Category Archives: Aviation

Air Seychelles has introduced weekly direct flights from Dubai World Central Airport (DWC) to Seychelles between March 27 and May 29, 2021, starting from USD 343 (AED1,259). As the first country to welcome inoculated travellers from around the world, Seychelles is a safe and travel-worthy holiday destination with strict measures in place to curb the spread of COVID-19. The Indian Ocean archipelago has announced that it will reopen for all international tourists from March 25, by when 70% of its population will have been vaccinated. The seasonal service will operate from the DWC Jetex Private Terminal, renowned for its top-of-the-line experience and unrivaled personalized customer service. The flights, scheduled for eight weeks, will depart Dubai every Saturday morning, arriving in Seychelles around midday, conveniently timed to provide travellers the opportunity to experience the panoramic views of the unparalleled beauty of the Seychelles unique mountains and coastline prior to landing. The return flights from Seychelles International Airport to DWC will operate on Friday afternoons, thus providing travellers a full seven days and six nights in Seychelles. All travelers, regardless of vaccination status, must present a negative PCR test upon arrival taken a maximum of 72 hours prior, as well as complete the mandatory Health Travel Authorization at seychelles.govtas.com prior to departure from Dubai. Travellers will not be required to quarantine on arrival, however, must follow the existing health regulations, including wearing face masks in public and social distancing. The flights will be operated by the airlines’ Airbus A320neo aircraft featuring 12 Business Class and 156 Economy Class seats, as well as a modern inflight entertainment platform allowing free wireless downloads of movies, TV shows, and music on travellers’ personal devices. Economy …

Etihad Airways has extended its COVID-19 global wellness insurance cover until 30 September 2021. Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Sales & Cargo, Etihad Airways, said, “Extending Etihad’s COVID-19 global wellness insurance reinforces the effectiveness of Etihad Wellness, the airline’s health, and hygiene programme. It’s an added benefit automatically provided to all guests – no exceptions. “As Etihad continues to gradually expand its services to up to 60 destinations this spring, the airline wants to instill confidence to travel and hopes this additional cover will reassure guests Etihad is doing everything it can to keep them safe and protected.” Guests who are diagnosed with COVID-19 during their trip won’t have to worry about medical expenses or quarantine costs when they fly with Etihad.

Emirates’ Economy Class customers can now enjoy even more personal space and privacy onboard with the ability to purchase up to three empty adjoining seats on their flight. These seats will be offered to all Economy Class customers holding a confirmed booking. Customers will not be able to pre-book empty seats, as these are subject to availability. Empty seats will only be offered for purchase at the airport check-in counter prior to flight departure, and costs range from AED 200 to AED 600 (US$ 55 to US$ 165) per empty seat, plus applicable taxes depending on flight sector. Emirates has introduced this new seat product on the back of customer feedback, addressing the needs of a range of customers seeking extra privacy and space while still flying in Economy Class. This includes couples who wish to have the entire row to themselves (maximum of three seats in the same row), parents travelling with in-lap infants, or those who simply want the added assurance of more space while travelling during pandemic times.  

During the pandemic Cebu Pacific has been tirelessly working to ensure the confidence of the travellers. Speaking to TravTalk ME Alex Reyes – Vice President for Commercial at Cebu Pacific shared, “proving further its unyielding commitment to provide ease of travel for passengers amidst the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, CEB has been operating 20 per cent of its pre-COVID domestic network as of February 2021, operating flights to 28 Philippine destinations—of which, six destinations are already open for non-essential or leisure travel. As of this date, the airline has already restored flights to 86 per cent of our domestic destinations. Frequencies may be less than before, but it is also important to note that we are now providing access to more local destinations. We remain keen to make travel easier by providing flexibility in hopes of restoring passenger confidence in air travel.” CEB has remained unswerving in its mandate to provide the highest level of aviation service for passengers and tourists, even amidst the hurdles of the pandemic. We continue to implement a multi-layered approach to safety, in accordance with global aviation standards. These include daily extensive cleaning and disinfection protocols for all aircraft and facilities, antigen testing before duty for all frontliners and crew members, and contactless flight procedures. These are all in accordance with global best practices and the highest safety standards. Aircraft are equipped with hospital-grade HEPA air filters, which make the inflight transmission of COVID-19 low or virtually non-existent. We have also ensured that cargo operations have remained active to ensure the transport of goods isn’t hampered. In terms of new products Reyes reiterated, “One the new undertakings CEB has introduced in order to restore …

Omeir Travel has strengthened its long-term relationship with Amadeus by extending its partnership. Since 2003, Amadeus has accompanied Omeir Travel in its digital transformation and the development of integrated travel services for consumers in the UAE and from around the world. This continued collaboration comes as Omeir Travel plans expansion into more B2B and retail outlets in the UAE. The latest engagement also includes the development of an Omeir Travel one-stop-shop mobile app that meets customers’ hotel and flight needs and is expected to be introduced to the UAE market very soon. Abdulla Bin Omeir, CEO at Omeir Travel Agency, said, “With the travel sector constantly evolving, our business must stay agile to not only keep up, but to stay ahead. Our partnership with Amadeus has allowed us to do this with resounding success. It makes me very pleased to extend our relationship once more. Our ambition is to provide customers with tailored services and a superior experience, which Amadeus helps make possible.” Ernesto Sanchez Beaumont, Managing Director of Amadeus Gulf, noted, “ We are pleased to see the role our technology has played in the growth, digitisation, and optimisation of Omeir Travel during our ongoing collaboration that spans nearly two decades. We will continue to support them with our worldwide experience and leading technology-based solutions as the business enter an exciting new stage of expansion.”

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has launched an automated refund process that handles cash conversion refund requests within just one week, offering travellers an easy way to manage their bookings. The automated process means that for passengers whose flights have been cancelled, based on the option selected by the customer, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi will automatically refund 120% of the original fare in airline credit, or provide passengers with the option to receive a 100% cash refund to their original payment method or provide the chance to rebook for free. Passengers can easily request a refund, with just one click in their Wizz Air Abu Dhabi account at wizzair.com or by following the link received via email. Kees Van Schaick, Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi said, “We are committed to offering our customers the best experience when travelling with Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, which is why we have invested heavily in automating our refund process and are proud to be able to handle cash refund requests within just seven days. We are continuing to invest in new technologies across our business to make travelling with Wizz Air Abu Dhabi an exceptionally smooth and seamless experience.”

flydubai announced the launch of flights to Cluj-Napoca in Romania. The airline will operate twice-weekly flights between Dubai International (DXB) and Avram Iancu International Airport Cluj (CLJ) starting from 20 March 2021. flydubai operates a double daily service between Dubai International (DXB) and Bucharest Henri Coanda International Airport (OTP). With the start of flights to Cluj-Napoca in March, the carrier will serve the Romanian market with a total of 16 weekly flights. Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said, “We first started operating to Bucharest with four flights a week in 2012. Since then, flydubai has more than tripled its operations to the market as demand has grown for commercial and cargo traffic between Romania and the UAE. We are excited to offer more options for convenient direct air links to the market with the start of our flights to Cluj-Napoca and we look forward to further stimulating travel and trade flows in both directions.” Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai, added, “flydubai’s new service will offer more than 3.5 million people, living within a few hours drive from the airport, the convenience of direct airlinks to Dubai. There is also the opportunity for passengers to connect travel beyond on our network to popular destinations like Colombo, Malé and Zanzibar. The twice-weekly service will also benefit the Romanian expatriate population in the UAE to travel home more easily.”

General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai) has launched a new fast-track passport control service that uses face and iris-recognition technologies. Director-General of GDRFA-Dubai Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Deputy CEO of Dubai Airports Jamal Al Hay, Chief Operating Officer of Emirates Airline Adel Al Redha, Assistant Director General of the Airport Immigration Department at GDRFA-Dubai Colonel Talal Al Shanqeti, and several senior officials attended the launch event for the new service. New biometric systems deployed at 122 smart gates at arrival and departure terminals in Dubai airports enable passengers to complete passport control procedures in five to nine seconds depending on the movement and steps of the passenger. Pre-registration is required to avail of the service. GDRFA-Dubai organised a tour for media at Dubai International Airport Terminal 3 to introduce the new smart service. Outbound passengers can avail themselves of the new fast-track service at the smart gates located at the departure terminal after obtaining their boarding pass and completing pre-registration. Using advanced artificial intelligence (AI), the new service enhances passengers’ travel experience by expediting immigration procedures. The newly developed system is part of GDRFA-Dubai’s efforts to develop innovative smart services in line with the leadership’s directives to integrate advanced technologies into all government services to enhance people’s quality of life. Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri said GDRFA-Dubai is keen to launch new projects and initiatives that use state-of-the-art technologies to transform service efficiency. He said the department will continue developing its services to enhance customer experience, as part of efforts to contribute to the leadership’s vision to make Dubai one of the smartest cities in the world. Al Marri noted that GDRFA-Dubai is …

Etihad Airways and Gulf Air signed a Strategic Commercial Cooperation Agreement (SCCA) to deepen their partnership between Abu Dhabi and Bahrain and beyond the respective hubs. The wide-ranging SCCA, subject to obtaining applicable governmental and regulatory approvals, sets out specific actions for deepening and broadening commercial cooperation, building on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) the airlines signed in 2018. The SCCA envisages a phased approach to closer collaboration between the partners. In the first phase, by June 2021, the scope of the partners’ codeshare agreement, first signed in 2019, will be significantly expanded. Etihad and Gulf Air will be able to offer up to an additional 30 combined destinations beyond the Abu Dhabi and Bahrain hubs, across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia. The Strategic Commercial Cooperation Agreement was signed by Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, and Captain Waleed AlAlawi, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer. Tony Douglas said, “This agreement reinforces the strength of the ongoing partnership between our two airlines. We look forward to exploring pragmatic ways in which the two carriers can increasingly work seamlessly between our two capitals, enhance benefits and customer experience for our most frequent travelers and further extend the reach of our joint networks beyond our hubs.” Captain AlAlawi said,  “Our relationship with Etihad Airways has always been strong and today we are reaching a higher level of collaboration with many more opportunities on the horizon between the national carriers of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. This agreement will empower both of us to offer a more elevated experience to passengers and widen their travel options.”  

Qatar Airways to become the first global airline to offer passengers 100 percent Zero-Touch technology for its award-winning Oryx One in-flight entertainment system across the A350 fleet as part of the airline’s latest COVID-19 safety measures. The Zero-Touch technology, introduced in partnership with the Thales AVANT IFE system, will enable A350 passengers to pair their personal electronic devices (PEDs) with their seat-back IFE screen by connecting to ‘Oryxcomms’ Wi-Fi and simply scanning a QR code displayed on the screen. They can then use their PEDs to navigate and enjoy more than 4,000 options on offer through the airline’s award-winning Oryx One in-flight entertainment system, limiting the frequency of on board surface contact and providing greater peace of mind throughout the duration of their journey. Qatar Airways is also set to become the first airline in Europe and the Middle East and North Africa region to offer passengers in Business and Economy the option to pair their personal Bluetooth headphones with the onboard seatback IFE system in all cabins on the Boeing 787-9 fleet. His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive, Qatar Airways, said, “As an industry leader in the fight against COVID-19 and the first global airline to recently achieving a 5-Star rating in the coveted Skytrax Airline Safety Rating, Qatar Airways is committed to ensuring the highest standards of safety and hygiene onboard its aircraft at all times. “The introduction of the state-of-the-art Zero-Touch technology, and enabling passengers to use their personal Bluetooth headset on board is an important step in taking our already rigorous and stringent COVID-19 precautions to another level, limiting passenger surface contact and preventing any possible spread of infection on board. We hope it …