Category Archives: Aviation

Pakistan International Airlines commences its bi-weekly flights on Fridays and Sundays connecting Al Ain with Peshawar, Pakistan. Maarten De Groof, Chief Commercial Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “Pakistan has always been one of our largest and most significant areas of operations, and we are pleased to welcome these new bi-weekly flights carrying passengers to and from Al Ain and Peshawar. This new addition further expands the network of Al Ain International Airport, providing our passengers with enhanced services and connectivity. We look forward to continuing to build new partnerships to meet the market’s growing demand.” Pakistan International Airlines will operate the route using its Airbus 320-200 aircraft, which includes 8 Premium Economy seats and 150 Economy Class seats in its current configuration. On Fridays and Sundays, flights are scheduled to depart from Peshawar International Airport at 08:10 LT, arriving at Al Ain International Airport at 10:10 LT. Returning flights to Peshawar are scheduled to depart from Al Ain International Airport at 11:10 LT and arrive at Peshawar International Airport at 15:10 LT. Speaking on the occasion, PIA’s President & Chief Executive Officer Air Marshal Arshad Malik said: “PIA is in process of transformation and is striving to provide best in class services to its patron customers. The service elements also include providing convenient connectivity to its passengers and direct flights to cities in Gulf and KSA to all major destinations in Pakistan. Al-Ain is a strong market and there was a persistent demand by the local Pakistani diaspora to start direct flights between Al-Ain and Peshawar. PIA is expanding its network and very soon new exciting destinations and additional frequencies on existing routes would be introduced further consolidating our …

Etihad Airways will increase its flights from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow, from three to four daily services, to meet peak demand during the month of April. Starting from April 5, 2019, the flights will be operated by a two-class Boeing 787-9, featuring Etihad Airways’ next-generation Business and Economy cabins, configured with 299 seats – 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats. James Harrison, General Manager for Etihad Airways in the United Kingdom and Ireland, said: “We are thrilled to announce more flights to London during April, in response to increased demand in the lead up to and post the Easter holidays. This is a busy travel time for families looking to enjoy the extended school holiday. This extra service will allow our guests more choice and flexibility with their travel plans.” These services will operate in addition to Etihad Airways’ regularly scheduled 3 daily Abu Dhabi to London services, which will continue to operate with Airbus A380 aircraft, offering Economy, Business, First and The Residence. The additional services will provide more flexibility for guests traveling between both capitals and those connecting onwards to key destinations on Etihad’s global network.

Emirates will launch a four times weekly service between Portugal’s second largest city, Porto, and Dubai, from 2 July 2019. Porto will become Emirates’ second destination in Portugal after its capital, Lisbon, which the airline currently serves with two flights a day. The flight will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three class cabin configuration, offering eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie flat seats in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class. Emirates’ new service will provide travellers in northern Portugal, a major urban area, as well as those in the north-west of Spain in cities such as Vigo and Santiago de Compostela, due to its close proximity to Porto, with a direct option to travel to Dubai, and onward to destinations across the airline’s global network, particularly in Africa, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.

The Emirates Official Store has launched a new limited edition collection of Expo 2020 themed aircraft models for aviation enthusiasts and passionate scale-modellers. The highly detailed models are part of a 15 aircraft model collection ranging from Airbus A380s to Boeing 777s featuring the signature Expo 2020 logo in three colours – blue, orange and green representing the three themes of mobility, opportunity and sustainability. The aircraft model replicas are available in both plastic hollow and solid injected finishes, as well as die-cast metal versions, all with meticulously detailed graphics in the three colours that are currently emblazoned on select Emirates A380 and Boeing 777 liveries. The scale models come in the following sizes: Emirates A380 Expo 2020 1/200 scale models in the three colours in a solid plastic finish, Emirates 777-300ER Expo 2020 1/200 scale models in a hollow plastic finish that can be easily assembled, Emirates A380 Expo 2020 1/250 scale models in a hollow plastic finish which easily clips together,Emirates A380 Expo 2020 1/400 scale model is the smallest aircraft collectable in the Expo 2020 collection and comes in a die-cast metal finish and Emirates 777-300ER Expo 2020 1/400 scale models which comes in a metal die-cast finish. The Expo 2020 themed Emirates aircraft models can be found at all Emirates Official retail stores in the UAE, Emirates Store online as well as Emirates Official Store shops at Dubai International Airport. Select aircraft models will also be sold onboard Emirates flights from March 2019. An official Expo 2020 partner, Emirates has installed three different Expo 2020 decal designs on 40 aircraft in its fleet, taking the event’s three key themes: opportunity (orange), mobility (blue), and sustainability (green), …

Dubai Airports has unveiled a new brand for Dubai International (DXB) that signifies Dubai Airports’ transition from airport operator to a consumer-led company to elevate the airport customer experience. The brand launch event was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Airports; Paul Griffiths, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Airports, as well as VVIPs of Dubai’s aviation industry, senior management of DXB, key industry stakeholders and global media. The new brand embodies the unique values of Dubai, demonstrating unmatched hospitality, a culture of imagination, openness to new ideas and a mesmerising mosaic of exciting and inspiring experiences. It will transform DXB into a destination in itself by creating exciting, immersive virtual experiences that bring iconic Dubai landmarks into the airport as well as an array of music, art, dance and even fashion exhibitions that showcase local culture and celebrate diversity. DXB will also feature zones throughout the airport’s concourses that cluster together retail, F&B and themed attractions to cater to DXB’s diverse customer base. Paul Griffiths, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Airports, said, “We are proud to launch the new DXB brand to reflect the fresh direction and truly transform DXB into the airport of the future, one that is led by a more customer-centric approach, that incorporates the hospitality, excitement, warmth and true spirit of Dubai. The new brand represents the ways in which we connect the world, not only by physically facilitating access to over 220 destinations around the world but also by transporting our customers through their experience of different cultures, food, music …

Emirates will link Phnom Penh and Bangkok with its new daily service set to launch on June 1, 2019. The service from Dubai to Phnom Penh, via Bangkok, will provide passengers travelling between the capital cities of Cambodia and Thailand with more flight options. The new service will be operated with an Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft. Flights to Phnom Penh will depart daily from Dubai International Airport at 08:45 hrs local time and arrive in Bangkok at 18:15 hrs. The same flight will then depart Bangkok at 20:00 hrs and arrive at Phnom Penh International Airport at 21: 25 hrs. On the return segment, flight EK371 will depart Phnom Penh at 23:20 hrs and will arrive in Bangkok at 00:40 hrs on the following day. It will then set off to Dubai‎ at 02:25 hrs, arriving at 05:35 hrs. All times are local. Emirates has been serving Cambodia with its flights to Phnom Penh since July 2017, carrying over 100,000 passengers on the route to date. “We are pleased to enhance our services to these popular Southeast Asian destinations and offer more choices for travellers in Cambodia and Thailand. Passengers will not only be linked directly through our daily service but will also have access to a host of domestic and regional routes from the two countries via Emirates’ codeshare partners Bangkok Airways, Jetstar Pacific and Jetstar Asia,” said Adnan Kazim, Divisional Senior Vice President—Strategic Planning, Revenue Optimisation & Aeropolitical Affairs, Emirates. “Emirates has been proudly connecting the UAE to Cambodia since 2017, and we look forward to building on the success of this route with our new link through Bangkok. The service will provide travellers from Cambodia with easy access …

RwandAir has announced its expansion through partnership with Amadeus to adopt technology that will allow its customers to benefit from improved efficiency, better experience and increased convenience. This is in line with further boosting Rwanda as a travel destination. Last year Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali was ranked the third most popular destination in Africa to host international conferences. RwandAir was recently named the 10th most-improved airline in the world by Skytrax and has built a reputation for excellent on-time performance. Having previously provided RwandAir with distribution services, Amadeus will now roll out solutions across passenger systems, revenue management, loyalty management, payments, and data and analytics. The extended partnership intends to support RwandAir’s plans of expanding its network and fleet. Yvonne Manzi Makolo, CEO, RwandAir said, “RwandAir is committed to providing an impeccable customer experience that will fuel our continued expansion in the years to come. We look forward to an extended partnership with Amadeus that will provide us with the world-class passenger services solution with an upgrade of our reservations, ticketing, departure control, e-commerce, market intelligence and loyalty systems”. The benefits of using the Amadeus’s Passenger System (Altéa) also extend to Amadeus’ global travel seller network. Maher Koubaa, VP META, Amadeus, said, “Amadeus uses industry insights combined with smart technology to build the technology that empowers airlines, travel agents and their customers alike to streamline processes, boost convenience, build reputation and loyalty, and more. We’re proud that our partnership with RwandAir has grown so that we can continue to contribute to its growth story.”

Travelport strengthened its partnership with Qantas on a new agreement that includes a commitment to continued collaboration on the future of distribution. Following the recent announcement of the launch of Qantas Channel on August 1, 2019, which will allow agents to access content sourced from the NDC-enabled Qantas Distribution Platform, Travelport’s Managing Director of Australia and New Zealand, Scott Barber, said, “We are delighted to support Qantas as it develops its new channel and introduces the NDC standard. As the first GDS operator with an NDC booking solution available to a small group of customers, we have proven our capability to deliver this new standard. We are supporting our customers as they prepare for this new distribution era to ensure it provides seamless, integrated travel choice through access to the broadest range of content. I’d like to thank our customers for collaborating with us as we deliver the new Qantas Channel and NDC solutions which make the process of buying and managing travel better for everyone.” Commenting on the airline’s new distribution model, Vanessa Hudson, Chief Customer Officer, Qantas said the airline was pleased to be working with Travelport to make the Qantas Channel available to their agents globally. “The digital environment has changed the way we need to work with our trade partners, and our new technology paired with this new Qantas Channel agreement will support us on the journey to delivering our vision for our mutual customers. We’re excited to continue to innovate with our trade partners and share in the benefits of this new technology.” Travelport recently outlined its 2019 NDC roadmap after the successful onboarding of the first group of travel agencies to receive access to NDC content …

Etihad Airways is set to operate Airbus A380 on its daily service linking Abu Dhabi and Seoul, effective July 1, 2019. The South Korean capital’s Incheon Airport now joins London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, New York JFK and Sydney as a destination served by the airline’s award-winning aircraft. Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Since the launch of our services to Seoul Incheon in December 2010, the route has proved tremendously successful and we have welcomed over 1.2 million guests on our flights to and from Korea since then. This reinforces the strong ties between the two countries and the importance Etihad continues to place on the Korean market. The introduction of Airbus A380 will provide guests with the most revolutionary in-flight experience. The Etihad A380 embodies our ‘Choose Well’ brand promise perfectly, offering every type of traveller a flying experience tailored to meet their requirements and to capture their imagination.” Etihad Airways’ 486-seat A380 will provide customers on the route with new in-flight experiences such as The Residence, a luxurious three-room cabin which can accommodate two guests in complete privacy and nine private First Apartments. The double-decker aircraft also boasts 70 Business Studios and 405 Economy Smart Seats. This includes 80 Economy Space seats with a seat pitch of up to 36 inches.

Etihad Airways and Royal Jordanian have announced a new codeshare partnership to provide customers with greater access to key leisure and business destinations in North Africa, Europe, Canada, Asia and Australia. This is the first such partnership between the two airlines which offer multiple daily services between their respective hubs in Abu Dhabi and Amman. The partnership will see Etihad Airways place its ‘EY’ code on Royal Jordanian’s flights from Abu Dhabi via Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport to Larnaca and Berlin, while Algiers, Tunis, Vienna and Montreal will be added to the agreement soon. In turn, Royal Jordanian will initially place its ‘RJ’ code on Etihad Airways services from Amman to Abu Dhabi and vice versa, and then from the UAE capital to Brisbane and Seoul. Subject to government approval, RJ will also market Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi to Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calicut, Cochin, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Manila, Beijing and Shanghai. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “This partnership reinforces the deep cultural, tourism and trade connections between the UAE and Jordan, and opens up a new world of opportunities for our customers. Both the airlines share the common values of genuine Arabian hospitality and service, combined with the next-generation fleets, enviable reputations for efficiency and reliability, and a combined network spanning the globe.” Stefan Pichler, President and CEO, Royal Jordanian, said, “We are delighted to have Etihad Airways beside our codeshare partners who help us grow in different markets. This move is bound to expand our presence in Asia and Australia, which are key destinations for many RJ customers. This commercial partnership offers convenient transiting in Amman and Abu Dhabi to their final …