Category Archives: Aviation

Etihad Airways’ much-anticipated A380 touched down in Melbourne on June 3, beginning a new era of luxury travel on the Melbourne-Abu Dhabi and Melbourne-London routes. The A380 features The Residence, the world’s first three-room private suite on a commercial aircraft, as well as ground-breaking innovations in all cabins. The inaugural Abu Dhabi-Melbourne A380 flight – EY460 – departed Abu Dhabi Airport at 10.15pm last night and arrived at Melbourne Airport at 5.45pm. The aircraft, in the airline’s ‘Facets of Abu Dhabi livery, will be welcomed to the Victorian capital by a traditional water cannon salute. The return Melbourne-Abu Dhabi flight – EY461 –departed Melbourne at 10.10pm tonight. From today, the flagship superjumbo will operate one of the airline’s double daily flights between Melbourne and Abu Dhabi. It will replace one of the three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft currently deployed on the route. Etihad Airways Senior Vice President of Marketing, Shane O’Hare, said: “Today marks another major milestone for Etihad Airways in Australia. With Melbourne joining our A380 network, Australia is the only country in our global network with daily A380 services to two cities – Melbourne and Sydney. “Deploying our latest technology aircraft and class-leading product and service to Australia recognises its importance to our business and the strong demand from Australian travellers for premium travel experiences. The A380 will increase the total number of two-way seats on the Melbourne-Abu Dhabi route by 26 per cent to more than 11,500 seats per week. Mr O’Hare said this would ease the capacity constraints on the Melbourne-Abu Dhabi, particularly for business and premium leisure travel.

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, celebrated the airline’s inaugural 5 weekly service to and from Dhaka, Bangladesh, on June 2. Gulf Air flight GF248 was welcomed into Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, the biggest airport in Bangladesh, with a water cannon salute and, upon arrival, a celebratory event was held in the airport that saw the attendance of various dignitaries, Gulf Air flight’s captain and crew, Gulf Air’s Country Manager to Bangladesh, Hussain Ghuloom, and a number of local media and travel industry representatives, alongside official Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport officials. Serving 7 destinations in Pakistan and 6 in India, Gulf Air’s Dhaka service enhances the airline’s existing Indian Subcontinent operations providing strong connectivity to destinations across Gulf Air’s Middle East network and beyond via the airline’s hub, Bahrain International Airport. Gulf Air 5 weekly flights to Dhaka are operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft with a total of 16 Falcon Gold Business Class seats and 120 Economy Class seats.

Air Arabia introduces SITA’s next-generation passenger management system to extract even greater efficiency across its operations. Air Arabia carried close to 8-million passengers in 2015, serving 101 destinations spread across the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and Europe from five hubs in the UAE, Egypt, Morocco and Jordan. SITA’s latest passenger service system will help the airline better manage the boarding of passengers across all destinations while streamlining the turnaround of the airline’s aircraft. Through the Horizon Passenger Management and Distribution portfolio, SITA will provide the airline with its latest departure control and weight and balance systems. Horizon Weight & Balance will increase fuel savings for the airline by providing full load planning capabilities, including a graphical user interface framework, for all the functionalities required to load and dispatch an aircraft. This includes all legally required documentation for both airlines and ground handlers. SITA’s Horizon  Departure Control Services (DCS) is a fully integrated multi-host system for automated check-in, boarding and load planning and has been used to check in more than 167 million passengers worldwide.

Abu Dhabi Airports has reported a 4.8 per cent increase in passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) for April 2016, compared to the same month last year. A total of 1,960,946 people travelled through AUH last month, exceeding April 2015’s figure of 1,871,337. The top-five routes were London Heathrow, Doha, Bangkok, Bombay and Jeddah. The total cargo tonnage at AUH reached 63,500. Several destinations saw significant growth in passenger traffic with the UK beating its April 2015 figures by 25.6 per cent last month, and Australia recording a 20.6 per cent increase in the same period. “Abu Dhabi is growing, both as a global tourism destination and strategic transit hub and this is clear from the fact that we are still seeing a year on year increase in traveler numbers at AUH. Several destinations in particular have seen a rise in passenger traffic including India, Germany, Thailand, the UK and Italy,” said Mohammed Al Katheeri, Acting Chief Operations Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports. “We are continuing to invest in the infrastructure and technology necessary to keep pace with this growth, ensuring that we provide our passengers with world class services and facilities when they travel through Abu Dhabi International Airport.”

Emirates’ premium and loyal customers can now look forward to even greater levels of comfort, hospitality and convenience with the opening of the airline’s new two-level premium lounge at the Cape Town International Airport in South Africa. All Emirates First Class and Business Class customers, as well as Skywards Platinum and Gold members travelling from Cape Town to Dubai will have complimentary access to the new facility, which has the capacity to accommodate 123 people comfortably. The lounge, which was recently opened, represents an investment of US$2,89 million by the airline. It is conveniently located in the international departures corridor next to Emirates’ preferred boarding point at Gate A3. Emirates’ airport lounges are an integral part of the airline’s service and product offering for its premium and loyal customers, and the continued investment in airport services ensures the airline pays as much attention on providing luxury and comfort on the ground as it does on board it flights. Cape Town has become Emirates’ 39th lounge in its network of over 150 global points and the 14th destination to feature the airline’s new lounge design concept, which includes Italian marble floors, leather armchairs and walnut wood finishes creating an upmarket contemporary space with a fresh relaxing atmosphere.

Air France first launched its Premium Economy cabin in 2009 and is now offering Premium Economy class travel across the entire long haul fleet, including Dubai to European destinations. Passengers can now enjoy an even more comfortable way of travelling for business or pleasure at affordable prices, in a separate cabin. The Premium Economy seat offers 40% more space than regular Economy class and has been enjoyed by close to three million customers since launch. Air France Premium Economy fares start at AED4,515.00 to Europe (terms & conditions apply). Passengers in Premium Economy enjoy some little extras with the added benefits of Business class amenities such as a complimentary toiletries kit, a soft blanket, down pillow, and a bottle of mineral water. Passengers travelling with Air France and KLM enjoy all the benefits of global networks, and easy and convenient connections to most of the world’s major destinations, through the two global hubs in Paris (Air France) and Amsterdam (KLM).

Qatar Airways will expand its network to Chiang Mai in Thailand from December 16, 2016. The airline will fly to Chiang Mai five times a week via Yangon, the former capital of Myanmar, with an A330-200.The largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand, Chiang Mai will be the fourth city in the Asian country to be served by Qatar Airways, which currently flies to Bangkok and Phuket, and will commence flights to Krabi on 6 December. With the addition of Krabi and Chiang Mai to its network Qatar Airways will increase its flights to Thailand from 39 to 48 per week by the end of 2016. The launch of flights to Chiang Mai comes at a time when Qatar Airways is rapidly expanding its network and will inaugurate 14 new destinations on its route map throughout 2016 and into early 2017. New destination launches include: Marrakech (1 July 2016), Pisa (2 August 2016), Windhoek (28 September 2016), Helsinki (10 October 2016) Sarajevo (2 November 2016), Seychelles (12 December 2016), Auckland (6 February 2017), Skopje (2017), Libreville (2017), Douala (2017), Lusaka (summer 2017) and Nice (summer 2017).

The Saudi-based national airline, flynas, is increasing capacity between their home country and the UAE with new flights linking Abu Dhabi with Riyadh and Jeddah. Effective on June 23, flynas will add a second daily service between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, increasing its combined offer with Etihad Airways to four daily services. Also on June 23, flynas will enter the Jeddah–Abu Dhabi market with a daily flight which will complement Etihad Airways’ existing thrice daily services. Together, both carriers will offer four daily services linking Jeddah and the capital of the UAE. These services will provide guests with greater choice and flexibility when travelling between the two countries and beyond over Etihad Airways’ worldwide network. In addition to Riyadh and Jeddah, Etihad Airways currently serves Dammam and Madinah, offering a total of 63 weekly flights to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Whilst flynas new services will offer 14 weekly flights from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi and seven weekly flights from Jeddah to Abu Dhabi. The additional flights from flynas will be operated by a two-class Airbus A320 aircraft, offering an additional 3,416 seats per week, and ensuring maximum connectivity through Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub to key destinations in North America, Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. This comes as part of an expanded codeshare agreement between the two airlines signed in October 2012. The codeshare agreement allows flynas to place its ‘XY’ code on multiple Etihad Airways’ flights between Abu Dhabi and 20 destinations on its global network. Gregory Kaldahl, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President Network, said: “The expanding of our codeshare with flynas reflects our commitment to the key market of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Turkish Airlines has added a daily flight to Atlanta, joining Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Panama, Bogota, Toronto, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Boston, Montreal, San Francisco and Miami as the carrier’s 15th destination in the Americas. Passengers between Istanbul and Georgia’s capital will be able to enjoy special round-trip fares. Additionally, up until the end of October 2016, Miles&Smiles members will enjoy a 25% mileage discount when redeeming miles on the route or a 25% bonus on paid tickets as well as the opportunities for upgrades.With Atlanta being the ninth U.S. gateway for Turkish Airlines, momentum continues for the carrier as it expands its presence in the U.S. offering 70 flights per week and providing one-stop connections to 289 destinations and 115 countries through its Istanbul hub. Ahmet Olmustur, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Turkish Airlines said: “Turkish Airlines has become one of the world’s premier airlines, constantly adding to its network and making significant strategic investments that continually enhance its range and product offer. This significant launch reinforces Turkish Airlines as a global leader in aviation with an internationally known brand helping passengers widen their world. The addition of the Atlanta gateway means that we will now be connecting business and leisure travelers through our Istanbul hub more efficiently and to more destinations than any other airline via one-stop connection through the world’s most traveled airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport.” “We are pleased to welcome Turkish Airlines as the newest carrier to Atlanta, solidifying the Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport not only as the world’s busiest airport, but also the gateway to the World,” said Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. He added, “The new route will open a …

Armenia is the latest destination added to Qatar Airways global route map, and will commence four times weekly service between Doha and Yerevan, connecting the city and country with more than 150 destinations worldwide. The inaugural flight touched down in the early hours and was greeted by a traditional water salute, Qatar Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer Dr. Hugh Dunleavy, who travelled on board the inaugural flight with Armenia’s Ambassador to Qatar, His Excellency Gegham Gharibjanian were greeted at the arrival gate by Yerevan’s Zvartnots International Airport, Deputy General Manager, Andranik Shkhyan.