Category Archives: Aviation

Qatar Airways will be increasing its Doha – Melbourne flights from the current once-daily schedule to double-daily flights from 1 October with the support of the Victorian Government. The airline and the Victorian Government signed a strategic agreement to increase connectivity to Melbourne to further boost trade and tourism. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Melbourne is the original home for Qatar Airways in Australia, and we are excited to enhance our operations there, as a testament to both strong demand and our deep commitment to Australia. We look forward to welcoming more passengers to experience our five-star hospitality, as travel to and from Melbourne to many cities worldwide via our Doha hub in Qatar. The launch of the additional daily flight to Melbourne ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ will allow more football fans travel to attend their respective matches.” Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Ben Carroll, said: “Backing international aviation supports our economy and we will continue to work with airlines like Qatar Airways to establish and expand routes into Melbourne to boost local jobs.” Melbourne Airport Chief Executive Officer, Lorie Argus, said: “There is huge demand for international travel out of Melbourne, and these extra services couldn’t come at a better time with the soccer World Cup kicking off in November. It’s exciting to see airlines like Qatar Airways adding more capacity into Melbourne, given they are a global airline and could send their aircraft anywhere it’s a huge vote of confidence in our city. Qatar Airways is already a favourite with passengers heading to the Middle East or Europe, and given their partnerships with both Virgin Australia …

Emirates and Air Canada announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement that will create more options for customers when travelling on the carriers’ networks while also enhancing the customer experience throughout the journey. Emirates and Air Canada intend to establish a codeshare relationship later in 2022 that will offer enhanced consumer travel choices for Air Canada customers to travel to the United Arab Emirates and to destinations beyond Dubai. Emirates customers will also enjoy an enhanced travel experience when travelling to Toronto or to key destinations across the Air Canada network. Customers will have the ability to book connecting travel between both airlines’ networks with the ease of a single ticket, seamless connectivity at the carriers’ respective global hubs and baggage transfers to their final destinations. Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “This is a significant partnership that will enable our customers access to even more destinations in Canada and the Americas, via our Toronto and US gateways. It also opens up many new route combinations for travelers across Emirates’ and Air Canada’s extensive networks in the Americas, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. We are pleased to partner with Air Canada, one of North America’s most established airlines and Canada’s flag carrier and we look forward to jointly progressing on various areas to provide even better customer flight choices and experiences.” “As we continue pursuing our strategy of expanding our global reach in response to growing opportunities in VFR markets (Visit Friends and Relatives) that serve Canada’s large multicultural communities, we are very pleased to form a strategic partnership with Emirates, a highly respected flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates with a hub in the vibrant …

Emirates expects a busy summer and is set to operate as scheduled over the peak travel season, including at its 39 European points with its London Stansted route re-starting from 1 August. With over 24,000 scheduled passenger flights to and from 129 airports around the world for July and August, Emirates has been co-ordinating with its ground handling partners at airports around the world, ensuring they are up-to-date with operational requirements and are prepared to support smooth passenger movement. Emirates has also worked closely with other stakeholders at Dubai Airport to support its flight schedule and services, provisioning additional resources to ensure efficient operations at the hub, including for transiting passengers. Those visiting Dubai or doing a summer stopover can ease through departures and arrivals with speedy biometrics-enabled check-points; and utilise various convenient options for mobile, online, home, and self-check in. The double-decked Emirates A380 aircraft is also being deployed to serve high customer demand at over 30 cities around its network, this includes popular European cities: Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Rome, Paris, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Vienna, and Zurich. Whether travelling for the holidays or to visit family and friends, customers can look forward to all of Emirates’ signature experiences. On ground, this includes complimentary Chauffeur Drive airport transfers for First and Business Class customers in nearly all cities served by Emirates. Onboard, customers in all cabins can expect freshly prepared meals inspired by the season and region, and an unmatched selection of the latest movies, TV shows, radio, live TV, podcasts and more on the 5,000 channels of on-demand entertainment on Emirates ice. Flight updates and travel advisories: To receive the latest flight updates, customers are …

Sharjah Airport has announced its readiness to handle the increased frequency of passengers to and from the Emirate of Sharjah during the peak summer season, while ensuring the highest levels of precautionary measures to ensure a safe and convenient travel experience. Sharjah Airport, in coordination with all partners, has prepared to deal with the growing number of passengers, following a prior strategy to streamline travel procedures and ensure passenger safety. This is accomplished by promoting smart services like self-check-in services and smart gates, that make travel procedures easy, and are driven by the latest technologies and innovations. Due to the increased demand for travel during the summer and the Eid al-Adha holidays, Sharjah Airport has advised passengers to arrive at the airport three hours before the departure of their flights to ensure a safe and smooth travel experience. Prior to heavy rush during the summer season, the airport emphasized the importance of using smart services to complete self-check-in, which allow travelers to complete all their travel transactions quickly, reduce their waiting time, and enhance their travel experience at Sharjah Airport. Travelers at Sharjah Airport can take advantage of self-check-in services by printing their boarding passes from self-travel devices, as well as printing and attaching labels to their luggage before delivering it to the self-delivery platform. The airport also provides automated verification of boarding passes through an automated verification system for pre-printed or digital passes. In addition, the smart information desk at Sharjah Airport provides passengers with the opportunity to communicate with the information department at the airport through voice and video calls, which also includes assistance for people with special needs. As part of the service, the desk also offers …

With borders open in full, GCC travellers are now ready to take the plunge and confident to explore the new post covid world especially as eid coupled with summer vacations sets in the region. Over the past few days the airline and hotel bookings have increased despite the fact that airline fares have increased a considerable amount. Our GCC line up of industry professionals share their observations. Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and India of Wego, “The demand for travel continues to see significant growth and recovery post COVID-19. With summer approaching, travelers began planning and booking their holidays, and we are witnessing an increase in bookings and demand for flights to and from the UAE. Travelers are also looking for new experiences and exploring places they haven’t visited before to make up for lost travel in the past two years due to the pandemic. And they are ready to spend more on leisure trips than before. Flight and hotel searches from the UAE during the month of June reached about 3 million, an increase of 77% over the same period last year. Despite the increase in airfares, we continue to see an increase in demand and people are booking longer stays. The airfares for the upcoming Eid Al Adha holiday have spiked for most destinations. If we look at the top destinations from the UAE during the Eid break, the average airfare to Egypt is $551 with an increase of 41% in comparison to the same period last year, the airfare to India is around $379 a rise of 114%, Jordan saw an increase of 45% with an average airfare of $689, …

flynas announced the launch of its first direct flights between AlUla, the Saudi historical city located in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, and the Egyptian capital, Cairo, starting from Thursday, 6th October 2022. flynas will connect AlUla and Cairo via two weekly direct flights, scheduled on Saturdays and Thursdays, from AlUla International Airport to Cairo International Airport. Known for its historical, natural and geographical significance, and full of archaeological treasures from the Dadanite, Nabataean, Roman and old Islamic civilisations, AlUla is a destination that reveals 7000-year-old of human history. The city is an open air museum and is home to the Kingdom’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hegra – the famous Nabataean site with 110 well preserved tombs carved in the sandstone rocks and dating back to the first century B.C.E. AlUla offers tourists a variety of curated experiences in heritage, art, culture, wellness and adventure. As a vital city located along the famous old incense-trading routes running from southern Arabia, north into Egypt and beyond, AlUla’s oases dotted the area and offered a much-needed respite for caravans of weary travellers, providing a welcoming place to rest, commune and recharge. AlUla is now reviving and celebrating its history by welcoming visitors again. Combined with high quality services and first-rate accommodations nestled amongst the staggeringly beautiful desert landscapes, AlUla is being introduced to the world as a must-visit destination for every traveller looking for a unique experience. In support of the Kingdom’s Saudi Vision 2030 plans to transform AlUla into a world-preferred tourist destination, flynas recently announced the resumption of its flights from AlUla to Riyadh, Dammam, and Dubai, with two weekly flights for each destination. Flynas was the first-ever airline …

Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and India of Wego, “The demand for travel continues to see significant growth and recovery post COVID-19. With summer approaching, travelers began planning and booking their holidays, and we are witnessing an increase in bookings and demand for flights to and from the UAE. Travelers are also looking for new experiences and exploring places they haven’t visited before to make up for lost travel in the past two years due to the pandemic. And they are ready to spend more on leisure trips than before. Flight and hotel searches from the UAE during the month of June reached about 3 million, an increase of 77% over the same period last year. Despite the increase in airfares, we continue to see an increase in demand and people are booking longer stays.” He further reiterated, “The airfares for the upcoming Eid Al Adha holiday have spiked for most destinations. If we look at the top destinations from the UAE during the Eid break, the average airfare to Egypt is $551 with an increase of 41% in comparison to the same period last year, the airfare to India is around $379 a rise of 114%, Jordan saw an increase of 45% with an average airfare of $689, the flight to Turkey is $306 with an increase of %36, $788 to Morocco with a rise of 65%, $1,900 to Thailand with a spike of %191, and flights to Lebanon from UAE recorded a 36% increase with the average airfare around $575.”

flydubai celebrated its inaugural service to Pisa, becoming the first UAE national carrier to operate this route from Dubai. The airline will operate three weekly flights from Dubai International (DXB) to Pisa International Airport (PSA). Emirates will codeshare on this route, offering travellers more seamless connections through Dubai’s international aviation hub. Flights to Pisa will operate from Terminal 3 at Dubai International. The inaugural flight arrived at Pisa International Airport (PSA) just after 12:00 local time on 24 June and was welcomed on arrival with a traditional water cannon salute and representatives from the airport and Italian government officials. On board the inaugural flight was a senior delegation led by Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai. Upon arrival in Pisa the flydubai delegation was met by an official delegation led by Marco Carrai, the president of Toscana Aeroporti. The welcome reception was followed by a press conference held at the airport. Speaking at the press conference, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said: “We are excited to launch our third point in Italy this summer with our inaugural service to Pisa. Our strong business model and growing fleet have enabled us to offer passengers from across our network more choices for travel, and we can expect Pisa to be a popular destination for travellers from the UAE and GCC to discover the beauty of the Tuscany region. The start of flydubai operations to Pisa also reflects our commitment to opening up previously underserved markets and providing direct air links to Dubai. We look forward to welcoming our passengers on board.” Marco Carrai, Chairman of Toscana Aeroporti S.p.A., said: “Today we inaugurate the connection between Pisa and …

Gulf Air recently introduced Apple Pay on the airline’s Mobile application. Gulf Air customers can now easily book a ticket on the airline’s application without the need of remembering or typing their credit card details, as the new feature allows them to process the payment by easily using Face ID to authorize the transaction. Commenting on this new service, Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi said “This new feature is one of a series of initiatives that we are working on as part of our roadmap for the Gulf Air app. One of our biggest objectives is to provide our customers with convenience and ease to interact with us across all our touch points. The Gulf Air app allows our customers to select their flights, choose their seats and purchase excess baggage among other features; and now with Apple Pay, they can pay for all of that in one easy and quick step”. Captain AlAlawi continued “The Apple Pay initiative was planned and carried out entirely by a team of Bahraini digital, IT and finance experts, and we are proud that such initiatives are managed end to end by Bahraini youth. We encourage our employees to trust their skills and knowledge, and we will continue to invest in developing those skills and training them to enable them to handle bigger projects in the future”. Gulf Air is embarking on an ambitious digital transformation that is aimed at modernizing the airline’s technology ecosystem. Customer centricity sets at the core of Gulf Air’s digital transformation strategy that will reinforce the airline’s position in the market as a five star major airline by allowing it to provide a boutique and personalized passenger …

Encouraging all travellers to explore the wide range of online and remote check-in options available, Emirates has invested in multiple smart tech developments to ensure seamless travel, ahead of the peak travel period of Eid and Dubai school holidays from July 8 onwards. Advising passengers to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours prior to their flight departure, and ensure they have all the required documents for their destination, there are a number of ways to further enhance the travel experience and avoid delays; 1. Use the Emirates App Download the Emirates app to have travel plans conveniently at your fingertips. The app allows users to book and change flights, download a digital boarding pass, pre-plan meals, book chauffer drive service and even pre-select and plan movies to watch via the ice inflight entertainment. 2. Check the COVID-19 travel requirements in advance Emirates recommends passengers arrive to the airport at least three hours before their flight so there’s time for any extra health and safety checks. Face masks are required for flights. The travel requirements for various countries change frequently so passengers are advised to check the COVID‑19 test requirements and the health documents needed for travel to Dubai and all Emirates current worldwide destinations. 3. Sign Up for WhatsApp COVID-19 Travel support Travellers in Dubai can get the latest travel requirements on WhatsApp for popular destinations. This is the latest information that the customer service team have and is updated daily. 4. Remote Emirates City Check-in in Ajman Those travelling from the northern emirates can take advantage of a 24‑hour City Check‑in at Ajman Central Bus Terminal and check in up to 4 hours before the flight departs, …