Category Archives: Aviation

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) signed an agreement to regulate air transport services between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Bahrain. In light of the Bahrain Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ objective to upgrade all its services, especially in the air transport sector with close cooperation between the UAE and its sister, the GCAA witnessed an MOU signing ceremony between the two countries after a successful round of negotiations. Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of UAE, GCAA expressed his appreciation to the Kingdom of Bahrain for hosting important negotiations and raising the development of air transport services between the two countries. Mohammed Thamer Al Kaabi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation Affairs said, “The draft agreement signed with the UAE represents a qualitative leap in the organisation and development of air transport services between the two countries for providing legal frameworks that meet the highest aviation security and safety requirements.”

As part of Abu Dhabi Aviation and Aerospace Week, Abu Dhabi Air Expo is set to roll out in a new set-up from February 26-28, 2018, under the patronage of Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The fifth edition of the three-day expo was launched by Al Bateen Executive Airport, the first business aviation airport in the Gulf Region, in response to increasing demand in participation from key industry professionals. The event will be divided into three main areas- aircraft hangar, chalets and outdoor static display. Leading private aircraft manufacturers like Dassault Aviation, Gulfstream, Embraer and Boeing Business Jets will be back in the show, alongside key local and regional industry partners and stakeholders. An exhibitor line-up of more than 300 manufacturers and suppliers will showcase the latest innovations and development in private jet aircraft, helicopters, executive charter services, airport equipment and services, avionics systems, insurance and financing.

Deer Jet has granted charter management of the world’s first and only VVIP outfitted Boeing 787, the ‘Dream Jet’ to UAS International Trip Support.  The Dream Jet will be based at the strategic hub of Dubai and UAS will be promoting the aircraft to its Middle Eastern, African and European customer base of UHNWI, and Royal and Presidential entourages. Another 787 Dream Jet display took place at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport from October 3-4, where potential customers were invited for private tours of the aircraft. Appealing to the world’s most discerning business and leisure travellers, the jet offers 7-star services along with advanced technology. Capable of flying non-stop over 16,000 kilometres for 18.5 hours straight, the aircraft is both efficient and luxurious. Along with the main lounge, dining area and guest cabin, it also has a master bedroom, dressing area and washroom.

Dubai Airports recently partnered with ICFLIX, a content provider for travellers to enjoy free movies and TV shows. The initiative combines DXB’s free Wi-Fi experience, ‘WOW-Fi’, with ICFLIX’s video-on-demand service, allowing passengers to stream the latest Hollywood, Bollywood and Jazwood (Arabic) content to their smartphones and laptops. Content on ICFLIX is available in three languages- Arabic, English and French. “Dubai Airports is on a mission to engage more directly with our customers and transform the airport experience for millions of travellers each month. Thanks to our partnership with ICFLIX, travellers at DXB can now enjoy a wide range of streamed entertainment completely free of charge before and between flights,” said Eugene Barry, Executive Vice President of Dubai Airports’ Commercial and Communications Group.

Effective from November 1, 2017, Gulf Air and Turkish Airlines signed a codeshare agreement to expand travel opportunities for the passengers of both airlines with daily flights between Bahrain and Istanbul. The signing ceremony took place at Turkish Airlines’ Istanbul headquarters. Gulf Air’s Captain Waleed Abdul Hameed Al Alawi and Turkish Airlines’ Deputy Chairman and CEO, Bilal Ekşi signed the agreement together in the presence of senior officials from both airlines. This new agreement will be applied to the flights operated by both carriers to Manama and Istanbul, broadening the commercial partnership between the two companies and their respective countries while providing passengers with more travel options. Gulf Air and Turkish Airlines has one daily flight each between Bahrain and Istanbul.

The Abu Dhabi-Medina Etihad Airways will introduce three additional weekly services during the peak winter period. Effective from February 1, 2018, the current overnight departure from Abu Dhabi will be replaced by a mid-morning flight offering an attractive schedule for travellers flying between the UAE’s capital city and Medina in Saudi Arabia. The schedule will improve connectivity to a number of destinations served by Etihad Airways across the Indian subcontinent. The airline will also increase frequency to 10 flights a week for two months between December 1, 2017 and January 31, 2018 to cater to increasing demands. The additional capacity will be operated with a two-class Airbus A320 featuring 16 seats in Business Class and 120 in Economy. Mohammad Al Bulooki, Executive Vice President Commercial, Etihad Airways, said, “The re-timing of our Medina flights to a daytime operation and introduction of additional services strengthen our business proposition and commitment to the Saudi Arabian market.”

Emirates carried over 3.9 million passengers in its 15 years of service to Japan. In October 2002, Emirates became the first airline to link Japan and the Gulf region with non-stop flights when it introduced its four-times-per-week service to Osaka. The number of passengers carried in Emirates’ first year of operations–roughly 66,000 in 2002—has grown to nearly 530,000 passengers carried between Dubai and Tokyo (Narita and Haneda) and Osaka in 2016. Adapting to demand in terms of both quality and volume, the airline continues to enhance passenger experience in Japan. The opening of the Emirates Lounge at Narita (Tokyo) in 2015 and the introduction of the A380 to Narita in 2017, which increased capacity by more than 135 passengers per flight, are most notable.

Following the commencement of their partnership, Emirates and flydubai have announced that Emirates will expand its network to 29 flydubai destinations across three continents. Passengers can book from October 03 on Emirates.com, through the Emirates Contact Centres or the travel agents network with travel commencing from October 29, 2017. HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Group and Chairman of flydubai, said, “This is an exciting first step in unlocking the benefits of the partnership for passengers who will have the opportunity to enjoy the unique advantages each airline offers as well as greater choice and flexibility when connecting via Dubai. This is just the start and as we expand the partner network in the coming months we will open up more opportunities for our passengers to explore the world.” When booked together, as part of the codeshare, Emirates passengers will receive complimentary meals and the Emirates checked baggage allowance on flights operated by flydubai in both Business and Economy Classes. Connecting in Dubai’s aviation hub offers a smooth transfer experience and under the new partnership passengers will benefit from a reduced minimum connection time (MCT) between Emirates’ home in Terminal 3 and flydubai’s in Terminal 2 of 120 minutes. Today’s announcement is an initial phase of the extensive agreement that will, in future phases, see the creation of additional city pair connections as the codeshare agreement is expanded and both airlines’ networks are optimised.

The Chairman of Etihad Aviation Group, His Excellency Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, confirmed the appointment of Tony Douglas as Group Chief Executive Officer, who will join the company in January 2018. Douglas joins Etihad from the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence, where he has served as CEO of the Defence Equipment and Support department, responsible for procuring and supporting all the equipment and services for the British Armed Forces. In the UK, he held senior positions with airport operator BAA, and as Chief Operating Officer and Group Chief Executive designate of Laing O’Rourke. His roles under airport operator BAA included Managing Director of the Heathrow Terminal 5 project, Group Supply Chain Director, Group Technical Director, and CEO of Heathrow Airport. Previously, Douglas held senior positions in the UAE, most notably as CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports Company and as CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports Company where he was responsible for the successful delivery of Khalifa Port. As Group CEO, Mr. Douglas will work with the Board and leadership team to expand and implement a range of strategic initiatives to position Etihad for sustained success in an increasingly competitive regional and global aviation market.   The divisional CEOs will report directly to Douglas, including Peter Baumgartner, CEO of Etihad Airways; Chris Youlten, Managing Director of Etihad Airport Services; Abdul Khaliq Saeed, CEO of Etihad Airways Engineering; Gavin Halliday, Managing Director of Hala Group; and Robin Kamark who joins as CEO, Airline Equity Partners in October 2017.

Royal Jordanian will reportedly temporarily suspend its flights to Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, in northern Iraq, starting from 6 pm (Amman local time) on September 29, 2017. The airline’s decision came after a request from the Iraqi authorities to all airlines flying to Erbil and Sulaymaniyah to stop operating to these two cities until further notice. Royal Jordanian operates 10 weekly flights to Erbil and three weekly flights to Sulaymaniyah. It runs 15 weekly flights to Baghdad and six to Basra.