Category Archives: Aviation

Emirates will soon launch NFTs and exciting experiences in the metaverse for its customers and employees.  The airline, which has earned a reputation for its innovative products and customer-centric services, today unveiled its plans to build signature brand experiences in the metaverse, alongside both collectible and utility-based NFTs. The first projects are already underway, with launch anticipated in the coming months. Emirates also announced that its Emirates Pavilion at the Expo 2020 site will be repurposed into a centre for innovation, bringing talent from all over the globe to bring to life the airline’s future-focused projects including those relating to the metaverse, NFTs and Web3. HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates airline and Group said: “Dubai and the UAE are blazing the way in the digital economy, having a clear vision supported by practical policies and regulatory frameworks in areas such as virtual assets, artificial intelligence, and data protection. “Emirates has always embraced advanced technologies to improve our business processes, enhance our customer offering, and enrich our employees’ skills and experiences. We are excited about the opportunities in the digital space of the future and are committing a significant investment in financial and resourcing terms, to develop products and services using advanced technologies that will deliver on revenue, brand experience, and business efficiencies. “It is fitting that our future-themed Emirates Pavilion at Expo is being repurposed as a hub to develop cutting-edge future experiences aligned with the UAE’s vision for the digital economy.” Emirates continues to engage with industry partners on its Web3 strategy, and recruit talent for its pipeline projects. No stranger to delivering experiences and engaging with customers in the digital world, …

Emirates has launched Dubai Experience, its powerful and intuitive platform for customers to easily browse, create and book their own customised itineraries including flights, hotel stay, visits to key attractions, and other dining and leisure experiences in Dubai and the UAE. Customers can choose from pre-curated itineraries if they are first-time visitors, or if they have specific interests in sports, culture, adventure, or entertainment and the arts. They can also have fun creating their own unique itineraries from scratch, pulling from an extensive list of recommended activities and dining options, or mix and match, using pre-curated itineraries as a starting point. Whether it is one of the many popular free attractions across the UAE, or one that requires pre-booking and payment, the easy-to-use itinerary planner provides details such as estimated duration, location map and cost, allowing customers to confidently plan and maximise their Dubai and UAE visit. Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer said: “We are proud to promote the very best that Dubai and the UAE have to offer on Dubai Experience, which is fully integrated with emirates.com. This powerful platform offers our customers the ability to plan their Dubai journeys and stopovers, and benefit from exclusive rates and expertly curated recommendations. “Through the Dubai Experience platform, Emirates aims to add value to our customers and enrich their journeys, and ultimately drive more people to visit our beautiful home and hub in the UAE. We will continue to add more exciting content on Dubai Experience, and look at opportunities to launch it to customers in more markets.” Today, Emirates’ customers in 19 countries* can build rich and customised itineraries from a selection of over 100 hotels and 200 activities …

flydubai announced that flights to Taif in Saudi Arabia will commence on 15 April with a daily service. This brings the number of destinations served by the carrier in the Kingdom to seven. Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said: “we are pleased to see our network grow to offer more than 95 unique destinations. The network expansion has been supported by our growing fleet as we continue to take delivery of more aircraft over the next few months. We look forward to welcoming passengers back on our flights to Taif and thank the authorities for their continuous support.” Taif is located less than 100 kilometres east of Mecca in a valley on the eastern side of the Hejaz mountains. The millennia-old city is a favourite summer destination for those looking for the pleasant weather offered by the altitude. Due to its cooler climate and fertile land, the region earned its title of “Garden of the Hejaz”. Known as the City of Roses, more than 900 rose farms produce over 300 million flowers every spring. flydubai has built a network of more than 95 destination in 50 countries served by a young fleet of 63 Boeing 737 aircraft. With the resumption of daily flights to Taif, flydubai’s network in Saudi Arabia has now grown to seven destinations including AlUla, Dammam, Jeddah, Madinah, Riyadh and Yanbu. flydubai’s passenger experience has been redesigned to enable travel in a safe environment that minimises crew and passenger contact and offers passengers confidence to travel at every step of their journey. Passengers are required to make sure that they are up to date with the regulations from the IATA Travel Centre and the …

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the 78th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit will take place 19-21 June 2022 in Doha, Qatar, hosted by Qatar Airways. This will be the second time that the global gathering of aviation’s top leaders will be held in Qatar; the first being in 2014. Originally, the 78th IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit were planned for the same dates in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, hosted by China Eastern Airlines. The decision to change the venue reflects continuing COVID-19 related restrictions on travel to China. “It is deeply disappointing that we are not able to meet in Shanghai as planned. In the meantime, we are pleased to be returning to the dynamic aviation hub of Doha and the warm hospitality for which Qatar Airways, our host airline, has become famous. This year’s AGM will be an important opportunity for aviation’s leaders to reflect on the shifting political, economic, and technological realities facing air travel as the industry’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic gathers pace,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.  

Kuwait Airways announced the operation of three new summer destinations to the Republic of Turkey. The Company will launch its scheduled commercial flights to Trabzon with three flights per week on Saturdays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, commencing from 28th April 2022. This is followed by launching three flights per week to Bodrum on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays, starting from 30th April 2022. KAC will also be launching two flights to Izmir on Mondays and Wednesdays, commencing from 5th June 2022. In this regard, the Chief Executive Officer, Eng. Maen Razouqi stated, “Kuwait Airways is in preparation to launch operations for the summer season of 2022 with numerous new destinations for the summer and is proceeding according to its planned objectives to expand its network of operations around the world. We are expecting significant recovery for this season in particular and in the progress of travel, followed by the growth of the tourism, travel and hospitality sectors and the commercial air transport in general.” Razouqi added, “Kuwait Airways’ focus on launching new destinations to Turkey came as a result of increasing demand from our valued customers, especially in the summer, along with the feasibility and benefit of these destinations for the Company. Therefore, the Blue Bird will operate to five destinations in the Republic of Turkey, consisting of Sabiha, Istanbul, Trabzon, Bodrum and Izmir.” Razouqi concluded and said, “Kuwait Airways is relentlessly striving to assist its customers and provide them with all means of comfort during their travel, from the check-in at Terminal 4, until they board the National Carrier’s latest aircraft, in addition to receiving comfortable and distinguished services and reaching their destination safely.”  

Abu Dhabi Airports and Etihad Guest signed an agreement to launch the “Miles on the Go” product at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Etihad Guest members can now instantly earn and spend Etihad Guest Miles when shopping at participating merchants located at Abu Dhabi International Airport. By simply downloading the Etihad Guest app and linking up to five Visa cards to their profiles, members can spend their miles and receive cashback on their cards. Members can earn 1 Etihad Guest Mile and 1 Etihad Guest Tier Mile for every AED 3 spent at any of the 119 participating outlets including, lounges, luxury retail stores, dining establishments and Duty-Free outlets from over 35 brands. Francois Bourrienne, Chief Commercial Officer, Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “Abu Dhabi Airports always strives to strengthen ties with strategic partners to provide a remarkable customer experience at our airports. We are pleased to collaborate with Etihad Guest at their home airport and we are committed to introducing innovative solutions that will enhance the passengers’ journey through Abu Dhabi International Airport”. Terry Daly, Executive Director Guest Experience, Brand & Marketing, Etihad Airways, said: “We are continuously enhancing our Etihad Guest loyalty programme for our valued members. The ‘Miles on the Go’ product offers our members a rewarding experience with more options to earn and spend miles. We are delighted to welcome Abu Dhabi International Airport to our award-winning mobile app. “As more passengers pass through Abu Dhabi Airports every day, we look forward to rewarding them as they shop from the wide range of Duty-free outlets or dine at their leisure.” The successful and first-of-its-kind ‘Miles on the Go’ technology was launched in 2020. It has since won multiple …

Wizz Air has launched new exciting travel opportunities from Abu Dhabi to Budapest, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Vienna, Katowice, Catania and Bari. The airline continues to deliver on its promise of providing affordable, hassle-free and sustainable travel for passengers, making travel possible for everyone and contributing to the recovery of the tourism sector in the UAE. These marvellous destinations provide travel options for passengers from Hungary, Romania, Austria, Poland and Italy to the UAE. Tickets are already on sale on wizzair.com and the airline’s mobile app, available in Arabic, with fares on the convenient schedule starting as low as 289* AED. Wizz Air’s network contributes to the diversification of the travel and tourism sector in the UAE by increasing Abu Dhabi’s connectivity from Vienna (Austria) in the West to Mattala (Sri Lanka) in the East. Robert Carey, President of Wizz Air Group said: “We are delighted to launch new attractive routes to Europe with fantastic ultra-low fares. This is another important milestone for Wizz Air as well as for our passengers in the UAE. Our expanding network out of Abu Dhabi demonstrates our continued commitment to increasing connectivity to the UAE capital and making travel experiences available to people of all ages and backgrounds with safe, efficient, travel awaiting all our customers. We look forward to welcoming you on board our aircraft soon.” Francois Bourienne, Chief Commercial Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports said: “We are excited to further strengthen our strategic partnership with Wizz Air Abu Dhabi. Being the operations base of choice for this growing airline is evidence of the solid value proposition of Abu Dhabi International Airport and the business opportunities it presents to customers. We are equally pleased by …

As part of its continuous efforts to expand its network, Kuwait Airways announced the operation of its scheduled commercial flights to the city of Casablanca in Morocco, commencing from 1st June 2022, with two flights per week on Sundays and Wednesdays. In this regard, Kuwait Airways Chief Commercial Officer, Dr. Walid Abillama stated, “We are pleased to announce the launching of one of KAC’s newest destinations, which is to and from Casablanca in Morocco. This destination has always been of immense importance to our customers in their preferences, due to its popular touristic attractions as well as its historic and cultural landmarks.” Dr. Abillama explained, “Kuwait Airways is relentlessly striving to assist its customers and provide them with all means of comfort during their travel on board, starting from providing reservations for customers through all available channels and offering them appropriate services, from the check-in at the Terminal 4 and completing their travel procedures with ease. In addition, Kuwait Airways is fully equipped with a diverse fleet of the latest types of different aircraft, equipped with the best comfortable facilities and services for the benefit of customers.” From her side, the Director of Distribution and Network Planning, Mrs. Shorouk Al-Awadi stated, “Choosing Casablanca as a destination complements the plans developed by Kuwait Airways to expand its network of routes around the world and to new and preferred markets that meet the aspirations and requirements of its customers. The selection of this destination came after extensive and systematic research of the feasibility, effectiveness and profitability of this route to the Company.” Mrs. Al-Awadi concluded her statement saying, “ Kuwait Airways is dedicated to the comfort of its passengers and providing them …

Emirates has announced it will ramp up its global operations with the restart of services to four destinations, including:  Bali (1 May), London Stansted (1 August), Rio de Janeiro (2 November), and Buenos Aires (2 November). The airline has also announced it will boost services to Nigeria, Mauritius and Singapore to serve market demand. In line with the easing of travel restrictions worldwide, Emirates continues to rebuild and expand its global network to meet travel demand. Starting from 1st May, 2022 Emirates will operate five weekly flights to Bali, utilising a two-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The airline will also scale up its operations from 1st July, 2022 to serve the island destination with a daily service. With its spectacular mountains, picturesque beaches and cultural appeal, Bali is considered to be a world leading tourist destination. Starting from 1st August, 2022 Emirates will resume flight operations to London Stansted with five weekly flights, utilising Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with the ‘Game Changer’ First Class product. From 1st September, the airline will increase its services to offer a daily flight. By October 2022, the airline will be serving the UK with 110 weekly flights, including: six times daily to London Heathrow; double daily A380 service to Gatwick; three times daily to Manchester, including a double daily A380 service (starting 1st October, 2022); double daily service to Birmingham; five weekly flights to Newcastle (with the fifth weekly flight starting from 1st July, 2022); and a daily service to Glasgow. Emirates will operate four weekly flights to Buenos Aires via Rio de Janeiro, on its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from 2nd November, 2022 – offering customers from Argentina and Brazil direct connectivity to popular …

Güliz Öztürk, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Pegasus Airlines, has been appointed as CEO to succeed Mehmet T. Nane in this role, effective 1 May 2022. Güliz Öztürk will become the first woman CEO in the air transport industry in the history of Turkish civil aviation. Mehmet T. Nane, who has been serving as CEO of Pegasus Airlines since 2016, became a Member of the Board of Directors at its Ordinary Meeting of the General Assembly held on 31 March 2022, and was elected Vice-Chairperson of the Board (Managing Director) following the decision by the Board of Directors. Güliz Öztürk, who has been serving as the company’s CCO since 2010, will succeed Mehmet T. Nane as CEO. Mehmet T. Nane and Güliz Öztürk will officially begin their new roles from 1 May 2022. Mehmet T. Nane said: “I am delighted to be passing the CEO baton, which I received in 2016, to Güliz Öztürk, who has made significant contributions to the growth and development of Pegasus for many years. I wholeheartedly believe that she will continue to wave the flag of Pegasus brightly in the skies. This appointment holds great value and significance also as Güliz Öztürk is to become the first woman CEO of an airline in the history of Turkish civil aviation…”  He continued: “The aviation sector has gone through a very challenging period both domestically and globally due to the pandemic. As part of the framework of my continued role as President of Turkish Private Aviation Enterprises Association (TÖSHİD), and my role as IATA Chair of the Board, which will commence in June, I will fight for the sustainable development of the civil aviation sector; whilst in …