Category Archives: Aviation

Conrad Hotels & Resorts Abu Dhabi will be rebranded on October 1, 2020 following the signing of a management agreement between Hilton and H.H. Sheikh Suroor Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan. The property will be known as Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers and be the first of Hilton’s luxury portfolio to operate in the UAE capital. Jochem-Jan Sleiffer, Hilton’s President for the Middle East, Africa and Turkey, said, “Abu Dhabi is a world leading destination and remains a historic city for Hilton as a location where we began welcoming guests in the UAE almost 50 years ago. We are proud to be working with H.H. Sheikh Suroor Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan to bring this iconic hotel to our portfolio and look forward to providing luxury Conrad service at Etihad Towers.” H.H. Sheikh Suroor Bin Mohammed Al Nayhan commented, “Etihad Towers is the embodiment of modern and sophisticated luxury and I am delighted to be partnering with Hilton to open Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers. Abu Dhabi’s global reputation will be further enhanced with the presence of the luxury Conrad brand – a suitable addition to the world-class retail and dining options available at this landmark development.” Nils-Arne Schroeder, Global Head for Conrad Hotels & Resorts, said, “The debut of Conrad Abu Dhabi Etihad Towers in the capital of the UAE marks a significant milestone for the brand as we grow our portfolio in iconic locations around the world to better meet the needs of discerning travellers everywhere. This hotel is perfectly placed to offer guests a truly inspired stay with personalised connections to the local cultural and artistic experiences for which Abu Dhabi is known, all anchored by Conrad’s signature intuitive …

Emirates announced it will restart services to Entebbe, Uganda (October 1) and Muscat, Oman (October 2), bringing the total number of cities served by the airline to 94. Emirates is gradually resuming operations and rebuilding its network to provide more opportunities for travel, sparing no effort to ensure the highest standards of health and safety for its customers and employees at every travel touchpoint. Emirates will operate to Entebbe with three weekly flights on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. The addition of Entebbe expands Emirates’ African network to 20 destinations, enabling customers to safely and easily connect to destinations across Europe, the Far East, the Americas, the Middle East and West Asia with one convenient stop in Dubai. Emirates flight EK 729 will depart Dubai at 1030hrs, arriving in Entebbe at 1500hrs. The return flight, EK 730, will depart Entebbe at 1700hrs, arriving in Dubai at 2325hrs. Flights from Dubai to Muscat will operate twice a week on Sundays and Fridays. Emirates flight EK 866 will depart Dubai at 0215hrs, arriving in Muscat at 0330hrs. The return flight, EK 867, will depart Muscat at 0440hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0555hrs. Services to both cities will be operated by the Boeing 777- 300ER. Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, Emirates sales offices, via travel agents as well as online travel agents. Customers can stop over or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened 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), including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming …

Global Aerospace Summit 2020 commenced in a virtual format and will end today September 29, where industry leaders from across the globe convened online to address the aviation, aerospace, space and defence sectors biggest challenges and opportunities. Hosted by Mubadala Investment Company and EDGE, the Summit will analyse how the aerospace and aviation industries can quickly recover, where efforts must be made to support the regeneration of those sectors and what new prospects are ascending from the new reality the world is facing. Badr Al-Olama, Chairman of the Global Aerospace Summit Advisory Board, and Head of Aerospace, Mubadala commented, “The Global Aerospace Summit is a timely reminder that our sector – more than most – is part of a wider, interconnected global industry built on partnership and collaboration. By sharing ideas and experiences we can overcome the challenges to realise the tremendous opportunities ahead. Mubadala and our Aerospace companies like Strata, Sanad and Yahsat are honoured to play our part in this conversation and share our vision for a dynamic sector built on continued investments in technology, disruptive business models and people.” Khalid Al Breiki, President – Mission Support, EDGE said, “EDGE is proud to host the fifth edition of the Global Aerospace Summit. The platform will enable us to leverage and strengthen our synergies and partnerships with some of the world’s leading aerospace and aviation players, as we seek to highlight the role that advanced technology plays, and will continue to play, in revolutionising the way the sector operates.” Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said “When markets reopen, adaptability will be key and Etihad will be ready. The Global Aerospace Summit is an excellent forum …

Emirates’ African network will expand to 15 destinations with the restart of Luanda, Angola from 1 October. The airline continues to gradually and safely restore its network, delivering on its health and safety promise as it responds to growth in passenger demand across the globe. Flights to Luanda will initially operate once a week on Thursdays. Emirates flight EK793 will depart Dubai at 0945hrs, arriving in Luanda at 1430hrs. EK794 will depart Luanda at 1825hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0510hrs the next day. Customers can stop over or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened 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), including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from.

Unifree Duty Free has implemented state-of-the-art retail technologies at the New Istanbul Airport. These solutions – which rely on a cutting-edge network infrastructure from Swiss structured cabling specialist R&M – include three-dimensional holograms, enhanced digital signage systems, and touch-free digital shopping technologies.Offering an example of how its technology innovations strongly position Istanbul Grand Airport to ensure the safety and well-being of the ninety million travellers expected to visit the Duty Free zone annually, Osman Ayhan, Director of Information Technology at Unifree Duty Free said, “Enhanced digital signage systems give customers the opportunity to virtually try on luxury watches, jewellery and suits before they decide whether to buy or not.” This touch-free experience will be especially important to travellers in the post-COVID world. Ayhan explained that the decision to partner with R&M was based on a highly-positive recommendation from the airport’s IT department which has itself utilised 5,400 km of copper cablings and 3,270 km of fiber-optic cabling from R&M for connectivity of critical airport IT systems. “R&M is characterised by its quality, innovation, fast delivery times, expertise, flexibility and modular products. We also see the team spirit at R&M, the back-office support and the special training of installers on-site as a distinct advantage,” he said. “We are extremely proud to expand R&M’s footprint at the world’s largest airport. Unifree has demonstrated a commitment to pioneering the new digital shopping experiences that will be essential to travellers in the coming months and years. The technologies we have provided serve as a reliable platform on which the company can continue to innovate with confidence in the performance, security and reliability of the underlying systems,” said Nabil Khalil, Executive Vice-President of R&M Middle …

Saudi International Airshow 2021, to be held from February 16-18 in Riyadh announced the inaugural participation of the Women in Aviation Middle East Chapter (WAI-ME), a non-profit association dedicated to providing opportunities to women striving for careers in the aviation industry. Launched in the UAE, this Chapter shines a light on female role models in the Middle East to demonstrate the many opportunities for women in the aviation sector. It is fueled by the possibilities of supporting current and future generations of women to achieve their goals and ambitions as they work side by side with men in the industry. Saudi International Airshow forms part of the Vision 2030 program as the aviation sector continues to play an essential role in the diversification and expansion of the Saudi economy. Since the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has also included women’s rights in Vision 2030, exhibiting companies are supporting women and making more jobs available in aviation. WAI-ME aims to bring together women working in all areas of aviation across the Middle East to inspire and encourage future generations of women to consider a fulfilling career in aviation, and is committed to ensuring its vision, mission and goals are comprehensively realised. “We are delighted that the WAI-ME chapter will join us in February as it will help to cultivate a culture of understanding and appreciation for the Chapter’s vision within the local community, and the region as a whole. Women bring so much to aviation and WAI-ME is invaluable in supporting women at an extremely exciting time for Middle Eastern aviation,” commented Samantha Chastang, Executive Sales Manager for the event.

Emirates airline has reaffirmed its commitment to growing its operations in Bahrain with the introduction of a second daily flight to the Kingdom. The expanded schedule will offer enhanced connectivity for customers travelling to Dubai and beyond to Emirates’ network of over 85 destinations. The second daily flight will be operated by an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER. Starting from 20 September, EK837 will depart from Dubai at 0945hrs, arriving in Bahrain at 1000hrs. The return flight, EK838 will depart from Bahrain 1130hrs, arriving in Dubai at 1355hrs. Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, Emirates sales offices, via travel agents as well as online travel agents. Customers can stop over or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened 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), including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Emirates Skywards, the award-winning loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai, have launched a limited time offer allowing IHG Rewards Club and Emirates Skywards members to earn triple Skywards Miles when booking a stay at any IHG Hotels & Resorts worldwide. This exclusive, limited time offer allows guests to earn 6 Skywards Miles per USD 1 spent at Regent Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hualuxe Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, EVEN Hotels, Voco, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and avid Hotels globally; and 3 Skywards Miles per USD 1 spent at Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites and The Venetian | The Palazzo Las Vegas. The promotion is valid for registrations and hotel bookings made from September 1, 2020 until December 31st 2020, for hotel stays until March 2021 at any IHG Hotels and Resorts worldwide.

flydubai announced the resumption of flights to Malé, Maldives. The service, which the carrier initially operated between 2013 and 2018, will be reinstated from October 27 due to popular demand as the Indian Ocean destination welcomed back tourists of all nationalities earlier this summer. flydubai flights will operate four times a week to Malé on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Flight FZ 1569 will depart from Terminal 3, Dubai International (DXB) at 10:35 and the return flight FZ 1570 will depart from Maldives’ Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (MLE) at 23:30 (local time). This brings the number of destinations flydubai operates to 40 across its network in Africa, Central Asia, Europe, Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East. Commenting on the start of flights to Malé, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai said, “We continue to see signs of recovery as more countries start to lift restrictions on international travel. Working together, all the stakeholders in the travel industry have a role to play to safeguard travel in this new environment enabling more people to travel confidently. We remain agile in our operations and committed to gradually adding more flights to further support the flow of trade and tourism around the region as we look ahead to this new way of travel in the months to come.” Sudhir Sreedharan, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations (UAE, GCC, Africa and the Indian Subcontinent) at flydubai, said, “We are pleased to restart our operations to the Maldives. This has always been a popular destination for our passengers in the UAE, GCC and the Russian speaking markets who are seeking a beach holiday. With Holidays by flydubai expanding its hotels and ancillary offering, …

Etihad Airways has announced an agreement with MCI Middle East, one of the largest professional conference organisers operating globally, to be the official travel and destination management partner of its key events in 2021 and 2022. Etihad will offer speaker and travel management services for all conferences serviced by MCI in Abu Dhabi. This new agreement allows exhibitors, speakers and visitors to purchase Etihad’s full conference package at a special rate, which includes event entrance, flights, hotel accommodation and ground transportation. Hareb Al Muhairy, Senior Vice President Destination and Leisure Management, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “We’re looking forward to working with MCI over the next two years as COVID-19 restrictions are eased and we begin to see events taking place on the ground in our home, Abu Dhabi. “Abu Dhabi has rapidly grown its reputation as a world-class leader in the MICE industry and we will ensure a warm welcome, enriching experience and the very best of Arabian hospitality to all MCI visitors and participants as events resume.” Ajay Bhojwani, Managing Director, MCI Middle East said, “Over the years, Abu Dhabi has strengthened its position as a world class MICE destination globally. And with several events being managed by us every year, we feel it is time for us to push harder to bring in more audiences to Abu Dhabi and have them experience Abu Dhabi in the best possible manner. As economies open globally, we think we need to put forward a new offering that will help travellers choose to visit Abu Dhabi before any other destination. And to make this happen, there cannot be a better partner than Etihad Airways who will look after our guests right from …