Category Archives: Aviation

VistaJet further expands its comprehensive VistaPet program, as the number of animals onboard soars 86% over the last two years and global pet ownership continues to rise. Safety, security and the wellbeing of clients are fundamental for all at VistaJet. In addition to the unparalleled training with the British Butler Institute, Norland College and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, as well as being the first in private aviation to have in-house MedAire instructors, VistaJet’s team of over 200 Cabin Hostesses now has tuition in all segments of pet first aid to ensure safety for all in-flight and that loyal companions receive the same leading service as their owners.   The extensive training program includes: Pet CPR procedures from checking circulation, identifying location of the heart and optimum ratio of compressions to breath; Recognizing warning signs of chocking and the best maneuvers for the situation; Vital signs such as heart rate, varying pulse locations, body temperature, and mucous membrane and capillary refill time to check for circulation and levels of oxygen in the bloodstream; Understanding indications of poisoning from ingested or topical, spider or insect bites, and the best treatment for each; And to better understand behaviors, crew members also learn how to read body language, whether that be a friendly dog holding its ears up and a loosely wagging tail; a fearful dog with ears back and tail tucked; recognizing the difference between a rapidly twitching tail and a friendly wag; or the unpredictability of cats, gaining clues from their eyes, ears and whiskers.   Matteo Atti, EVP Marketing & Innovation at VistaJet said: “The fast increase in pet adoptions is paired with a habit of having pets as …

Air France has announced new winter seasonal flights that will operate directly between Muscat (Sultanate of Oman) and Paris (France), starting on 24th October 2021 and continuing through the season until 27th March 2022. The new service will link the two capital cities and operate three-times per week (Tuesday, Friday and Sunday) with a B787-9 Dreamliner offering a choice of three classes of travel – Business, Premium Economy, and Economy. Muscat-Paris direct – AF 657  Muscat – Paris Charles de Gaulle departs 0900am arrives 1520pm  and AF 656  Paris Charles de Gaulle – Muscat departs 2100pm arrives 0610am (following day). France is an important source of visitors to Oman with the last pre-pandemic statistics (2019) highlighting 68,000 annual visitors to the Sultanate. The new service will connect Oman to Paris and other destinations in France, as well as to the Air France global network of 200 destinations across Europe and the Americas, through onward flights with Air France and SkyTeam Alliance partner airlines. Air France and KLM offer 41 weekly flights* from various cities in the Middle East to the airline’s two hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol, connecting passengers to the global network of destinations in Europe, Canada and the Americas. For Air France customers traveling from Muscat to Paris Charles de Gaulle, the Boeing 787 provides a number of assets. They will enjoy a real cocoon in the sky in the Business cabin and even more comfort in Premium Economy and Economy with: on-board WiFi adapted to customers’ needs and expectations; windows that are approximately 30% larger than on similar aircraft; improved air pressure and humidity levels for greater travel comfort; 20% less fuel consumption than previous …

Oman Air has signed a strategic agreement with tripsnstay to enhance its offering of local and international package holidays. The agreement follows the recent announcement of Oman’s easing of travel restrictions and reopening to vaccinated travellers with a negative PCR test result effective from 1 September 2021. Eng. Abdulaziz Al Raisi, CEO of Oman Air said, “Both Oman Air and Oman Air Holidays play an essential role in Oman’s tourism ecosystem. Connecting guests from international markets to custom holiday packages and tailored stays in Oman is part of our tourism reboot strategy for the country as it reopens to vaccinated travellers. Our strategic agreement with tripsnstay enhances our already expansive inventory of hotels and ancillary products with real-time pricing and product availability. It equally provides locals in Oman with access to competitive flight and hotel packages in destinations across Oman Air’s network.” Pankaj Khimji, Director Khimji Ramdas adds,” This partnership is of great pride to the Khimji Ramdas group. Being our national carrier Oman Air and Oman Air holidays is representative of our country’s progress and expansion. Oman has been one of the most sought-after fresh destinations in the past years and through this collaboration we can bring Oman further to the forefront.”

Air Lakson Group and Air Arabia Group announced their decision to form of a joint venture to launch “Fly Jinnah”, Pakistan’s new airline. The proposed JV will see the establishment of a low-cost passenger airline serving domestic and international routes from Pakistan. “Fly Jinnah” will serve the strategic vision of Pakistan’s travel and tourism sector and contribute to the country’s economic growth and job creation, while providing Pakistanis with reliable and value for money air travel. Iqbal Ali Lakhani, Chairman of Lakson Group, said: “We are excited to partner with Air Arabia in launching Pakistan’s new low-cost carrier. “Fly Jinnah” will serve Pakistan’s travel and tourism sector and will play a constructive role in contributing to the nation’s economic growth.” He added: “This partnership also reflects our commitment to support the development of Pakistan’s air transport sector while providing the citizens and visitors of the country with a new option of value for money air travel.  Air Arabia enjoys a track-record of reliable and efficient operations, and we look forward to working closely towards launching and developing the new airline.” Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of Air Arabia, said: “We are delighted at Air Arabia Group to partner with Lakson Group on this joint venture to launch Pakistan’s new low-cost carrier. We are confident that “Fly Jinnah” will add value to the air transport sector of Pakistan and directly contribute to the local economy through job creation and the development of travel and tourism sector. We thank Lakson Group and the Government of Pakistan for their trust and we look forward to working hand in hand to develop the new airline, which will serve as a new value-for-money …

Etihad Airways is prepared for a boost in travel to and from Abu Dhabi following the government’s announcement to remove the quarantine requirement for all vaccinated travellers arriving from abroad. Fully vaccinated travellers (with vaccines approved by the World Health Organization) can arrive from all international destinations without the need to quarantine. All travellers will require a PCR test within 48 hours of departure, a test on arrival and retesting on select days depending on the country they have travelled from. Unvaccinated travellers, however, should follow the rules according to the destination they are arriving from. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad, commented: “The news is perfectly timed to begin welcoming the world back to Abu Dhabi. We expect a huge surge in demand from tourists and visiting friends and relatives from around the world. This will also give UAE residents greater flexibility and peace of mind when travelling globally. “The emirate has delivered one of the world’s best public health programmes to protect the population with an extremely high vaccination rate, and smart technologically-driven solutions such as the Al Hosn app to ensure the safety of residents and visitors.   “This is a huge step forward as the UAE prepares to host the EXPO 2020, the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and many more global events over the coming months. “Etihad is currently operating to 65 passenger destinations with one of the world’s youngest and most sustainable fleets. We look forward to welcoming our guests to Abu Dhabi with Etihad to enjoy this world-class destination – an emirate and capital city we’re so proud to call our home.” Flying with Etihad is supported by the …

Emirates and Visa are making paying for your next holiday or trip to visit loved ones much more rewarding with tremendous savings potential for future travel plans. Customers booking their travel on emirates.com who use their Visa credit or Visa debit card from today until 18 September 2021* in any class of travel using the promotional code EKVISA1 to any destination from Dubai on the Emirates network, will have a chance to win an AED 1,000 discount to redeem on their next Emirates ticket. Emirates and Visa will randomly choose over 400 lucky winners from the eligible entries to benefit from the generous discount. Customers who don’t want to miss this offer should visit emirates.com to check the airline’s latest featured fares to their next destinations here Commenting on the partnership, Kalika Tripathi, Visa’s Head of Marketing for MENA, said: “With tourism slowly returning to normal, people are eagerly looking for deals and offers to make their long-awaited trip worth it. We are delighted to join our longstanding partner Emirates in this campaign to enhance our valued cardholders’ experience by making their travel journey more rewarding. The launch of this promotion is a great opportunity for us to give our Visa cardholders exclusive benefits and also help motivate repeat travel.” As always, Emirates customers can rest assured while travelling that their health and safety continued to be a top priority with the latest health and safety measures in place. If they change their mind at any time, they will always have peace of mind in knowing that Emirates’ priority is to make travel planning stress free with even more generous and flexible booking policies, multi-risk insurance cover, and helping loyal …

Air India is scaling up its services to Dubai International ( DXB ) with additional route resumption on Dubai-Indore-Dubai sector effective 01st September 2021.This is in response to the easing of international entry protocols and upsurge in passenger demand. Indore becomes the 14th destination of Air India on UAE-INDIA-UAE network and shall operate on every Wednesday of the week. AI 955 will depart Indore at 12:35 p.m. and arrive in Dubai at 3:05 p.m. Similarly, AI 956 will depart Dubai at 4:05 p.m. and arrive in Indore at 8:55 p.m. Further, Indore is one of the premier educational hubs of India and is the only city to host Indian Institute of Management and Indian Institute of Technology. It is also the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh and is well connected by road to the nearby border states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Overall Air India has achieved an impressive load factor of over 90% on the UAE-India sectors during the last quarter. We are thankful to our esteemed clients, especially the Indian diaspora in UAE who have helped us in achieving high seat occupancy. With clear signals that passenger confidence for international travel is returning, the airline is advancing its plans to increase its capacity and services on the UAE-India-UAE network. Air India takes this opportunity to express its sincere gratitude to Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Dubai Airports for their unstinting support and cooperation in this endeavour. Air India looks forward for the continued support of all agencies at Dubai International (D

Emirates announced several commercial leadership movements across West Asia, Africa, the GCC, and Central Asia. Six seasoned team members in leadership roles, all UAE Nationals, will help drive the airline’s commercial initiatives across key markets with a strategic focus on rebuilding its leadership position and growing its customer base as countries continue easing their restrictions. All of the new appointments are effective 1 September 2021. All of the movements include Emirati talent into key leadership positions, either being promoted from within the organisation or through portfolio rotations, underpinning the airline’s commitment to career development and progression of its UAE Nationals. Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline said: ‘’Thanks to the strength of the Emirates brand, our laser focus on executing strategic customer and commercial initiatives, and rationally rebuilding our network based on tangible demand, the airline is well-positioned in the long-term to generate improved results as we navigate recovery. The movements within the commercial team that have been put in place significantly strengthen our management structure across key markets. We’re proud of the hard work and dedication that UAE Nationals appointed to these roles have demonstrated to tackle the challenges of the last 18 months, and today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to build bench strength from within.” Jabr Al-Azeeby has been appointed as Vice President for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Jabr has been with Emirates for 16 years, previously holding Country Manager roles in Uganda, Cyprus, Thailand, Pakistan, before taking on his most recent role as Vice President, India and Nepal. Mohammed Alnahari Alhashmi has been appointed as Vice President for Pakistan. Mohammed has held several roles throughout his 18 year career with Emirates, including management posts in …

Emirates is set to introduce a fourth weekly service between Dubai to Muscat from 28 August 2021. The increase of flights to and from Muscat provides more connectivity options for customers travelling to Dubai and beyond to the airline’s growing network, as well as visitors coming to Oman. The announcement comes as Oman is set to re-open its borders for tourists with an approved vaccine certificate, starting 1 September. The added services will meet market demand and offer customers greater flexibility, choice and connectivity while planning their travels. From 28 August, EK866 will depart from Dubai at 0215hrs, arriving in Muscat at 0330hrs. The return flight, EK867 will depart from Muscat 0440hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0555hrs. Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, Emirates sales offices, via travel agents as well as online travel agents. As international borders reopen and travel restrictions ease, Emirates continues to expand its network safely and sustainably, matching capacity with demand in line with market dynamics and operating conditions. The airline has resumed passenger services to over 120 destinations, recovering close to 90% of its pre-pandemic network. Customers can stop over or travel to Dubai as the city is open for international business and leisure visitors. Ensuring the safety of travellers, visitors, and the community, COVID-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound and transit passengers arriving to Dubai (and the UAE).

Etihad is celebrating Emirati Women’s Day with a series of events to highlight this year’s theme, “Women: Ambitions & Inspiration for the Next 50 Years,” in line with the UAE’s 50th anniversary year. The airline announced a new collaboration with Zayed Higher Organisation for People of Determination to establish a chocolate factory for people of determination. Women from ZHO will be trained by Etihad’s professional chefs from Etihad Catering to operate the factory and hand make chocolate. Etihad will help establish the facility by providing the machinery and funding the ingredients for the first year of production, in addition to promoting the chocolate. Dr Nadia Bastaki, Vice President Medical Services and Corporate Social Responsibility, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “This project will play an important role in empowering women of determination and creating opportunities in the community.  The goal of Etihad’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee is to support the community through opportunity creation, training and development. In addition, and under its existing agreement with the Emirati Red Crescent, Etihad will launch a new project with Al Ghadeer UAE Crafts, to empower and support underprivileged women through the production of sustainable crafts. Etihad will provide non-stock products and recycled materials to Al Ghadeer which can be repurposed into hand crafted objects and sold. The project will help hundreds of women and families with additional income resource.  Etihad has been working in cooperation with Emirates Red Crescent for the past six years, collaborating on various initiatives, including projects to empower women and children, as well as working with Sheikha Fatima fund for refugee women, Grace Conservations and Al Ghadeer organisations.