Category Archives: Aviation

Abu Dhabi Airports is supporting global efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring the safe, secure and efficient transport of essential supplies and equipment through Abu Dhabi International Airport, in addition to facilitating a number of repatriation and humanitarian flights. It is the primary gateway to Abu Dhabi and a key global transit hub for passengers and airfreight, offering connections to the world’s key markets. Its specialist cargo facilities offer significant capacity for transhipments and the efficient handling of time and temperature-sensitive goods. Shareef Al Hashmi, Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “This is a critical time for the aviation sector and our nation as we come together to combat the global COVID-19 pandemic. We are committed to ensuring the health and safety of our employees, stakeholders and passengers as we continue to operate our airports and facilities in order to provide our communities and healthcare centres with the goods and equipment they need.” “We do not take this responsibility lightly and have mobilised special teams to enhance our cargo operations and facilitate the necessary repatriation and humanitarian flights departing from Abu Dhabi International Airport. I am especially proud of our employees’ continued dedication and commitment during this challenging time,” added Al Hashmi. Waleed Salem Al Hemeiri, Acting Deputy Chief Operations Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “We have implemented a range of special measures across its cargo and passenger operations, including workforce cluster management, thermal imaging cameras at key transit areas, free COVID-19 tests for passengers and employees and roster realignment to ensure the continued safe and efficient management of vital supplies and repatriation flights.” “We are coordinating with all relevant authorities, partners and suppliers at …

Dubai Airports confirmed the safe and smooth launch of repatriation flights for Indian citizens from Dubai International’s Terminal 2 with the coordinated efforts of UAE authorities, the Indian Embassy in the UAE, airlines and other Dubai Airports’ service partners. All repatriation flights to India will be operated from Terminal 2 by India’s national carriers Air India and Air India Express until further notice. Dubai Airports has taken a number of steps to ensure the health and safety of airport staff and passengers during repatriation operations. Apart from the recently completed deep cleaning and sterilisation exercise spanning the entire facility, social distancing measures including signage, floor stickers and separated seating areas, have been implemented across DXB. Check-in counters and immigration desks have been fitted with Perspex screens to provide additional safety for staff, who are also required to wear personal protective equipment. Entry to the terminal is strictly limited to ticketed passengers carrying valid documents and wearing personal protective equipment. As part of the new pre-check-in procedure all passengers will receive thermal screening and/or a rapid antibody test, conducted by Dubai Health Authority’s Airport Medical Centre team. Dubai Airports has appealed to family and friends of passengers to help the repatriation operation and the fight against COVID-19 by saying their good-byes at home and avoid crowding at the airport.

These may be uncertain times for the travel industry, but that hasn’t deterred PIA from making Amadeus its mainstay long-term partner in travel distribution. Middle East: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has reached a landmark agreement in distribution with Amadeus, giving PIA full access to Amadeus’ global travel seller network. Through this new agreement, Amadeus-connected agencies will now be able to book PIA’s full suite of domestic and international inventory through the Amadeus Travel Platform. Given the unprecedented challenge that the travel industry is facing, never before has distribution strategy and reach been more important for an airline. “We’ve undertaken a significant transformation programme at PIA, and now we’ve found the right distribution partner with global reach to drive our future growth. This deal brings us international presence in markets we didn’t have to date, ensuring that more travel agencies across the globe can book and sell our offer,” says Abdullah H. Khan, General Manager, Public Affairs Division, PIA. Speaking on the occasion, Arshad Malik, Chief Executive Officer, PIA, says, “Especially in the current environment, when there is so much uncertainty, a strong partner like Amadeus gives us the technology and distribution capabilities we need to reach our expansion targets. We have made substantial investments to restructure our business the past year, laying the ground to capitalise on our growth potential in both domestic and international markets, and we’re excited about what our partnership with Amadeus will bring.”

Five international air transport and tourism bodies have launched an appeal to international financial institutions, country development partners and international donors to support Africa’s Travel & Tourism sector which employs some 24.6 million people on the African continent. Without urgent funding, the COVID-19 crisis could see a collapse of the sector in Africa, taking with it millions of jobs. The sector contributes $169 billion to Africa’s economy combined, representing 7.1 per cent of the continent’s GDP. The request is being made by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) of the United Nations, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) and the Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA). “The sector and the millions of livelihoods it supports across the world, including vulnerable communities are particularly exposed. International financial support is key to ensuring that tourism can lead to wider economic and social recovery in these communities,” said Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General, UNWTO. “Containing the pandemic is the top priority. But without a lifeline of funding to keep the Travel & Tourism sector alive, the economic devastation of COVID-19 could take Africa’s development back a decade or more,” said Alexandre de Juniac, Director-General and CEO, IATA. “The Travel & Tourism sector is in a fight for survival, with nearly eight million in Africa alone due to the COVID-19 crisis. Travel & Tourism is the backbone of many economies across Africa and its collapse will lead to hundreds of millions of livelihoods being impacted and enormous financial pressure for years to come. Now, more than ever, it is vital that governments work together on a global coordinated approach towards a swift recovery and ongoing …

Abu Dhabi Airports has partnered with Tawazun Strategic Development Fund (TSDF) to launch the new CoDi BOT UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle), designed and manufactured by Marakeb Technologies, for the disinfection of viruses including COVID-19. The introduction of new state-of-the-art technology is the latest measure introduced by Abu Dhabi Airports to contain the spread of COVID-19, and aligns with the directives of H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports. This collaboration is part of a broader initiative by Abu Dhabi Airports to integrate the most advanced technologies within its operations, to achieve a high level of efficiency, and provide the best services to its travellers. The CoDi BOT UGV will be piloted from May throughout Abu Dhabi International Airport, including in staff areas and cargo facilities, as well as being used as part of cabin deserialisation processes on passenger aircraft. Specifically ensuring aircraft cabins are kept clean and sterile, the CoDi BOT UGV is designed to be able to manoeuvre through airplane cabin, which is a unique feature of this product, while ensuring the safety of its operators through remote control capability, using real-time video and high-speed 4G data connection. Shareef Hashim Al Hashmi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, commented, “The acute impact of the pandemic would have heightened our overall sense of awareness toward hygiene, and as vital piece of public infrastructure, we have a clear responsibility to ensure our spaces remain clear of any virus threat. By deploying artificial intelligence, it adds another layer of protection and builds on our comprehensive response to the COVID-19 outbreak. “We can reassure passengers and our frontline staff that we are taking every precautionary measure to …

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) supports the wearing of face coverings for passengers and masks for crew while on board aircraft as a critical part of a layered approach to biosecurity to be implemented temporarily when people return to travelling by air. IATA does not support mandating social distancing measures that would leave ‘middle seats’ empty. Evidence suggests that the risk of transmission on board aircraft is low. Mask-wearing by passengers and crew will reduce the already low risk, while avoiding the dramatic cost increases to air travel that onboard social distancing measures would bring. “The aviation industry is working with governments to re-start flying when this can be done safely. Evidence suggests that the risk of transmission on board aircraft is low. And we will take measures—such as the wearing of face coverings by passengers and masks by crew—to add extra layers of protection,” said Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO,IATA. “The cabin environment naturally makes transmission of viruses difficult for a variety of reasons. That helps explain why we have seen little occurrence of onboard transmission. In the immediate term, our aim is to make the cabin environment even safer with effective measures so that passengers and crew can return to travel with confidence. Screening, face coverings and masks are among the many layers of measures that we are recommending. Leaving the middle seat empty, however, is not,” said de Juniac. “Airlines are fighting for their survival. Eliminating the middle seat will raise costs. If that can be offset with higher fares, the era of affordable travel will come to an end. On the other hand, if airlines can’t recoup the costs in higher fares, airlines …

Wizz Air announced five new routes from Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH). The routes will connect the capital of United Arab Emirates with Budapest and Bucharest from June 2020 and with Cluj-Napoca, Katowice and Sofia from September 2020, subject to aviation activities being resumed in the respective countries. The airlines becomes the first European low cost carrier to launch flights to Abu Dhabi. It is intended that Wizz Air will focus on establishing routes to markets in which the airline has existing, high growth operations, namely Central and Eastern and Western Europe, as well as the Indian subcontinent, Middle East and Africa, over the long run.  Shareef Al Hashmi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, commented,“These new routes positively reflect the industry’s resilience and its capability to continue pushing forward with bold plans that will stimulate consumer demand and the sustained recovery of the aviation market. As our newest landing partner, we welcome Wizz Air and its first routes with open arms as we get set to facilitate the carrier’s exciting Abu Dhabi expansion plans. Visitors from Hungary, Romania, Poland and Bulgaria can look forward to enjoying our modern terminal facilities with a unique brand of Arabian hospitality before seamlessly heading out to experience the UAE’s thriving capital city, Abu Dhabi.” József Váradi, CEO of Wizz Air Holdings said, “We are convinced that our passengers will appreciate the convenient flight schedules, the easy online booking system and the wide range of tailor-made travel options Wizz Air offers. Our mission feeds into Abu Dhabi’s diversified economic strategy as we continue to stimulate traffic by creating demand to the benefit of growing Abu Dhabi’s touristic and economic diversity. We look forward to welcoming …

Airports Council International (ACI) World and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) jointly urge governments to quickly grant financial relief to assist airport operators and airlines during the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis and support the essential connectivity the industry will provide for economic recovery. The industry is united with governments around the world in efforts to stop the spread of the virus, and, in the face of massive government imposed travel restrictions, the industry is doing all it can to maintain air cargo operations vital to supporting global supply chains, including medical shipments critical to fighting COVID-19. ACI and IATA are calling for urgent balanced support to the industry via: Taxation relief, including alleviation of payroll taxes, corporate taxes, concession fees or other government incomes from the industry; and loans, loan guarantees or direct support to maintain financial liquidity across the aviation ecosystem. Angela Gittens, Director General, ACI World, said, “Urgent tax relief and direct financial assistance that is to the benefit of the entire aviation ecosystem is needed to help preserve millions of jobs, protect essential operations, and foster a balanced recovery. Preserving the continuity of operations for airports and airlines and protecting aviation jobs today will result in a faster economic recovery tomorrow.” Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO, IATA, said, “Governments will depend on aviation to be ready to lead an economic recovery when this pandemic is behind us. Governments must act now with financial lifelines that only they can provide for airlines and airports to see them through these extraordinary times. Airlines and airports are in this together. The more financially stable our airport partners are, the more they can help the industry to drive a …

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced global passenger traffic results for March 2020 showing that demand (measured in total revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) dived 52.9% compared to the year-ago period. This was the largest decline in recent history, reflecting the impact of government actions to slow the spread of COVID-19. In seasonally adjusted terms, global passenger volumes returned to levels last seen in 2006. March capacity (available seat kilometers or ASKs) fell by 36.2% and load factor plummeted 21.4 percentage points to 60.6%. “March was a disastrous month for aviation. Airlines progressively felt the growing impact of the COVID-19 related border closings and restrictions on mobility, including in domestic markets. Demand was at the same level it was in 2006 but we have the fleets and employees for double that. Worse, we know that the situation deteriorated even more in April and most signs point to a slow recovery,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO. “The industry is in free fall and we have not hit bottom. But there will come a time—soon, I hope—when authorities will be ready to begin easing restrictions on mobility and opening borders. It is imperative that governments work with industry now to prepare for that day. It is the only way to ensure that we have measures in place to keep passengers safe during travel and reassure governments that aviation will not be a vector in the spread of the disease. We must also avoid the confusion and complexity that followed 9/11. Global standards that are mutually accepted and operationally practicable will be mission-critical to achieving this. The only way to get there is by working together,” said de …

Turkish Airlines performed one of the most significant flights on April 23, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Grand National Assembly, and National Sovereignty and Children’s Day. The TC-JJF registered Boeing 777-300 (ER) type aircraft, which arrived in Ankara in the morning for this special flight, took off from Esenboğa Airport on April 23 at 09:40, local time. Representing the date April 23, 1920, flight TK1920 lasted approximately two hours and followed a route in which the crescent and star symbols in the Turkish flag were drawn. After the flight, which was followed by many through the live air traffic site Flightradar24 that provides flight tracking data, a crescent-star route emerged and passed into Turkish aviation history. Cpt. ÖnerSamyel and Cpt. Murat Gülkanat, who made this meaningful flight that left its mark in the heavens, made a special announcement in the sky above the Assembly building itself, which was opened 100 years ago. In the announcement referring to the statement of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, ‘Sovereignty unconditionally belongs to the nation’, it was emphasised that Turkish Airlines ensured that his legacy lived on in the skies. Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, M. İlkerAycı said, “The inauguration day of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, founded a hundred years ago to represent the will of a nation which went great lengths to ensure its freedom and independence, was gifted to our children by its founder Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk as ‘April 23, National Sovereignty and Children’s Day’, reflecting the confidence in the next generation in the safekeeping of these sacred values. As our country’s national flag carrier, we dedicate today’s exclusive flight to our …