Category Archives: Aviation

Etihad Airways touched down in Kolkata as the airline made its much-anticipated return to the city. With a total of seven weekly nonstop services, the airline will once again connect India’s financial capital, Kolkata, with the world through Abu Dhabi. The first flight on the new service, EY256, departed Abu Dhabi with a full load of passengers at 1:50pm local time on 26 March and touched down at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport last night at 8:10pm local time. Upon arrival in Kolkata, passengers were welcomed with a cake cutting ceremony and a celebration attended by Etihad and Kolkata Airport Executives. The return flight, EY257, departed Kolkata at 9:05pm local time on 26 March, landing in Abu Dhabi shortly after midnight. Arik De, Chief Revenue Officer, said, Etihad Airways, said: “Riding on the resurgence of outbound travel from India, we’re delighted to resume daily flights to Kolkata, a key cultural and commercial hub in the Indian subcontinent. Re-establishing this vital air link with East India will support the growing demand from travelers in and around the region, offering them easy access to Abu Dhabi and connectivity to our global network alongside a world-class flying experience. We have been very impressed with our initial demand, which reaffirms our strategy to return to this key market.” The flights will be operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft, offering Etihad’s award-winning service to guests in 8 seats in Business Class and 150 in Economy, convenient flight timings to the UAE’s capital city and seamless connections to destinations across the airline’s growing global network of 67 destinations. From dune bashing in the desert to relaxing on its pristine beaches, soaking up rich UAE heritage …

Oman Air has increased the frequency of flights to Moscow as part of its summer schedule. Offering maximum comfort and convenience to its guests, the airline will be flying daily using its popular Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft. The non-stop flight from Muscat will depart at 15:35 and arrive in Moscow at 20:55, while the return sector will depart from Moscow at 23:20 and arrive in Muscat at 06:30. Guests travelling to Muscat or Moscow should ensure they are aware of official requirements to enter or transit through the country. Those wishing to enhance their stay can also book a customised Moscow holiday package through Oman Air Holidays by visiting holidays.omanair.com. To book a flight or for more information, visit omanair.com.

SAUDIA launched its first direct flight to Dar es Salaam in the United Republic of Tanzania, days after announcing the Group’s operational plans to fly to 25 new international destinations in three continents around the world. This announcement is part of SAUDIA’s strategic plans of bringing the world to the Kingdom, while making optimal use of the new aircraft that will be added to SAUDIA’s operations. The inaugural SAUDIA flight SV 463,from Jeddah to Dar es Salaam departed this morning at 1:15 AM from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the departure gate to commemorate this occasions and souvenirs were distributed to the departing guests. A celebration took place at the Alfursan International Lounge in the presence of the Consul General of the Republic of Tanzania in Jeddah, Mr. Habibu Awesi Mohamed and the Chief Commercial Officer of SAUDIA, Mr. Arved Nikolaus Von Zur Muhlen, as well as representatives from the government authorities operating at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. SAUDIA’s Airbus A320 landed at Julius Nyerere International Airport at 6:15 AM and was greeted with a water salute. Meanwhile, another celebration was held at Julius Nyerere International Airport to mark the departure of the first flight, SV 462, from Dar es Salaam to Jeddah in the presence of the Minister of Work and Transport in Tanzania, MHE. Prof. Makame Mnyaa Mbarawa, the Saudi Deputy Ambassador for Tanzania, Mr. Fahad Alharbi, the Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania in Riyadh, H.E. Ali Jabir Mwadini, and SAUDIA Tanzania Manager, H.E. Mr. Khalid Alharbi. Mr. Arved Muhlen stated: “The expansion of SAUDIA’s operations and the launch of new direct flights to Dar es Salaam …

Flyadeal is continuing its aggressive expansion with the announcement of 12 additional European and regional destinations this summer. Gearing up for the upcoming summer peak holiday season, flyadeal is introducing a combined 49 scheduled flights a week from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to eight countries — Egypt, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Bosnia, Montenegro, Georgia And Azerbaijan — representing a 127% increase in seasonal capacity on the same summer period last year. The new routes, to be operated by a modern fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft, will boost flyadeal’s international presence to 18 destinations — up from six currently — supplementing a strong domestic network of 17 cities across Saudi Arabia. The Greek island cities of Rhodes and Heraklion will be served for the first time by flyadeal, as will Bosnia’s capital of Sarajevo, Cyprus’s coastal city of Larnaca and port town of Tivat in Montenegro. flyadeal’s presence in Turkey will be significantly increased with four resort cities of Izmir, Antalya, Bodrum and Trabzon joining existing services to Istanbul, and seasonal flights will return from both Riyadh and Jeddah to the popular Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh. Baku and Tbilisi, capital cities of Azerbaijan and Georgia respectively, will be served from three Saudi gateways of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Con Korfiatis, flyadeal Chief Executive Officer, said: “This summer’s expansion represents flyadeal’s highest seasonal capacity increase since we launched the airline just over five years ago. With new direct scheduled services from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, we look forward to spreading our wings to popular European destinations, including four additional points in Turkey, and a return to Sharm el Sheikh for Saudi travellers and expatriates looking for beach and cultural breaks during …

Emirates will deploy its signature A380 aircraft to Bali starting from 1 June 2023, marking a milestone in Indonesia’s aviation history as the first A380 service to the country. The new 2-class Emirates A380 service will replace one of the two daily services to Bali currently operated by a 2-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The airline’s debut A380 flight EK368, will depart from Dubai International Airport (DXB) at 03:25 hrs, arriving in Denpasar International Airport (DPS) at 16:35 hrs local time. The returning flight, EK369, will depart Bali at 19:40 hrs, arriving in Dubai at 00:45 hrs local time. All times are local. Tickets can be purchased on emirates.com, the Emirates App, at Emirates sales offices, and via both online and offline travel agents. Travellers are also encouraged to check the Emirates website for the latest travel requirements. Highlighting the deployment of the world’s largest passenger aircraft to Bali, Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, said: “The Emirates A380 is synonymous with our fly better promise and world-class products and services, and we’re excited to offer our travellers the opportunity to experience its uniqueness and unmatched beauty on flights to and from Bali. Needless to say that we’ve been working closely with our partners at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport to ensure our A380 operations will be seamless and smooth. We’d like to thank the authorities and our partners for all their support. Bali continues to be one of the most popular tourist destinations in our network and strategic markets in Southeast Asia, and the Emirates A380’s debut in Indonesia underscores our long-standing commitment to its travel and tourism sector. We look forward to driving more inbound traffic to the island, …

In line with Kuwait Airways’ expansion plans in the Far East, the company announced the inauguration of its new sales office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The company celebrated the opening of the office in the presence of Kuwait Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, Eng. Maen Razouqi with numerous officials attending the event consisting of dignitaries and representatives, headed by the Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the Kingdom of Malaysia, H.E. Rashid Al-Saleh, and his accompanying delegation, as well as various officials from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture, travel and tourism companies, and various media representatives and also included honouring outstanding partners from travel and tourism offices. Speaking on the occasion, Kuwait Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, Eng. Maen Razouqi welcomed the attendees, and extended his sincere thanks to the guests for accepting KAC’s invitation. Razouqi in his speech stated, “Kuwait Airways is pleased and honoured to be present to participate in the inaugural ceremony of its new sales office in Kuala Lumpur and to honour our successful partners. The opening of the office comes within the framework of the Blue Bird’s preparations for the summer season of 2023 and is part of the company’s objectives to expand and launch new destinations to provide the best services to our valued customers, in addition to meeting their requirements. The new office is situated in a distinguished location in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, which is easily accessible to KAC’s customers.” Razouqi added, “Kuala Lumpur is one of Kuwait Airway’s most important destinations. Since its launch in October 2022 with two flights per week, there has been a growing demand from our valued passengers to travel …

Creating a new milestone in its network expansion strategy, SalamAir has announced direct flights to two new destinations Mashhad in Iran and Almaty in Kazakhstan. Mashhad is the third destination in Iran for the airline, with flights to Shiraz and Tehran already in its network, and Almaty is the airline’s first entry into Kazakhstan. Weekly flights from Muscat to Mashhad and Almaty are scheduled for starting from February 21 and 1st July 2023 respectively. These two routes serve a high demand for medical, business, and leisure tourism. The new flights will also offer convenient connections to the SalamAir network. Speaking of the two new routes, Captain Mohamed Ahmed, CEO of SalamAir, said, “Iran has been one of the key focus markets for us, and we are pleased to launch the third destination to the country. The steady bilateral connection and strong cultural and economic ties between Oman and Iran have given significant momentum to our growth plans and enabled the route’s success. Speaking of the 2nd destinations, he added; This is our first introduction into Kazakhstan; the city of Almaty has promising passenger travel into Muscat, and we expect to carry both business travelers and holidaymakers between the two important cities. Oman and Kazakhstan recently agreed to have close bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, renewable energy, tourism, and food security too thus this route being mutually beneficial.” Mashhad The holly city is the capital of Khorasan province in northeast Iran and the second largest city in the country, Mashhad is best known for the shrine of Imam Reza. Every year, millions of people visit the holy shrine considered the largest and most magnificent of its kind.. Mashhad is …

Kuwait Airways announced the signing of a bilateral interline agreement with Malaysia Airlines to enhance the framework of cooperation between the two carriers in the commercial air transport sector, commencing from 1st April 2023. The agreement was signed by Kuwait Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, Eng. Maen Razouqi and the Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Airlines, Captain Izham Ismail on the side-lines of a ceremony held in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, which was attended by numerous officials, representing both airlines. Speaking on the occasion, KAC’s Chief Executive Officer, Eng. Maen Razouqi stated, “Kuwait Airways is pleased to sign the bilateral interline agreement with Malaysia Airlines. This agreement is the first partnership which will further facilitate a strategic cooperation with Malaysia Airlines, across multiple areas and in all fields of the aviation sector. This is also an important part of the historical and strong relations between the State of Kuwait and the Kingdom of Malaysia, which are characterized by an understanding at all political, economic, and cultural levels between both the countries.” Razouqi added, “This strategic cooperation will benefit all parties, as Malaysia Airlines is one of the leading airlines in the regional and global market with a great history in the aviation sector. We are hopeful that this agreement will bring about the best prospects through the expansion of both airlines’ global network and contribute effectively to achieving the desired objectives.” Razouqi continued by saying, “The enhanced partnership will enable Kuwait Airways to expand its network and serve its passengers through Malaysia Airlines operations, connectivity to several cities in Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand including to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Auckland, Tokyo, Taipei, Seoul, and Singapore, in addition to …

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) and flyadeal sets course to add 25 new destinations in 2023 on SAUDIA Group Network. The new destinations to be added are Beijing, China; Birmingham, United Kingdom; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Djibouti; Chittagong, Bangladesh; Johannesburg, South Africa; Kano, Nigeria; Baghdad, Iraq; London Gatwick, United Kingdom; Nice, France; Lisbon, Portugal; Malaga, Spain; Mykonos, Greece; Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt; Tbilisi, Georgia; Baku, Azerbaijan; Trabzon, Turkey; Izmir, Turkey; Antalya, Turkey; Bodrum, Turkey; Sarajevo, Bosnia; Heraklion, Greece; Rhodes, Greece; Larnaca, Cyprus; Tivat, Montenegro. All new routes are set to begin throughout 2023. The airline will publish more schedule details on announced destinations soon. SAUDIA Group Director General, H.E. Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar commented on the international network expansion: “SAUDIA Group has been carrying the kingdom’s ambitions, values and traditions across every corner of its network, as it flies the nation’s flag around the world. These new destinations will offer greater access and choices to our guests. Given the increase of demand in international travel, this is the right time to expand our global network in new, exciting ways, SAUDIA has recently launched “Your Ticket Your Visa” in January. 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. The new service is aimed to encourage passengers to perform Umrah, visit key destinations and attend events during their transit in the Kingdom. 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 …

Etihad Airways has launched reciprocal interline partnerships with three new airline partners – Philippine Airlines (PAL), Austrian Airlines (OS) and Airlink South Africa (4Z), while re-launching interline links with Biman Bangladesh and codeshares with Air Seychelles (HM) and ITA Airways (AZ).  The deal means customers of all airlines involved will enjoy enhanced connectivity to destinations across each other’s networks, can book on a single ticket and only have to check in once at the start of their flight, with their baggage checked through to their end destination. Arik De, Etihad’s Chief Revenue Officer, said: “Broadening our network reach, and allowing more guests to come visit Abu Dhabi has always guided our purpose. These six interline/code agreements make life easier for guests of all the airlines involved. With Austrian Airlines, this tie-in gives our guests access up to 58 European destinations via Vienna, operated by Etihad daily during the summer, and joins the other four members of the Lufthansa Group with whom we already have interline or codeshare agreements. “Our deal with Airlink South Africa gives connecting guests via our Johannesburg flight seamless access to 16 domestic destinations in South Africa, and 25 regional African destinations, and it complements our existing options with South African Airways. “And teaming up with Philippine Airlines provides easy access to 19 domestic Filipino destinations including Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Kalibo, to and from Etihad’s double daily Manila service, for the large Filipino diaspora living in the UAE. “Our links with Biman and Air Seychelles were affected by those airlines’ own system migrations over the last 12 months, so we’re pleased to re-connect with them to complement our own Dhaka and Mahe services and …