Category Archives: Aviation

Oman Air Holidays has announced a strategic partnership with the Jordan Tourism Board to undertake joint promotional activities in Oman and Jordan. The partnership will include a series of co-branded tactical campaigns that aim to position Oman Air Holidays as a preferred provider of international travel packages and encourage those in Oman to visit Jordan during peak season. Oman Air currently operates seven flights a week from Muscat to the Jordanian capital, Amman, which is popular amongst travelers for its spectacular landscape and ancient treasures. Mundher Al Shaikhani, Senior Manager Holidays and Loyalty Programme at Oman Air, said, “Oman and Jordan already enjoy a warm relationship and this partnership seeks to increase value creation for both countries and contribute to our respective tourism agendas. We look forward to working with the Jordan Tourism Board as we continue strengthening our presence across the region, while creating amazing itineraries that offer something completely different to our guests.” Dr. Abed Al-Razzaq Arabiyat Managing Director of Jordan Tourism Board, added, “As we strive to increase Jordan’s competitiveness as a global tourism destination, we are expanding our reach to new and more targeted markets. Our growing touristic relationship with Oman offers many mutual opportunities, and our partnership with Oman Air Holidays is sure to add considerable momentum to our goals.” Oman Air Holidays excels in creating extraordinary travel experiences to some of the world’s most exciting destinations. With a string of recent partnerships, it is strengthening its growing portfolio of packages, which provide excellent value and choice, complemented with the award-winning service and hospitality of Oman Air. Whether a family break, a romantic getaway, or an adventure-packed escape, guests will find a package to suit …

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), the Kingdom’s national flag carrier, inaugurated its new SAUDIA Operations building at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. The building, which boasts state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology, was inaugurated in a ceremony by His Royal Highness Prince Badr bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, the Deputy Governor of Makkah, and His Highness Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Jalawi, Governor of Jeddah. The ceremony was attended by His Excellency Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al Jasser, the Minister of Transport and Logistic Services and Chairman of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation and His Excellency Eng. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of SAUDIA Group; along with members of SAUDIA’s Board of Directors, various KAIA officials, and members of the media. Using a mock-up of an aircraft engine throttle, HRH Prince Badr signaled the inauguration of the highly equipped building which is set to serve as a key enabler of the Saudi Aviation Strategy, under the Kingdom’s broader National Transport and Logistics Strategy. The new building will also support SAUDIA in its efforts to make KAIA a global hub.  Built entirely by Saudi Airlines Real Estate Development Company (SARED) over an area of 50,000 square meters, the two-story building can accommodate more than 1,100 employees. Throughout the building’s design, construction, and deployment stages, SARED prioritized the incorporation of and compliance with the highest safety and security standards. The environmentally friendly structure adheres to the highest international sustainability standards as well. It also aims to provide an ideal working environment that fosters productivity and innovation amongst its employees. The building is situated near the far side of the airport, providing both pilots and cabin crew members with easy aircraft access. It is a proper mini terminal, …

Wizz Air celebrates the launch of a new ultra-low-fare route from its base at London Luton Airport to Jordan’s capital city, Amman. Tickets are available now on wizzair.com or via the airline’s mobile app, with fares starting from £36*. Wizz Air will operate flights between Luton and Amman three times a week. Amman offers visitors the chance to enjoy impressive ancient architecture and desert landscapes as well as experience the incredible hospitality that Jordan has to offer. Whether it be a day trip to visit Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world, a visit to the ancient ruins in Jerash, or a climb to the top of Mount Nebo to soak up the panoramic views, there is something for every kind of traveller. The announcement follows the recent launch of four new routes from London Luton to Prague, Sharm El Sheikh, Tallinn, and Hurghada. Wizz Air now offers over 80 routes from London Luton, where it is the largest operator. Marion Geoffroy, Managing Director of Wizz Air UK said: “We are very excited to announce the launch of our new route to Amman, a capital city bursting with life and the gateway to the historic country of Jordan. We are constantly striving to both diversify and expand our network and are pleased to be able to offer our passengers even more exciting and affordable travel opportunities beyond Europe, following the launch of our flights from Luton to Sharm-El Sheik. We look forward to welcoming customers onboard our young, efficient, and sustainable aircraft.” Nayef Al-Fayez, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, and Chairman of the Jordan Tourism Board, said “The launch of this route sits within the framework of the …

Malaysia Airlines and SAUDIA have entered into a codeshare agreement, to expand destinations and travel options, offering passengers with seamless connections and airlines’ signature hospitality services in both the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Malaysia through on the flights of the two carriers, beginning 15 December 2022 subject to regulatory approval. With the partnership, Malaysia Airlines’ “MH” flight code will be added to several SAUDIA’ s flights with departures from Kuala Lumpur to Jeddah and Riyadh, as well as flights between the cities to Madinah and Cairo. Meanwhile, SAUDIA’ “SV” flight code will be added to Malaysia Airlines’ flights from Kuala Lumpur to several destinations including Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Penang. Travellers from the Far East and the Australian region will enjoy easy access via SAUDIA to the most prominent destinations in the Kingdom, such as Madinah and Al-Ula, to learn about the wonderful natural heritage sites in them, in addition to providing many trips to the Egyptian capital, Cairo. Passengers on board Malaysia Airlines will enjoy smooth connections to the most prominent tourist destinations in Penang which is famous for its location on the UNESCO World Heritage List and its picturesque beaches, in addition to Australian cities, namely Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Commenting on this topic, Group Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Airlines, Captain Izham Ismail, “We are delighted to welcome SAUDIA as our new codeshare partner to leverage each other’s network, allowing two full-service carriers to expand their operations to South East Asia and Australia as well as the Middle East respectively. This partnership will strengthen Malaysia Airlines’ presence in Saudi Arabia and build upon a strong relationship between the two carriers. It will also complement our double daily …

Continuing to drive transformation in the aviation sector, Oman Air’s Digital department recently held its annual workshop. Attended by members of senior leadership and key stakeholders, the workshop reviewed the progress of the company’s ongoing digital transformation strategy and its IT Roadmap for 2023. During 2022, the company accomplished a number of digital initiatives to support its strategic goals. Among them was the restructuring of its Passenger Service System (PSS) to advance its digital retailing capabilities, facilitating the initiation of a new internet booking engine and mobile app. A New Distribution Capability (NDC) solution was also developed to allow travel agents to deliver rich content and ancillary to customers, while, in order to promote crew and operational efficiency, an elegant Crew Pairing and Fleet Management system with AIMS was established. Further safeguarding data and cybersecurity, the airline introduced a Privileged Access Management Solution, an enhanced IT Service Continuity initiative and Disaster Recovery Plan. Recently, the company also announced it has joined the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as a founding member of the pioneering Modern Airline Retailing programme alongside a global consortium of airlines. Leveraging the ‘Offers and Orders’ system, the group intends to spur technological advancement in the industry and create value for customers by reducing the hassles of increasingly complex passenger document checking requirements. Dr. Khalid Al Zadjali, Senior Vice President – Digital at Oman Air, said, “In this digital age and in the face of increasing competition, its vital that we capitalise early on advanced technologies in order to stay ahead of the curve. As such, we continue to invest in long-term, sustainable efficiencies, whilst improving IT service delivery right across the organisation, and to our guests. …

​Kuwait Airways announced the launch of the “Wathiq” program to provide career opportunities for national talents in the Blue Bird, during the period from December 2022 to mid-January 2023. This comes within the framework of the company’s objectives to encourage fresh graduates to engage in the field of aviation and the air transport sector, as well as to enhance the spirit of patriotism of being a part of the national carrier of the State of Kuwait. In this regard, the Director of Human Resources department at Kuwait Airways, Ahmed Al-Bannai stated, “Kuwait Airways is pleased to launch its latest program and campaign, “Wathiq” to provide job opportunities for national talents. Through this program, the company is keen to attract national talents who have the determination, ambition, and passion to become an added value to the Blue Bird in its development and progress, as well as in providing the best levels of service to its valued passengers.” Al-Bannai added, “These successive campaigns which have been launched recently by the company are in line with its strategic objectives in the short and medium term to increase the levels of nationalization and are based on the directives of KAC’s Board of Directors and the Executive Management to attract national talents with technical and administrative specializations in the company’s various departments. Kuwait Airways is taking steady steps in moving forward and to reach its desired goals in the localization of vacant positions and places immense importance to the national element in joining the Blue Bird.” On her part, the Manager of Talent Acquisition at Kuwait Airways, Alaa Al-Yaqout stated, “Kuwait Airways is determined to attract new national talents and those with a spirt of …

Emirates starts an exciting new year in Thailand as the airline announces adding a fourth flight between Bangkok and Dubai from 1 January 2023, boosting connectivity between the two gateways and providing more options for travellers. The additional frequency will help serve the increased demand for international travel to and from Bangkok, as Thailand’s travel and tourism sector experience a steep revival. The additional Emirates flight will be operated by the airline’s flagship Airbus A380. Emirates’ flight EK374 – operated by a 3-class configuration – will depart Dubai at 22.35hrs, arriving in Bangkok at 07.35hrs, the following day. Emirates’ return flight EK377 – operated by a 2-class configuration – will leave Bangkok at 02.00hrs, arriving in Dubai at 06.00hrs. All times are local. With 28 weekly flights to Bangkok and 14 weekly flights to Phuket, Emirates offers travelers flexible and enhanced connections between Thailand and Dubai, as well as onwards to 130 destinations across 6 continents. Emirates also operates a daily direct flight to Hong Kong from Bangkok. Tickets can be purchased on emirates.com, Emirates Sales Office, via travel agents or through online travel agents. The Emirates A380 experience remains highly sought after by travellers for its spacious and comfortable cabins, and signature products that offer travellers the best experiences in the sky like the Onboard Lounge, First Class suites and Shower Spa. The A380 experience is always rounded off by award-winning hospitality, regional culinary creations and authentic tastes, and the airline’s award-winning inflight entertainment system, ice, with more than 5,000 channels of on-demand entertainment at every customer’s fingertips. Customers connecting through Dubai are encouraged to check the latest travel guidelines and ensure they meet the travel requirements of their …

Dubai International (DXB) added a new African destination to its network of 200 plus international destinations on Friday with the launch of Kenya Airways’ inaugural service from the coastal city of Mombasa. Kenya Airways will be operating four weekly flights between Mombasa and DXB’s Terminal 1 on a B737-800 aircraft, increasing the carrier’s frequency to Dubai to 14 round trips a week. The airline already operates 10 weekly flights to Nairobi and will be adding 4 weekly flights to Mombasa, which was an unserved destination at DXB. The new service is expected to enhance tourism and trade on both sides and offer additional options for the thousands of travellers who fly between Dubai and Kenya each month. Nearly 650,000 passengers flew between DXB and Kenyan destinations in 2019.

From 24 April 2023, the airline will fly twice a day, seven days a week, on the Abu Dhabi – New York route, providing a total of 14 weekly nonstop services to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The flights will be operated with both Airbus A350 and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, two of the most efficient in the world, with significantly less fuel burn and CO2 emissions than previous-generation twin aisle aircraft. Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Global Sales & Cargo, Etihad Airways, said: “Etihad is responding to customer demand for increased frequency to New York and our well-known reputation for high-quality customer experience. Boosting our flights to New York gives our guests even greater options across key business and leisure destinations in our expanding global network. “Our guests travelling to the US can use our US pre-clearance facility, the only United States Customs and Border Protection facility in the Middle East. This allows passengers bound for the United States to process all immigration, customs and agriculture inspections in Abu Dhabi before they board, avoiding immigration queues on arrival in the US.” The increased frequency gives customers going to the US access to connections beyond New York, to and from 47 destinations throughout the Americas, with Etihad’s codeshare partner — and New York’s Hometown Airline® — JetBlue. The news comes as Etihad unveils further growth in its global network with the relaunch of flights to Kolkata as well as offering travellers improved access to the Indian Subcontinent and GCC region. Travelling with the Environmental Airline of the Year, Etihad guests can offset their flights with the airline’s green loyalty programme. Conscious Choices gives travellers Tier Miles and additional benefits in …

SAUDIA has launched a new version of Alfursan loyalty program offering multiple advantages and greater miles value for members. The upgrade is part of a complete transformation of the program which aims to increase the competitiveness of SAUDIA as it seeks to deliver world-class levels of guest experience. This reflects the national carrier’s efforts to improve guests’ travel experience and is part of an ambitious, organisation-wide, transformation the group is currently undergoing. The new edition of Alfursan includes unprecedented benefits for more than 7.5 million members, in addition to motivating more guests to join and enjoy the benefits and rewards of the program through the marketing campaign launched today. Under the slogan “Enjoy More”, Alfursan now partners with several new parties, most notably credit card providers. One of the most important new features of the program is that there is no longer a specific period to redeem miles. Members can use their miles as long as their membership remains active by earning or redeeming them at least once in 24 months regardless of the date of earning. Previously, reward miles expired three years after the date of earning. The new edition also introduces several benefits and policies aimed at increasing the chances of redeeming miles through the introduction of the “Reward” and “Reward Plus” categories. Members can issue reward tickets at a discount of up to 50% of the required miles. For example: the Jeddah-Riyadh-Jeddah flight now requires only 9,000 miles compared to 18,000 miles previously, while the (Riyadh-London-Riyadh) flight now requires 24,000 miles compared to 40,000 miles previously. The launch of the “Reward Plus” category is aimed at providing more reward seats on multiple flights to more destinations, where …