Category Archives: Aviation

Turkish Airlines, flying to more countries than any other airline, was reported as the busiest operator in Europe last week after successfully restarting domestic and international passenger operations. On June 17, 2020, the Airlines had 400 flights in Eurocontrol area for the first time an airline has that number since 24 March 2020. M. Ilker Ayci, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines said, “It is our firm belief that once the world overcomes the crisis, air travel will bounce back stronger than ever and Turkish Airlines will be more than eager to welcome you aboard with our trademark hospitality as we connect continents, people and cultures. We fully adapted our customer touchpoints according to new normal standards.” With the resumption of services, Turkish Airlines also announced new ‘Guidelines for Safe Travel’ and two new inflight services to protect the health of its guests. Prepared with scientific data in mind, the flag carrier is distributing ‘Hygiene Kits’ containing a face mask, disinfectant and antiseptic tissue to its guests, while ‘Hygiene Expert’ cabin crews were appointed to flights to enforce all on-board hygiene and social distancing measures for the healthy travel of passengers. Turkish Airlines’ aircrafts are disinfected prior to every flight via thorough cleaning methods. Hygiene in the cabin is ensured as all contact points in the aircraft are comprehensively cleaned using chemicals safe for human health, and with methods that are proven scientifically to be effective. Special equipment and chemicals are used for different surfaces such as seats, windows, screens and lavatories.

Etihad Airways will recommence flights from Abu Dhabi to Athens, Greece from June 24. The twice-weekly schedule will be operated on Wednesdays and Saturdays using a two-class Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The flights will connect guests travelling to and from Athens with key destinations in Asia and Australia via Abu Dhabi. The addition of Athens increases the total number of international flights being flown by Etihad throughout June to 25 destinations, with plans to significantly increase the number of scheduled flights around the world, as international travel restrictions are lifted. Etihad continues to follow UAE and international government, regulatory and health authority directives, and is playing its part in helping to limit the spread of COVID-19. The airline has implemented an extensive sanitisation and customer safety programme and is practicing the highest standards of hygiene at every part of the customer journey. This includes catering, aircraft and cabin deep-cleaning, check-in, health screening, boarding, inflight, crew interaction, meal service, arrival and ground transportation, among others. Specially trained Wellness Ambassadors, a first in the industry, have been introduced to provide essential travel health information and care so our guests can fly with greater peace of mind. This dedicated multi-lingual team will offer reassurance to guests by sharing advice on travel wellbeing and details of the health and sanitisation measures being implemented throughout their journey.

Emirates announced scheduled flights for travellers in 10 more cities: Colombo (from June 20), Sialkot (June 24), Istanbul (from June 25); Auckland, Beirut, Brussels, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (all from July 1); and Barcelona and Washington DC (all from July 15). Emirates’ flights from Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Pakistan, will only carry outbound passengers to the UAE and onward destinations.This will take the total number of Emirates destinations on offer for travellers to 40, providing more options for customers who wish to return home or those travelling for essential purposes. Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates said, “Thanks to the UAE authorities’ support and partnership, Emirates has been able to provide smooth and safe journeys for those who need to travel, and we look forward adding flights to more destinations in the coming weeks. The UAE government’s recent announcement to ease travel for UAE citizens and residents show the thorough approach that our country is taking with regards to resuming economic activities, and as we gradually return to regular services, Emirates’ number one priority will always be the health and safety of our customers, our crew and our communities.” In addition, Emirates will add flights to the following cities in July: London Heathrow, Manchester, Frankfurt, Paris, Zurich, Madrid, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dublin, New York JFK, Toronto, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong.Customers can book to fly between destinations in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe or the Americas, with a convenient connection in Dubai, as long as they meet travel and immigration entry requirements of their destination country. Flight bookings can be made online at emirates.com or via travel agents.

Emirates airline is set to operate seven weekly flights from Bahrain to Dubai utilising its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to carry cargo as well as passengers travelling home or for essential purposes. Customers can also connect safely and efficiently through Dubai to onward Emirates’ destinations, including select cities in Asia Pacific and Europe or the Americas. Travel restrictions remain in place in most countries, customers are reminded to check entry and exit requirements before their journeys, Emirates said. Emirates flight EK839 will depart Dubai at 16:10 pm and arrive in Bahrain at 16:30 pm local time. EK840 will depart Bahrain at 17:50 pm local time and arrive in Dubai at 20:00 pm local time. Flights to and from Bahrain will be available for booking on emirates.com or via travel agents. Health and safety first: Emirates has implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to all customers, said the airline.

Etihad Airways is encouraging travellers to start planning their next trip, once travel restrictions ease with the launch of ‘Etihad Travel Voucher’. Guests who purchase an Etihad Travel Voucher between June 10-24, 2020 will receive an extra 50% cash value for future travel from August 1, 2020 onwards. The vouchers are available in increments of USD 250 to a maximum of USD 65,000. The value of the purchased voucher plus 50% extra credit will be added to a Travel Bank account for future redemption on flights, upgrades and extras. Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Now, more than ever, we want to give the world something to look forward to. Valid for two years, Etihad Travel Voucher will give our guests plenty of time to plan their future trip, and with 50% extra credit, they will spend less on that well-deserved break,”

General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) issued the traveller’s guide during the resumption of domestic flights within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The roadmap represents a guiding framework for travellers that includes a set of precautionary measures that the traveller will have to go through during his flights. This in addition to the obligations that passengers must follow to ensure a safe travel journey that starts from home until reaching the intended destination. According to the traveller’s guide, passengers must be committed to several responsibilities during the domestic flights resumption phase within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This was meant to ensure a safe travel flight and to avoid a travel ban for passengers violating the preventive measures established by GACA and the Ministry of Health and the rules followed within the airports. These responsibilities begin once completing of the purchase of airline tickets by electronic means only. Also arriving at the airport two hours before departure and going through the thermal check area at the airport. Furthermore, passengers must sterilise their hands when entering the terminal and wear a cloth mask, or any similar masks when entering the airport. Wearing masks and gloves during the entirety of the flight and during the disembarkation process, and committing to medical disclosure during the reservation and notification stage in the event of any symptoms of COVID. Each passenger is allowed one piece of carry-on luggage inside the plane’s cabin, encourage the use of electronic payment methods and reduce the use of banknotes. This in addition to avoiding close line-up in the boarding stages and inside shuttle buses and passenger bridges, and maintaining a safe distance between travellers at all stages of travel …

Etihad Airways has operated its first ever flight to Havana, Cuba. The goodwill flight, chartered by the Government of the United Arab Emirates, landed in the capital of the Caribbean island nation, carrying Cuban nationals returning home from the UAE. Havana is the latest addition to an expanding list of special charter flights to destinations not normally served on the airline’s global route network. Following the suspension of all normal passenger flights to and from the UAE on 24 March, Etihad has operated special humanitarian services to 32 cities around the world, all of which are not currently served by the airline’s passenger or cargo network of flights. These include Bogota, Bucharest, Grozny, Kiev, Larnaca, Podgorica, Tirana, Yerevan, Zagreb, Auckland, Bhubaneswar, Bishkek, Dushanbe, Dhaka, Erbil, Kabul, Lucknow, Makhachkala, Addis Ababa, Antananarivo, Bamako, Banjul, Conakry, Freetown, Harare, Kinshasa, Moroni, N’Djamena, Niamey, and Nouakchott. The airline recently operated a special humanitarian flight carrying essential medical and humanitarian cargo bound for the Palestinian Territories. Ahmed Al Qubaisi, Etihad Aviation Group Senior Vice President Government, International and Communications, said, “All of us at Etihad feel a collective sense of pride, and humility, in the knowledge that we have been able to fully mobilise our resources at a time of great difficulty and suffering, to provide essential aerial lifelines to those in need. We have been able to move with agility and fly to territories never served by us prior to the current global lockdown, so we can aid in the repatriation of people.” “Our services are a natural extension of the goodwill initiatives of the Government of the United Arab Emirates, and other governments and NGOs. As an international airline made up of a …

Joszef Varadi, CEO, Wizz Air confirmed his ambitions for the low-cost carrier’s impending move to operate and serve in the GCC markets, in an interview with aviation industry consultant John Strickland at ATM Virtual. Varadi said, “We managed to grow our fleet to 100 aircraft over the last 15 years in the EU and we should be able to do the same thing in Abu Dhabi.” Expanding on his forecast, he added, “You should be looking at our platform, not necessarily just Abu Dhabi, we want to serve the UAE and possibly the broader GCC markets.” Varadi went to talk about the current situation and the desire to travel, versus the ability to travel. He claimed that his customers were motivated to travel especially younger customers, who generally are more adventurous and less affected by the pandemic. However, the inconsistent response from different governments to the COVID-19 situation was not supporting the industry and that a framework of regulations was needed, to enable aviation to recover. “Airports did well after 9/11 introducing heightened security measures and we need similar measures regarding health and safety. While airports and airlines are quiet it is easier to practice social distancing, but not when we start to become busier.There is no scientific evidence to suggest any passengers have contracted the virus while flying. In fact, the air filtration onboard aircraft is comparable with an intensive care unit,” he said. “I do support wearing masks, hand sanitising, disinfecting and reducing the amount of high touch points such as cash payments for onboard catering and inflight magazines. It’s all about liquidity and what that provides to your business. If we do not fly a single passenger …

Abu Dhabi Airports will begin to welcome transfer passengers travelling through Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) from June 10, 2020. The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has approved Etihad’s commencement of a limited number of transfer flights connecting 20 destinations via Abu Dhabi International Airport. The resumption of these commercial flights marks the beginning of the resurgence of the UAE’s national aviation sector.The transfer flights will be allowed to land and depart from Abu Dhabi International Airport, enabling travellers to connect easily through the UAE capital onwards to key global destinations. H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports commented, “This milestone has been enabled by the effective and swift response of our nation’s wise leadership in implementing comprehensive measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. The UAE is recognised globally as a transfer hub of choice, enabling passengers from around the world to travel with convenience and ease. With this initial step, we begin the process of restarting commercial air travel, contributing to the region’s economic recovery following COVID-19.” “We have made extensive preparations to welcome back increasing amounts of passengers to our airports, and we have worked with our longstanding partner, Etihad Airways, to implement comprehensive health and safety measures across our facilities. The welfare of passengers and our employees remains our top priority, and we continue to work with the relevant aviation authorities in the UAE to ensure their safety whilst travelling through Abu Dhabi,” he said.

Emirates airline will offer passenger services to 16 more cities on its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from June 15, following the UAE Federal Government’s announcement to lift restrictions on transit passengers services. With travel restrictions remaining in place in most countries, customers are reminded to check entry and exit requirements before their journeys. Flights to the following cities will be available for booking on emirates.com or via travel agents: Bahrain, Manchester, Zurich, Vienna, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dublin, New York JFK, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Taipei, Hong Kong, Perth and Brisbane. In addition, from June 8 Emirates will offer flights from Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad for travellers from Pakistan who wish to connect onwards to other Emirates destinations. With this latest announcement, Emirates will be offering flights for passengers on the back of its scheduled cargo operations from Dubai to 29 cities, including existing flights to London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Chicago, Toronto, Sydney, Melbourne and Manila (from 11th June). Customers can book to fly between destinations in the Asia Pacific and Europe or the Americas, with a convenient connection in Dubai, as long as they meet travel and immigration entry requirements of their destination country.Working closely with the UAE authorities, Emirates continues to take a measured and phased approach to flight resumption and rebuilding connections between Dubai and the world. Emirates has implemented a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the customer journey to ensure the safety of its customers and employees on the ground and in the air, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to all customers.