Travelport has reached a full content agreement with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) under which the former will expand availability of PIA’s content to Travelport-connected agencies in the Americas and Asia Pacific, as well as continue to provide access across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In doing so, over 68,000 agencies globally servicing hundreds of millions of travellers will now have real-time access to search, sell, and book the airlines’ full content and inventory. As the first global distribution system (GDS) to manage the live booking of flights using the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) New Distribution Capability (NDC) technical standard, Travelport will soon further help PIA by giving it the opportunity to create NDC connections and display NDC-based airline content on its platform. Commenting on the new deal, Ali Tahir, Chief Commercial Officer at Pakistan International Airlines, said, “Travelport has been a valued partner to PIA for a number of years. By expanding our relationship with the company to cover the Americas and Asia-Pacific, two strategically important regions for us, we will provide our loyal customers with greater access to our flights and open up significant new growth opportunities for our business.” David Gomes, Head of Middle East, Africa, Turkey and Pakistan, Air – Travel Partners, Travelport, added, “PIA is highly valued by travel agencies in all corners of the world due it its vast international network, high quality service and large customer base. We are delighted the airline has chosen to expand its partnership with us. We are fully committed to supporting the company in achieving its international growth objectives and look forward to continuing to work with its world-class team.”

Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) welcomed Himalaya Airlines’ inaugural flight from Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM), an international airport in Kathmandu, Nepal on March 31, 2019. Maarten De Groof, Chief Commercial Officer, Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “We are delighted to add Himalaya Airlines to our growing list of carriers operating at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Nepal has always been a sought-after destination for UAE residents, and the UAE is also home to many Nepali expatriates. We look forward to ensuring passengers departing for or arriving from Nepal enjoy a seamless travel experience. We are eager to introduce new flights and routes to and from Abu Dhabi International Airport, in line with our efforts to expand Abu Dhabi’s connectivity and support commerce and tourism within the UAE.” Himalaya Airlines will operate the route using its Airbus 320 aircraft, which includes eight Premium Economy seats and 150 Economy Class seats in its current configuration. On Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, flights are scheduled to depart from Kathmandu at 20:45 and arrive at Abu Dhabi at 23:45. Returning flights to Kathmandu are scheduled to depart from Abu Dhabi on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 01:45 and arrive at Kathmandu at 08:00. “Commercial and cultural links between the UAE and Nepal are flourishing and Himalaya is honoured to play a pivotal role in facilitating and enhancing the growth of trade and tourism between the two countries. We hope this new connectivity will further boost traffic from the UAE. Himalaya Airlines is on the verge of completing its third year of successful commercial operations soon and we are pleased to add Abu Dhabi into our network,” said Vijay Shrestha, Vice President – Administration, Himalaya Airlines.

Demonstrating their commitment to the Gulf region, the European national tourist boards of Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France are hosting an exclusive networking event in Dubai this April, ahead of Arabian Travel Market (ATM). In a combined effort, Atout France’s travel trade workshop ‘Marhaba’ will kick off its two-day event on April 24 while the national tourist boards of Germany, Switzerland and Austria will take over on April 26 and host the ‘Heart of Europe Travel Summit’ at Sofitel, The Palm Resort & Spa, Dubai. More than 40 tourism suppliers from France and 80 from Germany, Switzerland and Austria – ranging from local tourist boards, hotels, destination management companies, airports, shopping facilities, transport companies as well as medical clinics – are looking forward to developing knowledge about the destinations, and also providing travel trade from the GCC with the opportunity to source products to enhance their holiday offerings for the summer season and beyond. The four tourism boards expect an attendance of over 100 buyers from the GCC region. Highlighting the importance of the travel trade industry in the Gulf region, Sigrid de Mazieres, Director–Gulf Countries, German National Tourist Office, said, “We are excited to collaborate with our European neighbouring countries, and to facilitate business relations between our touristic partners and the local travel trade through this new innovative platform.” The travel trade workshops will include pre-scheduled B2B appointments, cutting-edge presentations and extensive social programmes to experience the destinations’ hospitality and networking opportunities with participating decision-makers. “We believe that one of the many challenges facing the travel trade industry today is to keep abreast of the growing and changing needs of travellers from the region. This joint and unprecedented event …

Emirates has resumed its operations to Zagreb for summer, serving the route until October 26, 2019. Its partner airline, flydubai will then begin to operate during the winter season. The strategic partnership between both airlines ensures capacity is deployed to best serve customer demand. Flight EK 129 will depart Dubai at 8:30 and arrive in Zagreb at 12:35 local time, utilising a Boeing 777-300ER. The return flight, EK 130 will depart Zagreb at 15:25 and arrive in Dubai at 23:00 local time. Due to the planned upgrade works on the southern runway at DXB from April 16 until May 30, 2019, Emirates’ flights to Zagreb will operate four times weekly on Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. From May 31, 2019 onwards, the route will be operated as a daily service. Emirates’ daily service to Zagreb will operate in a three-class configuration with eight lie-flat seats in First Class, 42 seats in Business Class and 304 spacious seats in Economy Class. Passengers across all cabins can enjoy the airline’s 4,000 channels of in-flight entertainment, complimentary beverages and regionally inspired meals. They can also stay connected to family and friends during the flight with up to 20MB of complementary Wi-Fi. Known for its impressive 18th century architecture, Zagreb is a city with an extremely rich history and culture. Located in the northwest of the country – visitors can discover the upper and lower town areas that hold some of the world’s most iconic cathedrals and museums. Travellers can also discover popular Croatian cities located on the Dalmatian Coast, such as Split and Dubrovnik. Emirates’ partner airline, flydubai, offers travellers flight options to Dubrovnik twice a week on Sunday and Thursday. Flight FZ 719 …

Emirates has launched a pan-African brand campaign that celebrates the talent and achievements of young Africans, taking the message of ‘New Africa’ to the world. The campaign also features an original music video produced by Kenyan musician and DJ Blinky Bill, inspired by contemporary African electronic club music. Paying tribute to a new generation of African disrupters who are making their mark globally across music, fashion, literature and the arts, the campaign celebrates the cultural renaissance taking over Africa. The short films produced by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) for Emirates, tells the stories of unique individuals from different parts of the continent. Poised to become cultural ambassadors for Africa to the world, they share a common passion to bring their global exposure and influences to their own local journeys, as they discover what it means to be ‘home’. “It is impossible to ignore the energy and talent coming out of Africa today, whether in music, fashion, sport or art. We’re seeing a greater awareness of a strong, proud African identity – while being very connected to a broad, global culture. We wanted to join the conversation and celebrate amazing, inspiring stories of people constantly pushing boundaries and challenging African stereotypes. To us, that is what travel is about, to find a common ground that helps us connect, to question, to be curious, and I believe this campaign does just that in taking Emirates closer to the heart of our audience in a way that is authentic,” said Boutros Boutros, Divisional Senior Vice President – Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand, Emirates.      

Ultra-luxury developer Omniyat has announced that it recently secured a financing of AED 150 million from Mashreq Bank for the fit-out of its ME Dubai Hotel based in The Opus by Zaha Hadid in Downtown Dubai. The facility will be utilised for completing the fit-out of the landmark hotel to be operated by the lifestyle hotel brand ME by Meliá. The internal works will prevail outstanding benchmarks worldwide to meet the distinct needs of future guests. Mahdi Amjad, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Omniyat, said, “We are pleased to sign with the UAE’s longest standing bank and adding it to our portfolio of banks that share Omniyat’s vision of building truly unique projects across vantage locations in Dubai. Bringing Zaha Hadid’s ground breaking vision of the future to life has been a momentous journey and we wish to continue her legacy through The Opus. As the final and most anticipated component of The Opus, we are thrilled to be revealing ME Dubai’s Debut by the end of the year and look forward to guests experiencing the full capacity of the architectural wonder as it captures design aspirations from every corner.” Following the announcement, Enrique Ortiz, EMEA region VP at Meliá Hotels International, said, “Designed by late architect Zaha Hadid, ME Dubai will be a true legacy project when the property launches. We are honoured to work in partnership with her team and Omniyat and we are very much looking forward to ME by Meliá’s first debut in the Middle East offering guests an unparalleled experience combined with exemplary design.”  

dnata continues to increase its global footprint and launches operations in Belgium by opening a new cargo centre at Brussels Airport. dnata’s expansion into the Belgian capital represents an investment of EUR 8 million and creates up to 100 local jobs with the company. dnata’s new facility, which covers an area of 14,000 m², substantially increases the cargo capacity in the Benelux states allowing airline customers to enhance their operations in the region. The state-of-the-art facility includes 4,500 m² warehouse space and is capable of processing 125,000 tonnes of cargo annually. dnata has been already providing cargo and ground handling services to 25 cargo and eight passenger airlines at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. dnata will ensure a close cooperation between its Amsterdam and Brussels teams to leverage synergies and deliver the highest possible value for its customers at both airports. Erik de Goeij, Chief Executive Officer, dnata The Netherlands and Belgium, said, “We are thrilled to establish operations at another important cargo hub. Our best-in-class facility at Brussels Airport significantly increases our cargo handling capacity in the region, which we expect to stimulate the local cargo industry.” “We are most pleased to welcome dnata at Brussels Airport as our third cargo handler”, said Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport Company. “dnata has already positioned itself as a key cargo player at our airport with a dedicated infrastructure for pharmaceuticals and an active participation in our cargo community Air Cargo Belgium, consistent with Brussels Airport’s strategy to provide specialised infrastructure for vital sectors in our country, and to work towards mutual goals through collaboration.”

Travelport announced a multi-year contract renewal with travel agency, First Diana Travel. The agreement with Travelport will see First Diana Travel continue to benefit from intelligent, fast, and accurate searching and booking of travel content from more than 400 airlines, including low cost and network carriers, more than 650,000 hotel properties and more than 37,000 car rental locations around the world. Consultants at the leading leisure and corporate travel agency will continue to use Travelport Smartpoint as their desktop tool to search beyond rate and availability, enabling them to create and deliver personalised and tailored travel itineraries. Solidifying the fruitful relationship between First Diana Travel and Travelport, Elcheikh Mohamed Ghouzayel, President and Owner of First Diana Travel, said, “We are thrilled to extend our long-term agreement with Travelport. Using its innovative technology has enabled us to exceed our annual targets ahead of time, while delivering an exceptional service to our customers. Our collaboration with Travelport will continue to play an essential role in enabling us to push the boundaries of success for our business.” Kerry Koutsikos, Managing Director, Middle East and Africa at Travelport, said, “As a key customer in Lebanon, we are delighted that First Diana Travel has extended its agreement with Travelport. We look forward to continuing to support its success and evolving needs in today’s highly competitive environment.”

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has confirmed its participation at the 11th edition of Riyadh Travel Fair from March 28-29, 2019, to highlight tourism, cultural and leisure attractions in the emirate and promote itself as one of the most significant local and international tourism destinations. Sharjah will focus on ecotourism and outdoor activities with a strong emphasis on new branded hotel projects, in line with SCTDA’s commitment to promoting Sharjah’s tourism market in the Arab markets, especially in Saudi Arabia – one of the largest Gulf markets for tourists to the emirate. Commenting on the participation, H E Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said, “Our participation at the Riyadh Travel Fair is in line with our strategic plans to promote the emirate of Sharjah as a leading tourist destination in the world’s major tourism markets and to ensure our presence on the global tourism map. This exhibition is of great importance as it is an ideal platform for us to review the competitive advantages and capabilities that make Sharjah a cultural, tourism and leisure centre and a symbol of cultural excellence in the region. The Gulf region is a very competitive market because of the similarity of equivalent countries in climate, terrain and geographical location, and this requires us to provide exceptional tourim products for GCC tourists, who accounted for 45 per cent of the total number of Arab tourists to the emirate last year.” Al Midfa added, “We always seek to promote Sharjah in various Arab and international exhibitions and forums in cooperation with various bodies in the public and private sectors. We take this approach because of the emirate’s unique characteristics and diversity in tourism …

A project aimed at boosting travel to Great Britain has completed a successful first year and is predicting growth from Gulf travellers. ‘Horse Racing – Sport of Kings’ (a Discover England funded project supported by VisitBritain), launched during the Dubai World Cup on March 31, 2018, offers luxury travel itineraries for those who enjoy the fashion, glamour and thrills of horse racing. Sport of Kings’ includes VIP tours of racehorse stud-farms and training stables (such as Ascot or Newmarket), as well as visits to world-class heritage and sporting venues including Castle Howard and Manchester United’s Old Trafford. “Over the past year, we have been working hard with VisitBritain/Visit England and our partners to develop the project and the types of luxury itineraries that Gulf travellers will enjoy. The travel packages are already proving very popular, and we are expecting the launch of our bespoke booking platform through our in-market partner Travel Counsellors to increase the number of people booking and travelling to Great Britain to watch horse racing,” said Megan Pollexfen, Discover Newmarket. “England’s racecourses have come together for the first time, to create these experiences around horseracing, to enhance a traveller’s itinerary to Britain. We are now able to offer, behind the scenes experiences that were once, nearly impossible to book,” said Tricia Warwick, Director, Asia Pacific, Middle East Africa for VisitBritain. The ‘Horse Racing — Sport of Kings’ project’s year-long efforts have included establishing an informative website and now, a dedicated travel platform hosted by UAE-based tour experts Travel Counsellors.