Category Archives: Aviation

Passenger traffic at Sharjah International Airport grew by 4 per cent during the third quarter of 2017, compared with the same period of 2016, handling 2.996 million passengers. Summer travel drove Q3 growth with the airport handling 1 million passengers during July and 1.1 million passengers during August. Performance during the three months also beat that of Q1 and Q2 this year, which registered 2 percent and 3 per cent growth respectively. July and August were the first months of this year that exceeded one million passengers, with growth being supported by airline promotions, additional summer flights and the Sharjah summer tourism promotion campaign. Last week, Sharjah International Airport received its first Rossiya Airlines flight from Saint Petersburg and Ekaterinburg in Russia. The airline will operate two Boeing 737-800 flights weekly from October 2017 until March 2018. Sharjah Airport Authority recently appointed US engineering consultancy Parsons Overseas Limited to oversee its US$400 million (AED 1.46b) expansion.

With its recent announcement of strengthening more flights to Russia from November 29, flydubai will further increase their network to Sheremetyevo. This will increase the airline’s frequency to the Russian capital to double daily with the existing service to Vnukovo International Airport. Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer, flydubai, said “We are excited to offer our passengers more options to access two different points of the Russian capital. The launch of our new daily flights to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport is based on the increase in demand for more affordable and reliable direct links to the UAE and beyond.” Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President Commercial (UAE, EU, ME, CIS) for flydubai said “Russia continues to be a very important market for flydubai. Our commitment is demonstrated by the increase of our operations to 11 points and 47 weekly flights to the Russian market. We are also looking forward to increasing our frequency to 52 weekly flights from mid-December to provide our passengers with more convenient options for travel to and from Dubai.”

The latest partnership of Etihad Airways and Alibaba’s Tmall and Alitrip for the Global Shopping Festival 2017 includes five specially-branded exteriors of aircrafts which will depart from Abu Dhabi to four destinations in China – Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Hong Kong. In the coming month, the aircrafts will carry this unique branding to over 40 cities across Etihad Airways’ global network. Tmall’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival has quickly become the largest and most influential online shopping festival in China. The partnership executes China’s ‘Belt and Road’ initiative, facilitating economic ties and cultural exchange between China and UAE. At the same time, it takes Chinese culture to Europe, the US and Africa via the Abu Dhabi hub. Etihad Airways continues to build its long-term relationship with Alibaba Group. With access to nearly 200 million registered Alitrip users, the online store has significantly enhanced Etihad Airways’ digital reach in the Chinese market. By seizing the opportunities presented by the Tmall 11.11 Global Shopping Festival 2017, the two parties will expand their innovative partnership across the ecommerce arena.

Louvre Abu Dhabi has signed the first exclusive platinum partnership with Etihad Airways. The ceremony took place under the museum’s dome and its ‘Rain of Light’ effect. Louvre Abu Dhabi will officially open on November 11 as an iconic landmark on the city’s geographical, cultural and tourist landscape. H.E. Saif Saeed Ghobash, Director General, Department of Culture & Tourism–Abu Dhabi, said, “This important partnership comes at an exciting time as we prepare for our grand opening next month. Louvre Abu Dhabi and Etihad Airways not only bring people from around the world to Abu Dhabi, but they are both universal in nature. For the museum, this idea of universal is about understanding human connections from the beginning of time until the present through art. We look forward to celebrating Louvre Abu Dhabi’s opening with the support of our Platinum partner.” As a platinum partner, Etihad will work closely with Louvre Abu Dhabi on areas of brand partnership, marketing, social media, public and media relations, events and exhibitions, cultural exchanges, cargo support, inflight programming, and travel trade support. Etihad Airways’ destination management company, Hala, will collaborate with the museum on bespoke tour packages in Abu Dhabi. Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer, said, “Louvre Abu Dhabi is a universal institution showcasing the achievements of mankind in art, in culture, in humanity – a beacon welcoming visitors to these shores for generations to come. Etihad Airways and Louvre Abu Dhabi are two leading characters in the same story and we share a deep bond. As the national airline of the UAE, flying from Abu Dhabi to the world, we are also a universal connector of people. Together with our partners at …

Low cost carrier Jazeera Airways will begin operating to Hyderabad (India) from November 16, 2017, followed by Kochi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad by mid-December. Jazeera Airways will operate daily flights to Hyderabad departing 1840 hours arriving 0135 hours, making it possible to travel to India without wasting a working day. Schedules for other routes to the subcontinent will be announced shortly. Fares from Kuwait to Hyderabad start from KD 32 one way and are on sale now with a baggage allowance of 30 kg in economy class and 50 kg per passenger in business class. Travellers can book now via Jazeera’s revamped website – www.jazeeraairways.com, or through the dedicated app or from all travel agents. Jazeera has just launched its refurbished cabin interiors in both economy and business class on the first aircraft of its A320 fleet, together with a bold new livery and stylish new crew uniforms. The complete fleet will receive the cabin upgrades by the end of the year.

Dubai Airports welcomed the inaugural flight of Oman’s first budget carrier SalamAir at Dubai International’s Terminal 2. The new arrival was celebrated with a traditional water salute for the flight followed by a cake cutting ceremony at the terminal attended by representatives of the airline and the airport, as well as passengers.

Etihad Airways will launch flights to Azerbaijan’s capital Baku from March 2, 2018. The new route is being introduced to capitalise on the growing demand for flights between the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan. The service will be operated thrice a week using a 136-seat Airbus A320, configured with 16 seats in Business Class and 120 in Economy. Azerbaijan introduced a visa waiver programme for UAE nationals in November 2015 and expanded it to other GCC nations in early 2016. This prompted a surge in travel from across the GCC to the emerging tourist destination located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, offering visitors access to vast areas of unspoiled nature and centuries-old culture. Baku, which sits on the Caspian Sea, is the country’s primary gateway and commercial centre. Peter Baumgartner, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said, “The creation of the first ever air corridor linking the two capital cities demonstrates the importance of strengthening business, tourism and cultural ties between the UAE and Azerbaijan.

In a bid to provide customers year-round frequency and increase services between Australia and New Zealand, the partnership between Emirates and Qantas was extended with additional network changes. From March 2018, Emirates will focus on its non-stop Auckland-Dubai service and retain its existing daily A380 flights from Dubai to Christchurch via Sydney. The airline is also evaluating potential new direct services between New Zealand and Dubai. At the same time, to provide greater choice across the Tasman, Qantas will increase the frequency of its services between the two countries, adding seven new return flights per week between Melbourne and Auckland and an extra two return services per week between Brisbane and Auckland. The changes also enable Emirates to reschedule its Australia flights to create better departure times throughout the day. These latest changes are included in the airlines’ application to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and New Zealand Minister of Transport for the airlines’ joint business for another five years.

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.