Category Archives: Aviation

Set to be held from April 30 to May 1, CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa 2019 is expected to bring together airline specialists, aviation authorities, tourism boards, airports and tour operators, as well as other travel-related industry professionals. Fourteen airlines have already confirmed their participation at CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa – co-located with Arabian Travel Market 2019 and taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre. Senior network planning teams from Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Air Arabia, Air Asia, EgyptAir, flyadeal, Ethiopian Airlines, Global Airways, Atlas Global, Germania, Mahan Air, Royal Air Maroc and Titan Airways will attend the inaugural route development forum. Throughout 2018, GCC airlines have added 58 new flight routes – focusing on areas of consistent and substantial growth – according to research from Colliers International – based on a sample of 10 airlines including Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Salaam Air, Oman Air, Gulf Air, Saudia, flyadeal, Air Arabia and IndiGo airlines. Karin Butot, CEO, The Airport Agency, said, “2018 has been an exciting year for new flight routes both to and from the GCC, underscoring Dubai as the ideal location to bring together professionals from the aviation and tourism industry for the inaugural CONNECT Middle East, India and Africa forum. With up to 400 delegates, CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa 2019 will include unlimited one-to-one pre-scheduled appointments, a conference programme, panel discussions and airline and  industry briefings as well as an exhibition area dedicated to airports and suppliers.” Nick Pilbeam, Divisional Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, said, “It is an ideal base for exploring some of the world’s most interesting and previously inaccessible corners of the world. And the GCC’s airlines are making it even easier with the …

Emirates has announced the return of My Emirates Pass, an exclusive seasonal pass that turns an Emirates boarding pass into an exclusive membership package, allowing customers to take advantage of discounts and benefits in over 500 locations across the UAE. Emirates’ customers now have more reasons to start off the New Year and explore Dubai’s many attractions. People travelling to and through Dubai from January 1 until March 31, 2019 can benefit from My Emirates Pass privileges across participating retail and leisure outlets by presenting their boarding pass and a valid form of identification. The offers are valid across retail outlets and various leisure activities, including up to 30 per cent discount on spa treatments; up to 50 per cent off on outdoor activities like water sports and access to night golf courses; up to 50 per cent discount on fine dining; and up to 30 per cent off on popular shopping outlet stores. Customers can explore the many offerings available under My Emirates Pass by visiting emirates.com/myemiratespass. Mohammad Al Hashimi, Vice President — Commercial Products Dubai, Emirates, said, “We are pleased to announce the return of our signature Emirates Pass this winter, encouraging visitors to explore all corners of the UAE. Travellers coming into Dubai, whether for a short visit or a longer stay can now experience what this city has to offer for less, by taking advantage of special privileges across some of the best hotspots. With attractive discounts to over 500 locations – there’s something for everyone to splurge on this New Year.”

With the new year festivities ending, Emirates expects the season to escalate even more with travellers returning to their original destinations or others headed towards a new outbound destination over this weekend and the next weeks to come to due to Dubai Shopping Festival which will attract more visitors to the destination. More than 180,000 travellers will be making their way to Emirates’ dedicated Terminal 3 facilities from January 1-5, 2019. The busiest day in the first week of 2019 was  January 2. With road works going on around the main airport highways and roads during this time, Emirates urges customers to build in extra time for their journeys to avoid potential delays. Customers are reminded to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their flight departures. Passengers can physically check in at the airport as early as 24 hours before flight departure, and are requested to check in no later than 2 hours prior to departure, regardless of class of travel. Customers who check in less than 60 minutes prior to their scheduled flight departure will not be accepted for travel. Customers can also check in online on both their desktops and mobile devices from 48 hours to 90 minutes before flight departure. In addition to online check-in services, Emirates also offers convenient car park check-in facilities in Dubai with 16 check-in counters located in Zone C. Customers heading to Emirates Terminal 3 can choose to drop their luggage at one of the 46 dedicated bag drop counters in Economy Class or separate counters in First Class and Business Class from 6 hours to 90 minutes prior to departure. Families travelling with small children can use dedicated Family …

Abu Dhabi Airports has announced its airport-wide rollout of ‘Super-Fi’ that will increase internet upload and download speeds to a maximum of 200 mbps per user at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH). The Super-Fi internet access, the fastest airport Wi-Fi service in the world, has been installed and tested throughout all three terminals. The move comes as part of Abu Dhabi Airports’ commitment to enhanced passenger experiences, as well as its journey of digitalisation and innovation. It will now provide millions of travellers with improved online connectivity. Bryan Thompson, Chief Executive Officer, Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “We understand just how important WiFi has become to the travelling public. At Abu Dhabi Airports, we value our customers first and foremost, placing a primary focus on their experiences while coming and going from the UAE’s capital. Access to fast internet is a crucial factor that makes a big difference for our travellers. Providing our customers with enhanced connectively services is in line with our vision of becoming the world’s leading airports group. We are proud to have rolled out ‘Super-Fi’ across the entirety of Abu Dhabi International Airport, free for all of our travellers. It is fast and reliable and allows our customers to keep in touch.  Technology is at the heart of our digital transformation strategy, and this improved internet infrastructure will open the door to further smart services and connected solutions.” In October 2018, Abu Dhabi Airports and Cisco signed an agreement that provides AUH with cutting-edge solutions that will support its digital transformation strategy, including operational efficiency, digital capacity and customer experience.

RwandAir is set to commence flights to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa from April 2019. The airline will operate five weekly direct flights from Kigali to Addis Ababa with a CRJ-900NG aircraft. With flights to Addis Ababa, RwandAir will be offering seamless connections through its hub in Kigali between Addis Ababa and other African cities in its network. The addition of Addis Ababa is key to RwandAir’s growth in Africa and it’s also a bridge for strengthening the bilateral relationships and improving trade and tourism between the two countries. “As an expanding young airline, it is imperative for us to fly to Addis Ababa Bole International airport as it is one of the important hubs in Africa” said Yvonne Manzi Makolo, CEO, RwandAir. “By starting direct flights to Addis Ababa, we expect to offer better connections to East, West and Southern Africa” she added. With the addition of Addis Ababa to our network, RwandAir will reach out to 27 destinations in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Addis Ababa is not only the administrative, financial and commercial centre of the country but it also hosts the Headquarters of the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and many other regional offices for a number of international organisations.

Launched by Enter Air, a charter airline of reputed tour operator TUI Poland landed its inaugural direct flight carrying 185 passengers from Wroclaw to Ras Al Khaimah. The new route will be served once a week every Sunday, providing Polish travellers a direct and more accessible access to Ras Al Khaimah. Ras Al Khaimah’s attractiveness as a destination for international travellers continues to be strong, accounting for 62% of overall visitors in the first three quarters of 2018. As part of its Destination 2019 strategy, RAKTDA has significantly increased its promotions in Europe showcasing the diversity of the destination to core audiences in key markets. Commenting on the launch of the new route, Haitham Mattar, Chief Executive Officer, RAKTDA, said, “Over the last few years, Poland has become one of the strongest international tourism source markets to RAK, and therefore this step is an important strategic development that will further facilitate the successful bilateral ties between both the countries. Moreover, this new addition expands the network of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport even further, reflecting the strong global confidence in the Emirate’s travel and tourism industry. Europe is a key market for the Emirate, and we are confident that this new route will be extremely successful in increasing visitor arrivals to the Emirate even further.

Etihad Airways will introduce the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on its daily scheduled service from Abu Dhabi to Hong Kong, effective March 31, 2019. The two-class aircraft will replace the Airbus A330-200 aircraft currently operating the route. The new 787-9 Dreamliner service to Hong Kong will feature the airline’s next-generation Business and Economy cabins, configured with 299 seats – 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats –  a capacity increase of six seats in Business and 31 in Economy in each direction, and an increase in belly-hold cargo capacity of four tonnes.

Launched by Enter Air, a charter airline of reputed tour operator TUI Poland landed its inaugural direct flight carrying 185 passengers from Wroclaw to Ras Al Khaimah. The new route will be served once a week every Sunday, providing Polish travellers a direct and more accessible access to Ras Al Khaimah. Ras Al Khaimah’s attractiveness as a destination for international travellers continues to be strong, accounting for 62% of overall visitors in the first three quarters of 2018. As part of its Destination 2019 strategy, RAKTDA has significantly increased its promotions in Europe showcasing the diversity of the destination to core audiences in key markets. Ras Al Khaimah International Airport now welcomes direct charter and scheduled services from various global destinations including Cairo, Islamabad, Jeddah, Lahore, Peshawar, Calicut, Katowice, Poznan, Warsaw, Luxemburg, Prague and Moscow in addition to Wroclaw. Haitham Mattar, Chief Executive Officer, RAKTDA said, “Over the last few years, Poland has become one of the strongest international tourism source markets to RAK, and therefore this step is an important strategic development that will further facilitate the successful bilateral ties between both countries. Moreover, this new addition expands the network of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport even further, reflecting the strong global confidence in the emirate’s travel and tourism industry. Europe is a key market for the emirate, and we are very confident that this new route will be extremely successful in increasing visitor arrivals to the emirate even further.”

dnata has expanded its operations and production in the Czech Republic to meet the growing demand for its quality inflight catering and inflight retail services. Operating a state-of-the-art facility at Vaclav Havel Airport, the company currently serves 18 airlines in Prague. dnata’s growth in 2018 has been driven by a new partnership with American Airlines and the additional flights of its existing customers, including Emirates and Air Canada. In the first 10 months of 2018, the dnata team prepared over five million inflight meals for a total of 35,000 Prague flights, which represents a 15 per cent increase year over year. To support the growth, the company has hired 25 additional, local staff in the past 12 months and now employs over 300 dedicated professionals in the Czech capital. Frantisek Sir, Managing Director, dnata Catering, Czech Republic, said, “2018 has been an exceptionally successful year for dnata in the Czech Republic with double-digit growth and a number of significant achievements. We are proud to have successfully expanded our operations and team to meet the increased demand for our services, while never losing focus on safety and quality. We continue to deliver the best possible products for our 18 airline customers and their passengers.”

flydubai has announced the launch of direct flights to Kozhikode in Kerala, India. The three-times weekly service from Dubai International (DXB) to Kozhikode Calicut International Airport (CCJ) will start from February 1, 2019. Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer, flydubai, commenting on the new announcement, said, “We have always been proud of the strong ties between India and the UAE. We have seen a stronger flow of trade and tourism between the two countries over the past few years. In 2017, India became the first source market to top 2 million annual visitors representing an impressive 15 per cent year-on-year increase in total number of visitors to Dubai. We are grateful for the support we have received from the Indian authorities and we remain committed to serving the market. We look forward to more opportunities to strengthen the airlinks between the two countries in the future.” Commenting on the announcement, Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President, Commercial (UAE, GCC, Subcontinent and Africa), flydubai, said, “We are pleased to add Kozhikode to our network of eight destinations in India, offering greater connectivity and an unrivalled travel experience to our passengers in India. The new route will provide more passengers from India with access to Dubai and beyond via its aviation hub together with the new codeshare agreement.”