Category Archives: Aviation

EGYPTAIR has taken delivery of its first of 12 A220-300 aircraft on order, becoming the first A220 operator based in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region, and the sixth operator worldwide. The Cairo-based airline intends to fly the aircraft on routes to and from its main Egyptian hub in Cairo in the coming days. Representatives from the airline, alongside executives from Airbus Canada Limited Partnership celebrated the aircraft handover at the A220 Mirabel final assembly line. “We are proud to welcome our very first A220 aircraft and to be the first airline in the MENA region to take delivery and launch commercial operations of the A220 – the most innovative and technologically advanced aircraft in the world,” said Capt. Ahmed Adel, Chairman and CEO, EGYPTAIR HOLDING Company. “Airbus’ A220 airliners are integral to the execution of EGYPTAIR business development strategy Horizon 2025 and fleet optimisation plan.” “We are delighted to welcome EGYPTAIR to the growing family of A220 operators and look forward to seeing their passengers enjoy the experience of travelling on board the A220‘s bright, spacious and modern cabin,” said Philippe Balducchi, CEO, Airbus Canada Limited Partnership and Airbus Head of Country Canada. EGYPTAIR’s brand new A220-300 is configured in a two-class cabin with 140-seats including 15 premium economy and 125 economy class seats, offering every passenger a greater level of comfort and space.

It was a great evening at the Kiza Restaurant & Lounge in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Dubai during the African Market, an event that was held to promote emerging Pan-African businesses. RwandAir took the opportunity to showcase their products and services to the local and expat community in Dubai. Timothy Njihia, Area Manager for RwandAir, stated that this was a great place to engage potential and existing RwandAir customers.  To support the event further, RwandAir had in place two return economy class tickets from Dubai to any destination in the RwandAir network to be awarded to two winners participating in the African Market, an opportunity to experience to fly the dream of Africa, as the airline’s tagline says.

Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) has welcomed over 4.5 million passengers during the summer months, demonstrating the airport’s popularity with travellers heading to and leaving Abu Dhabi, as the airport seeks to offer a wide range of attractive routes, smooth operational efficiency and high customer satisfaction. During the summer period, the top five destinations that saw the highest share of traffic through Abu Dhabi International Airport were London, Delhi, Bombay, Cairo and Cochin, which together processed 900,104 passengers between these cities and Abu Dhabi International Airport. During Eid Al Adha period, falling between July 7-17, Abu Dhabi International Airport processed 713,297 passengers arriving, departing and transiting. Commenting on the summer traffic figures, Bryan Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “We are delighted to see the growth in the number of passengers travelling through Abu Dhabi International Airport. Many residents in the UAE seek to travel over the summer period to see their family and friends and explore new destinations. We have been delighted to welcome tourists arriving from countries across the world to experience Abu Dhabi and all that the city has to offer.”

Kuwait Airways, the national carrier of Kuwait, has taken delivery of its first A320neo aircraft. The delivery is a milestone in Kuwait Airways’ 65th anniversary celebrations, marking an important step in the airline’s ambitious fleet renewal and growth plans, which will phase-in 15 A320neo aircraft to its fleet in the coming years, following a purchase agreement signed in 2014. The A320neo will be a pillar of Kuwait Airways’ single aisle fleet, bringing continuity to the success delivered by its current 7 A320ceos, and ensuring a smooth transition for pilots, crews, and technical teams. The A320neo will boost the airline’s profitability with the world’s most advanced and fuel-efficient single-aisle aircraft. Kuwait Airways’ new A320neo is powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines and is configured in a spacious two-class layout, including 12 Business Class and 122 Economy Class seats. The aircraft offers the widest single-aisle cabin in the market with unmatched comfort in all classes. It also provides the latest inflight entertainment technology. The A320neo and its derivatives are the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft family with over 6,600 orders from more than 100 customers all over the world. It has pioneered and incorporated the latest technologies, including an industry reference cabin and latest generation engines, delivering 20 per cent fuel savings per seat. Further to lower emissions, the A320neo also offers additional environmental benefits with nearly a 50 per cent reduction in noise footprint compared to previous generation aircraft.

Dubai International (DXB) welcomed China Eastern’s inaugural flight from the city of Xi’an, home of the world-famous Terracotta Army, in the early hours on August 29. The airline will operate three weekly flights between the two cities, on the A330-200 aircraft. This is China Eastern’s third non-stop service to DXB after Shanghai and Qingdao. China is one of DXB’s most important and among the fastest growing destination countries in terms of passenger numbers, which topped 1.8 million in the first half of 2019. Following the launch of the new service, DXB is now connected to 247 destinations by 70 international carriers.

Turkish Airlines, flying to more countries that any other airline, continues to enhance its flight network. The flag carrier has launched scheduled flights to Mexico City, the second biggest city of Latin America and capital of Mexico along with Cancún, one of the favorite holiday centres of Central America. The flights to Mexico City and Cancún, the 18th and 19th destinations of Turkish Airlines in Americas, will be operated three days a week on Istanbul-Mexico City-Cancún route starting from August 21, 2019. With these flights, Turkish Airlines adds Mexico, the biggest country of Central America, to its flight network, thus offering a connectivity opportunity to a greater area from Istanbul Airport. During the press conference held in Mexico City International Airport for the Mexico City and Cancún inaugural flights, M. İlker Aycı, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines, said, “We continue to expand the borders of our flight network within the framework of our growth strategy. Following Bali, we are happy to be able to connect these two important cities of Americas to 125 countries around the world. Our guests travelling to Mexico City and Cancún will be able to fly with the comfort of Turkish Airlines. We believe our new flights will strengthen the ties between Turkey and Mexico in every way.”  

Turkish Airlines’ cabin crew will now greet passengers with ‘welcome onboard’ dressed in new uniforms on long haul flights of the national flag carrier. The new cabin crew uniforms of Turkish Airlines, flying to the most countries in the world, were designed with the aim of celebrating the airline’s 85th anniversary and will be visible on the entire cabin crew on the long haul flights of the flag carrier. The new uniforms in flag-red and anthracite gray colours, which were rigorously tested on long-range flights in different climates, have been tailored to 25,000 employees in order for cabin crews to serve passengers comfortably. İlker Aycı, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines, said; “I believe that our brand’s presence in the skies will be much more impressive when the new cabin uniforms, which bear elements of our culture, are combined with the elegance of our cabin crews.” Italian haute couturier Ettore Bilotta designed the new cabin uniforms, which were specially sewn by Vakko, and the main fabrics were produced by Altınyıldız, based on the compliance of Turkish Airlines with flight standards.

As Etihad Airways marks its 15th anniversary of its operations between the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, and Manama,  Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, mentions that Bahrain has evolved as a significant market for the airways. Kamark,  said: “We are delighted to celebrate the 15th anniversary of our flights to Bahrain, which was one of the first routes we served after Etihad was established in November 2003. “Bahrain has evolved as a significant market for Etihad, notably because of its strong relationships, long history and shared culture with the UAE.” Since launching services to Bahrain on August 22, 2004, Etihad has carried more than 2.5 million guests between the two capitals. Today, the airline operates 28 flights per week and carries 200,000 guests annually to and from Bahrain, using Airbus A320 aircraft. Etihad’s flights to Manama provide a vital link between Bahrain and major markets in Asia, Indian subcontinent, MENA and the United States, via the airline’s home and hub, Abu Dhabi. Earlier this year, Etihad Airways and Bahrain’s national carrier, Gulf Air, signed a codeshare agreement in which each placed their flight codes on services operated by the other between and beyond Abu Dhabi and Manama, strengthening the offering of both airlines.   The United Arab Emirates has boasted robust economic ties with the Kingdom of Bahrain throughout history. The business links between them are now stronger than ever, with the total non-oil trade volume exceeding 7.5 US billion in 2018. Etihad Airways has played a vital role in encouraging the import and export traffic between the two GCC countries, carrying goods and cargo shipments in both ways. The United Arab Emirates exports Portland cement and precious …

Travel is expected to reach an all-time high in the upcoming weeks for Emirates, as the airline expects yet another busy period with travellers flocking into Dubai after the summer holidays and Eid breaks. Excluding transit passengers, over 500,000 people are expected to arrive into Dubai from August 20 until the beginning of September. Mohammed Mattar, Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates Airport Services, said, “With another record breaking period coming up when it comes to passenger arrivals, we want to ensure that Emirates customers coming back to Dubai have the best experience possible starting from disembarkation through to every touchpoint and have positioned extra resources to ensure a speedy arrival journey.” Emirates has a number of services and initiatives in place to ensure stress-free movement from gate to arrivals, eliminating potential bottlenecks and cutting wait-times for passengers to complete their formalities. Emirates customers can expect reduced processing times at immigration counters when using smart gates, by simply using their Emirates ID or passport. They can ‘clear’ immigration in seconds without human intervention or the need for a physical passport return stamp. Emirates also offers a Home Delivery service where luggage is retrieved, cleared at customs and delivered to customers for a hassle-free arrival experience. First and Business Class passengers arriving in Dubai can quickly access Emirates’ complimentary Chauffer Drive service upon clearing customs, and Economy Class passengers can use the efficient Dubai Taxi services which conveniently awaits them. Passengers can access the Dubai metro directly from the arrivals area of Terminal 3.

Turkish Airlines and LOT Polish Airlines announced the enhancement of their current codeshare agreement with additional destinations both from Turkish Airlines’ and LOT’s flight network. “With the introduction of joint flights on several destinations in Poland, Turkey, Middle East and Africa, passengers would enjoy more travel alternatives through the combined flights. Without a doubt, this agreement will help in increasing the commercial and tourism ties of our countries,” said Bilal Ekşi, Deputy Chairman & CEO, Turkish Airlines. Joint flights will offer fast and convenient connections for customers leaving Istanbul, the biggest Turkish city and also an important flight hub in the world, to Warsaw and beyond. “ The enhanced partnership with Turkish Airlines will help us not only expand LOT route network and offer many new attractive destinations to our passengers but also improve connectivity and travel experience on existing codeshare routes beyond Istanbul, such as Ankara, Cairo or Amman,” said Rafal Milczarski, CEO & President of the Management Board of LOT Polish Airlines. Passengers will also enjoy both domestic and international connections from Istanbul. Moreover, taking into account the complementary structure of time-tables of both carriers and agreement working reciprocally, it will allow both airlines’ customers to enjoy seamless connectivity in their respective hubs. LOT Polish Airlines and Turkish Airlines passengers have also the benefit of accruing and redeeming miles in their respective loyalty programs, Miles&More and Miles&Smiles on all flights of both carriers.