Air Arabia Abu Dhabi announced the launch of its two new routes from Abu Dhabi to Baghdad and Erbil in Iraq. The new direct flights will connect Abu Dhabi International Airport to both Baghdad International Airport and Erbil International Airport with a frequency of two flights per week starting from June 22, 2023. Schedule to Baghdad, effective June 22, 2023 (all times local): Flight Departure Time Arrival Time Aircraft Frequency 3L 076 Abu Dhabi 10:35 Baghdad 12:00 Airbus A320 Monday, Thursday 3L 077 Baghdad 12:40 Abu Dhabi 16:00 Airbus A320 Monday, Thursday   Schedule to Erbil, effective September 15, 2023 (all times local): Flight Departure Time Arrival Time Aircraft Frequency 3L 088 Abu Dhabi 23:25 Erbil 01:20 Airbus A320 Tuesday, Friday 3L 089 Erbil 02:00 Abu Dhabi 05:40 Airbus A320 Wednesday, Saturday       Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia, said: “We are pleased to launch Air Arabia Abu Dhabi’s first flights to Baghdad and Erbil in Iraq to further expand our growing route network from UAE’s capital. This new route underpins our commitment towards both leisure and business travellers while providing them with more travel experiences and value-added offerings across its network. At Air Arabia, we are committed to continue the expansion of our connectivity in Abu Dhabi to positively contribute to the UAE’s travel and tourism sector”. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi started its operations in July 2020, since then, the carrier continues to expand its global network and currently serves a total of 31 destinations directly from Abu Dhabi International Airport. Air Arabia operates a total fleet of 68 Airbus A320 and A321 neo-LR aircraft, the most modern and best-selling single aisle aircraft in …

SAUDIA signed an agreement with GE Digital, to implement three solutions from its suite of aviation software. The deal was signed at a ceremony in Jeddah by Mr. Abdulgader Attiah, the Chief Data Officer in SAUDIA, and Mr. Rami Aynati, the Commercial General Manager – Europe, ME, and Africa for GE Digital’s Aviation Software team. Under the agreement, GE Digital will provide SAUDIA with three software solutions to optimize the Kingdom’s 77-year-old airline’s operations in line with its ambitious sustainability goals. GE Digital’s Fuel Insight is expected to help SAUDIA reduce its fuel costs and carbon emissions by better understanding its own data. The software is designed to visually merge actual flight data with intended flight plans, allowing analysts to drill down from macro trends to understand issues on a per-flight level. SAUDIA is focused on maintaining the highest level of safety by tracking and monitoring safety performance, optimizing practices and processes to minimize safety events, understanding fuel consumption trends over time, and recognizing potential savings associated with adopting sustainability best practices. GE Digital’s solution, Safety Insight, is designed to support SAUDIA in those initiatives. Finally, GE Digital’s FlightPulse® is designed to empower SAUDIA pilots with data-driven pre-flight and post flight self-briefings, enabling more informed decisions around fuel and safety. Mr. Abdulgader Attiah said, “SAUDIA’s significant investment in the latest, sophisticated technology from GE Digital is part of our strategy to operate in the most efficient way possible. From saving fuel and reducing carbon emissions to enabling our pilots to access their own flight performance data at any time, these new systems will ensure SAUDIA is making decisions based on precise, real-time data which integrates sustainability goals at every point.” …

The Philippines is a country full of beautiful scenery, abundant natural resources, and welcoming people. Here, everybody is welcome to be part of the fun from the captivating coastlines to the creative native crafts, to the unique gastronomic experience, you will find the kind of fun that is uniquely yours. There is always something fun to discover. Festivals in the Philippines are an integral aspect of the local culture, known for their grand, vibrant celebrations. There are plenty of festivals which are celebrated in the beautiful country Major festivals include the Ati-atihan, Dinagyang and Sinulog festivals in Akian, Iloilo and Cebu respectively. They are one/two day events primarily for the domestic market – have international appeal. Here’s a list of festivals to keep a lookout for while planning your trip to the Philippines. Buyogan Festival – Buyog (bees) dancers depict the origin of the town’s name in a well-choreographed dance/ festival. It has environmental preservation dimension importance of bees in nature preservation and man’s health. Dinagyang Festival – Dinagyang Festival is one of the biggest and world-class festivals in the Philippines. It traces the history of devotion to the Holy Child Jesus popularly known to Filipino devotees as Sr. Sto. Nino. The festival also commemorates the arrival of the Malay settlers and the legendary barter of Panay Island from the natives called called Ati. Karatong Festival – Karatong is the Waray (a native of and language in Leyte) word for bamboo. During the olden times, way before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, the people in Dulag used bamboos to warn the town if there were enemies, such as pirates and tribes, who wanted to invade their lands. They would …

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has concluded its programme for the Sharjah Light Festival 2023, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, from 8 to 19 February 2023 in 13 locations across the Emirate of Sharjah. His Excellency Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of the SCTDA, said: “The efforts, plans, and initiatives of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority aim to develop and advance the tourism sector, in line with the directives of our wise leadership, represented by H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and his continuous support for the tourism sector in the emirate. The objective is to cement Sharjah’s reputation as a prominent destination on the global tourism map, offering visitors a distinctive mix of events, destinations, and innovative projects that meet all aspirations and enrich the tourism experience throughout the year.” H.E. Al Midfa noted that the 12th edition of the festival achieved remarkable success, adding to the emirate’s successful track record of organising major international events that attract tourists and families from all around the world. Every year, the Sharjah Light Festival reports a remarkable growth in visitor numbers to all locations, H.E. added, revealing that this year, the festival welcomed nearly 1.3 million visitors. The Light Village also welcomed large crowds of individuals and families, estimated at more than 148,000 visitors, to great media fanfare, H.E. Al Midfa continued, applauding the efforts made by all partners, entities, media outlets, content creators, social media influencers and various teams that contributed to the event’s success. The festival’s light …

Dubai International (DXB) has registered a year of strong recovery and consistently robust growth in its customer base that propelled the annual passenger numbers to 66 million in 2022. The airport’s growth outpaced the annual forecast yet again in the final months of the year following an exceptionally strong fourth quarter. DXB welcomed a total of 66,069,981 passengers during 2022, a year-on year-growth of 127%. Traffic volumes were propelled by strong growth in the final quarter of the year during which the airport recorded 19,729,155 passengers, up 67% compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. It was the busiest quarter since 2019. December was the busiest month of the year with 7.1 million passengers, the first time since January 2020 that DXB’s monthly traffic hit the 7 million mark. India retained its position as the top destination country for DXB by passenger volume, with a total traffic of 9.8 million passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia with 4.9 million passengers, and the United Kingdom with 4.6 million passengers. Other destination countries of note include Pakistan (3.7 million passengers) the US (3 million), and Russia (1.9 million), which along with Turkey (1.6 million) has recorded more than 100% recovery in passenger volumes compared to 2019 levels. DXB’s top destination cities during 2022 were London with 3 million passengers, Riyadh (2 million), Mumbai (1.9 million) and Jeddah and New Delhi both with 1.7 million passengers. DXB is currently connected to 229 destinations across 99 countries through more than 88 international carriers. Total flight movements at DXB totalled 96,701 during the fourth quarter bringing the annual flight movements to 343,339, a year-on-year growth of 47%. The average number of passengers per flight reached 204, …

The Sustainable City opens its doors to visitors for the biggest edition of The International Horse show 2023 this week. The event will start on Thursday 23rd February and run until Sunday 26th February, and it is the largest to date with a total of 250 horses and riders from 12 countries jumping in the world-class competition. Witnessing the participation of the best riders from the all over the world including UAE, the GCC, Canada, South Africa and Europe, the event will feature 11 rounds of competitions, including the CSI2 star-ranked event that is recognised by the Fédération Equestre Internationale, the international governing body of equestrian sports. Over the weekend, the event will reach its climax with horses jumping over 1.5 metres and skydivers from Skydive Dubai parachuting into the area from 13,000 feet for the opening of the CS12 Grand Prix. The event will also include a camel polo match and a K9 dog show from Dubai Police. The entire family can get involved with the chance to adopt a dog, visit the local animal sanctuary as well as witness a fashion show for children and dogs in matching outfits. Underlining the core values of The Sustainable City, there will also be a sustainable fashion show and Origin Market, offering home-made sustainable products as well as hand-crafted items. In order to promote social sustainability and happiness, there will be activities for children such as arts and crafts, a magic show, performances and adults can also join in with fitness sessions and laughter yoga, to heal the body and mind. Entry for the event is free and the venue is pet friendly. Maintaining its position as the happiest community in …

It was revealed by Skyscanner that travel searches for the week of Saudi’s Foundation Day 2023 increased up by 83% compared to 2022. In terms of booking windows for flights in February also see increase compared to 2022, suggesting a return to pre-pandemic booking windows as consumer confidence continues to grow and travellers book flights earlier. Travel searches within the GCC – top 3: Saudi Arabia (+98% compared to previous year) UAE (+99 compared to previous year) Qatar (+2094% increase compared to previous year)   International travel searches – top 5 Egypt (+19% increase compared to previous year) Morocco (+41% increase compared to previous year) India (+83% increase compared to previous year) “Everywhere” Search (+497% increase compared to previous year) – this indicates KSA travellers are considering prices and being flexible about their destinations to visit. Pakistan (+57% increase compared to previous year)   Flight bookings made more than 30 days before departure in February 2023 are up 7% compared to 2022, whilst flight bookings made less than 30 days before departure are down 6% from the previous year. Discover the best time to book using Skyscanner’s new Savings Generator Travellers looking for guidance on how to make their money go further can visit Skyscanner’s 2023 Savings Generator, which shows the best time to book for the top 15 most popular departure airports and destinations pairings.   Currently, the overall best time to book flights from Saudi Arabia is on average 21 weeks before departure and the cheapest day of the week to travel from Saudi Arabia is a Sunday. However, the global travel site has data crunched millions of flight bookings over the last year across its most popular …

Global travel marketplace Skyscanner highlights the top searched destinations from the UAE during the week of half term holidays. According to the latest update, searches are up +185% compared to the previous year and booking windows for flights in February also see an increase compared to 2022, suggesting a return to pre-pandemic booking windows as consumer confidence continues to grow and travellers book flights earlier. Travel searches within the GCC – top 3: Saudi Arabia (+494% increase compared to previous year) Qatar (+626% increase compared to previous year) Oman (+231% increase compared to previous year)   International travel searches – top 10 India (+292% increase compared to previous year) Pakistan (+246% increase compared to previous year) United Kingdom (+178% increase compared to previous year) Egypt (+238% increase compared to previous year) Thailand (+522% increase compared to previous year) Philippines (-16% decrease compared to previous year) Maldives (+569% increase compared to previous year) Italy (+103% increase compared to previous year) Germany (+143% increase compared to previous year) United States (+162% increase compared to previous year) Flight bookings made more than 30 days before departure in February 2023 are up 7% compared to 2022, whilst flight bookings made less than 30 days before departure are down 6% from the previous year.

Premier Inn MENA plans to take Britain’s biggest hotel brand to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2023 as part of its Middle East expansion, with discussions with several investors and potential business partners under way. Premier Inn, which currently has 11 hotels across the UAE and Qatar, is also planning further expansion in its existing markets and elsewhere in the region as part of its long-term Middle East growth strategy . Simon Leigh, Managing Director, Premier Inn MENA, said: “Premier Inn’s focus for 2023 is to further evolve our brand and footprint in the region – on our existing ‘home grounds’ of the UAE and Qatar, elsewhere in the GCC and in other markets in the wider Middle East. “With its huge investment in tourism under Vision 2030, a bid to host EXPO 2030 and world-class developments in full swing across the country, Saudi Arabia offers excellent opportunities for Premier Inn.  We would be immensely proud to bring our much-loved brand to the Kingdom and be part of its ever-growing tourism and hospitality sector. Fruitful discussions are continuing, and we are confident that Premier Inn will make its KSA debut this year.” Premier Inn also plans to launch a new, higher-grade room category in the Middle East, as well as more enhancements at its existing properties this year, reinforcing its commitment to the region and to maintaining its position as MENA’s hotel brand of choice for high quality, high value accommodation. “2022 was a record year for Premier Inn MENA in terms of trading and growth, fueled by large-scale events such as Expo 2020 and the World Cup, the continued post-pandemic bounce-back, and the opening of our 11th property, …

Emirates will soon build an advanced training facility to accommodate 6 Full Flight Simulator Bays (FFS) for its future Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X aircraft. The brand new, 63,318 sq. ft. facility is slated to open in March 2024. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline and Group, said: “This US$ 135 million investment to build a new pilot training centre will ensure Emirates’ readiness to commence its pilot training ahead of the delivery of its new aircraft fleet starting from 2024. The building will be equipped with the latest, technologically advanced simulators to provide the best training for pilots, while using solar power to reduce energy consumption.” The new building will be adjacent to the existing Emirates Training Facilities in Dubai, which will provide a great integration and close proximity to all the other pilot training centres. Pilot trainees will also benefit from being able to set-up and configure the cockpit environment using bespoke devices as part of the pilot training module and upload the data to the Full Flight Simulator (FFS) prior to commencing their training session. This innovative, first-of-its-kind concept is designed to shorten the trainee’s preparatory time inside the simulator, help them maintain focus and take full advantage of the training duration. With the addition of the new building to Emirates’ existing training colleges in Dubai, the airline will have the potential to expand its pilot training capacity by 54% per year. Across the airline’s training buildings, Emirates’ pilots will have increased flexibility and facilities to hone their flying skills with 17 full flight simulator bays offering a capacity of more than 130,000 training hours a year. In line with …