Category Archives: Aviation

Three members of Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), the Kingdom’s national flag carrier, have joined The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Advisory Councils for the 2022-2025 term. IATA is a global airline trade association, representing 290 airlines, 120 countries, and 83% of total air traffic. They provide support to a wide range of aviation industry activities and work to formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues. Mr. Marwan Niazi, Vice President Commercial Saudia Air Cargo Company, Mr. Mohammed Alsaied, General Manager Strategies and Legal Compliance in SAUDIA Airlines, and Dr. Saleh Bukhari, General Manager Sales and Distribution Strategies in SAUDIA Airlines, have joined three Advisory Councils; namely Cargo Advisory Council, Legal Advisory Council, and Distribution Advisory Council respectively. Each individual’s appointment reflects the depth of his experience of the aviation industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as signifies their competent qualifications for these positions. They commenced their three-year term following IATA’s recently concluded 78th Annual General Meeting (AGM) last June. Through these prestigious appointments to three of the nine IATA Advisory Councils (IACs), members from SUADIA will be responsible for the strategic formulation and execution of airline policy and will advise the Board and work closely with IATA management on all matters referred to it by the IATA Director General and related to each of the three Advisory Councils. As a Board of Governors Member in IATA, the Director General of SAUDIA Group, Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, commented on this major recognition for the group: “I would like to take this opportunity to say that I could not have wished for a better group of people to represent SAUDIA amongst the industry’s best and brightest. I am confident that …

Wizz Air, Europe’s fastest growing and most sustainable airline, is launching 20 exciting new routes from Bucharest, Budapest, Catania, Larnaca, Milan, Naples, Rome, Sofia, Tirana, Venice and Vienna to Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The airline introduces a new era of extended travel opportunities at ultra-low fares between Europe and the Kingdom to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s global connectivity.  Tickets for all routes are already on sale on wizzair.com and the airline’s mobile app, with fares starting from 54.99 €.* The new routes will majorly enhance Wizz Air’s presence in the Kingdom that will boost the growing Saudi Arabian tourism sector and contribute to the Vision 2030 programme to triple the country’s passenger traffic by 2030. Just alone this expansion will bring over one million additional travellers to Saudi Arabia next year. Jozsef Varadi, CEO of Wizz Air, said: “Saudi Arabia is one of the most exciting countries in the world for aviation portraying an eclectic mix of travel opportunities with unmissable destinations, countless exciting attractions, and a thriving cultural scene. Today’s announcement follows the Memorandum of Understanding we recently signed with the government enabling us to contribute to Saudi tourism’s growth and its entire ecosystem.  Not only does Wizz Air offer incredibly low fares to travellers given our operational efficiency, but we also fly one the youngest, most modern, and sustainable fleet of aircraft in the world. I see the Kingdom as a long-term strategic market for Wizz Air where we will continue to innovate and carry the flag of low cost flying for the benefit of  Saudi residents and visitors as well as the country’s diversifying economy.” Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and Member of the …

As travellers kick-start the search for their next holiday, Emirates is announcing that it will restore its non-stop A380 services to and from Auckland and Kuala Lumpur, starting from 1 December. The airline currently operates to both cities with a linked Boeing 777-300ER service, which makes a stop in Kuala Lumpur before continuing on to Auckland. The start of A380 flights will see both cities delinked and served with direct services to and from Dubai. The latest update to the airline’s schedule will offer customers greater levels of flexibility and much needed seat availability. The new services will also provide more opportunities to travel across the Emirates network with reduced transit times after the delinking of services, and faster connections to and from Europe, the Middle East, South Asia as well as Africa. The non-stop services between Dubai and Auckland will also reclaim its title as the longest route on the Emirates network, clocking in 14,200 km, in addition to being one of the world’s longest non-stop scheduled commercial flights. Emirates’ direct flight EK448 from Dubai to Auckland will depart at 10:05hrs and arrives at 11:05hrs the next day. The return flight will depart Auckland at 21:15hrs and arrives in Dubai at 05:25hrs the next day. All times are local. Emirates’ A380 service to Kuala Lumpur, EK 346 will depart Dubai at 0330hrs, landing at 1435hrs. EK 343 will depart Kuala Lumpur at 0145hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0505hrs. The reintroduction of the airline’s flagship A380 to Auckland and Kuala Lumpur will provide more choice for tourists looking to discover these exciting destinations, and also offers travellers a chance to experience the A380’s signature products and services across all classes. …

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) experienced strong passenger growth in 2022, with 11.6 million passengers carried during the first half of 2022, which represents a 80% increase over the same period in 2021. The number of scheduled and chartered flights increased by 33% to reach 80,500, while total flight hours were measured at 212,000, a rise of 71%. During the first half of 2022, nearly 4.8 million international guests flew SAUDIA, an increase of 242%. SAUDIA operated 28,600 international flights during H1 2022, an increase of 156%. SAUDIA’s global network continued to expand in the first half of 2022 with direct flights to new destinations including Amsterdam, Bangkok, Entebbe, Marrakech and Malaga. This remarkable growth embody the objectives of Saudi Arabia’s National Aviation Strategy, which aims to connect the Kingdom to the world. Domestically, SAUDIA transported 6.2 million guests around the Kingdom on more than 52,000 flights, an increase of 32% and 5%, respectively. “These achievements are the culmination of the efforts of every SAUDIA employee, be it in the planning, implementation, or operational stages,” said Eng. Ahmed Alwusiyah, Chief Operating Officer at the national airline. “These special accomplishments also reflect our guests’ confidence in our air and ground operations, which we are constantly working to refine and streamline for an ever-better traveling experience.” To help welcome visitors to the Kingdom, SAUDIA has been sponsoring major events and activities such as Formula E Racing, the Riyadh Season and Jeddah Season. SAUDIA will continue its efforts to promote the rich culture and tradition in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to achieve the aspirations of the Saudi tourism ecosystem, which is in harmony with Saudi Vision 2030. SAUDIA currently flies to more than …

Qatar Airways resumed services to its fifth destination in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qassim, with three weekly flights from 22 August. The airline will increase to four weekly flights from 2 September 2022. The award-winning airline will also introduce additional four weekly flights to Riyadh starting 18 August 2022, bringing the total to 20 weekly flights to meet the growing inbound and outbound travel demand. Qatar Airways currently operates 93 weekly flights to four key cities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The addition of Qassim and the four additional flights to Riyadh will increase the number of Qatar Airways’ weekly flights to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to 101 non-stop flights. The resumption of services and enhanced capacity is part of the state-owned airline’s ongoing efforts to expand its services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to provide greater choice and seamless connectivity to its passengers. Passengers flying from and to Qassim will enjoy seamless connectivity to over 150 destinations within the airline’s extensive global network in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas via the World’s Best Airport, Hamad International Airport. Passengers can also enjoy the airline’s newly integrated rewards currency, Avios, providing them even greater opportunities to accumulate points and leverage exciting innovations in redeeming and spending their rewards. In addition, Qatar Airways loyalty programme members will retain their well-earned rewards balance and will be able to continue enjoying the redemption opportunities they currently have.

The global aviation industry will be heading to Riyadh in the first week of November to explore the untapped growth potential of the airport industry in the Kingdom, which is in the midst of massive expansion in line with the Saudi 2030 Vision, a unique transformative economic and social reform blueprint unveiled in April 2016. As the largest country on the Arabian Peninsula pushes massively to expand and upgrade airport facilities to serve 330 million air travelers by 2030, the year when 60 per cent of its population will be under the age of 35, Saudi Arabia’s aviation strategy includes the expansion of existing airports and a focus on two large mega hubs in Riyadh and Jeddah, as well as plans to set up a new national carrier. Earlier this year, the Kingdom relaunched the privatization of its airports to support the diversification of its oil-dominated economy and ownership of 29 airports has already been moved to a new entity to prepare them for the process. The Middle East’s largest aviation market will see the fastest passenger traffic growth in the Middle East until 2040 and has unveiled plans for a US$147 billion expansion of its transport sector. In May 2022, Saudi Arabia unveiled a Harmonizing Air Travel policy that will fuel Vision 2030 and help generate around US$100 billion in aviation sector investment by the end of the decade. The National Aviation Sector Strategy aims to increase air connectivity to 250 destinations, reaching 330 million passengers, and double air cargo capacity to 4.5 million tonnes. The Kingdom also has plans to launch a new national airline to complement its existing national carriers, Saudia, Flynas and Flyadeal. It will also …

Etihad will add four weekly flights on the Abu Dhabi – New York route, providing a total of 11 weekly nonstop services to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The new flights will be operated with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, while existing daily services will continue on Etihad’s new Airbus A350 aircraft, which has been deployed on the New York route since June. These aircraft types are two of the most efficient in the world, with significantly less fuel burn and CO2 emissions than previous-generation twin aisle aircraft. The frequency increase will provide travellers with more choice and flexibility between Abu Dhabi and New York and is perfectly timed to commence ahead of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix taking place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi between 17 and 20 November 2022. Travelers will also benefit from improved access between New York and Etihad’s global network of 70 destinations, particularly in the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, as well as connections beyond New York, to and from 46 destinations throughout the Americas, with Etihad’s codeshare partner — and New York’s Hometown Airline® — JetBlue. Alex Featherstone, Vice President Network Planning & Alliances, said: “Etihad is enhancing its schedule this winter to provide even more options for our guests across key business and leisure destinations in our global network. “Our New York service continues to perform strongly, and having already experienced record passenger demand this summer, Etihad is excited to be investing further in this market by building on frequency levels ahead of the peak winter travel period.” Etihad passengers travelling to the US will be able to take advantage of Etihad’s US pre-clearance …

Emirates has kick-started its plans to upgrade the entire interior cabins of 120 Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft – two of the largest commercial aircraft types in service. This ambitious project, representing a multi-billion dollar investment to ensure Emirates’ customers “fly better” for the coming years, officially commences in November and is managed entirely by Emirates’ Engineering team. The target is to completely retrofit four Emirates aircraft from start to finish every month, continuously for over 2 years. Once the 67 earmarked A380s are refreshed and back in service, 53 777s will undergo their facelift. This will see nearly 4,000 brand new Premium Economy seats installed, 728 First Class suites refurbished and over 5,000 Business Class seats upgraded to a new style and design when the project is complete in April 2025. In addition, carpets and stairs will be upgraded, and cabin interior panels refreshed with new tones and design motifs including the iconic ghaf trees which are native to the UAE. No other airline has handled a retrofit of this magnitude in-house, and there’s no blueprint for such an undertaking. Therefore Emirates Engineering teams have been planning and testing extensively, to establish and streamline processes, and identify and address any possible snags. Trials began on an A380 in July, where experienced engineers literally took each cabin apart piece-by-piece and logged every step. From removing seats and panelling to bolts and screws, every action was tested, timed and mapped out. Potential impediments to completing the installation of Emirates’ new Premium Economy Class or the retrofit of the remaining three cabins in just 16 days were flagged and documented for expert teams to review and address. As part of the …

As part of the continuous endeavours to expand its network of destinations for its valued customers, Kuwait Airways announced the operation of its scheduled commercial flights to Medina, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with three flights per week on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Two flights will be launched as of 17th August 2022, followed by three flights from 13th September 2022. In a statement to the press, the Company said that the operation of Kuwait Airways’ flights to Medina is part of the Company’s continuous commitment to launch new and diverse destinations that meets the requirements of its passengers, noting that Medina is one of the destinations of great importance to Muslims due to its religious and cultural landmarks, as well as its historic holy places. Kuwait Airways added that it is relentlessly striving to provide its passengers with diverse options for meeting their travel requirements with better services, as well as offering them with all means of comfort during their travel on board, starting from providing reservations for customers through all available channels and providing them with appropriate services, from the check-in at Terminal 4, completing their travel procedures with ease and enjoying the Company’s services on board its diverse fleet of aircraft. It is worth noting that Kuwait Airways is dedicated to the comfort and convenience of its passengers as those traveling on Royal and First Class are allowed to carry three pieces of baggage weighing 32 kilograms per piece. Business Class passengers can carry two pieces of baggage weighing 32 kilograms per piece and passengers on Economy Class carry two pieces of baggage of 23 kilograms each. Moreover, passengers travelling on board Kuwait Airways, in all …

Etihad Airways is set to strengthen air connectivity between the UAE and the Philippines this winter with an additional daily service to Manila. A second daily flight will be established on 30 October, providing guests with a total 14 flights per week between Abu Dhabi and the Filipino capital. Both daily frequencies will be operated on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, one of the most modern and fuel-efficient aircraft in the skies. “As one of our biggest markets for point-to-point travel, Etihad is proud to offer our guests a greater choice of options and easier access between the UAE and Manila,” said Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Global Sales and Cargo. Our double-daily service will provide the large Filipino population in the UAE with convenient access to visit family and loved ones back home and support the recovery in tourism as more holidaymakers flock to discover the stunning islands of the Philippines.” The combined double-daily flights will see Etihad offer 450,000 seats annually between Abu Dhabi and Manila, representing a year-on-year capacity increase of 75%. The additional frequency will also increase the total annual cargo capacity to almost 30,000 tonnes, opening more business opportunities and supporting the growth of bilateral trade. In Southeast Asia, Etihad will offer up to 56 weekly flights this winter between Abu Dhabi and Manila (14 weekly flights), Bangkok (14), Phuket (7), Singapore (7), Kuala Lumpur (7) and Jakarta (7.)