Category Archives: Aviation

In line with the restoration of Emirates’ network and upsurge in travel demand, passengers traveling in premium cabins as well as Skywards members in select membership tiers will have access to more than 120 lounges by February. Emirates, which has resumed operations to over 90 percent of its pre-pandemic network, currently flies to more than 120 destinations worldwide via its hub in Dubai. Customers travelling in First Class and Business Class will be able to complement their travel experience with Emirates’ signature premium lounge service at over 20 airports in its network, comprising popular destinations across Europe, Africa, US and Asia. By late December, Emirates lounges at a host of airports in the UK will have re-opened their doors for customers to immerse themselves in the pre-flight premium experience, including London Heathrow, Birmingham, and Manchester while the lounges in London Gatwick and Glasgow will welcome customers in January 2022. In Europe, Emirates lounges in Germany, namely Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Dusseldorf, in addition to lounges in Milan and Rome, have already re-opened for passengers to enjoy their premium facilities, while the lounge in Paris is scheduled to open later this month. In the US, travellers on Emirates flights can access the premium lounge experience at Los Angeles International Airport, Boston Logan International Airport as well as New York JFK, with Emirates’ San Francisco lounge to re-start its services in February 2022. An additional Emirates Lounge, to serve passengers travelling through Cairo, has resumed operations earlier, while premium class customers and eligible Skywards members will soon be able to relax and dine in its lounges in Colombo and Bangkok prior to flights. At Emirates’ exclusive Terminal 3 at Dubai International airport, …

Following the opening of the final phase of Concourse A at Dubai International’s (DXB) Terminal 3, the world’s busiest international airport is 100% operational with all terminals, concourses, lounges, restaurants, and retail outlets now open. Terminal 3 is expected to serve more than 1.6 million passengers in the second half of December during the month’s peak seasonal travel period. Visitors to Dubai exceeded 1 million during the month of October and DXB reached the important milestone of 1 million passengers per week in November, with origin-destination passengers reaching 94% of pre-pandemic levels. “Reaching the point where 100% of our facilities are now open and serving customers, plus the huge resurgence in passengers arriving into Dubai marks an important milestone for the aviation sector as well as for the city of Dubai and its economic growth. We took early steps to implement best-in-class hygiene and health protocols, fast track PCR testing facilities, and enhanced customer service and guest support resources to ensure the comfort, convenience and safety of travelers – and this has resulted in a strong recovery towards pre-pandemic levels of passengers,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports. He added: “This has been an enormous team effort and our employees and stakeholders have responded magnificently to the significant challenge of getting DXB back up and running at 100% capacity.” The journey back to full operations following the closure in March 2020 began with the reopening of Terminals 2 and 3 and Concourses B and C for normal inbound passenger operations from June 22, 2020, following the easing of international travel regulations for residents by UAE authorities. Outbound travel for UAE citizens and residents was opened on June 23 while …

Emirates customers travelling from the UAE to EU member countries now have more opportunities to confidently make the most out of their travel journeys. The airline has been working closely with Alhosn National Health System team to enable the readability and recognition of customers’ health credentials with EU verified QR codes, including COVID-19 vaccine status and PCR test results, on the IATA Travel Pass. Emirates customers simply have to download the IATA Travel Pass, scan Alhosn App’s Travel Pass QR Code and load the results back to the app. UAE citizens and residents will also be able to upload their negative PCR test results and vaccination certificates performed anywhere in the country, without the need to visit specific labs. This health data is stored in the National Cloud per the highest privacy standards and policies set by the UAE Data Protection Law. The new enhancements make it easier for Emirates customers to benefit from the IATA Travel Pass and get their “Ok to Travel” prior to their departure to any EU destination on the airline’s network. By using the Alhosn App, Emirates customers travelling from the UAE to the EU can also reliably demonstrate their COVID-19 health status, and be able to easily enter hospitality and entertainment venues, attend events or embark on other experiences that require proof of negative test results or vaccination. This minimises the use of multiple apps to demonstrate testing and vaccination status while in the EU, and also allows for safer, convenient movement for Emirates customers. Adel Al Redha, Emirates Chief Operating Officer said: “As part of Emirates’ plan to implement digital travel verification and make the travel process more seamless, we’re boosting the customer …

Oman Air will continue to strengthen strategic codeshare partnership agreements to maximize its post-pandemic growth trajectory. The airline’s ongoing recovery calls for greater codeshare connectivity to offers passengers better connections and a wider choice of destinations from its hub in Muscat. Oman Air has built a healthy network throughout the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent, as well as several cities in Europe, South Asia and Africa in recent years and is focused on growing additional connectivity to North and South America and Australia through strategic codeshares with its 18 partner airlines. These include Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Gulf Air, Royal Dutch Airlines KLM, Kenya Airways, Kuwait Airways, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, SalamAir, Bangkok Airways, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Saudia, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines, and Egyptair. Currently, Oman Air operates 46 codeshare sectors and markets an additional 219 codeshare sectors on six continents through its partners for a total of 265 sectors. “Providing access to more destinations underpins our business operations and growth strategy as we gradually emerge from the global pandemic and look for new ways to offer our valued guests greater travel convenience and connectivity,” said Eng. Abdulaziz Al Raisi, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Air. “Together with our codeshare partners, we continue to grow our network reach out of Muscat while offering reciprocal connectivity for passengers flying to the Sultanate of Oman. Strategic codeshare agreements make sense at a time when airlines around the world are facing tremendous challenges, and Oman Air understands that now, more than ever, seamless connectivity is a deciding factor for passengers when it comes to booking.” To date, Qatar Airways remains Oman Air’s biggest codeshare partner. In …

Emirates is increasing its capacity on flights from Dubai to Brisbane commencing today (16 December), in line with the easing of local government restrictions on international travel after the state achieved its target to reach a double-dose vaccination rate of 80 per cent. From 5 February, Emirates flights to Perth will also operate at full capacity for eligible vaccinated travellers. With the return to full capacity on inbound international flights into Queensland flight EK430 from Dubai to Brisbane can carry more than 350 passengers per flight, and will be operated with a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration. Emirates is also increasing its weekly capacity on the route by boosting the frequency of flights EK430/431 between Dubai and Brisbane to five times weekly, effective 1 January 2022, with the potential to increase in line with demand. Meanwhile, frequency on flights EK420/421 on the Dubai-Perth route will also increase to five times weekly to accommodate more Australian citizens and residents returning home as well as international travellers planning to visit the Western Australian destination. To Brisbane, eligible overseas travellers will no longer have to quarantine in state facilities and can now self-isolate at home, based on a series of requirements stipulated by the Queensland government. Furthermore, vaccinated travellers arriving in Perth will not be subject to quarantine but will be required to follow Western Australia’s guidance on arriving international passengers with proof of fully vaccinated status. Tickets can be booked by visiting www.emirates.com or through preferred travel agents. “Emirates is excited to increase our inbound capacity to Brisbane and Perth as part of the continued return of international travel across the country. As the demand for international travel grows by …

Emirates announced it will operate double daily flights to Seychelles from 24 December 2021, until 9 January 2022 to serve market demand during the busy holiday season.* The added service will offer customers more travel choices, flexibility and enhanced connectivity to the island-nation. Emirates currently operates a daily flight to Seychelles utilising its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The second daily service will boost tourism to the popular Indian Ocean destination this winter holiday, especially from popular inbound markets including France, Germany, U.K., Russia, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, U.S., UAE, and KSA. The added flight from Dubai to Mahe will operate as Emirates flight EK707, departing Dubai at 10:20hrs and arriving in Mahe at 14:55hrs, local time. The added flight from Mahe to Dubai will operate as Emirates flight EK706, departing Mahe at 08:35hrs and arriving in Dubai at 13:10hrs, local time. From 10 January 2022, the airline will serve the country with 10 weekly flights, including a double daily service on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets can be purchased on emirates.com, Emirates Sales Office or via travel agents. Earlier this year, Emirates renewed its commitment to Seychelles by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Seychelles Tourism Board at Expo 2020. The agreement reaffirms the airline’s commitment to the island-nation, and outlines various initiatives to promote trade and tourism to the country. *Excluding 29th and 30th December, 2021 *Subject to government approvals

Gulf Air and the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority announced the activation of a number of unprecedented offers for passengers of the carrier. These offers will give Gulf Air’s passengers the opportunity to stop in Bahrain, obtain hotel reservations, and use tourist facilities through various tailored packages and offers, before continuing on to their final destinations. In this regard, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Air, Captain Waleed AlAlawi stated: “The cooperation between the airline and the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority comes within the framework of joint and integrated work to advance the tourism and travel sector as a whole in Bahrain, where Gulf Air will utilize all its capabilities and expertise to assure success of this cooperation and achieve its goals”. Captain AlAlawi added, “With the addition of more destinations on our network, these tourism packages will be promoted on a wider scale and attract more tourist travelers from various countries, especially with continuous updating and easing of restrictions on entry to Bahrain. Eligible passengers that can obtain visa on arrival for the Kingdom of Bahrain can book these packages on gulfair.com for a stopover of up to five nights whenever they fly through Bahrain International Airport”. Chief Executive Officer of the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibition Authority, Dr. Nasser Qaidi said: “The aim of launching these offers is to attract more tourists and visitors to Bahrain, and to offer them a variety of tourism and entertainment activities that they can choose from to suit their tastes, needs and budget. We are pleased to cooperate with Gulf Air in order to achieve this goal, and to implement this exciting initiative that will revitalize the tourism sector in Bahrain …

Oman Air has signed a service agreement with Paul Maxence Lounge at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, offering complimentary access for its business class passengers. The agreement coincides with Oman Air’s route resumption between Muscat (MCT) and Paris (CDG), which took effect on 31 October 2021. Business class passengers and Sindbad Gold tier members can access the lounge for free, while economy class passengers can purchase access to the lounge for USD 70. Stylishly appointed and equipped with a full range of amenities, Paul Maxence Lounge offers welcome respite from busy airport crowds and provides passengers a quiet, private space to dine, work or freshen up before their flight. “In signing this service agreement with Paul Maxence Lounge, Oman Air business class passengers and Sindbad Gold members flying from Paris can now enjoy an enhanced travel experience that combines comfort, elegance and convenience in an exceptionally relaxing space,” said Rocio Jolivet, Oman Air Country Manager for France. “Oman Air economy class passengers can also access the lounge for a fee and elevate their travel journey with the sophistication of French hospitality.” Complimentary WI-FI, à la carte menu prepared to Halal-certified standards offering hot and cold food and beverages, shower facilities, outdoor smoking terrace, and prayer room are just some of the amenities available to lounge visitors between 06:00 am and 10:00 pm daily in Terminal 2A.

Etihad Airways and ITA Airways have signed a codeshare agreement connecting the networks of the two airlines. This new commercial partnership is designed to boost business travel and tourism between Italy and the United Arab Emirates, and will offer travellers more options and better connectivity when travelling through Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Abu Dhabi. Available for sale today for flights from 14 December 2021, ITA Airways will apply its ‘AZ’ code on services operated by Etihad between Italy (Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa) and the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi). Similarly, Etihad will codeshare AZ flights connecting Italian domestic services beyond Rome Fiumicino Airport (Genova, Bari, Brindisi, Catania, Palermo) plus regional European services (Malta). The new codeshare flights are now available for sale through the airlines’ respective websites (ita-airways.com and etihad.com), reservation systems and in travel agencies. The partners are also working together to expand the scope of their cooperation over the coming months to offer customers even more seamless travel options.

With the end of school term and the start of the holiday season, Emirates is expecting over 1.1 million passengers to pass through Terminal 3 at Dubai International during this busy travel period which will run through until 21 December. This weekend will see a peak surge of close to 250,000 travellers departing from Terminal 3. Customers are encouraged to arrive at the airport at least three hours prior to their flight departure and ensure they have all the required documents for their destination before proceeding to the check-in desk. To expedite their airport experience and ensure a smoother departure, passengers can choose to avoid the rush by physically checking-in 24 hours before their flight departure, drop off their bags and collect their boarding passes, using the 32 self-service bag drop machines and 16 check-in kiosks available at Terminal 3.* Customers using the self-service kiosk must still complete their immigration formalities no later than 60 minutes before their flight departure. Customers can also opt to check in online up to 48 hours and until 90 minutes before their flight departure and download digital boarding passes on their mobile phones for select destinations. Customers who check in less than 60 minutes before departure will not be accepted for travel. To speed up the process even further, customers can also utilise Emirates’ biometric path in Terminal 3 for a contactless journey from specific check-in desks, Emirates lounges and boarding gates. The biometric path allows customers to complete immigration formalities and board their flights with virtually no document checks and queuing. Once checked in, passengers are advised to ensure they arrive to their boarding gate on time. Gates open 90 minutes before departure, …