Category Archives: Aviation

Etihad plans to operate a reduced network of scheduled passenger services from May 1 to June 30, with the aim of gradually returning to a fuller schedule as and when the global situation improves; subject to UAE government imposed travel restrictions being lifted on passenger travel. Etihad is also continuing to operate a growing schedule of special passenger flights allowing foreign nationals in the UAE the opportunity to travel out of the country, and to carry essential belly-hold cargo such as perishables, pharmaceuticals, and medical supplies. To date, the airline has also repatriated almost 600 UAE nationals on return services. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “We remain cautiously optimistic and will push ahead with our plans to resume normal flying, while striving to better serve and support our customers and our employees. While the intention is to assume a ‘business as usual’ approach to the restart of our operations, the aviation landscape has changed, and how it will look month by month is difficult to predict. This has necessitated a fundamental shift in focus for us. However, the cumulative gains achieved by our ongoing transformation, and the unwavering support of our shareholder, has left us in a relatively strong position to withstand any instability. We will pivot on this and act with agility to seize opportunities we may not have previously considered. “We are implementing a series of network-wide route and fleet efficiencies, while conducting an extensive brand study and trialing new service concepts in our guest experience proposition. We are also using this time to drive further internal improvements in the efficient use of automation and technology across all areas of the business, while …

Hahn Air is regrouping its departments supporting partner airlines, travel agencies and the global distribution systems (GDS) into the new commercial and operation divisions. The new divisions also include communications and marketing as well as IT support. The set-up allows the company to further increase business results for its more than 350 partner airlines and over 100,000 travel agency partners while taking advantage of synergies for internal and external support. Kirsten Rehmann, General Director of Hahn Air, commented on the new set-up, “The restructuring process already started in 2019 and will enable us to maximise results for all customer groups and further increase efficiency and optimise team work internally. This will especially be of advantage after the coronavirus crisis, when our partner airlines and travel agencies will have a strong need to kick-start their business.” The newly formed commercial division will be headed by Alexander Proschka who has been promoted to Executive Vice President Commercial. His division comprises of the following departments: airline business, communications and marketing, sales analytics and travel agency distribution. Proschka has been with Hahn Air since 2008 and was previously in charge of the sister companies Hahn Air Systems and Hahn Air Technologies with their products H1-Air and X1-Air. He holds a diploma in international business and industrial engineering from the University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden. Another long-standing Hahn Air executive, Frederick Nowotny, has been promoted to Head of Operation to lead the new operation division. He joined Hahn Air in 2008 and previously headed up the sales engineering department. His division now includes the teams in charge of all airline and product implementation processes, GDS interfaces and inventory displays. In addition, he oversees the …

Air Arabia announces new passenger repatriation flights as well as cargo flights to multiple destinations from Sharjah International Airport. The airline will operate a mix of outbound only passenger flights as well as cargo flights during the month of April to Afghanistan, Iran, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Sudan, Egypt, India and Nepal. Air Arabia is committed to support the requests to operate repatriation and cargo flights and remain working closely with UAE authorities in this regard.

Cozmo Travel started taking bookings from April 14, for the special repatriation flights which have been announced by the UAE government. The following airlines will be starting operations in a fixed schedule: Etihad Airways starts operations from April 14-22 – Seoul, Jakarta, Singapore, Manila, Melbourne, Amsterdam, London Heathrow, Brussels, Zurich, Tokyo, Dublin; Emirates start operations from April 12-20 – London, Frankfurt, Paris, Tunis and Manila; and FlyDubai from April 14 – Azerbaian, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, Kyrgyztan, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Ukraine,Uzbekistan. The destinations and the airlines and more information will be available subject to conditions announced by other foreign governments as well.

Etihad Airways has announced a series of special passenger flights from Abu Dhabi to Brussels, Dublin, London Heathrow, Tokyo Narita and Zurich, in addition to those previously published. The airline has been operating special flights which have allowed passengers stranded in the UAE due to COVID-19 restrictions, the opportunity to return home. The flights also support the ‘UAE Food Security Program’ by utilising belly-hold capacity of passenger aircraft for cargo. The airline continues to repatriate UAE citizens on return sectors, wherever possible, and carry fresh produce as belly-hold cargo back to Abu Dhabi. In addition to these newly announced destinations, Etihad continues to operate special passenger flights from Abu Dhabi to several destinations including Amsterdam, Jakarta, Manila, Melbourne, Seoul Incheon, and Singapore.

Emirates is planning to operate passenger services to Jakarta, Manila, Taipei, Chicago, Tunis, Algiers and Kabul in addition to the already commenced operation to London and Frankfurt. These services will facilitate residents and visitors wishing to return home. Passengers will be able to book directly on emirates.com or via their travel agent. Only citizens of the destination country and those who meet the entry requirements will be allowed to board. Passengers will be required to comply with each country’s requirement. With the increase of services and flights out of Dubai, Emirates have recommenced its operation at Dubai International airport Terminal 3. Customers will be required to follow all health and safety measures required by the UAE authorities and the country of destination. During this time, there will be no online check in and seat selection available and services such as chauffeur drive and lounge will not be available in any of the destinations. Emirates will also offer amended services on these flights. Magazines and other print reading material will not be available, and while food and beverages will continue to be offered on board, packaging and presentation will be modified to reduce contact during meal service and the risk of infection. Cabin baggage will not be accepted on these flights. Carry-on items allowed in the cabin will be limited to laptop, handbag, briefcase or baby items. All other items have to be checked in, and Emirates will add the cabin baggage allowance to customers’ check-in baggage allowance. Passengers are required to apply social distancing guidelines during their journey and wear their own masks when at the airport and on board the aircraft.  Travellers should arrive at Dubai International airport Terminal …

Further to the previously announced schedule of special passenger flights, Etihad Airways will add additional flights from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne and Amsterdam. The airline has been operating special flights which have allowed passengers stranded in the UAE due to COVID-19 restrictions, the opportunity to return home. The flights also support the ‘UAE Food Security Program’ by utilising belly-hold capacity of passenger aircraft for cargo. The airline continues to repatriate UAE citizens on return sectors, where possible, and carry fresh produce as belly-hold cargo, on the return segments back to Abu Dhabi. In addition to Melbourne and Amsterdam, Etihad continues to operate special passenger flights from Abu Dhabi to several destinations including Seoul Incheon, Singapore, Manila, and Jakarta.

Etihad Airways has updated its Etihad Credit offering by providing an additional bonus of up to 5,000 Etihad Guest Miles depending on the booked cabin class, to support passengers with impacted travel. Eligible Etihad guest members redeeming Etihad Credit will automatically receive the bonus miles within four weeks of their credit being issued. Guests not yet members of Etihad Guest can also claim bonus miles by applying online on their website. Etihad Credit allows customers to cancel their flight and use the value as credit to rebook their trip for travel until July 31, 2021 – any ticket, any fare type, any Etihad destination. Any fare difference from the original ticket price will be charged. Bonus Tier Miles will also be provided to eligible Etihad Guest members to keep them on track to reaching their next tier, even when it’s difficult to travel.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged G20 leaders to act quickly to support the aviation industry in order to prevent irrecoverable damage to international connectivity arising from the impact of COVID-19. In an open letter to the G20 Presidency, Alexandre de Juniac Director General and CEO, IATA emphasised the essential role that air transport will play in facilitating the recovery of the global economy. Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting government-mandated border closings and travel restrictions have led to the destruction of global air travel demand, de Juniac made a plea to governments to urgently provide, or facilitate the provision of financial support. He noted that some G20 members already have acted, including Australia, Brazil and China. De Juniac also pointed out that without the global connectivity provided by aviation, sustaining global supply chains, as well as developing country industries such as perishable horticulture and tourism would be impossible. By value, 35 per cent of international trade flown by air, 57 per cent of international tourists travel by air and each airline job contributes to 24 more in the wider economy.

Sri Lankan Airlines announced further suspension of Dubai-Colombo flight operations until April 9, 2020 as part of the precautionary measures being implemented in response to COVID-19. Following the announcement from the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management (NCEMA) and the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in the UAE. All passengers who are booked during this period are permitted one free charge to travel up to May 31, 2020 for original routing. The airfare and taxes paid for the SriLankan airlines’ ticket can be transferred to a voucher which can be redeemed for your future travel SriLankan Airlines. This voucher shall be valid for 364 days from the date of issue. If you are uncertain as to when you will be travelling next due to the prevailing crisis situation, the ideal solution will be to obtain this voucher, thus securing the opportunity to travel in the future when circumstances become more favourable. The airline will not be charging any change/reissue penalties for the issuance of voucher. You may obtain this voucher any time before the expiry (364 days from the air ticket issuance) of the ticket that you are currently holding.