Category Archives: Aviation

The latest partnership between Emirates and Latam Airlines will connect 17 cities increasing choice, flexibility and ease of connection for Emirates passengers travelling to/from Brazil. Passengers will now be able to connect with 17 cities in Latam’s domestic network covered by the codeshare agreement including Belo Horizonte, Brasília and Foz do Iguaçu. Passengers travelling to/from these cities will now be able to connect seamlessly in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro with Emirates’ flights to its Dubai hub, which serves over 150 destinations worldwide. The agreement will offer Emirates passengers more choice to travel to/from Brazil with minimum connection times to destinations in Emirates’ global network such as Japan, Australia and India amongst others. Codeshare routes are from/to Sao Paulo (GRU) to Belem (BEL), Belo Horizonte (CNF), Brasilia (BSB),   Campo Grande (CGR), Curitiba (CWB), Florianópolis (FLN), Fortaleza (FOR), Goiânia (GYN), Foz do Iguaçu Falls (IGU), Londrina (LDB), Manaus (MAO), Porto Alegre (POA), Recife (REC), Salvador (SSA), São Luiz (SLZ), Vitória (VIX) and from/to Rio de Janeiro (GIG):  Belém (BEL), Brasília (BSB), Curitiba (CWB),  Fortaleza (FOR), Goiânia (GYN), Iguassu Falls (IGU), Manaus (MAO), Natal (NAT) and Vitoria (VIX). “We’re pleased to establish a partnership with Latam Airlines Brazil providing our passengers with increased choice, flexibility and ease of connection to different cities within Brazil. We continuously invest in providing more benefits to our customers. With our award-winning product and strong partners in Brazil, we look forward to continue supporting the country’s growing inbound tourist numbers and business trade opportunities,” said Adnan Kazim, Divisional Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Revenue Optimisation and Aeropolitical Affairs, Emirates. Emirates currently serves two Brazil gateways with daily services to Dubai from Sao Paulo, operated by the …

Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, announced the launch of its new complimentary in-flight entertainment system ‘SkyTime’ that allows passengers to live stream digital content on smartphones, tablets or laptops while travelling with the carrier. The new innovative entertainment system is now available across Air Arabia’s fleet. Customers can access ‘SkyTime’ network right after takeoff, and enjoy a wide selection of Hollywood, Bollywood, Arabic and Russian movies, television shows, music, destination tips and games as well as a special offering for younger ones. The system is app-less which makes its usage and access almost effortless. Commenting on the launch, Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, said, “We always seek to make the best use of technology to provide added value to our customers. We are proud to launch ‘SkyTime’, our all new free in-flight entertainment system solely designed to provide customers with added value while onboard Air Arabia flights. This new launch reflects Air Arabia’s commitment to continuously apply innovative solutions aimed at providing real value and convenience to customers”. Air Arabia customers can access the new system after takeoff by enabling the Wi-Fi connection and selecting the ‘SkyTime’ network. By logging in, they can browse a wide selection of entertainment content in addition to an exclusive feature that provides customers with valuable tips about the city they are travelling to. Air Arabia is renowned for using cutting-edge technology to provide simple and efficient solutions to its customers. The carrier was also the first to introduce an online loyalty system “Airewards” providing customers with the option to earn points based on money spent rather than distance …

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group officially opened the 19th edition of Dubai Airport Show, the world’s largest airport exhibition. The three-day show took off with a grand opening with an impressive participation of 375 exhibitors from 60 countries. The exhibitors are showcasing more than 50 new technologies and innovative products over three days at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC). His Highness Sheikh Ahmed remarked, “With passenger numbers expected to continue their growth trajectory and drive airport expansion projects to accommodate the demand, the UAE’s aviation sector remains a key driver of our economic growth. The Airport Show, with all the co-located events, offers an ideal platform to the Middle East, Africa and South Asia’s aviation authorities, companies and individuals to come together and collaborate with international experts and leaders to improve global aviation.” The co-located events are Air Traffic Control (ATC) Forum, Airport Security Middle East, Global Airport Leaders Forum (GALF), Women in Aviation (WIA) General Assembly and CAPA Middle East & Africa Aviation Summit. Daniyal Qureshi, Group Exhibition Director at Reed Exhibitions Middle East, organisers of the Airport Show, said the show has been a clear sell-out, indicating the industry’s continuing vibrancy and investment potential for expanding facilities and new technologies at airports and the aviation industry in general. Delivering the Airport Keynote address at CAPA Aviation Summit, Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports Corporation, said DWC is set to handle 240 million passengers with personalised experience in the future. “The hub model is the right and sustainable model, which is benefiting Dubai,” …

Emirates renewed its support to Mauritius and the Seychelles by extending a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which outlines joint activities to promote the two countries. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group met a VIP delegation from Mauritius and Seychelles at Arabian Travel Market 2019.  An MoU was signed  by Orhan Abbas, Senior Vice President—Commercial Operations for Africa, Emirates and Sherin Francis, Chief Executive Officer, Seychelles Tourism Board and Arvind Bundhun, Director, Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, in the presence of the Didier Dogley and Anil Kumar Gayan, Tourism Ministers of Seychelles and Mauritius respectively. “We have enjoyed long and fruitful partnerships with both Mauritius and Seychelles, and have taken an active role in boosting the tourism industry of the island nations. Our commitment to these destinations and the partnership forged with the respective government authorities, have seen great success. The renewal of our agreements underpins our confidence that the growth of tourism to both Mauritius and Seychelles can be further developed, and we remain confident that we will continue to see these numbers grow,” said Abbas. “The signing of this MoU with Emirates underpins the long-standing strong relationship, developed over a decade, between the Government of Seychelles and the leadership of this global airline. We value the services Emirates has provided and continues to provide to the Seychelles and its tourism industry. We look forward towards further deepening this relationship towards our mutual benefits”, said Didier Dogley, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine of the Seychelles. “I am happy that we are renewing this Memoradum of Understanding with Emirates as this is the basis on which we have built …

Turkey’s leading low cost carrier Pegasus Airlines will fly direct from Ras Al Khaimah International airport from October 28, 2019, this was revealed at a special interview with Haitham Matthar, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, stating that this will further enhance tourism arrivals from Europe and Russia via Istanbul. Commencing from October 28, 2019, Pegasus Airlines will operate scheduled flights between Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport and Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, and will operate the direct route twice a week every Saturday and Wednesday. The new flight operation will provide outbound and transit travellers from Istanbul a smoother and seamless access to Ras Al Khaimah, one of the fastest-growing destinations in the Middle East. The carrier’s new route will further connect Ras Al Khaimah with 26 European destinations including the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, the Nordics and Russia via Istanbul. Mattar said, “We are pleased to announce our strategic partnership with Pegasus Airlines that will help us introduce Ras Al Khaimah to the Turkish market and most importantly allow us to leverage Istanbul’s proximity and hub connectivity with our key feeder markets within Europe and Russia. This new addition is an important step in our continuous drive to increase accessibility and visibility, attract more high yield visitors, and ultimately boost both first-time and repeat visitation from our source markets.” As per figures last year, Germany, Russia and the UK continue to be the leading international source markets for Ras Al Khaimah, driven by a strong appetite for the destination’s year-round offering. Ras Al Khaimah International Airport now welcomes direct connectivity from various global destinations including Cairo, Islamabad, Jeddah, Lahore, Peshawar, Calicut, Katowice, Poznan, Warsaw, Luxembourg, Prague, …

Revolutionising the aviation sector once again, Etihad Airways unveiled a major Economy transformation programme starting with the cabin upgrade and refurbishment of 23 narrow-body Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft. The retrofit programme, which includes new personalised wireless streaming entertainment to smartphone and tablet devices, is scheduled for completion in August this year. The airline is also introducing a new and improved Economy dining concept on all its flights as part of a wider programme of enhancements to its inflight catering. Etihad introduced the new developments at Arabian Travel Market, together with a new advertising campaign, ‘Go Your Own Way’, using Fleetwood Mac’s anthemic classic as its soundtrack. As part of the airline’s overall ‘Choose Well’ brand platform, the campaign will drive greater awareness of Etihad’s commitment to providing its guests with greater control, choice and value by personalising their travel experiences. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Etihad has always been a challenger brand, shaping the future of travel as the market constantly changes. We are bringing the leadership and innovation to Economy travel which we have long established in our award-winning Business, First and The Residence cabins. As part of our ‘Choose Well’ promise, we are empowering our guests with more control of their travel experiences, through onboard digital transformation, improved choice and redesigned cabins and products.” Etihad is progressively upgrading the Economy cabins of its narrow-body fleet of Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft. These are used mainly on short-haul regional services, and further afield to 38 Etihad gateways within five hours of flight from Abu Dhabi. The airline is installing modern and refreshed cabins featuring ergonomic Extra-spatial Design seats by UK based Acro, a …

dnata, one of the world’s largest air services providers, continues to invest in its catering operations in the United States.  The company has opened a new, 4,700 m² (51,000 ft2) facility at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and now offers quality catering services in Houston with a capacity of more than 10,000 meals a day.  dnata’s latest expansion will create more than 150 new jobs with the company. The launch customer is British Airways, which operates two daily flights from Houston. Robin Padgett, Divisional Senior Vice President for dnata’s catering division, said, “We are delighted to open another best-in-class catering facility at a major US airport. Our expansion into Houston once again underlines our commitment to the United States, where we see excellent business opportunities for dnata. In 2019 we will continue to enhance our operations in the country by investing in new facilities and growing our team with highly-skilled, local catering professionals. We look forward to providing quality services and products to an increasing number of airlines in the US ensuring an exceptional dining experience for their passengers on each flight.” dnata expanded in the US catering market in 2018 through the acquisition of 121 Inflight Catering. Besides Houston, dnata currently operates catering facilities at three US airports, in New York (JFK), Nashville (BNA) and Orlando (SFB), serving commercial, VIP and private aviation companies, fixed base operators and charter aircraft operators. In 2019, dnata will further enhance its operations in the country opening four additional catering facilities at the airports of Boston (BOS), Los Angeles (LAX), Newark (EWR) and San Francisco (SFO). By year-end, dnata will provide quality catering services at eight US airports. Over the past two years …

Emirates announced the deployment of its latest Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft fitted with the ‘Game Changer’ First Class suites on its Dubai-Malé route from June 1, 2019. The Maldivian capital will become the first destination in the South Asian region to be served on a regular basis by the new aircraft. Passengers travelling to and from the idyllic archipelago on Emirates flights EK658 and EK659, one of three daily non-stop services connecting Malé, with Emirates’ hub in Dubai, will be able to experience the fully-enclosed First Class private suites inspired by luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz. “The Maldives has become an increasingly popular destination for Emirates, attracting premium travellers, honeymooners and families from around the world. Introducing the new Boeing 777 with the state-of-the-art First Class suites on this route reaffirms our longstanding commitment to Malé,” said Ahmed Khoory, Senior Vice President, West Asia & Indian Ocean, Emirates. Travellers to and from the Maldives can experience the new Emirates Boeing 777 product on flight EK658 departing Dubai daily at 04:20hrs and arriving in Malé at 09:30hrs. The return flight EK659 leaves Malé at 11:00hrs, arriving in Dubai at 14:00hrs. From First Class through to the Business and Economy Class cabins, the latest Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft features ergonomically designed seats, multi-million dollar upgrades and the latest version of the ice inflight entertainment system across all cabins. Designed with an emphasis on exceptional customer comfort and ultimate privacy, Emirates ‘Game-Changing’ Boeing 777 private suites feature floor-to-ceiling sliding doors and ultra-modern design features against cool grey colourscapes. Offering up to 40 square feet of personal space each, the spacious, fully-enclosed private suites are laid out in a 1-1-1 configuration, for a total of six …

Emirates will be providing more options for its customers in Riyadh with the introduction of the first scheduled Airbus A380 service to the capital city, effective from April 21, 2019. Riyadh will be the 51st destination to join the Emirates A380 network. Flight EK 817/818, currently operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, will now be operated by the iconic and highly popular Emirates A380. The Emirates A380 aircraft will be operating on the route five times a week. Emirates flight EK 817 will depart Dubai at 18:50hrs, arriving in Riyadh at 19:35hrs. The return flight EK 818 leaves Riyadh at 21:25hrs, arriving in Dubai at 00:35hrs the next day. The deployment of the iconic double-decker aircraft will offer business and leisure travellers from Riyadh even more connection opportunities for a seamless ‘all A380’ journey to business hubs such as New York, London and Hong Kong as well a leisure centres like Mauritius and Barcelona. Adil Al Ghaith, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Gulf, Middle East & Iran, said, “With the introduction of a regularly scheduled A380 service to Riyadh, Emirates is once again reaffirming its ongoing commitment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by catering to growing passenger demand.  This A380 service complements the newly introduced Game Changer Boeing 777-300ER on the route, which means that customers travelling to and from Riyadh can enjoy our latest flagship products. The introduction of the A380 to Riyadh also supports Saudi Vision 2030 by helping to grow the Kingdom’s aviation sector through stimulating robust traffic growth, increasing connectivity and deepening its global footprint.” The Emirates A380 aircraft that will serve the Dubai-Riyadh route will be set  in a three-class configuration, with 429 spacious seats …

Airlines that are adding tracking at more points of the baggage journey are enjoying a huge improvement in bag delivery globally. The SITA 2019 Baggage IT Insights – officially launched at an event in Abu Dhabi International Airport – shows that where tracking is done at check-in and loading onto the aircraft, the rate of improvement is as high as 66%. These results come as the record drop in the baggage mishandling rate achieved globally over the past decade plateaus, with the rate steady at around 5.7 bags per thousand passengers over the past three years. In 2018, the rate was 5.69 per thousand passengers. Over the past year, an increasing number of airlines and airports have started to introduce tracking at key points in the journey – check-in, loading onto the aircraft, transfers and arrival – to improve baggage management and further reduce the chances of a bag being mishandled. SITA’s research provides the first glimpse of the success of this tracking. It reveals that where bags were being tracked when loaded onto the aircraft, the rate of improvement ranged between 38% and 66% depending on the level of tracking introduced. Peter Drummond, Director of Baggage at SITA, said, “While the mishandling rate has started to plateau over the past few years, this comes against a continued growth in passenger numbers and their bags. In 2018, 4.36 billion travellers checked in more than 4.27 billion bags. More bags makes things more challenging. Everyone across the industry needs to look beyond the process and technology improvements made in the past decade and adopt the latest technology such as tracking to make the next big cut in the rate of mishandled …