attentive to present natural and high-quality dermocosmetic products to its passengers, Turkish Airlines also offers the products of Atelier Rebull, who has a deep rooted past dating back to 1895, in its new travel kits.

UAE residents can look forward to exciting holidays in the Philippines through Cebu Pacific’s seat sale on July 15 and 16, offering tickets for as low as AED 130. This offer enables UAE-based residents to enjoy summer and Yuletide holidays by booking tickets in advance and travel anytime between November 1, 2019, to April 15, 2020. Meanwhile, families eyeing the Philippines as a potential holiday destination have another reason to rejoice. Those travelling from Dubai to Manila with a pre-purchased baggage allowance of 40 kg can avail the additional 25 kg free baggage allowance. Passengers can avail baggage offer till November 30, 2019. Cebu Pacific is the only low-cost carrier (LCC) flying directly between the Philippines and the UAE, having seven flights weekly. In keeping with Cebu Pacific’s motto to always ensure a hassle-free travel experience, travellers flying with the Philippine’s largest carrier can process their payments for flight tickets at any branch of Al Ansari Exchange and UAE Exchange located across the UAE, thus, ensuring a seamless and convenient travel arrangement and payment solutions. UAE travellers who prefer to use cash as the mode of payment can pay through the over-the-counter facilities at any of the Al Ansari Exchange or UAE exchange, for reservations they have made through Cebu Pacific’s website or mobile app, and phone bookings, within 24 hours. Cebu Pacific currently offers flights to a total of 37 domestic and 27 international destinations, operating a widespread network across Asia, Australia, the Middle East and, the USA.

Upping the ante on enhancing the customer experience at Dubai International (DXB), operator Dubai Airports has launched a high-tech system that monitors airport operations in real-time and visualises traffic flows to support consistently smooth operations at the world’s busiest airport. realtimeDXB, a bespoke cloud-based platform, gathers data generated by more than 50 operational systems, including those of Dubai Airports and its many service partners. It uses this information to keep all operational teams involved aware of not only the current scenarios but also developing situations anywhere from airfield to kerbside to anticipate challenges more accurately, facilitate greater collaboration between service partners, and quick decision-making. “As a system that makes key operational information visible in real-time to all service partners involved in the day-to-day running of the airport, realtimeDXB is a major step forward in our journey to develop common situational awareness. This system will be instrumental in the implementation of new concepts of airport operations such as Airport Collaborative Decision Making (ACDM) and Total Airport Management,” said Damian Ellacott, Vice President of the Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC), at Dubai Airports. “By increasing the flow of traffic, realtimeDXB system essentially adds capacity to a hub that’s located in the middle of the city and does not have the luxury to keep expanding its physical infrastructure,” said Lloyd Gozzett, Vice President of Customer Success at Dubai Airports. The use of real-time information and advanced smart gates is already helping enhance customer experience at DXB. In Q1 of 2019, the airport reduced customer wait-times by 30 per cent as a direct result of these systems.