Etihad Airways has partnered with World Energy, a carbon-net-zero solutions provider, to operate the first NetZero flight powered entirely by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Book & Claim, delivering delegates to COP27 with zero net emissions. The airline will operate its Washington Dulles to Abu Dhabi service, routed via COP27 venue Sharm-El-Sheik to demonstrate the only feasible path to net-zero commercial aviation using current technology, while showcasing the challenges and opportunities of SAF. Mariam Alqubaisi, Head of Sustainability & Business Excellence, Etihad Airways, said: “This initiative is about proving NetZero commercial aviation is possible, but equally facing up to the significant logistical challenges the industry faces to turn the possible into the routine. Etihad endeavors to make good on its rigorous commitment towards sustainable aviation through the Greenliner programme in partnership with Boeing, GE and other aviation leaders in 2020, followed by the addition of the Sustainabile50 programme in partnership with Airbus and Rolls Royce, coupled with our commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and halving our net emission levels by 2035. “Through these programmes, we have run a series of ecoFlights over the past two years to test and validate several concepts, and we have made refining and implementing sustainability initiatives an intrinsic part of our day-to-day operation. The NetZero flight is the next logical step after our EY20 operation from London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi in October last year, where we reduced emissions by 72% compared to the same flight in 2019. “This isn’t about solving only Etihad’s emissions, but about supporting the entire industry to address the biggest challenge we face over the next three decades.” Gene Gebolys, CEO, World Energy, said: “Aviation is how the …

In a move to promote accessible travel and tourism, Gulf people of determination information technologies has developed an app designed for those who are short of hearing to travel without a hassle. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people who need some kind of assistance amounts to one billion people, who are served by another one billion, hence making this segment accounts for 1/3 of the world population. The total number of tourists with disabilities amounts to 120 million out of a total of 1.2 billion tourists around the world in 2017. These tourists have spent billions of dollars and millions of tourist overnights. Nida Inamdar Marketing Manager for GPDIT shares, “Amsaan is a customised software designed for Deaf and People with Hearing loss. In one click the user can connect with a sign language interpreter and choose which sign language you want to use. It will connect the user with an online Sign Language Interpreter who will translate the conversation between the participant and the deaf person. Amsaan eliminates the necessity for an onsite sign language interpreter, allowing Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals to communicate without assistance using their smartphone or through a preinstalled tablet.” She reiterated how the app works and the benefits, “We have currently deployed AMSAAN in the hospitality sector. We are committed to making most facilities deaf-friendly so that deaf tourists and residents may travel without any barriers and have a pleasant stay at the hotel. We are also endeavouring to implement AMSAAN in other essential sectors such as transportation, healthcare, HoReCa, banking and many others. Since it is a video relay service, it requires a wifi or data connection …

Emirates has recently activated its codeshare partnership with Batik Air, expanding choice and connectivity options for its customers with access to 25 Indonesian points on a single ticket and one baggage policy. Under the newly activated agreement, Emirates has placed its code on 8 routes operated by Batik Air via Jakarta to – Balikpapan (BPN), Denpasar (DPS), Medan (KNO), Manado (MDC), Padang (PDG), Surakarta (SOC), Surabaya (SUB) and Makassar (UPG). In addition, via an interline agreement, Emirates customers can also easily access  17 more domestic Indonesian points via Jakarta and Denpasar, to cities such as Praya (LOP), Semarang (SRG), Sorong (SOQ), and more. Tickets can be booked on www.emirates.com, Online Travel Agencies (OTA’s) and via travel agents, for travel immediately. Emirates has been serving Indonesia for over 30 years, since the commencement of its first flight to Jakarta back in 1992. The airline continues to contribute to the recovery and growth of Indonesia’s travel and trade sectors, carrying international tourists and business travellers, as well as transporting essential air cargo to and from global markets. Earlier this year, Emirates had launched its codeshare agreement with Indonesia’s national carrier, Garuda, allowing its customers to access eight domestic points in Indonesia, beyond Jakarta and Bali. Emirates currently has codeshare cooperation agreements in place with 26 airline partners and two rail companies around the world, as well as 110 interline partners worldwide. The airline offers its customers truly global connectivity to over 130 destinations across 6 continents.

flydubai launched its revamped portal that has been redesigned to better serve its travel trade partners. flydubai’s new Travel Agency Portal has been redesigned with a fresher visual look and provides a more personalised online experience with a range of advanced features and self-service tools, catering to the needs of its travel trade partners. The revamped portal includes improved functionalities for travel agents when creating or amending passengers’ bookings and introduces new features within the agency management section that offers greater efficiency and ease of use. The dynamic new portal has been upgraded using the latest technologies and adheres to IATA’s Billing and Settlements Plan (BSP) to facilitate payments. Commenting on the new Travel Agency Portal, Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai, said: “We are delighted to have launched our newly enhanced Travel Agency Portal to further support and engage with our travel trade partners. At flydubai, investing in the feedback of travel trade partners and using that to innovate our digital platforms has always been important to ensure the best possible user experience. We are grateful for the continued support of our travel trade partners.”

Dubai Airports, operator of Dubai International (DXB), the world’s busiest international airport, and Dubai World Central (DWC), has announced the appointment of three key roles within the organisation: Omar Binadai as Executive Vice President – Technology and Infrastructure, Essa Al Shamsi as Senior Vice President – Terminal Operations, and Moataz Roushdy as Senior Vice President – Finance. The move reflects Dubai Airports’ commitment to developing and growing its people and to enable the leaders of the future to progress their careers within the organisation. This is indicative of our focus on strong recovery from the pandemic and readiness and planning to capitalise on anticipated future growth opportunities. Omar Binadai, Executive Vice President – Technology and Infrastructure – With the growing impact that technology now has on infrastructure, and the two fast becoming inseparable, Omar has been tasked to lead the transformation of Dubai Airports’ technology solutions and ongoing maintenance and improvements to its critical infrastructure. A technology industry veteran with over two decades of experience in the sector, Omar has delivered verifiable business growth and success over the years and has strengthened relationships with key partners and stakeholders. Essa Al Shamsi, Senior Vice President – Terminal Operations – As an entity that considers itself to be in the business of hospitality, this role with its focus on customer service and hospitality, is the major point of difference for our competitors. Essa Al Shamsi’s  appointment as SVP, Terminal Operations marks the increased importance Dubai Airports places on the delivery of world class customer service and operational efficiency. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, Essa Al Shamsi will play a pivotal role within the team in the transformation of Dubai Airports’ guest …

Saint Petersburg Committee for Tourism Development and City Tourist Information Bureau will hold events in the framework of the roadshow: presentation of tourist programs and hospitality industry services of Saint Petersburg in the cities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 1-2 November 2022: The Ritz-Carlton, Jeddah – 1 November Fairmont Riyadh, Riyadh – 2 November Being the city of white nights and drawbridges, St. Petersburg is quite unique in Russian history. It has remained the magnificent capital of the Russian Empire for more than two centuries and now retains its status as the cultural centre. The historical part of St. Petersburg with its world-known museums, theatres, art galleries, architectural monuments is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List – the State Hermitage Museum, Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, the National Library of Russia and the State Russian Museum are some of them. According to statistics, the number of tourists in St. Petersburg has reached 10 million in the pre-pandemic period. And even more than 10 million! The event is aimed at developing partnership between enterprises of tourist industry of St. Petersburg and travel industry’s representatives of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Presentation will feature new sightseeing programs, classical and new tourist attractions, museums, historical and cultural monuments, events. Participants from St. Petersburg: Petersburg tour operators, DMC; representatives of St. Petersburg hotels; representatives of cultural institutions and other tourist infrastructure of St. Petersburg. The program includes: B2B workshop; presentation of St. Petersburg’s tourism potential; dinner with cultural program and raffle of prizes from St. Petersburg participants. To attend the “Visit Saint Petersburg!” roadshow, please follow this link: https://petersburg-roadshow.com or https://petersburg-roadshow.com/sa/   Contact us: info@petersburg-roadshow.com +7 929 519-08-82 – Karina Rink +7 903 665-12-52 …

SAUDIA Group, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University to collaborate on increasing women’s empowerment efforts. According to the MoU, the two sides will extend joint efforts to increase women’s presence in the commercial aviation industry through multifaceted training programs. The agreement was signed by Dr. Norah Almotrefi, Dean of Applied College, and Mrs. Rania Al-Turki, Executive Vice President of Human Resources at SAUDIA Group. The MoU was signed during the first annual Nourah Partners Exhibition at the university’s conference center, the MoU provides the framework for academic collaboration to launch training programs that cover the activities of SAUDIA Group and its subsidiaries. SAUDIA would also provide volunteering and internship opportunities as well as collaborative training for female students. Hailing the remarkably constructive cooperation with a renowned academic institution such as Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Ms. Al-Turki said that the objectives of the MoU are in line with SAUDIA Group’s strong focus on academic learning and intensified training programs, two factors that are crucial to an ever-changing industry that thrives on innovation and creativity. SAUDIA, she added, is pressing on with job localization that encompasses hiring more women throughout the group, from board membership and executive management – 10 of the group’s top executive positions are held by women – to the airline’s cabin crew, where 154 women are relied upon to fly guests in safety and comfort, as well as guest care relations, ground operations, and in-flight technical support teams.

A coalition of key Abu Dhabi entities, including the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), Aldar, Miral, twofour54, Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, Flash Entertainment and Yas Island, have come together to take Yas Island into the metaverse, as a first phase in placing Abu Dhabi in the virtual world. This pioneering initiative is a first for the UAE in recreating an entire physical destination across multiple world-leading immersive 3D platforms. The result will be a full-featured metaverse ecosystem, allowing visitors from all over the world to access the joys, wonders, and attractions of Yas Island from home. The Yas Island Metaverse is a collaboration between DCT Abu Dhabi, Aldar, Miral, twofour54, Abu Dhabi Motorsport, and Flash Entertainment. The virtual experiences conceptualised by these dynamic businesses will enable users to gather, socialise, play, create, and transact. From building and purchasing digital homes, to discovering cultural attractions, to enjoying theme park adventures, special events, premier golf courses, and a world-class motorsport racing circuit, individuals will be able to experience all that Yas Island has to offer in a digital-first journey. Customisable avatars and surprise rewards will be part of every user’s personalised adventure. His Excellency Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Undersecretary at DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “Innovation is central to DCT Abu Dhabi’s commitment to be at the forefront of what is possible.  With the Yas Island metaverse, we are inviting the world to experience the excitement of Abu Dhabi’s incredible leisure and entertainment destination – virtually –  like never before. As the emirate’s offerings evolve, this project provides a new and compelling perspective which allows the world to discover Abu Dhabi in their own time and space. …

A tourism promotion campaign organized by the Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) has kicked off in Europe in a bid to boost tourist numbers and educate Europeans on the Kingdom’s touristic features, Minister of Tourism and JTB Chairman Nayef Al Fayez announced. In a JTB statement, Fayez underlined the significance of the campaign, which will run through October and next November, especially during this time of year when the tourism season begins in areas of mild temperature in the Kingdom, and its effect on the expected number of tourists. The JTB launched the campaign in Britain, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, and Holland to promote Jordan’s new tourism identity: The Kingdom of Time, which showcases Jordan as a tourist destination and expresses its tourism character, aspirations, achievements, and vision, said Managing Director of JTB Dr. Abdul Razzaq Arabiyat. The promotion campaign in these countries also highlights Royal Jordanian as the national carrier, he added, noting that it also included advertisements on public transportation vehicles and in shopping centers, bus stops, and metro stations, in addition to billboards in bustling areas such as the Duomo in Milan, Italy, and Manchester Piccadilly station in the United Kingdom.        

Dubai Airports has issued an advisory alerting traveller that Dubai International (DXB) will experience an exceptionally busy 10-day period as a result of schools breaking for half-term holidays later this week. Passenger numbers at DXB are rising rapidly towards 2019 levels on the back of strong recovery throughout 2022, making seasonal peaks busiest since the pandemic. According to the operator, some 2.1 million passengers are expected to pass through DXB between October 21 to October 30, with total average daily traffic reaching 215,000 passengers. October 30th is expected to be the busiest day with daily traffic exceeding 259,000 passengers. While Dubai Airports is working closely with airlines, control authorities, and commercial and service partners to ensure a smooth airport experience for arriving and departing passengers, the operator has urged travellers to follow a few simple tips to beat the holiday rush. Be aware of the latest travel regulations for the destination you are travelling to and ensure that you have all the necessary documents with the required validity before reaching the airport. For those travelling with families, children over the age of 12 can use Smart Gates to speed up the passport control process. If you are flying out of Terminal 1, arrive at the airport no earlier than 3 hours before your departure. Use online check in wherever available to save time. Those travelling from Terminal 3 can use Emirate’s convenient early and self-service check-in facilities. Weighing luggage at home, checking documents in advance, and being prepared for security checks can save a lot of time at the airport. Use the Dubai Metro to get to and from the airport. Friends and families are advised to use the airport’s …