Category Archives: Aviation

The first Global Investment in Aviation Summit (GIAS), set to be held in Dubai, will host over 500 top aviation asset managers, aircraft lessors, investors, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities, aviation logistics suppliers and fixed-base operators (FBOs). The delegates from 40 countries will include 20 aviation ambassadors, 10 knowledge partners, 200 aviation officials and 300 investors brainstorming throughout the three days. The conference will take place as the UAE authorities are investing Dh85 billion ($23.16 billion) in airport development and expansion that will see its airports handle develop combined capacity to handle more than 300 million passengers per year. “Our airlines and airports have been ranking consistently as among the best internationally. On compliance level, UAE ranked as a top member state of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. GIAS is UAE’s testament of our commitment to push the nation to be a global pioneer in this field. The glass ceiling is not too high to break as we have mounted unimaginable innovations,” said HE Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director-General, UAE General Civil Aviation Authority.

Etihad Airways has launched two specialised services for air travellers with pre-existing medical conditions, ensuring continuity of care and in-flight safety. The one-stop-shop services will be carried out by members of the Etihad medical team who are qualified in aviation and transport medicine. The first service allows guests, who require medical clearance prior to travel, the opportunity to request an Etihad aviation doctor to visit them and conduct an evaluation in consultation with their attending physician. All medical forms and assessments will be completed by the Etihad doctor on-site, leading to a recommendation about their “fit to fly” status within one day. The second service is the introduction of an in-flight nurse who can accompany guests during their trip and provide medical support. Nadia Bastaki, Etihad Airways’ Vice President Medical Services, said, “Etihad is delighted to be the first airline in the region to provide these new medical services which will cater for guests who require medical assistance during their travel. Both services will help ensure our guests have a smooth and hassle-free journey, greatly removing unnecessary anxiety they sometimes feel when travelling.” Guests interested in availing these services can visit: etihad.com/meda

Emirates has launched a new, five times-a-week service from Dubai (DXB) to Santiago International Airport (SCL), via the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo (GRU), marking the airline’s first arrival in Chile. On board the inaugural Boeing 777-200LR flight, which was welcomed at both Sao Paulo and Santiago airports with a water cannon salute, was a group of special guests and media. Hubert Frach, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, West said, “We are very pleased to see the interest this new route has created since it was announced in late January, reflected in strong bookings from and to Santiago. Santiago is a very popular leisure and business destination, and this new service will offer customers across our global network, particularly from key inbound markets such the Far East, Middle East and West Asia, a great travel option to South America. The new service will also give travellers from Chile the opportunity to experience Emirates’ superior product and service, and offer them more convenient travel options with Emirates to Sao Paulo, Dubai and onward to destinations across our network,”. “The arrival of Emirates in Chile is an important symbol of trust and confidence in the country, to our authorities and to how Groupe ADP, VINCI Airports and Astaldi Concessioni, through Nuevo Pudahuel, are setting a new standard of service at Arturo Merino Benítez Airport”, said Nicolas Claude, CEO Nuevo Pudahuel.

Turkish Airlines has signed a deal with American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) to expand its existing collaboration to a global partnership. The global carrier which has added the South America region to the new joint service area, will also become one of the airlines supported by Amex GBT at the top level, within the scope of this expanded agreement. The agreement was signed by M İlker Aycı, Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines and Greg O’Hara, Board Chairman, Amex GBT. The collaboration is aimed to determine a common strategy on a global level and increase the cooperation between the managements of both parts at all levels. Another goal at this point is to increase the cooperation in product development and sales for ‘Marine & Offshore’, ‘Travel and Lifestyle Services’ and ‘Meeting & Events’ segments. Aycı said, “We are pleased to enter such an important business partnership with Amex GBT. With this new agreement, which was existed on a regional scale and now expanded to global, we aim to increase our market share also in the corporate travel segment and be the most preferred airline for all business travellers worldwide.”

Introducing 3D seat models on emirates.com, Emirates has becoming the first airline to introduce web virtual reality (VR) technology on its digital platform. The 3D seat model is a visualisation engine that displays an immersive 3D 360 degree view of the interior of the Emirates A380 and the Emirates Boeing 777, giving customers a chance to explore their seats, the spacious cabin and the Emirates onboard product. This new feature available on emirates.com allows users to navigate through the Economy, Business and First Class cabins, as well as the iconic Onboard Lounge and Shower Spa on the Emirates A380 using navigational hotspots. Alex Knigge, Senior Vice President -Corporate Communications, Marketing and Brand (Digital), Emirates said, “As we continually invest to provide our customers with an unmatched travel experience onboard and on the ground, we also work very hard to give our customers a world-class digital experience. We are pleased to be the world’s first airline to introduce this cutting-edge web VR technology.” The high-quality 3D generated graphics offer an outstanding render that is close to reality. Customers accessing emirates.com via their mobile devices or the Emirates app for iOS and Android will also be able to explore their seats before checking in online with the 3D seat map.

Taking two new Airbus A320 aircraft deliveries, Air Arabia has brought its total operating fleet to 53. The latest Airbus A320 arrived on schedule from the Airbus facility in Toulouse, France, marking the completion of all deliveries this year. The new A320 aircraft have gone straight into service across the airline’s over 150 destination networks served from the main carrier hubs in the UAE, Morocco and Egypt. Air Arabia added 12 new routes from its hubs in the first half of 2018. The next delivery will be Air Arabia’s first A321neo LR to join the fleet early next year. Adding the A321 to the fleet will enable the low-cost carrier to extend its fleet reach and therefore, enter new markets as well as better serve existing high-density routes. Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia, said, “The delivery of our last two aircraft for 2018 marks a significant step in the development of our fleet expansion strategy, especially as we added 12 new routes this year. We are proud to have created one of the industry’s most modern fleets through exceptional organic growth which helped us offer customers a wider range of destinations at great value.”

In an effort to launch a scheduled A380 service to Pakistan, Emirates will deploy a one-off A380 to Islamabad on July 8. The airline’s iconic double-decker will make its inaugural arrival in Islamabad on a special flight EK2524/EK2525. The A380 flight will depart Dubai on July 8 at 08:00 hrs and arrive in Islamabad at 12:10 hrs. The flight will depart Islamabad at 15:40 hrs and arrive in Dubai at 17:45 hrs on the same day. “We are proud to bring our flagship A380 aircraft to Islamabad, and we look forward to showcasing our innovative products on-board this iconic aircraft with the signature Emirates service. While this is a special flight, we are very keen to launch a scheduled A380 service to Pakistan and will continue to work with authorities to realise these plans,” said Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President – Commercial Operations Centre, Emirates. The Emirates A380 aircraft on this special one-off service will be in a two-class configuration offering spacious seats in Economy Class and fully flat-bed seats in Business Class as well as Emirates’ popular Onboard Lounge. Passengers in all classes enjoy free Wi-Fi to stay in touch with family and friends and Emirates’ multi-award winning ‘ice’ inflight entertainment with up to 3,500 channels of movies, TV programmes, music and podcasts on the industry’s biggest personal screens in each class of travel.

flydubai has announced that Emirates Skywards will now become the loyalty programme for both the airlines. The partnership, announced in July last year, goes beyond code-sharing to a number of initiatives spanning commercial, network planning, airport operations, customer journey. From August 1, 2018, OPEN members will be enrolled into Emirates Skywards to continue to be rewarded when travelling with flydubai. Members will be able to earn both Skywards Miles and Tier Miles every time they fly with Emirates or flydubai, enhancing collection and spending opportunities. During July, OPEN Gold members and Emirates Skywards Silver members and above, who are also OPEN members, can convert their OPEN reward points to Skywards Miles (2 OPEN reward points = 1 Skywards Mile). OPEN reward points held in existing accounts can be redeemed until July 31, 2018 for future flights with flydubai. Since the launch, more than 650,000 passengers have benefitted from the Emirates and flydubai partnership. The seamless approach to travel committed to by both airlines is further cemented with this collaboration, passing on the benefits to passengers who now have the choice to travel to over 200 unique destinations on the combined network of both airlines.

Ahead of the seasonal surge in demand for luxury vehicle shipments to popular holiday destinations, Etihad Cargo celebrates the launch of ‘FlightValet’, its newly designed product aimed to ease the process of moving motor vehicles across the globe. Etihad Cargo transports hundreds of high-value vehicles annually on its passenger and freighter aircraft, and this new product will further simplify customers’ booking experience. Commenting on the launch, Abdulla Mohamed Shadid, Managing Director – Cargo and Logistics, Etihad Airways said, “We are delighted to introduce this new tailored product to the marketplace. Demand from our customers has grown significantly in recent years, and in an effort to improve our service offering, we have introduced vehicle handling capability at key new stations in 2018.” FlightValet is available to those who wish to transport their luxury vehicles immediately. Customers choosing the service will benefit from Etihad Cargo’s proven track record in handling some of the world’s most valuable cars. FlightValet is offered through a dedicated team that will oversee the swift, safe and secure delivery of the vehicle to its final destination. Throughout the year, it will also cater to racing enthusiasts worldwide wishing to take their cars around iconic racetracks such as Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit, home to the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix since 2009.

Emirates has launched a second daily flight between Dubai and Prague to meet the increasing demand for travel on the route. The airline has been serving the Czech market since 2010 and has carried some 1.7 million passengers on the route during this time. To meet the rising demand for both inbound and outbound travel, Emirates has added this new daily flight operated by a Boeing 777-300 ER with a capacity of 360 seats, boosting tourism into the Czech Republic by 262,800 seats a year. The new flight will accommodate three classes on board, with eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy. Flight EK137 leaves Dubai at 15:30 and arrives in Prague at 19:55. The return flight EK138 leaves Prague at 21:35 and arrives in Dubai at 05:30 the following day, giving travellers the full day in Dubai to kick-start their holiday, short break or business trip, and take advantage of the wealth of activity and dining options the cosmopolitan city has to offer.