Category Archives: Aviation

Qatar Airways in partnership with Discover Qatar has launched the World’s Best Value Stopover packages consisting of up to a 4 night stay in Doha, Qatar. The packages allow vaccinated travellers to purchase the World’s Best Value Stopover with Qatar Airways, for a chance to experience the World’s Best Airline and Qatar’s renowned hospitality, before continuing on to their final destination from the World’s Best Airport, Hamad International Airport (HIA). Starting at 14 USD per person per night, travellers can now experience Qatar’s famous hospitality by staying in a selection of luxurious 4-star and 5-star hotels, and make their journey even more memorable. The themed stopover packages are designed to cater to different interests: Travellers can experience a thrilling desert safari, disconnect and enjoy luxurious resorts, spas and restaurants, admire museums, galleries,  and various public art installations in the country’s thriving arts scene. Additionally, stopover passengers can witness the country’s exciting preparations to host the much anticipated FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, as the entire population gears up for the world’s most prestigious sporting event. Further details on how to book stopover packages can be found at www.qatarairways.com/stopover. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “With our great value stopover packages, we look forward to welcoming visitors to experience Qatar’s unrivalled hospitality from anywhere on our global network. Working closely with Discover Qatar, we have designed unique and personalised experiences for travellers to enjoy two holidays in one journey, where we aim to showcase our world renowned service and authentic culture to the world. As our passengers plan their journeys across our network of over 140 destinations, we hope this exciting opportunity enriches them with a combined …

Qatar Airways resumed services to Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport, Medina starting 1 October 2021 with four weekly flights. The Medina services will be operated by the airline’s state-of-the-art Airbus A320 featuring 12 seats in First Class and 132 seats in Economy Class. The resumption of services will enable passengers flying from and to Medina to enjoy seamless connectivity to over 140 destinations of the airline’s extensive global network in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas via the best airport in the world, Hamad International Airport. Qatar Airways flight QR 1174, will depart from Hamad International Airport at 01:00, arriving at 03:15 to Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport. Qatar Airways flight QR1175, will depart from Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz International Airport at 04:15, and arrive to Hamad International Airport at 06:25. The national carrier of the State of Qatar continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 140 destinations. Qatar Airways also features flexible booking policies that offer unlimited changes in travel dates and destinations, and fee-free refunds for all tickets issued for travel completed by 31 May 2022. A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was announced as the ‘Airline of the Year’ at the 2021 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. It was also named ‘World’s Best Business Class’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Airline Seat’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Onboard Catering’ and ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’. The airline continues to stand alone at the top of the industry having now won the main prize for an unprecedented sixth time (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019 and now 2021). The airline’s hub, Hamad International …

Etihad Airways announced three new quarantine-free destinations for the coming winter season. This November, the airline will begin flying to Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa, and the beautiful Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar. The new additions to Etihad’s network mean the UAE’s national carrier will be operating to 70 destinations across 47 countries. Etihad Airways has launched a sale on fares to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Zanzibar, valid until midnight on 6 October 2021. Available on a first come, first served basis, guests can enjoy return fares starting from AED 995 in Economy and AED 3995 in Business class. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad, said: “We’re proud to be launching Etihad’s newest destinations in Africa this winter and we’re confident our guests will find they are all incredible places to visit. “Johannesburg is an important route on our network and offers vital connectivity to and from the southern African region. On the southern coast, Cape Town is a breathtaking part of the world, with something to offer the most discerning traveller. Likewise, the beautiful island of Zanzibar will complement our network to the Maldives and Seychelles offering more choice for leisure travellers looking to enjoy the glorious Indian ocean. “We are also thrilled to offer connectivity for travellers from both countries to visit our home the UAE over the winter months. With the world’s greatest show, Expo 2020, opening now there has never been a better time to visit Abu Dhabi and the UAE.” Etihad will start flights to Johannesburg, South Africa’s biggest city, from 25 November. At the same time, Etihad will launch its operation to the stunning coastal city of Cape Town. Both destinations …

flydubai has launched flights to Warsaw and Budapest from 30 September. The carrier will operate four weekly flights from Dubai International (DXB) to Budapest International Airport (BUD) and daily flights to Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW). This will be the carrier’s second destination in Poland after Krakow (KRK). Representative of this new direct airlink, the first flight to Budapest was piloted by Captain Fabian Laszlo from Hungary and First Officer Eisa Al Suwaidi from the UAE. In addition, among the Hungarian cabin crew operating the inaugural flight was the Captain’s daughter, Senior Cabin Crew Cserne Fabiana Rebeka and Cabin Crew Toth Reka.  The inaugural flight to Warsaw was operated with Polish nationals including Senior Cabin Crew Agata Samborska and Cabin Crew members Katarzyna Boryna and Paulina Kaniowska. Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said: “we have seen growing demand for travel this summer and with the start of flights to Budapest and Warsaw, we are expanding our network over the winter schedule to offer our passengers more choice for travel. Our newly launched operations to Hungary and Poland will also strengthen links with the UAE.” Warsaw is the capital and largest city in Poland. It is known for its beautiful architecture as well as its vibrant café and restaurant culture. Situated on the Vistula River and offering numerous green outdoor spaces, Warsaw has become a popular destination especially among those seeking an experience that is steeped in history. Located on both sides of the Danube River Budapest is a popular leisure destination and can be explored by bike, boat, bus or on foot. Visitors to the Hungarian capital can explore a wide variety of museums and galleries, impressive architecture and the well-known thermal …

Qatar Airways announced that it will launch a new service to Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt on 3 December with twice weekly flights, this new route will follow the resumption of operations to Luxor on 23 November with four weekly flights. In a further expansion of services to Egypt, Qatar Airways will also increase its Cairo service starting from 1 October 2021, increasing flights to the capital to triple daily. The resumption of operations to Luxor and launching of flights to Sharm El-Sheikh sees Qatar Airways now operate a total of 34 weekly flights to Egypt via the World’s Best Airport, Hamad International Airport (HIA) as voted by Skytrax. The new services will be operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft, featuring 12 seats in First Class and 132 seats in Economy Class. The resumption of operations to Luxor and the launch of flights to Sharm El-Sheikh will enable passengers flying to and from these destinations to enjoy seamless connectivity to over 140 destinations in Asia, Europe, Middle East and the Americas. Qatar Airways also features flexible booking policies that offer unlimited changes in travel dates and destinations, and fee-free refunds for all tickets issued for travel completed by 31 May 2022. The upcoming expansion of services in Egypt will further provide Egyptian football fans more travel options to attend the FIFA Arab Cup 2021™ in Qatar, enjoy the finest Qatari hospitality and follow their national team in person. The region’s showpiece tournament will take place from 30 November to 18 December 2021. A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was announced as the ‘Airline of the Year’ at the 2021 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. It was also named …

With South African Airways (SAA) resuming operations, Emirates has been working closely with SAA to reactivate its long-standing partnership which aims to improve the customer experience and provide more value to travellers when flying on both carriers. The move also helps cement SAA’s standing and position and will build growth momentum as the carrier initially restarts flights to six African destinations. Emirates and SAA have been working towards increasing alignment across products, services and reactivation of synergies between loyalty programmes, and will be initially kicking off with a reciprocal commercial arrangement. The agreement includes SAA coded and Emirates-operated routes between South Africa and Dubai on a single ticket, enabling travellers to seamlessly check-in their bags to their final destinations from 1 October. Emirates will also place the SAA code on major trunk routes between South Africa and Dubai. Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline, remarked on the revival of the partnership: “The partnership between Emirates and South African Airways builds on our shared commitment to providing customers more schedule choices and increased connectivity across Africa and through our growing network. We value our nearly 25 years of successful partnership with SAA and we are working hard to take more positive steps forward to continue to grow our relationship and provide our customers with even more connectivity in the future.” SAA’s Interim CEO Thomas Kgokolo says, “As SAA starts to rebuild, the long-standing partnership with Emirates is both valued and critical to our future growth plans : “We share the same vision of seamless, efficient, and excellent customer service with connectivity to multiple destinations. We are confident this partnership will lead to the addition of more route and destination options, …

Latvian airline airBaltic has launched direct flights between Dubai and Riga, Latvia. airBaltic now links the both cities with four weekly flights, offering a wide variety of convenient connections to travellers coming from Dubai to further destinations in Europe. Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic: “We see a great potential in strengthening the business ties between UAE and Latvia. airBaltic team is glad to launch this new route to Riga which is a vibrant and dynamic city in the Baltic States. The new route will play an integral role connecting the two countries and will be of a significant benefit to travellers both in the United Arab Emirates and Latvia.”   Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports: “We are delighted to welcome airBaltic to the DXB family with the launch of their services between Dubai and Riga. Creating this additional connectivity during the year of EXPO adds to the growing strength of the DXB hub, and we are confident that it will boost the number of visitors travelling between Latvia and the UAE.”   Flights between Dubai and Riga are operated by the Airbus A220-300 aircraft. A complete schedule of airBaltic flights and tickets for the new destinations are available on the company’s homepage at www.airbaltic.com.

Emirates will restart flights to London Gatwick Airport (LGW) from 10 December, responding to the easing of international travel restrictions and an upsurge in passenger demand for winter sun. The world’s largest international airline will resume services to its second London gateway with a daily flight operated by a B777 aircraft, across First, Business and Economy class. Flight EK015, will depart Dubai International (DXB) at 0740 and arrive in London Gatwick (LGW) at 1140, while flight EK016 will depart London Gatwick at 1335 and arrive in Dubai at 0040 the following day (all times are local). The addition of London Gatwick Airport to flight schedules in December will restore Emirates’ UK operations to six gateways, alongside the six times daily A380 London Heathrow service; double daily A380 flights to Manchester, ten weekly service to Birmingham, daily service to Glasgow, and four weekly service to Newcastle. By the end of December, the airline will offer 84 weekly flights to the UK, making it easier for UK customers to access Emirates’ growing global network of over 120 destinations – close to 90% of Emirates’ pre-pandemic network, and for international travellers to visit the UK. Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer commented, “We’re very pleased to resume Emirates flights to and from London Gatwick, offering more ways for people and businesses to connect with our ever growing global network. With the UK simplifying travel and accepting international vaccination certificates, we’ve seen a big surge in demand as people have been a lot more confident in booking trips for the coming months and further ahead, be it for business, a winter sun escape or to visit family and friends. Gatwick has long been a …

flydubai became the first airline to operate direct air links to the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana from the United Arab Emirates. The inaugural flight FZ 1789 from Dubai International (DXB) to Ljubljana Joze Pucnik Airport (LJU) touched down just after 14:00 to a water cannon salute and a warm welcome from the airport and government officials. flydubai and Fraport Slovenija, the operator of Ljubljana Airport (LJU), held a press conference at the airport prior to the arrival of the carrier’s inaugural flight. The press conference was attended by local media, travel agents and representatives of government bodies. Speaking at the press conference, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said: “we are excited to see our network in Europe grow to 20 points in 17 countries, many of which had very few or no direct links to the UAE. flydubai’s direct flights to Ljubljana will strengthen the ties between our two countries and help stimulate tourism, trade and investment opportunities in the future. We look forward to welcoming on board our passengers from Slovenia, especially as our city gets ready to welcome the world as Expo 2020 Dubai opens its doors to visitors from beginning of October.” Slovenia will be among the 191 participating nations taking part at the anticipated Expo 2020 Dubai. The Slovenian pavilion is designed to be a floating green oasis that inspires sustainable solutions. His Excellency Oto Pungartnik, Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the United Arab Emirates, said: “The new flydubai route between Dubai and Ljubljana will have a positive impact on the growth of tourism in both countries. We are convinced that the tourists from UAE will enjoy the hospitality of our people …

Etihad Airways will be operating more flights to Seychelles from October to provide leisure holidaymakers and families with convenient travel options to the tropical paradise. The national airline of the UAE will upgrade its Seychelles service from four to five weekly flights from 7 October, as well as operate seven additional services between 15 and 24 October to coincide with the half-term holidays. These additional flights have been scheduled to provide families with younger children with more travel options during the school break. Martin Drew, Etihad’s Senior Vice President Sales and Cargo, said: “This is the perfect time to discover the beauty of Seychelles, with balmy temperatures and calm waters ideal for snorkelling, diving and enjoying its picture-perfect beaches. “Seychelles is a one-of-a-kind destination, and with vaccinated travellers in the UAE being able to fly there and back without quarantine, it is the perfect destination for a short getaway or a longer family holiday.” Etihad Airways has launched a sale on fares to Seychelles, valid only on etihad.com until midnight on 2 October. Available on a first come, first served basis, guests can enjoy return fares starting from AED 1,795 in Economy, for travel in October and November 2021. Located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Seychelles is a short 4 hours and 35 minutes flight from Abu Dhabi.  Etihad Airways flies to the largest island of Mahé which is home to the capital of Victoria. Travellers will need to present a negative PCR test before boarding Etihad Airways flights. For up-to-date travel guidelines, visit etihad.com. Flight schedule between UAE and Seychelles effective 7 October. Subject to change.