Category Archives: Aviation

Etihad Airways has recently replaced the three-class Boeing 777-300ER for the overnight service between Abu Dhabi and Paris with an Airbus A380 aircraft. Right now it has been done to meet the increased seasonal demand between July 1, 2017 to October 28, 2017 and then between December 15, 2017 to February 15, 2018. However, from March 15, 2018, the aircraft will be run permanently on this route. Mohammad Al Bulooki, Executive Vice President Commercial, Etihad Airways, said, “Paris is one of Etihad Airways’ most sought-after destinations, popular with both leisure and business flyers alike. The global capital of style and gastronomy deserves us to fly our flagship product to town, offering world-leading and award-winning in-flight hospitality experiences in the skies.

Dubai International Airport welcomed 6.8 million customers during May, according to the monthly traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports. In May 2017, passenger numbers at DXB rose by 1.9 per cent to 6,850,052 compared to 6,721,995 recorded in May 2016. During the first five months of 2017, DXB welcomed 36,969,594 passengers, a year-on-year growth of 6.7 per cent compared to 34,649,748 passengers recorded during the same period last year. “Considering that we’ve had some record breaking months earlier in the year, including the rush of travellers during the summer holiday and Eid break last week, we are looking forward to a robust growth in the first half,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports.

Emirates will introduce an additional daily flight from Dubai to Brussels from 29 October 2017, providing a double-daily service to customers on the route. The new scheduled flight is to meet the growing demand for travel on the route – Emirates has carried over half a million passengers between Dubai and the Belgian capital since launching operations on 5 September 2014. Further, this second daily flight, offering additional cargo capacity in the belly hold of the wide-body Boeing 777-300ER, will enhance trade links between Brussels and Dubai, transporting pharmaceuticals, perishables such as chocolates, and automotive parts from Belgium to the UAE and beyond. With the launch of the new flight, inbound tourism is also expected to receive a significant boost, creating an anticipated 50,000 more tourist arrivals.

Etihad Airways, Emirates Airline, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways have all been cleared to allow customers to bring electronic devices, including laptops, tablets and e-readers, on flights from the Middle East into the United States. The ban on electronic devices that was implemented on ME flights travelling to the United States since March 25, 2017 ended on July 5, 2017.

Air Arabia recently launched a direct flight to another destination in Turkey — its historic port city Trabzon. The flight is scheduled to operate on five days a weekly — Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the flight departs from Sharjah International Airport at 21:45 and arrives at Trabzon International Airport at 00:20 local time the next day. The return service departs from Trabzon at 01:00, landing in Sharjah at 05:15 local time. On Tuesdays, the flight departs from Sharjah at 13:15 and arrives at Trabzon at 15:50; then the return flights from Trabzon are scheduled to take off at 16:30 and land in Sharjah at 20:45. Finally, the flights on Sundays are scheduled to depart from Sharjah at 16:35 and land in Trabzon at 19:10, and then the return flights are to take off at 19:50 from Trabzon and arrive at Sharjah at 00:05 the next day.

Emirates’ inaugural double-decker A380 service from Dubai to Nice recently landed at Nice Cote d’Azur International Airport, marking officially the replacement of Boeing 777-300ER used on this route with A380. The flight timings will remain unchanged. The passengers of the premium class in the A380 will get flat-bed seats as well as the Emirates Onboard Lounge to have a completely relaxed and enjoyable ride. First-class passengers can unwind in their very own private suite and leave all their travelling stress behind in the Emirates A380 Shower Spa.

Emirates recently launched a new daily service from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon. Badr Abbas, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Far East, was on board the inaugural flight on 1st July. Upon arrival, the aircraft was greeted in Phnom Penh by a traditional water cannon salute. Going per the local times, flights to Phnom Penh will depart daily from Dubai International Airport at 09:15 local time and arrive at Yangon at 17:25. It will then depart from Yangon at 18:55 and arrive at Phnom Penh International Airport at 21:25. On the return segment, flight EK389 will leave Phnom Penh at 23:10 and arrive at Yangon at 00:40. It will then set off for Dubai‎ at 02:10, arriving there at 05:40.

With a traditional water salute, Dubai Airports recently welcomed Badr Airlines’ inaugural flight from the capital city of Sudan, Khartoum, to Dubai International Airport Terminal 2. Badr Airlines has launched three weekly flights between Khartoum and Dubai, enhancing convenience as well as choice for the thousands of passengers travelling between the two destinations. Besides chartered VIP flights and humanitarian aid missions, Badr Airlines, formerly known as Sarit Airlines, also provides air services for passenger and cargo.

From June to September 2017, flydubai will be providing services to Batumi in Georgia, Qabala in Azerbaijan and Tivat in Montenegro, increasing its network to 93 destinations in 44 countries. Since 2015, flydubai has added 18 new destinations to its network, showing a remarkable rate of growth. “At flydubai, we remain committed to providing our passengers with a variety of destinations to travel to, especially during the summer season,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer, flydubai. “The decision to launch our seasonal routes to complement our existing network is a direct response to customer feedback and we hope our passengers enjoy what these hidden gems have to offer,” he added.

This summer, to adjust the growing number of holiday makers on their flights, Etihad has increased the frequency of their flights as well as the capacity of their vessels flying between Abu Dhabi and their key markets, such as Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Casablanca and Rabat. There will be a fourth new daily flight to Damman, second new daily flight to Amman, four new flights a week to Beirut with the introduction of Boeing 787, a fifth flight to Cairo, one extra flight to Rabat and an aircraft upgrade to Airbus A340 for Casablanca.