Vistara Airlines will begin daily flights from the Sharjah International Airport to Delhi from January 20, 2021. Special fares are available for Economy, Premium Economy and Business class with special free baggage allowances from 30kg to 40kg check-in baggage and from 7kg to 12kg for hand baggage. Travellers can book in now and fly between January 20 and March 27, 2021. Bookings can be made via all GDS, travel agents or the Vistara website.

Farnek secured six hospitality contracts recently, varying in length from one to three years, valued at AED 7.56 million. Farnek was awarded four hotel/apartment contracts, namely the five-star Fairmont Dubai hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road, the three-star 230 room Revier Hotel, situated in Business Bay, the four-star, S Hotel in Al Barsha and the deluxe Sonder – JBR Suites, on the Walk, Jumeirah Beach Residence.In addition, Farnek also secured two restaurant contracts, The Mood Rooftop Lounge in The Meydan Hotel, Nad Al Sheba and the Cloud Lounge in the Studio One Hotel in Dubai Media City.In total, over 65 staff have been mobilised to manage a range of services from cleaning, housekeeping, security as well as Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing (MEP) maintenance. Khaldun Aburok, Director of Business Development, Farnek said, “To secure these contracts, some of which are for three years, we not only offered a broad-based proposition, which was commercially competitive. We also demonstrated a high degree of technical training, development and professionalism, offering a well-trained and cost-effective, tech-savvy workforce.” “To maintain those standards training is essential and the Farnek training centre comes complete with a fully fitted elevator, bathroom, kitchen, lobby, and a staircase. The walls and the floor are partially covered in a variety of materials such as carpet, rubber, linoleum, slate, marble, wood and ceramic tiles, enabling our staff to be fully trained on every surface they could potentially come into contact with,” added Aburok.

Emirates announced it will resume non-stop services to Seattle (from 1st February), Dallas and San Francisco (from 2nd March), offering its customers seamless connectivity via Dubai to and from popular destinations in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.The addition of these three destinations will take Emirates’ North American network to 10 destinations following the resumption of services to Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Toronto and Washington DC. Flights to/from San Francisco will operate four times weekly on Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER while flights to/from Seattle (operating four times weekly) and Dallas (three times weekly) will be operated with the two-class Boeing 777-200LR, offering 38 lie-flat seats in Business and 264 ergonomically designed seats in Economy class. The airline will also be providing its customers more options and choice with additional flights to New York , Los Angeles and São Paulo. Effective 1st February, Emirates will be operating double daily flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and a daily flight to Los Angeles (LAX). Emirates customers also have seamless access to other US cities via the airline’s codeshare agreements with Jetblue and Alaskan Airlines. In South America, Emirates will be introducing a fifth weekly flight to São Paulo (from February 5th), offering customers in Brazil even more travel options with greater access to its expanding network. Beyond São Paulo, Emirates customers can enjoy seamless connectivity and access to 24 other cities in Brazil via the airline’s codeshare partnership with GOL and its interline agreements with Azul and LATAM.

Reopening of the King Fahd Causeway will add billions of dollars to Bahrain’s economy as visitor levels return to pre-pandemic levels, according to an expert. Dr. Ali Al-Moulani, President of the Bahrain Economists Society, hailed the Kingdom’s ‘longstanding tourism and trade ties’ with Saudi Arabia following news that the country’s travel restrictions will soon be lifted. Saudi citizens will be permitted to travel via air, land and sea from March 31 2021 following a drop in the number of COVID cases. A suspension on international flights will be lifted on the same date, according to the country’s Ministry of the Interior. After the travel restrictions are removed, thousands of visitors are expected to cross the King Fahd Causeway linking Saudi Arabia to Bahrain – leading to an anticipated rebound for the Kingdom’s tourism and hospitality sector. Dr. Ali Al-Moulani, President of the Bahrain Economists Society, commented, “Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have had longstanding tourism and trade ties, with trade between our two countries growing 43% during the third quarter of 2020. The recent announcement made about permanently opening the King Fahad Causeway will strengthen these ties even further. Prior to the pandemic, Bahrain welcomed around 11 million tourists with over 88% coming through the Causeway. The number of visitors from Saudi Arabia is set to gradually go back to normal levels following this announcement and expected to add around US $2.9 billion to Bahrain’s economy this year based on average tourist spending in 2019.”

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is inviting UAE residents to kick off the New Year in style with an exclusive one-time offer of 2,021 tickets to Greece for an ultra, ultra low fare of only AED 1. The 2,021 tickets include all seats on the airline’s inaugural flight to Athens on 15 January. The remaining New Year offer fares are AED 1 tickets for each one way ticket and are on a first-come-first-serve basis across a range of the airline’s flights to Athens and Thessaloniki. Kees Van Schaick, Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, said, “As the UAE’s new national airline, offering a new type of air travel, we are welcoming the New Year in style. As an ultra-low fare airline, we want to provide travellers with the opportunity to visit exciting destinations for super accessible prices. We expect these tickets to sell out fast – looking forward to seeing you on board soon!”

Emirates is making travel to Dubai even sweeter in 2021 with the return of My Emirates Pass – an exclusive offer that turns the Emirates boarding pass into a membership card giving customers deals and discounts in over 450 restaurants, leisure destinations and retail outlets across UAE. The pass has been extended this year giving customers even more chances to explore UAE for less. Emirates’ customers flying to and through Dubai from 1 January to 30 September 2021 can take advantage of the exclusive offers by simply presenting their Emirates boarding pass and a valid form of identification at any of the participating outlets. Travellers can explore all that the UAE has to offer; from family-friendly activities to shopping sprees and world class dining options. My Emirates Pass gives customers up to 50% off in over 300 restaurants across the country and in over 35 spas in world-class hotels. The Emirates boarding pass also unlocks offers at many tourist attractions including Atlantis Aquaventure and At the Top BurjKhalifa. The full list of participating outlets can be found here: emirates.com/myemiratespass. Emirates’ hub Dubai is open for business, fun and tourism and visitors will be spoilt for choice in the family-friendly city with its year-round sunshine, iconic landmarks, and a culinary scene to suit every taste.  

Oman Air will operate five weekly flights to Dubai. Flights to and from Dubai are operating on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday. Oman Air will maintain its comprehensive safety program throughout all elements of the travel journey to ensure that guests fly confidently. Masks are required when guests are on board the aircraft and in Oman airports. Distancing is maintained while guests board and exit the aircraft, which are carefully cleaned after each flight and at the end of every day. Cabin crew all wear a full set of personal protective equipment, meal service has been modified to increase safety and a number of other steps have been taken to ensure that the airline's guests and crew are safe at all times. Guests who are planning to depart from Oman should ensure that they are aware of all pre-departure requirements, which are provided at omanair.com, as well as the requirements at their destinations.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region inaugurated track-laying works across Al Dhafrah Region in Package A of Stage Two of the UAE’s national railway, during his visit to Etihad Rail’s railhead in Al Ruwais. His Highness was accompanied by H.E. Falah Mohammad Al Ahbabi, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport and Etihad Rail board member and senior executives from the company. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan was briefed by Shadi Malak, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Rail, on construction progress of Package A, which will connect the UAE rail network to Al Ghuwaifat on the Saudi border and the wider GCC region. Having started in early 2020, steady progress has been made on construction of Package A, which is now 59% complete. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan reiterated that the UAE, under the wise leadership of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, is committed to advanced and integrated infrastructure projects, in particular in the transport sector, which will support the sustainable development of the UAE. His Highness expressed his appreciation for the continuous support of the UAE’s wise leadership for a project that is enhancing the UAE’s status both locally and regionally. With the support of His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court and Chairman of Etihad Rail, the project has achieved key milestones, with construction progress of Stage Two accelerated, while Etihad Rail’s Stage One continues to overachieve, with 2020 operations out performing 2019’s results.

Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) held a workshop to educate drivers of Abras operating at Sabkha and Baniyas marine stations about the precautionary measures against the Covid-19 and the best marine transport practices in this regard. Drivers were also briefed on offences to which violators are liable. “This field workshop had taken place at Sabkha and Baniyas marine stations which benefitted about 35 Abra drivers by giving them a practical demonstration of the intended practices. The workshop stressed the importance of taking preventive measures against the coronavirus for the safety of both drivers and riders,” said Saeed Al Balushi, Director of Passengers Transport Activities Monitoring, Public Transport Agency, RTA. “Abra drivers had been briefed on violations such as the use of an expired driving permit, disregard to Abra queuing at the station’s platform, reckless driving, lack of cleaning and maintenance of the interior and body of Abra, disregard to the maximum number of riders, collection of excess fare, overnight staying onboard  the Abra, failure to wear the uniform, poor personal hygiene,  and failure to comply with the safety and security measures in place,” added Al Balushi. “The importance of this workshop is highlighted by the increased public use of Abras during these cooler days tempting more riders, especially tourists and residents, to entertain the pleasures of riding traditional Abras. The Passengers Transport Activities Monitoring Department is keen to make these efforts in the context of realising RTA’s vision: The world leader in seamless & sustainable mobility,” he added.

Umm Al Emarat Park has launched a new fitness loyalty card to encourage the community to adopt a healthy lifestyle and take up physical activity. With the aim to enrich visitors’ wellness with recreational activities, the park provides the fitness loyalty card holders with unlimited access to the park for a year in addition to exclusive offers and discounts on fitness facilities, dining options, BOUNCE at Marina Mall including the BOUNCE’s pop-up trailer at the Park. Park visitors can make the most out of their new fitness loyalty cards with a 20% discount at Green for Life and Pinza, 20% discount on Peak Fitness Gym memberships, 5 free upgrades at the Bounce trailer, 1 free trial class at Bounce fit at Marina Mall, a 10% discount for all Bounce fit classes, and 10% discount on Bounce multi-visit pass. The membership will be available for purchase at the main entrance from the Park’s ticketing desk. Umm Al Emarat Park is a prominent green destination located in the heart of Abu Dhabi where visitors can take on any venture to the outdoors and invest in their health through play, exercise, and relaxation. The park offers friends and families naturistic scenes, a lively community, wellness adventures, and diverse dining experiences, all whilst connecting with nature.