Category Archives: Aviation

As part of its drive to continuously enhance customer experience, Abu Dhabi Airports is extending city check-in facilities to Indian airline IndiGo. This new service is in line with the airline’s commitment to provide courteous and hassle-free travel experience to its customers. This new feature will enable passengers flying out of Abu Dhabi airport to check-in 24 hours before reaching the airport. Maarten De Groof, Chief Commercial Officer, Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “We are delighted to welcome IndiGo passengers to stop by our easily accessible and conveniently located remote check-in facilities. Ensuring a seamless and efficient customer is one of our top priorities at Abu Dhabi Airports, and we look forward to introducing travellers to our world-class services and unique brand of Arabian hospitality. India has always been one of our most important and largest areas of operations, and we are looking forward to continuing to work closely with IndiGo passengers to meet the market’s growing demand.” William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “We are delighted to introduce this new check-in feature for our passengers in Abu Dhabi which will both add convenience and ease to their travel experience with us. We thank the Abu Dhabi International Airport team for extending us all the support to make this feature live. IndiGo will continue to enhance its hassle-free experience which is one of the core values that the airline stands for besides providing on-time and affordable fares to customers.”

From June 1, 2019, Etihad Airways will introduce a new two-class Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, the largest variant of the technologically advanced aircraft, on its scheduled daily morning service from Abu Dhabi to Rome, complementing the second overnight 777-300ER departure. On July 1, the airline will introduce the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on its two daily services to Frankfurt. The two-class 787-9 features Etihad Airways’ next-generation Business and Economy Class cabins, configured with 299 seats – 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats. The 336-seat 787-10 features 32 Business Studios and 304 Economy Smart Seats. Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Rome and Frankfurt are two very important cities on the Etihad global network and have been popular with business and leisure customers alike. The introduction of more state-of-the-art 787s to our fleet is allowing us to further enhance the inflight experience, giving our guests the opportunity to enjoy the most highly customised Dreamliner cabins in the world, upgraded entertainment systems and connectivity, and our acclaimed service and hospitality.”

flydubai inaugurated its new service from Dubai to Tashkent becoming the first carrier based in the UAE to offer direct flights to Uzbekistan.  The inaugural flight departed on March 11 from Terminal 3, Dubai International (DXB) and was welcomed on arrival at Tashkent International Airport (TAS). On board the inaugural flight was a senior delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) led by H.E. Eng. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Minister of Economy in the UAE. The trade delegation included the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, other business entities and members of the UAE media.  On arrival at Tashkent, the delegation was received by Shuhrat Vafaev, Deputy Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan and Mohammed Al Mehairbi, H.E. Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the UAE to Uzbekistan. H.E. Eng. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Minister of Economy, emphasized on the importance of this step, further pointing out that the country maintains a leading position in the global air transport map and serves as an important centre for enhancing global connectivity through its sophisticated international airports and air carriers with world-class reputation and a wide network of destinations. Commenting on the occasion, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer of flydubai, said, “Uzbekistan is an important trade partner for the UAE and the start of flights to Tashkent represents a significant milestone in helping to strengthen commercial ties between us.  We are pleased to be the first UAE carrier to launch direct flights between Dubai and Tashkent, opening up another underserved market in Central Asia and supporting Dubai’s vision of creating flows of travel and trade.”

Turkish Airlines and Oman Air have revised the codeshare agreement signed earlier. Under the revised agreement, Turkish Airlines will codeshare on Oman Air operating flights to Salalah while Oman Air will codeshare on Turkish Airlines operating flights to Rome, Copenhagen and Algiers. The codeshare agreement allows guests to benefit from the outstanding products and services offered by both carriers on these routes. Bilal Ekşi, Deputy Chairman and CEO, Turkish Airlines expressed, “Witnessing Oman Air’s direct flights to Istanbul within the scope of our existing codeshare agreement has always pleased us. Now extending this agreement in order to increase the travel opportunities offered for our passengers through our networks made us more delighted. We believe that this codeshare enhancement with Oman Air will exposure further cooperation opportunities for both airlines together with growing relations between our countries.” Abdulaziz Al Raisi, Chief Executive Officer, Oman Air commented, “Oman Air is happy and proud to be associating with Turkish Airlines which is a globally recognized network carrier. It is an ideal partner for Oman Air, which has justifiably attracted a reputation for offering the highest levels of comfort, luxury and outstanding service. As we continue to expand globally, codeshare agreements such as this help us spread our wings to newer destinations and bring us more partners and guests.” Turkish Airlines and Oman Air currently operate one daily flight each on the Muscat-Istanbul route under the reciprocal codeshare agreement. The schedule of these flights are designed to complement each other by allowing same day return trip at Muscat and Istanbul.

Etihad Airways and Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) announced positive growth in traffic since their codeshare partnership began in November 2018. Jointly, Etihad and Saudia have flown over 16,000 guests across the partnership, solidifying the airlines’ commitment to growing inbound business and tourism in their respective markets. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group said, “The close and expanding partnership between Etihad and Saudia is giving us a unique opportunity to build on the deep ties that exist between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. With greater choice now available, more flexibility across both our schedules, and world-leading products and services, together, we now fly approximately 150 guests per day across each other’s networks. Our plan is to grow this number considerably through expansion of the codeshare agreement in the coming months, and to deliver more benefits to our customers.” The codeshare agreement has seen ‘EY’ and ‘SV’ codes already placed on 14 routes with the addition of Vienna this week. In the coming months, Etihad will place its ‘EY’ code on, Tunis, Sharm El Sheikh and Alexandria. At the same time, Saudia will place its ‘SV’ code on Etihad flights to Tokyo, Nagoya, and Baku. Phase two for the ‘EY’ code will include Algiers, Dhaka and Erbil. And Phase two for the ‘SV’ code will include Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Moscow, Dusseldorf, Hong Kong, Kathmandu, Lagos, Minsk, Rabat, Astana, and more points in India. His Excellency Engineer Saleh Al-Jasser, Director General, Saudi Arabian Airlines commented, “The codeshare partnership with Etihad Airways enables greater connectivity and access to destinations for our guests. By leveraging each of our networks, we are able to provide a wide array of …

Emirates is set to now have 11 daily flight options to and from three London airports with the launch a second daily flight from Dubai to Stansted in July 2019. As with the first, the second daily flight to Stansted will also be operated by Emirates’ ‘game changing’ Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration with six private suites in First Class, 42 fully-flat beds in Business Class and 306 seats in Economy Class. The aircraft offers customers an enriched travel experience across all cabins with newly designed seats and upgraded inflight entertainment systems. Customers will also enjoy new levels of comfort with fully enclosed private suites in First Class as well as refreshed Business and Economy Class cabins. “We are increasing capacity to London Stansted to meet steady demand from both leisure and business travellers to and from the region, as well as international student traffic to Cambridge. We continuously seek ways to maximise convenience and flexibility for our customers and the second daily flight combined with the optimal travel schedules will do exactly that; provide a seamless travel experience with Emirates,” said Hubert Frach, Divisional Senior Vice President—Commercial Operations West, Emirates. The second daily flight to Stansted also means increased tourism to the region, enabling further trade and economic growth. Popular inbound markets include Australia, UAE, India, South Africa, China, Malaysia and Hong Kong. Emirates customers travelling from London Stansted will also have more access to destinations across the airline’s global network with convenient connection times.

Avis Budget Group has announced a global partnership with Etihad Aviation Group to become the exclusive car rental provider for Etihad Airways, Etihad Holidays and Etihad Guest. The partnership will see the Avis, Budget and Maggiore brands offered across the various Etihad booking channels worldwide. Etihad Guest members will benefit from the Avis Preferred programme and an improved earning proposition. Julia Kemp, Director of International Sales & Partnerships, Avis Budget Group said, “We are delighted that we have extended our partnership with Etihad to be the exclusive global mobility provider. Whilst offering deals on Avis Budget Group car rentals, we will be looking at tri-party campaigns with hotels, tourist boards and credit cards.” Yasser Al Yousuf , Vice President of Commercial Partnerships, Etihad Airways said, “This partnership gives our guests a seamless travel experience door-to-door. We chose Avis Budget Group as an exclusive partner for their wide-ranging fleet of cars and their global reach which suits the needs of our guests and plays a big part of our ‘Choose Well’ campaign empowering customers to make their own choices.” To celebrate the new partnership, Etihad Guest and Avis Budget are offering Etihad Guest members the chance to win flights for two, with Etihad Airways anywhere across the Etihad network – plus 7 days car rental. To be eligible, members need to book a car rental before April 30, 2019.

Cebu Pacific has expanded its domestic footprint with the commencement of regular flights between Manila and Marinduque from April 1, 2019. With operations every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, the new route will be operated by subsidiary Cebgo using its fleet of brand-new ATR aircraft. “We are excited to begin operations in one of the most beautiful islands in the Philippines–Marinduque. It takes only about an hour to fly between Manila and Marinduque—in contrast to the eight hour trip by ferry and land today. Regular flights will allow business to prosper and the island’s tourism sector to boom,” said Alexander Lao, President and CEO, Cebgo. “It was a long and tedious process to bring about this route. We are thankful for the collaboration and cooperation of various government agencies for the completion of the runway and terminal facilities at the Marinduque Airport. We are optimistic that with larger aircraft and regular flights, tourists will have greater access to Marinduque and harness its potential as a world-class ecotourism destination. We look forward to partnering with Cebu Pacific and other stakeholders as we strive for progress in Marinduque through sustainable tourism,” said Lord Allan Jay Velasco, Representative, Marinduque. Marinduque is the 37th domestic destination of Cebu Pacific and often mentioned as an idyllic destination for a tropical getaway by travel writers.

Abu Dhabi Airports welcomed GoAir’s launch of four new flights between Kannur International Airport and Abu Dhabi International Airport, connecting the two cities with flights operating every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. GoAir’s inaugural flight from Kannur to Abu Dhabi was received with much fanfare, as the Indian subcontinent remains one of the most popular destinations for travellers departing from Abu Dhabi. Bryan Thompson, CEO, Abu Dhabi Airports commented, “India is a key travel market for Abu Dhabi International Airport, and we are always eager to strengthen our connectivity to the Indian subcontinent, enhancing further our services extended to our dear customers.” Maarten De Groof, Chief Commercial Officer, Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “India has always been one of our largest and most important areas of operations, and we look forward to ensuring GoAir’s guests enjoy a comfortable and efficient experience throughout Abu Dhabi International Airport where we continue to deploy world-class smart travel solutions, attractive retail offerings, and relaxing lounge spaces. This additional service to Abu Dhabi reflects the capital’s status as a key destination and transit hub, and forms a part of our strategy to attract new airlines to our network.” Jeh Wadia, Managing Director, GoAir, said, “This is a historic moment for GoAir as we enter the Middle East region with our maiden flight taking off from Kannur to Abu Dhabi, thereby strengthening the India-UAE relationship. GoAir is world’s fastest growing airline and Abu Dhabi is our 4th international destination after Phuket, Male and Muscat, and 28th destination sequentially speaking. GoAir is delighted to partner with Abu Dhabi Airports. I welcome aboard passengers from Kannur and Abu Dhabi on four direct flight services per week at an attractive …

Etihad Airways has announced the launch of new seasonal routes from Abu Dhabi to Alexandria in Egypt and Salalah in Oman, catering to strong demand during the summer peak. Both flights will operate four times per week throughout July and August 2019. Both destinations attract large numbers of visitors during the summer months. Robin Kamark, Group Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation said, “We are delighted to offer our guests new choices of holiday destinations during the summer months. Alexandria and Salalah are popular destinations for residents in the UAE, and from further afield. Whether they’re looking to spend time with family or friends over the summer holidays, or planning to visit the stunning southern coast of the Arabian Peninsula during Khareef, we are sure that our guests will enjoy all that these new destinations have to offer.” With the addition of these seasonal destinations, the airline will operate a total of 32 flights per week to Egypt, 28 flights to Cairo and four to Alexandria. The airline will operate a total of 25 flights per week to Oman with 21 weekly flights to Muscat and four to Salalah.