Category Archives: Aviation

Abu Dhabi Airports has welcomed new daily flights from Al Ain International Airport (AAN) to King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, designed to facilitate travel to Saudi Arabia for the performance of the Islamic pilgrimage, Umrah, during the holy month of Ramadan. The flights, operated by Etihad Airways, will take place during the last ten days of Ramadan, commencing on May 26 and continuing through to June 4, in line with the most popular time period for performing Umrah. Ahmed Al Shamisi, Acting Chief Operations Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “Ramadan is a blessed time of the year, and we are delighted to be able to support our customer’s performance of Umrah by adding a daily flight to Jeddah from Al Ain International Airport during the last ten days of Ramadan. We are continually working to enhance our services and offerings, and together with Etihad Airways we look forward to sharing the spirit of Ramadan with those travelling for Umrah.” Etihad Airways will operate its daily flights using its Airbus A330. Flights are scheduled to depart from Al Ain International Airport at 13:30 Local Time (LT) and arrive at King Abdulaziz International Airport at 15:20 LT. Returning flights will depart from King Abdulaziz International Airport at 16:20 LT and arrive at Al Ain International Airport at 20:05 LT.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the global passenger traffic results for March 2019 showing that Middle East carriers’ passenger demand fell 3 per cent in March marking a second consecutive month of declining traffic. This reflects the broader structural changes in the industry which have been taking place in the region. Capacity increased 2.3 per cent, and load factor plunged 4.0 percentage points to 73.8 per cent. According to IATA, the overall global passenger traffic results for March 2019 showing that demand (measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs) rose 3.1 per cent, compared to the same month a year ago, which was the slowest pace for any month in nine years. “While traffic growth slowed considerably in March, we do not see the month as a bellwether for the rest of 2019. Nevertheless, the economic backdrop has become somewhat less favourable, with the IMF having recently revised its GDP outlook downward for a fourth time in the past year,” said Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO of IATA.

It was announced by Air India that various new flights would begin from next month on international routes in order to meet heavy demand of seats during the summer vacation. The carrier will offer additional 3,500 seats per week on Mumbai-Dubai-Mumbai route from June 1. Moreover, it will offer additional 3,500 seats per week on Delhi-Dubai-Delhi route too from June 2 by operating two new flights using its B787 Dreamliner aircraft. “The airline will offer one way Economy class promotional fare of Rs 7,777 (all inclusive) from both Delhi and Mumbai to Dubai for sale and travel up to July 31, 2019,” Air India said in a statement. On its domestic front, Air India said it will introduce new flights on Bhopal-Pune-Bhopal route and Varanasi-Chennai-Varanasi route from June 5. The statement further added that, “The number of flights on Delhi-Bhopal-Delhi route will be increased from present 14 flights per week to 20 flights per week by introducing third frequency to the historical city of Tals.”

With the completion of ‘Great Move’ to its brand new home base, Istanbul Airport, one of the most significant cornerstones of the Turkish aviation history, Turkish Airlines will open five passenger lounges available for Business Class, Miles & Smiles, Elite Plus & Elite, Star Alliance Gold and Corporate Club passengers. There are currently three lounges open – the Turkish Airlines Business Lounge, Miles & Smiles Lounge and Domestic Lounge. The Exclusive Lounge and Arrival Lounge are planned to open in Summer 2019. The Turkish Airlines Business Lounge has an approximate area of over 60,000 square feet, seats 765 guests and features 13 private suites with showers. Turkish Airlines also designed a 130 square foot museum in here collaborating with the arts and cultural institution, Istanbul Modern. The Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles Lounge is also over 60,000 square feet seating 765 guests, and offers 11 private suites with showers and space where guests can rest on comfortable couches, savor delicious and exclusive treats from Turkey along with international cuisine, or enjoy mobile masseur services. A console gaming experience, golf simulators and large children’s play area provide entertainment, while a technology center with 3D glasses and virtual reality is planned. The two lounges also provide meeting rooms, a library and prayer room. The Turkish Airlines Domestic Lounge is accessible through a special entrance gate located outside the terminal so passengers can complete check-in procedures. Lounge amenities include comfortable couches, Turkish cuisine, a large children’s play area, media wall with multiple TV screens and a prayer room. The overall design concept of the Business Class and Miles & Smiles Lounges reflect an Aegean theme, including designs depicting breezes from the Aegean region. …

The Ministry of Community Development and Etihad Airways have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to launch the Etihad Senior Emiratis Basma Programme, which offers UAE nationals over the age of 60 an exclusive programme of benefits when flying with the airline. Etihad has also signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi Airports to provide Basma members with a range of added benefits from the capital’s airport. On the occasion of the launch, Her Excellency Hessa Bint Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development, emphasised the importance of signing this MoU with Etihad Airways to offer an exclusive programme of benefits and discounts for senior Emiratis. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Following in the footsteps of our country’s great leadership, Etihad Airways truly values the contribution of the UAE’s senior citizens to our society.” Users of the Etihad Senior Emiratis Basma Card will be able to instantly access Silver status with Etihad Guest, the airline’s award-winning loyalty programme. Further benefits include discounts on Etihad Airways flights, when booked through Etihad Airways retail offices. Members will also receive 25 per cent bonus Guest Miles, discounts on upgrades using miles at the airport, alongside priority check-in at Abu Dhabi International Airport. They will also be entitled to an additional baggage allowance, depending on the class of travel. Commenting on this collaboration, Bryan Thompson, Chief Executive Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “Abu Dhabi Airports is eager to collaborate with our key partner, Etihad Airways, on producing tailored and creative offers that will further enhance our customer experience across our services.” Guests within the programme will also be offered a 10 per cent discount at Abu Dhabi Duty Free, as well …

Emirates is the only airline globally to have its mobile app available in 19 languages, including Arabic, English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Czech, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil & Portugal), Polish, Russian, Spanish, Thai and Turkish. All the features in the Emirates app are now available in Arabic, bringing the total number of languages supported to 19. The Emirates app currently receives an average of 600,000 monthly downloads and allows users to search, book and manage their flights as well as their Emirates Skywards accounts. In recent years, the airline has been using analytical and customer behaviour insights to constantly improve its digital channels. Last financial year, a quarter of all ticket sales were made on its web and mobile channels and over 40% of customers checked-in online for their flights. “We have worked very hard to ensure our customers enjoy the same high-quality Emirates experience in the digital world as they do when enjoying our award-winning physical product and service. Our app has become a useful travel companion for more than 1.5 million travellers a month and it ensures a seamless customer journey on the go. We will continue to invest in mobile to provide an enjoyable customer experience and to make our customers’ travel journey as seamless as possible,” said Alex Knigge, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand (Digital). Earlier this year, the Emirates app was enhanced with new technology allowing customers to create bespoke playlists of their inflight entertainment ahead of their travel and sync it to their seats once on board, providing a world-class travel experience. The Emirates app is free to download on iOS or Android devices.

Emirates Airline has signed an agreement with Smart Dubai to offer special flight discounts to the latter’s employees for travel. Emirates will also support Smart Dubai with its travel requirements to participate in international events and conferences, as well as with the events that it organises on a yearly basis in Dubai, including the Future Blockchain Summit and Smart Dubai Blockchain Challenge. The agreement was signed by Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations Centre at Emirates, and H.E. Dr Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, General Director of Smart Dubai. Sheikh Majid said, “We are proud to partner with Smart Dubai to provide their teams with special travel benefits and to support their many activities and initiatives. Emirates is fully aligned with their vision to deliver world-class smart services and infrastructure through embracing technology and innovation, in order to ultimately make Dubai the world’s smartest and happiest city.” H.E. Dr Aisha commented, “We continue to invest in innovative technologies and network with skilled industry experts, entrepreneurs and organisations that have launched exceptional start-ups. Our aim is to continue raising awareness around the world and with the support of our new partner, Emirates, we look forward to accomplishing our goals and transforming Dubai into a leading, global smart city.” Smart Dubai consists of 304 employees who are now are entitled to purchase Emirates flight tickets at a discounted rate. This offer applies to all destinations on the Emirates network, originating from Dubai, and can be availed upon booking at Emirates offices, as well as select travel agents. Emirates will be hosting travel clinics at the Smart Dubai offices over the next few months to provide their employees …

Emirates has demonstrated its commitment to fostering innovation in the global aviation industry by signing MoUs with three teams from the sixth cohort of the Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA) programme. The companies, hailing from the USA, Germany and the UK, were selected from the pool of seven participant teams that worked with Emirates through DFA for nine weeks between March and May 2019. The MoUs were signed by Adel Al Redha,  Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Emirates,  and by representatives from the shortlisted companies — Opinsta (UK), Predapp (Germany) and Verusen (USA). Emirates joined the DFA programme in 2017. In what was a first earlier this year, Emirates and the Dubai Future Foundation announced that all the teams participating in the sixth cohort of the DFA programme would be dedicated to addressing three challenges set forth by Emirates in the domains of B2B procurement, seamless customer experience, and an integrated system for crew duty travel. The teams from Cohort 6 of the DFA programme worked with stakeholders from Emirates to map out requirements, refine their proposals and develop prototype solutions. Opinsta, Predapp and Verusen were chosen based on the fit of their proposed solutions, and broader application and scalability within Emirates. Adel Al Redha said, “Over the course of nine weeks, the interactions between the teams at Emirates as well as the participants of Cohort 6 of the Dubai Future Accelerators programme have resulted in a number of options we can explore to address the challenges we had defined.” Khalfan Belhoul, CEO at Dubai Future Foundation, said, “The MoUs signed today are the outcome of DFA’s offering of an ideal setting for Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, …

Etihad Airways announced it is extending its free Abu Dhabi stopover campaign to the end of the year due to the popularity of the special offer in its opening month. Travellers flying through the capital of the UAE with the airline are invited to enjoy a free two-night hotel stay to break up their journey and explore the city’s vibrant and diverse attractions. Abu Dhabi offers visitors the chance to explore cultural highlights, impressive architecture, world-class theme parks as well as striking beaches and desert landscapes. Etihad is offering two free nights of hotel accommodation in Abu Dhabi for all guests booking flights to and from all Etihad destinations via Abu Dhabi. Guests can choose from a range of hotels located across the city including the five-star Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Intercontinental Abu Dhabi and Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi, as well as the Pearl Rotana, Courtyard by Marriott WTC, Crowne Plaza and Radisson Blu. The free Abu Dhabi stopover promotion is available for bookings online through etihad.com or via a travel agent made by December 1 for travel until December 31, 2019. Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “We are extremely pleased that our Abu Dhabi stopover has appealed to so many of our guests and exceeded our expectations in the first month since it launched.” Etihad guests booking online should select a multi-city flight and will be directed to the stopover booking page once the booking is confirmed. Guests then have the option to choose a hotel package with one of the many hotel partners operating this promotion. With the Extraordinary Abu Dhabi Pass, visitors to Abu Dhabi can use their Etihad Airways boarding pass to …

GoAir passengers travelling from Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) are invited to take advantage of Abu Dhabi Airports’ new remote check-in location at the City Terminal in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s business district, located on 10th street opposite Abu Dhabi Mall in the Tourist Club area. From May 10 onwards, GoAir passengers are invited to check-in 24 hours in advance at the City Terminal. This provides GoAir passengers with the flexibility of checking-in at a time convenient for them, before departing for their flight from AUH. Abu Dhabi International Airport is one of the few airports in the world to offer remote check-in facilities. The City Terminal welcomes travellers to check-in between 24 and four hours before their flights. The facility also offers retail baggage services including sealing and wrapping to all passengers. Maarten de Groof, Chief Commercial Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “Last month we welcomed GoAir’s inaugural flight from Kannur to Abu Dhabi and this month we are delighted to welcome GoAir travellers to stop by our easily accessible and conveniently located City Terminal facility. India is an important market for us. Abu Dhabi Airports and we look forward to introducing travellers to our world-class services and unique brand of Arabian hospitality.” Bakul Gala, Vice-President PR and Marketing at GoAir, said, “GoAir is happy to invite its customers to avail themselves of Abu Dhabi International Airport’s City Terminal check-in service. The City Terminal not only provides passengers with the flexibility of checking-in at their convenience but also offers a range of additional services. We hope our passengers will greatly benefit from this service.”