Category Archives: Aviation

SAUDIA, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, has announced the launch of “Your Ticket Your Visa”. The first-of-its-kind service provides guests with even easier access to the Kingdom through a digital integration system that links transit visas with flight tickets. “Your Ticket Your Visa” service is introduced in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the Pilgrims Service Program, and the Saudi Tourism Authority. The new service, which covers all international airports in the Kingdom, will allow guests to stay in the Kingdom for up to 96 hours, during which they can travel around the Kingdom and perform Umrah. The digital integration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs facilitates the issuing of the transit visa and links it to the flight ticket within three minutes. Captain Ibrahim Koshy, CEO of SAUDIA, said: “The launch of this innovative and seamless Stopover Visa is the first of its kind in the aviation industry and a significant milestone in our digital transformation program. It is a testament to SAUDIA’s commitment to supporting the Kingdom’s strategic goal of reaching 100 million visits by 2030 and we are confident it will positively impact the growing number of transit passengers while enhancing our position as a hub that connects East and West. The new service will also encourage passengers to perform Umrah, visit key destinations and attend events and Saudi seasons.” The launch of the new service comes in line with SAUDIA’s commitment to promote King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and strengthen its role in the region by configuring SAUDIA’s flights coming from the east and departing to the west, facilitating travel procedures by …

Emirates has operated its first milestone demonstration flight on a Boeing 777-300ER, powering one of its engines with 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The flight took off from Dubai International Airport (DXB), and was commanded by Captain Fali Vajifdar and Captain Khalid Nasser Akram, flying for more than one hour over the Dubai coastline. The flight deck crew were accompanied by Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer, and Captain Hassan Hammadi, Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates Flight Operations. The demonstration flight powered by SAF holds particular significance as the UAE declares 2023 the ‘Year of Sustainability’. The year will showcase the UAE’s commitment to seek innovative solutions to challenges such as energy, climate change and other issues related to sustainability. The flight supports collective industry efforts to enable a future of 100% SAF flying and help advance the UAE’s sustainability objectives. Emirates’ demonstration flight, the first in the Middle East and North Africa to be powered by 100% SAF, supports broader efforts to reduce lifecycle CO2 emissions as the industry looks to scale up its use of SAF. The flights will also help to refine the playbook for future SAF demonstrations, and  support future certification where 100% drop-in SAF fuel is approved for aircraft. Currently, SAF is approved for use in all aircraft, but only in blends of up to 50% with conventional jet fuel. Emirates worked alongside partners GE Aerospace, Boeing, Honeywell, Neste and Virent to procure and develop a blend of SAF that closely replicates the properties of conventional jet fuel. At each blend ratio, a host of chemical and physical fuel property measurements were carried out.  After multiple lab tests and rigorous trials, they arrived at …

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, the ultra-low-fare national airline of the UAE announced its outstanding operational results for 2022. The joint venture established between ADQ, and Wizz Air Holdings PLC enjoyed a record-breaking 2022 by operating more than 6,000 flights and transporting more than 1.2 million adventurous travellers. The national airline carried over 600,000 point-to-point passengers to the UAE in 2022, supporting the sustainable growth of Abu Dhabi’s culture and tourism sectors and unlocking an eclectic mix of travel opportunities for travellers from all classes. The airline supports Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) vision to welcome the world to Abu Dhabi, connecting cultures and inspiring generations to embark on journeys of creativity and discovery*. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is looking forward to future growth, in line with the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031, and further strengthen the position of the UAE as one of the best destinations in the world for tourism**. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has doubled the size of its fleet and organisation with a 100 percent growth from 4 to 8 state-of-the-art brand-new A321-neo aircraft. The average fleet age is 1 year, ensuring the airline meets its commitment to sustainability with the lowest environmental footprint in the region. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has proudly introduced a new segment of travel in the UAE in line with the country’s socio-economic vision with recent exciting expansions into Central Asia, The Maldives and across the Gulf Region allowing for convenient, self-connecting travel across the wider Wizz Air network via the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is constantly developing the UAE network to share the love of travel with tourists and residents benefitting from hassle-free, point-to-point travel …

With Itvar as the GSA, Fiji Airways officially launched in the Middle East last week. As an offline carrier Fiji Airways has codeshare partnerships currently with Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific with Singapore and Hong Kong as the connection points for the guests travelling from the Middle East. HE Naipota Tako Katonitabua – Ambassador – Republic of Fiji in UAE graced the occasion of the official launch and stated that the relationship between the UAE and Fiji has been a ling standing one not just with sports tourism but also with a mega project that will be announced soon by a hospitality developer in the UAE for a three million dollar project where the information will be disclosed soon. Speaking with TTME, Sajid Khan Country Manager for India, Middle East and Sri Lanka of Fiji Airways shared, “We are very excited to have Fiji Airways in the Middle East and it has been here for almost a year but we don’t fly into Dubai or the Middle East. We are an offline carrier and we fly from Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan, these are our Asian points of connect, the plan has always been to connect from Dubai, from other parts of Middle East into Singapore, into Hong Kong and then onwards connect Fiji. The airport’s name is Nandi. We can also connect to Nandi via Australia and New Zealand and that’s always been the plan. We are now excited to be in Dubai and launch this officially so that we can give a new destination to our passengers based in Middle East who want to connect from Europe, Africa and we want to take them to the country …

SITA is innovating with cutting-edge technology to strengthen its airline, airport, and border solutions in partnership with travel identity company Zamna Technologies. Zamna’s solution uses a decentralized blockchain based model to transform how passenger data, such as passport, visa, and health information, is verified and handled, bringing security, ease, and efficiency benefits for travelers airlines, airports and governments. The first deployment will be focused on AACO’s 30+ airlines. Instead of passengers presenting travel documents repeatedly to every touch point, each time they fly, Zamna’s ability to verify and securely persist such data will provide SITA customers with ongoing automation enhancements, supporting SITA’s vision of a completely digital travel experience. Airlines and airports will benefit from a tested and verified technology for reduced processing times, and less infrastructure needed to process passengers. At the same time, border agencies will experience fewer exception cases and fewer passengers requiring on-site processing as the border checks are completed pre-departure. Across the journey, the passenger will enjoy peace of mind that the data is being handled even more securely and that they have satisfied all regulatory requirements to travel. The solution also enhances security for SITA’s clients, whose data is managed in a safe, private, and decentralized manner. Airlines, airports, and governments can drive operational savings by having confidence in the accuracy and timeliness of traveler data. Verified traveler data will be securely shared throughout the journey, eliminating duplicate processes, increasing trust, and improving the passenger experience. This approach is a paradigm shift to fundamentally change data management within the aviation industry, elegantly ensuring that the individual traveler has minimal impact and that their documents are read and verified once and put to work many …

The Emirates Group and the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA) are set to collaborate in the launch of a training programme for the airline’s Emirati Country Managers. The innovative programme is designed to enhance the diplomatic skills of managers who are stationed around the world, and forms part of the Group’s new Commercial Ambassador Leadership Programme. A ceremony to celebrate the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was held at the Emirates Group headquarters, attended by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, His Excellency Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Cultural Advisor to the President of the UAE, Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University, and Member of the Board of Trustees at AGDA, along with senior executives and representatives of both organisations. The MoU was signed by Amira Al Falasi, Emirates Group’s Vice president, Human Resources, Learning and Talent, and Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al Dhaheri, AGDA’s Deputy Director General. The AGDA’s 5-day programme will provide Emirati Country Managers with a comprehensive understanding of the diplomatic skills needed to effectively represent the Emirates Group abroad, and to achieve their business and commercial objectives. The series of tailored and practical training courses will also serve as a platform for knowledge exchange to enrich Emirati managers’ capabilities in the aviation sector. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed said, “The Emirates Group is a global company based in Dubai. We are proud to represent the UAE’s aviation sector and we work to promote the UAE in all the markets in which we operate. In AGDA we have found a like-minded partner, and we believe our collaboration will further develop and empower our team of …

dnata, a leading global air and travel services provider, celebrated the launch of its operations at Zanzibar Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ) with its partners Emirates Leisure Retail and SEGAP, a joint venture between airport infrastructure and operations specialists Egis, and private equity fund manager AIIM (African Infrastructure Investment Managers). The three companies will work closely together to deliver world-class services for airlines and passengers at the newly-built international terminal (T3) of ZNZ. The partnership is expected to significantly contribute to the government’s target of boosting its trade and tourism sectors. The investment of dnata, Emirates Leisure Retail and SEGAP represents over USD 10 million and, to date, has created some 500 local jobs with the companies. dnata will provide its globally renowned, quality ground, passenger and cargo handling services to airline customers at ZNZ, ensuring safe and timely operations of flights and an excellent travel experience for passengers. In addition, dnata launched meet & greet and lounge services through its airport hospitality brand, marhaba, to help passengers further enhance their experience and enjoy a smooth airport journey from check-in to boarding. Emirates Leisure Retail has partnered with MMI as master concessionaire for all food and beverage, duty free and commercial outlets at T3. In collaboration with Eight Inc, the companies have created an innovative and immersive travel experience, ZOMA, designed to create a sense of place and extend the holiday feeling for passengers. In the ZOMA Zones each store is inspired by the scents, feelings, and flavours of the island. In addition to these outlets, ELR and MMI carefully selected and curated the best retailers from the island to spotlight some of the best that Zanzibar offers. SEGAP …

flynas doubled annual growth in operation and performance during 2022, with increasing passengers by 91% to 8.7 million; flights by 45% to 66,000 and seat capacity by 46%. Additionally, flynas launched 16 new destinations and 30 new routes as the fleet upscaled to 43 aircraft. “The growth rates recorded by flynas during 2022 in performance, operations, and localization programs reflect the company’s commitment to continuing expansion under the slogan ‘We Connect the World to the Kingdom’ and to consolidating its leading position as the best low-cost airline in the Middle East and one of the top 10 airlines in the world of its category,” said Bander Almohanna, CEO and Managing Director of flynas. “The annual results confirm the progress in the company’s strategic plan with receiving of 8 new Airbus A320neo and joining 2 Airbus A330 aircraft, which will contribute to serving the pilgrims and Umrah performers as well as expanding to new markets. Moreover, the company’s Board of Directors approved raising the booking orders of 250 aircraft, in line with the goals of the Saudi vision 2030, and the civil aviation strategy to reach 330 million passengers, 250 international destinations and 100 million tourists annually,” he added. Almohanna stressed the company’s commitment to the localization of jobs, qualifying young Saudi talent, and the empowerment of women in the aviation sector, as flynas launched the Future Engineers program in 2022 to localize the aircraft engineering and maintenance jobs, and to graduate and employ 150 engineers over the coming years. The program started with 30 Saudi engineers, while 100 Saudi first officer cadet pilots were accepted in the Future Pilots training program. Regarding cultural, sustainable initiatives that impact the community, flynas …

Jazeera Airways announced the launch of a new route to Moscow, Russia, serving an increasing demand for flights to the Middle East region and beyond. Jazeera will be the first airline to operate flights between the two cities. The route will cater to the increasing demand for tourist destinations for Russian travelers. They will be able to connect through Kuwait on to places such as Dubai, Sharm El Sheikh and popular cities in Turkiye. Jazeera Airways Chief Executive Officer, Rohit Ramachandran, said: “We expect high demand for this route from Day One, as our service comes at a time of a scarcity of flights serving Moscow. We are ideally placed in Kuwait to attract connecting leisure passengers from Russia as well as religious pilgrims to Saudi Arabia. We hope to expand the number of flights to our schedule during 2023.” The new route will commence on February 2, 2023 with four flights weekly leaving Kuwait on Mondays, Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays. Flights land at Moscow Domodedovo Airport (DME), one of the four major Moscow airports, and one of the busiest airports in Russia.  

Vistara announced the addition of Dammam (Saudi Arabia) to its international network. The airline will be operating daily non-stop flights between Mumbai and Dammam starting 1 March 2023 using its A320neo aircraft. Bookings for the flights are being progressively opened on all channels, including Vistara’s website, mobile app, and through travel agents. Mr. Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “We are excited to expand our presence in Saudi Arabia with the addition of Dammam as the second city in the Kingdom, after Jeddah. Integral to the Saudi Vision 2030, Dammam is a key administrative destination that is home to the largest port in the Gulf and some of the major business headquarters. We are confident that customers from India and Saudi Arabia will appreciate experiencing our award winning product and services on the route as they fly India’s most loved airline.”   Sector Economy Premium Economy Business Mumbai – Dammam – Mumbai INR 26,999 INR 29,999 INR 39,999 Dammam – Mumbai – Dammam SAR 1199 SAR 1299 SAR 1699   SCHEDULE OF FLIGHTS TO/FROM DAMMAM, SAUDI ARABIA EFFECTIVE 1 MARCH 2023 Sector Flight No. Days of Operation Departure Arrival Mumbai – Dammam UK 0237 Daily 21:20 hrs 23:10 hrs Dammam – Mumbai UK 0238 Daily 23:55 hrs 06:15 hrs (+1) * All timings shown are in local time zones *+1 indicates next-day arrival Vistara also announced the resumption of operations between Mumbai and Colombo with daily flights effective 1 March 2023 after a hiatus of nearly 3 years. Bookings for the flights are open on all channels, including Vistara’s website, mobile app, OTAs (online travel agencies) and other travel agents. Vistara will accept all eligible customers meeting visa/entry requirements …