Category Archives: Aviation

Qatar Airways passengers will be able to explore even more of Africa following its new partnership with Rwanda’s flag carrier, RwandAir via their hubs at Doha and Kigali. As a part of the strategic partnership, the extensive interline agreement will give customers access to the networks of both airlines, providing a seamless travel experience and enhanced customer service including in the frequent flyers programmes.   Customers can pick and choose from over 160 destinations in the combined networks of both airlines, which are perfectly connected via their home hubs of Doha and Kigali.   This latest cooperation comes hot on the heels of the airlines’ recent loyalty partnerships announcement, giving RwandAir Dream Miles and Qatar Airways Privilege Club loyalty members, access to each other’s destinations with the opportunity to ‘earn and burn’ points across their reciprocal route networks.   His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al-Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive said: “This partnership cements our commitment to giving travellers the widest choice of destinations, while providing a seamless, high quality travel experience, which is the goal of both Qatar Airways and RwandAir.   “Africa is a hugely important market for us and this latest partnership will help support the recovery of international air travel and offer unrivalled connectivity to and from a number of new African destinations.”   Yvonne Makolo, RwandAir CEO, said: “We’re really excited to be opening up more of the world to our customers through the new interline agreement with Qatar Airways.   “Delivering excellent customer experience is key for us and we know that any travelers flying with Qatar Airways or RwandAir, as part of the agreement, will continue to receive the same unrivalled level of service …

Over 2,500 Emirates customers enhanced their travel experience by adding innovative home check-in services to their bookings in July. The airline’s popular service enables passengers departing from Dubai to quickly and efficiently complete the check-in process in the comfort of their home and enjoy a swift and smooth journey through the airport. During the peak summer travel departures from the UAE in July, Emirates’ home check-in services were typically booked for groups of four to five people, with travellers’ most popular destinations being Amman (Jordan), Beirut (Lebanon) and Male (Maldives). Thursdays and the Eid long weekend were particularly busy with up to 130 home check-ins completed and 150 pieces of baggage delivered to the airport a day across Dubai. Underscoring the popularity of the service, some 400 home check-ins were for repeat customers who had already taken advantage of the service before. During the safe and convenient home check-in process, customer-oriented agents check in travellers for their flights, issue boarding passes, weigh and tag their sanitised baggage and ensure these are delivered to the airport and loaded onto the aircraft. Each piece of baggage is disinfected with a long-lasting protective coating that lasts for up to 72 hours. Emirates customers can easily book their home check-in service on emirates.com up to 24 hours before their flight and receive the service up to 8 hours before scheduled departure time. Customers also have the option to book fast-track marhaba services to help whisk them through airport immigration for an even more contactless on ground experience. In addition, travellers can also book pre-travel COVID-19 testing. A qualified medical professional performs the swab test ahead of the home check-in process, and results are shared …

Following successful trials, Etihad Airways has expanded IATA Travel Pass on flights between Abu Dhabi and seven destinations across its network as it continues to implement digital solutions to simplify the travel experience in the wake of the pandemic. IATA Travel Pass is available for guests on all Etihad flights between Abu Dhabi and Bangkok, Barcelona, Geneva, Madrid, Milan, New York and Singapore and offers the convenience of a one-stop platform for managing COVID-19 documentation.   Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer at Etihad Aviation Group, said: “The feedback from the IATA Travel Pass trial has been positive, with Etihad’s guests appreciating its ease-of-use and data security. Etihad is pleased to now make IATA Travel Pass available on flights to and from seven major global cities, providing more guests with the option of simplifying their journey and airport experience.”   Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety and Security, said: “Etihad’s decision to expand IATA Travel Pass based on positive customer feedback is a strong endorsement of the solution. IATA Travel pass was designed to provide a one-stop-shop solution for travellers to safely and efficiently manage their COVID-19 documentation and generate an ‘OK to Travel’ which airlines can trust. It’s great to see the app in use facilitating the restart of international travel.”   Etihad Airways was one of the first airlines globally to begin testing IATA Travel Pass in April 2021 in support of a global, standardised solution for travellers to validate their documents and navigate COVID-19 travel requirements.   To access the IATA Travel Pass, guests simply need to download the IATA Travel Pass app for Android or iOS, where they can add their Etihad Airways …

flydubai, the Dubai-based airline, announced the start of its three-times weekly service to Hargeisa Egal International Airport (HGA) from 10 August. This will bring the number of destinations flydubai operates to in Africa to 12 points in nine countries including Sohag International Airport (HMB) and Sharm El Sheikh International Airport (SSH) which started earlier this summer. Commenting on the relaunch of the route, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer of flydubai, said: “we are committed to provide underserved markets with direct air links to Dubai. We are pleased to restart our operations to Hargeisa which will provide the Somali diaspora with a convenient option to visit their families and friends in their home country. With the codeshare agreement with Emirates and the interline agreements we have in place more than 200 destinations can now be reached through Dubai’s aviation hub.” Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations (UAE, GCC, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent) at flydubai, said: “flydubai is committed to creating free flows of trade and tourism between the regions we fly to and we believe that our reliable and convenient passenger and cargo services will help to open up the trade opportunities between Hargeisa and Dubai and onward destinations. We are sure that both our Economy Class and Business Class will exceed the passengers’ expectations and we look forward to welcoming passengers from Hargeisa on board again soon.” flydubai will become the first carrier to operate to Hargeisa, Somaliland from Dubai. The carrier continues to open up underserved markets and expand its network in Africa. flydubai also has plans to relaunch its operations to Uganda in the coming few weeks. flydubai currently operates to 12 points in …

Kuwait Airways launched its first scheduled commercial flight to Munich, Germany, operating two flights per week from Kuwait to Munich on Thursdays and Saturdays, from 17th July 2021. The first flight to Munich witnessed convenient travel procedures for passengers and fulfilling their requirements to the fullest, who in turn appreciated the services extended by its employees to them, from the entrance of Terminal 4, to the check-in area, until reaching the boarding gate, as well as providing them with the best services on board. This is in addition to the keenness of Kuwait Airways to maintain its schedule in the departure and arrival of its flights, as passengers expressed their satisfaction for choosing Kuwait Airways for their travel which had previously stopped operating to some of their favorite destinations. Kuwait Airways said in a press statement that this comes within the framework of providing passengers on board with extensive options, to meet their travel requirements, with improved services by introducing new and diverse destinations. Kuwait Airways also continues to gradually reintroduce its routes in accordance with the decisions of the Cabinet and the Ministerial Committee for Coronavirus Emergency to allow direct flights to 12 countries.   Kuwait Airways’ customers can book their tickets through several different methods by visiting the Companys offices at the Avenues Mall, the Ministries Complex, the Farwaniya Office and the Terminal 4, which provide numerous services, including reservations, amending, upgrading and canceling tickets as well as receiving all inquiries, complaints and comments from customers and working to assist them or by contacting the Call Center on 171 or by downloading KAC’s application or by visiting the website.   Kuwait Airways concluded its statement by emphasizing its …

Following the much-awaited resumption of its Dubai route in May, Cathay Pacific continues to stay true to its brand ethos and is ‘moving beyond’ to offer a series of enhancements. Customers can now experience and travel the popular – Premium Economy cabin on-board the Airbus A350-900. Starting 06 August, 2021, passengers can experience luxury on one of Cathay Pacific’s most modern long-haul fleets. The technologically advanced Airbus A350-900 provides travellers with an unsurpassed cabin environment on its Dubai – Hong Kong route. The aircraft is configured in a three-class layout with 280 seats, comprising of 38 Business Class, 28 Premium Economy and 214 Economy seats. Each state-of-the-art cabin class on the A350-900 provides a whole new experience for passengers, with its extra-wide cabins including new seats, innovative inflight entertainment interface, inflight connectivity, and, where passengers can bask in a new level of comfort and convenience when travelling. “We are thrilled to not only announce the operation of the Airbus A350-900 to the UAE, which will allow us to cater to the wider cargo and passenger demand, but also the introduction of a brand new cabin class on this route,” Vishnu Rajendran, Area Manager, Middle East, said. “Given the current situation, we would like to give our customers a choice to travel in a more spacious cabin, while also providing a premium product with features such as an immersive inflight entertainment system, LED mood lighting, 50 per cent quieter cabins, as well as Wi-Fi connectivity, enabling our guests to have a luxurious and worry-free travel experience.” The highly anticipated Premium Economy Class comes with more space and comfort. All Premium Economy seats on the Airbus A350-900 are equipped with a full-length …

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain resumed its direct operations to Tbilisi International Airport in Georgia starting with 3 weekly flights from 15 July 2021. On this occasion, Captain Waleed Abdulhameed AlAlawi, Acting Chief Executive Officer, said “We have been operating direct flights between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Georgia since 2017 and it is one of the airline’s main destinations in the Caucasus region. We are extremely happy to see a much healthier trend in summer traffic and the resumption of some of our most popular destinations as the global vaccination program continues to bring a sense of normalcy back into our routine.” The airline currently flies to and from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Medina, Muscat, Cairo, Amman, Casablanca, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Athens, Istanbul, Larnaca, Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Dhaka, Colombo, the Maldives and several destinations in India and Pakistan. The airline has also successfully launched all of its seasonal destinations for the summer of 2021 with direct flights to Mykonos and Santorini in Greece, Malaga in Spain and Alexandria and Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt. Recently, Gulf Air announced offering complimentary COVID-19 travel insurance coverage to all ticket holders including health and quarantine expenses in the unexpected circumstances of being diagnosed with or contracting COVID-19 during passengers’ journeys. All tickets booked, including redemption tickets, on Gulf Air flights for travel until 10 November 2021 are automatically covered with COVID-19 insurance at no extra cost. All passengers, according to the newly announced insurance policy and in the unfortunate event of being diagnosed with COVID-19 while traveling abroad, will be covered for repatriation assistance, medical and hospitals costs abroad as well as quarantine accommodation …

Emirates launched Emirates Pay, a new account-based payment method for purchasing air tickets. Emirates Pay is now available for Emirates customers in Germany and the UK who are purchasing tickets via emirates.com. Emirates is the world’s first airline to launch this payment alternative powered by a white-label solution jointly developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in partnership with Deutsche Bank. Michael Doersam, Chief Financial Officer at Emirates said: “We’re pleased to be the first airline to roll out this new account-based solution for our customers. Our aim is to provide our customers with choice, convenience, and the best possible experiences at every touchpoint. Customers who don’t have a credit card, and those already using direct payments for other purchases, will welcome the simplicity and security of this method when making travel purchases. When it comes to payments solutions, we’ve always kept close to the latest innovations so that we can offer our customers in different markets the most secure and convenient options.” Christof Hofmann, Global Head of Corporate & Payment Solutions at Deutsche Bank said: “We are very proud that Emirates, which is widely recognized as one of the world’s best airlines, is the first airline to implement the new payment solution. The launch of Emirates Pay not only sends a very positive message to all of us that the airline industry is putting COVID behind, but more importantly that Emirates is clearly focused on improving client experience at the transactional level when moving into a brighter, post COVID world.”  Emirates Pay is an alternative method for travellers to pay for air tickets purchased online by directly debiting their bank account. It is based on real time payments …

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, begins the summer season with 80% of its pre-pandemic destinations as it continues to resume operations and restore services to cities of its original 2019 destination network. The airline has also announced that it has successfully launched all of its seasonal destinations for the summer of 2021 with direct flights to Mykonos and Santorini in Greece, Malaga in Spain and Alexandria and Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt as well as recently resuming Tbilisi in Georgia. The airline currently flies to and from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Medina, Muscat, Cairo, Amman, Casablanca, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Athens, Istanbul, Tbilisi, Larnaca, Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Dhaka, Colombo, the Maldives and several destinations in India and Pakistan. Commenting on this network restoration milestone, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi commented: “We at Gulf Air are very excited and proud to restore 80% of our 2019 destinations network amidst the restrictions and continuous updates from each and every destination we fly to. The national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain never stopped flying during the peak of the pandemic making it one of the most experienced and safest airlines to fly during these times and today we are growing closer to our full network”. He added: “We are working on frequencies and connectivity to offer more choices and more convenience to our passengers and we are confident that the months ahead will feature more milestones and success stories to tell”. Recently, Gulf Air announced the launch of point to point flights beyond its Bahrain International Airport hub allowing the airline to expand its operations to new destinations as well as …

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, announced its collaboration with the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), becoming official airline partner for the Middle East as part of ICCA’s Regional Travel Partnership Program. As newest member to the program, Oman Air brings 5-Star COVID-19 safety and network connectivity across the Middle East to association meetings professionals so they can re-connect with colleagues and work towards reviving face-to-face, in-person meetings in the post-pandemic landscape. “In securing this partnership, we are pleased to connect our ICCA members in the Middle East with an airline that will serve them under exceptional standards of health and safety. Meeting face-to-face is vital to our industry and we at ICCA World believe we can begin to do so once again as we continue to adhere to best practices in pandemic safety,” said Senthil Gopinath, ICCA CEO. “Throughout COVID-19, Oman Air has implemented and maintained exceptional health and safety standards on board our aircraft and across the entire passenger journey,” said Eng. Abdulaziz AlRaisi, CEO of Oman Air. “In-person, face-to-face meetings—whether association and industry meetings or the full offering of corporate travel and events—are crucial for the recovery of local economies and Oman Air is proud to partner with ICCA to offer safe travels for its members throughout the Middle East, and beyond, as we work together towards a robust restart of the interconnected aviation, MICE and tourism sectors.” “As ICCA Middle East Regional Director, I am proud to announce their new collaboration with Oman Air as the official airline partner for the Middle East region. Oman Air’s initiative during the current crisis and their adaptability demands applause and should be taken as …