Tag Archives: first flight

Emirates has become the world’s first airline to operate an A380 demonstration flight using 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Today’s flight, proudly commanded by Captain Khalid Binsultan and Captain Philippe Lombet, took off from Dubai International Airport (DXB) with one of four engines powered on 100% SAF, helping demonstrate its potential as a drop-in replacement that matches jet fuel’s technical and chemical requirements, while being a more sustainable alternative. SAF can reduce carbon emissions by up to 85%* over the fuel’s life cycle when compared to conventional jet fuel. Demonstration flights like the one conducted today pave the way for future standardisation, qualification and adoption for 100% SAF flying, as governments adopt broader strategies to support the production and scale up of SAF. The A380 demonstration flight underlines the performance and compatibility of SAF, making it a safe and reliable fuel source, and contributes to the growing body of research carried out by the industry to evaluate the beneficial effects of 100% SAF on aircraft performance. SAF is currently capped at a 50% blend limit in engines for commercial flights. The Emirates A380 demonstration flight comes as the aviation industry, international organisations, regulatory bodies and high-level officials driving policy-related decisions converge in Dubai for the Third International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3). Dedicated collaborators from Airbus, Engine Alliance, Pratt & Whitney, Neste, Virent and ENOC have been working on the testing, technical assessments and data analysis for today’s flight. The 100% drop-in SAF used on today’s flight includes renewable aromatics and closely mimics the characteristics of conventional jet fuel. This is the first time that drop-in SAF has been used on an A380 aircraft, …

Etihad Airways operated the first commercial flight from Abu Dhabi International’s highly-anticipated new Terminal A. Etihad flight EY224, from Abu Dhabi to New Delhi, departed Terminal A  on Airbus A350-1000, with 359 guests onboard. Etihad and Abu Dhabi International Airport welcomed the guests who made history as they enjoyed the seamless experience of checking in at Terminal A for the first time. To commemorate the occasion, all passengers, including those in both Economy and Business classes, had the unique opportunity to be the inaugural guests at the new flagship Etihad Lounges which span three floors at Terminal A. After sampling a special menu of celebratory cuisine at the Etihad Lounge, guests made their way to Gate C27, where themed decorations and a photo booth awaited to capture this historic moment. The ceremonial flight was officially inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by a distinguished array of guests, including Etihad and Abu Dhabi Airport Board members and aviation leaders. Among those present were Etihad’s CEO, Antonoaldo Neves, as well as Elena Sorlini, Managing Director and Interim CEO and Frank McCrorie, Chief Operations Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports. Antonoaldo and Frank both gave speeches to officially welcome the airport’s first guests. Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad, said: “This is a pivotal and exciting moment in Etihad’s history. As we begin to celebrate our 20th anniversary in November, we are ready for the next growth chapter in our new home. “Our congratulations go to the Abu Dhabi leadership for their vision in creating what is one of the world’s most spectacular airports. The terminal is a stunning piece of architecture that echoes the local landscape and warmly welcomes our guests and elevates …

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 …

Air Arabia Abu Dhabi marked the inauguration of its first flight to Queen Alia International Airport. Before departure, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at Abu Dhabi International Airport in the presence of senior representatives from Air Arabia Group and Abu Dhabi Airports. Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, said: “We are excited to launch Air Arabia Abu Dhabi’s first flight to Amman and we thank our partners who contributed to the success of this launch. Offering valuable products to passengers and contributing to their travelling experiences across our network lays at the forefront of our strategy. We are committed to serving both leisure and business customers and to enhancing the travel and tourism sector of both countries.” Commenting on the announcement, Maureen Bannerman, Chief Commercial Officer, Abu Dhabi Airports said, “We are proud to see the growth of travel routes and airline options, this time between Abu Dhabi and Amman with Air Arabia. We continue to expand our offering, providing more choice to guests travelling from our airports, positioning Abu Dhabi International Airport as the airport of choice”. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi continues to enhance global connectivity to and from the capital of the UAE, serving a total of 34 destinations directly from Abu Dhabi International Airport across the sub-continent, GCC, Russia, Africa, and Europe. The new direct flights will connect Abu Dhabi International Airport to Queen Alia International Airport with a frequency of three flights weekly. Air Arabia operates a fleet of 68 Airbus A320 and A321 neo-LR aircraft, the most modern and best-selling single aisle aircraft in the world. The aircrafts are also equipped with ‘SkyTime’, a free in-flight streaming service and an …

The first Etihad Airways flight to use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) supplied by ITOCHU Corporation and NESTE took off from Tokyo Narita airport. The pioneering flight, EY871 departed Tokyo Narita at 1500, was the result of a partnership in which ITOCHU provided Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel to Etihad, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, making Etihad the first international airline to procure SAF in Japan. Cassie Mackie, Vice President Procurement & Supply Chain, Etihad Airways, said: “The aviation industry needs partnerships like the one we have created with ITOCHU and NESTE to bring widespread SAF adoption to the industry. We are extremely proud to be the first international airline to procure and use Japanese supplied SAF on flights departing Japan and to see this partnership take to the air.” “Etihad is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and reducing our 2019 emissions by 50 percent by 2035. The industry must get serious about decarbonisation and this type of collaboration between governments, corporates and the aviation sector, which increases SAF supply and availability at airports, helps pave the way for broader adoption.” Today’s flight operated on a ~40 per cent blend of SAF, representing the first delivery of some 50,000 gallons of SAF, to be used over a number of flights in coming weeks. It is the first time a non-Japanese airline has used SAF supplied in Japan. The flight reduced CO2 by approximately 75.2 tCO2, based on the estimated fuel volume (20,000 USG) at a blend of 39.66% SAF. The flight also managed non-CO2 environmental impacts through optimised flight planning for contrail prevention, deploying SATAVIA technology for a forecast net climate impact reduction of 71 …

Kuwaiti airline Jazeera Airways recently launched a twice weekly service to Azerbaijan’s capital city, Baku. The inaugural flight (Airbus A320) landed at the Baku airport earlier this week and was received by the customary water arch. Being one of the first to provide non-stop flights of extended frequency to this emerging holiday destination, Jazeera Airways will offer a frequency of two flights every week, on Mondays and Fridays, taking off from Kuwait at 09:00 am and arriving at Baku at 12:10 pm and then departing from Baku at 13:10 pm on the same day and landing in the home country at 14:25 pm.