Category Archives: Aviation

Jet Airways has launched a fourth daily service from Dubai to Delhi, and has also rescheduled the flight to Mangalore from Dubai. The new schedule provides a more convenient night flight, arriving early in the morning in Mangalore. Shakir Kantawala, Vice President, Gulf, Middle East and Africa, Jet Airways, said, “The new service will further enhance the strong economic ties between the UAE and India and support the increase in demand for tourism for both the cities. The new flight timings are also of interest for business travellers, who now have the convenience of day return flights. We look forward to providing greater convenience and choice to our guests travelling to Delhi.”

Dubai International (DXB) saw 7.2 million passengers in September as traffic rose to 67.5 million for the year. Traffic was down slightly (-0.2%) in September due to the Eid Al Adha holidays that fell in September 2017. It was the sixth time this year that DXB’s monthly traffic surpassed the 7 million mark, helping finish off the third quarter with 23.8 million customers, up 1%. A total of 7,197,866 customers were served in September (- 0.2%) and 6 million bags (+1.12%) were passed through the airport’s sophisticated 175 km long baggage system during the month. Smart Gate technology at DXB helps speed customers through immigration while state-of-the-art operations centre leverages real-time information to improve service and efficiency, leading to a reduction of 28% in wait times during September. India remained DXB’s top destination country by customer volume, with total traffic reaching 957,748 during the month. The United Kingdom was the was second with 538,199 customers, followed by Saudi Arabia with 454,929 customers. Other markets of note include Australia (256,848), the US (252,264) and China (208,822). The top three cities were London (329,778), Mumbai (199,829) and New Delhi (170,122). The fastest-growing regions were North America,(up by 15.2%,) Africa (up 10.9%) and CIS growing at 6.8%.

Reaching its milestone of 15 years, AirArabia has unveiled a new brand, including the new aircraft livery and interior through a live display of one of AirArabia’s newly-branded Airbus A320 aircraft, to attract the younger millennial travellers during a launch ceremony at the AirArabia hangar in Sharjah International Airport. Commenting on the occasion, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohamed Al Thani, Chairman, AirArabia said, “It was 15 years ago that AirArabia and the low-cost airline concept were just an idea in the region, an idea of connecting people at affordable cost. Today, we are gathered to celebrate the great success story that AirArabia has become, redefining air travel in the region and providing great travel experience for over 80 million passengers to date. We commemorate 15 years of success with the launch of AirArabia’s new brand identity that reflects the carrier’s successful journey and echoes the future with a fresh perspective while mirroring its ambitions and the next phase of international growth.” Since its launch on October 28, 2003, AirArabia has experienced solid and sustained growth. From the earliest days of serving just five routes with two aircraft, the airline has grown to currently serving over 155 routes from multiple hubs spreads across the UAE, Morocco and Egypt, served by a fleet of 53 aircraft, with plans for further expansion in 2019.

Emirates is gearing up to launch the world’s first “biometric path” that will offer its customers a smooth and truly seamless airport journey at the airline’s hub in Dubai International airport. Utilising the latest biometric technology – a mix of facial and iris recognition, Emirates passengers can soon check in for their flight, complete immigration formalities, enter the Emirates lounge and board their flights, simply by strolling through the airport. The latest biometric equipment has already been installed at Emirates Terminal 3, Dubai International airport. It can be found at select check-in counters, at the Emirates Lounge in Concourse B for premium passengers, and at select boarding gates. Areas where biometric equipment are installed will be clearly marked.  Adel Al Redha, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Emirates, said, “Guided by our chairman His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Emirates continuously innovates and strives to improve our day-to-day business. After extensive research and evaluation of numerous technologies and new approaches to enhance our passenger journey, we are now satisfied with the preliminary work we have carried out and are ready to commence live trials of the world’s first biometric path at Emirates Terminal 3. These ground-breaking initiatives are a result of close collaboration with our stakeholders – particularly GDRFA who have been instrumental in the programme to bring the biometric path to fruition.” Major General Mohammed Ahmed Almarri, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), Dubai,  said, “We are pleased to roll-out these new initiatives at Terminal 3 in collaboration with Emirates and our airport stakeholders. The Smart Tunnel tests are running smoothly, and we are now preparing to mobilise the other biometric systems at the other areas …

Etihad Airways will introduce Boeing 787-9 on its daily scheduled services from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, effective December 20, 2018 and to Brussels, effective January 3, 2019. The new two-class 787 Dreamliner service features Etihad Airways’ next-generation Business and Economy Class cabins, configured with 299 seats – 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats. Etihad Airways’ modern fleet of 21 Boeing 787-9 aircraft feature innovative, award-winning cabin designs and products, complemented by the airline’s acclaimed service and hospitality offering. Flights include Food and Beverage Managers in Business Class and a Flying Nanny in Economy Class to provide specialised care for families with young children. Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group said, “Kuala Lumpur and Brussels are two very important destinations on the Etihad network, popular with both business and leisure customers and we are delighted to be introducing the 787-9 Dreamliner on these routes. Our customers can expect the quietest cabins and our latest in-flight products and technology, one of the world’s most technologically advanced and fuel-efficient aircraft. Our customers flying between Abu Dhabi and these capitals continue to benefit from convenient departure and arrival times at both ends, and those transiting through Abu Dhabi enjoy seamless connections onto Etihad’s global route network.”

Emirates has signed three Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate tourism and trade in Vietnam’s largest and most visited city. The airline will mutually collaborate with the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Promotion Center (HTPC), Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism and Investment and Trade promotion Centre of Ho Chi Minh City (ITPC) to promote Ho Chi Minh City as a tourist destination and trade hub. HE Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman, People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, led a high-level delegation and working visit to the UAE from October 22 to 25, 2018. Further, Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, Department of Tourism, Department of External Relations and Investment and Trade Promotion Centre of Ho Chi Minh City (ITPC), Embassy of Vietnam in the UAE, in cooperation with partners in Dubai, held a conference on “Trade, Investment and Tourism Promotion into Ho Chi Minh City.” At the conference, the agreements were signed by Badr Abbas, Senior Vice President – Commercial Operations for Far East, Emirates; Haitham Al Battawy, Country Manager – Vietnam, Emirates and Nabil Sultan, Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates SkyCargo in the presence of HE Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman, People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City; HE Trinh Vinh Quang, Vietnam’s Ambassador to the UAE; Le Phuong, Commercial Counsellor – Head, Vietnam Trade Office, Dubai; Omar Khan, Director, International Offices, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Aldulrahman Mohamed Al Hosani, Director, Exporter Services Department, Dubai Export. Commenting on the signing of the MoUs, Badr Abbas, SVP – Commercial Operations for Far East, Emirates said, “Vietnam is an important destination within Emirates’ network and we are pleased to collaborate on joint promotional activities that will leverage the route’s …

Etihad Airways and Saudia have announced a new codeshare partnership, providing customers with access to more than 40 leisure and business destinations in the home markets and across the world. The two carriers also announced plans for greater commercial cooperation in other fields, including frequent flyer programme benefits, cargo and engineering, and maintenance. The codeshare agreement was signed at Saudia headquarters in Jeddah by HE Eng Saleh bin Naser Al Jasser, Director General Saudi Arabian Airlines; Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group. They were joined by Jaan Albercht, Chief Executive Officer, Saudia; Ahmed Al Qubaisi, Senior Vice President – Government & International Affairs, Etihad Aviation Group and Ali Saleh, Vice President Alliances & Partnerships, Etihad Aviation Group. HE Al Jasser said, “The new partnership broadens aviation and transport links with the United Arab Emirates, building on the extensive aviation investment and strong foundation in the sector. The added network coverage enables our guests to benefit from added flexibility and convenience, as well as increase the benefits for members of both airlines’ frequent flyer plans.” The codeshare agreement will see Etihad Airways place its ‘EY’ code on Saudia’s flights to Abha, Al-Baha, Alula, Arar, Bisha, Dammam, Dawadmi, Gassim, Gizan, Gurayat, Hail, Hofuf, Jeddah, Jouf, Madinah, Qaisumah, Rafha, Riyadh, Sharurah, Tabuk, Taif, Turaif, Wadi-Ad-Dawasir, Wedjh, Yanbo and Abu Dhabi. Port Sudan, Tunis, Alexandria, Sharm el-Sheikh, Multan and Peshawar are subject to government approval. At the same time, Saudia will place its ‘SV’ code on Etihad flights to Baku, Chengdu, Ahmedabad, Nagoya, Tokyo-Narita, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Riyadh, Belgrade, Seychelles,  Chicago-O’Hare and Abu Dhabi.  

Oman Air has introduced a new WhatsApp service which enables its guests to communicate instantly. Clients who opt for this service can now receive their booking confirmations, check-in notifications, boarding passes, flight status updates, in addition to other requested information, directly through the messaging app. The service offers secure, efficient and personalised customer interaction between the airline and the customer, with no third-party interference. Eng Abdulaziz Al Raisi, CEO, Oman Air, said, “Oman Air is increasingly using technology to boost its operations and make the travel experience more stress-free for its guests. This move once again demonstrates our continued commitment to offer our guests with added value and an enhanced travel experience.” Dr Khalid Abdulwahab Al Balushi, Senior Manager, Call Centers, commented, “This Business solution will enable us to reach out to more passengers as it is one of the most popular messaging applications worldwide. The new service will go a long way towards enhancing the customer experience for today’s always-connected customers. Furthermore, the WhatsApp feature is in line with the Oman Air’s journey to digitalisation.”

Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) welcomed the IndiGo’s inaugural flight to and from India, commencing daily flights that connect the UAE capital with Cochin International Airport (COK) and Calicut International Airport (CCJ). With its fleet of 189 Airbus A320 and 12 ATR aircraft, the airline offers over 1200 daily flights and connects 48 domestic destinations and 11 international destinations. The inaugural IndiGo flights from Cochin and Calicut touched down on October 15 and October 16, respectively. A daily non-stop flight from Cochin will depart at 13:30 and arrive at 16:30. The IndiGo service to Cochin will leave Abu Dhabi at 04:30, and will arrive at 10:30. IndiGo will fly out of Calicut at 00:40 and will arrive into Abu Dhabi at 03:30. The return IndiGo flight departs at 17:30 and arrives in Calicut at 23:30. All time slots incorporated above are according to the local time of respective geographies. Bryan Thompson, CEO, Abu Dhabi Airports, commented, “This new addition expands further the network of the capital’s airport to provide our passengers with enhanced connectivity. It also reflects further on the strong global confidence in the Abu Dhabi market, and we hope to continue to build on such partnerships over the coming months and years.” William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo, said, “We are delighted to receive a heartening welcome from Abu Dhabi International Airport this morning. IndiGo has operated its inaugural flights from Calicut-Abu Dhabi and Cochin-Abu Dhabi. The airline has completed 12 years of successful operations in the India market as a low-cost carrier, and adding Abu Dhabi to its network will further augment the regional connectivity that we aspire to provide to our customers.”

Travelport has signed a long-term supplier agreement with Jet Airways that will be effective from April 2019 and enable online and offline travel agencies around the world to shop, book and manage itineraries for leisure and business travellers. Jet Airways will also deploy Travelport’s Rich content and Branding, from which over 270 airlines now benefit by displaying graphical content, their fares families and a full range of ancillary products. Damian Hickey, Head, Air-Travel Partners, Travelport, commented, “Travelport’s commitment to the Indian travel market and the provision of the widest range of content has been further evidenced today with the announcement of this new mutual commitment between Jet Airways and our company beginning April 2019. Furthermore, our position in the rest of Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas means that we are able to deliver to them a wide mix of international travellers. This is in addition to the millions of outbound and domestic Indian travellers they serve.”