Category Archives: Aviation

National Aviation Services (NAS) has inaugurated its Pearl Lounge at the Cairo International Airport recently. The development of this new lounge follows a five year agreement between the National Logistics Services (NLS), a wholly owned NAS subsidiary and the Cairo Airport Authority to develop and operate the lounge. The inaugural was held in the presence of Mohamed Galal, NAS Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Ahab Abd Elaziz, General Manager, NAS Egypt, key airport officials, dignitaries and media. The new Pearl Lounge, located at Terminal 2 in Departures, covers an area of 540 square meters and offers the ultimate in comfort and luxury to all passengers. This includes complimentary Wi-Fi, tablets, charging power points, food, beverages, comfortable seating and a kids entertainment area to relax and unwind or catch up on work. NAS has been operating in Egypt since 2013. The Pearl Lounge at Cairo International Airport is the fifth NAS lounge in the country with two each at Sham Al Sheikh and Marsa Alam airports. NAS also provides Meet and Assist services that allow passengers to maneuver airport queues faster and helps get them to their flights or destinations quicker. General Ahab Abd Elaziz, General Manager, NAS Egypt, said, “The Cairo International Airport is the busiest in Egypt and second busiest in Africa with a total capacity of 30 million passengers annually. At the Pearl Lounge, NAS offers world class facilities combined with its lounge management expertise to offer passengers premium hospitality in a comfortable and luxurious environment.”

Emirates expects high passenger traffic on its flights this upcoming weekend, as travellers journey out for their summer holidays and long breaks. Over 220,000 travellers will be passing through Emirates Terminal 3 during the upcoming two weekends. Emirates reminds customers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before flight departure, and customers are encouraged to plan extra time to avoid potential delays. Passengers can physically check in at the airport as early as six hours before departing on their flight. They are requested to check in no later than 90 minutes prior to departure, regardless of class of travel. Customers who check in less than 60 minutes prior to their scheduled flight departure will not be accepted for travel. Customers can also check in online on both their desktops and mobile devices from 48 hours to 90 minutes before flight departure. In addition to these online check-in services, Emirates also offers check-in facilities near its car park area. Customers can use these to check in and drop off their luggage from 24 hours to six hours prior to departure. Along with checked in baggage, passengers are strongly advised to adhere to carry-on baggage weight limits, which are 7kg for Economy Class and 14kg for Business and First Class. Staff will be checking the weight of carry-on bags at various touch points before passengers board their flights. For a more convenient way to check-in, especially for families, groups and passengers with tight schedules, Emirates also offers home-check in, allowing customers travelling across all classes to check in for their flights from anywhere in Dubai.

flydubai has launched its first service to the Italian city of Catania, marking the start of direct flights between Dubai and Sicily. A senior delegation from Dubai, including HE Liborio Stellino, the Ambassador of Italy in the UAE, Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations for flydubai, Thierry Aucoc, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations (Europe & Russian Federation) for Emirates, arrived at Catania International Airport (CTA) for the launch event. The delegation was met on the ground by Muhannad Alnaqbi, Deputy Head of the UAE Mission to Italy, and by Nico Torrisi, Chief Executive Officer for Società Aeroporto Catania (SAC). On arrival, the flight was met with a traditional water cannon salute. flydubai offers direct flights to Catania and through its partnership with Emirates this service will operate as part of its codeshare offering unmatched travel options. flydubai’s route network in Europe includes 27 points in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland (from October), Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine. Stellino, Italy’s Ambassador to the UAE, said, “The new flydubai connection with Catania will enable, in an effective way, for the South of Italy to be directly linked to Dubai’s extensive air network. It is therefore favourably perceived as part and parcel of the multifaceted and comprehensive Italy-UAE partnership. Such a positive development in connectivity is going to become immediately a very useful tool for both countries, a win-win approach, creating enhanced results and a successful impact on the tourism and trade sector.”

Emirates Flight Catering (EKFC) and Crop One will co-invest US$40 million to build the world’s largest vertical farming facility near Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central. The project is a joint venture with US-based Crop One Holdings, the world’s leading vertical farm operator. The construction of the facility is scheduled to start in November 2018 and will take approximately one year to complete. The first products are expected to be delivered to Emirates Flight Catering’s customers, including 105 airlines and 25 airport lounges, in December 2019. When complete, the vertical farm facility will cover 130,000 square feet, but have a production output equivalent to 900 acres of farmland. At full production, the facility will harvest three US tons (2,700 kg) of high-quality, herbicide-free and pesticide-free leafy greens daily, using 99 per cent less water than outdoor fields. The proximity of the farm to the point of consumption also substantially reduces carbon emissions associated with transportation. It will also ensure the quick delivery of the fresh products, reaching customers within hours of harvest, maintaining high nutritional value. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group said: “Today’s announcement is an important milestone for the Emirates Group, for Dubai, and for the UAE. This investment to build and operate the world’s largest vertical farming facility aligns with the UAE’s drive for more agricultural self-sufficiency, a vision which began with the late HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s founding father. The introduction of ground-breaking technology at the facility also enhances Dubai’s position as a global innovation hub.”

Etihad Airways has issued travel advice for summer holidays to ensure that the airline’s guests enjoy a convenient travel experience during the period. It has a number of travel tips and reminders to save time: Early Check-in; for the convenience of those guests who live downtown, early check-in is available at the Abu Dhabi City Terminal for AED30 per guest. Guests should arrive at Abu Dhabi International Airport at least three hours before take-off, accounting for extra road traffic. Moonlight Check-in will be available for guests to check-in early at Abu Dhabi Airport. Guests using Etihad’s Moonlight Check-in will receive 2,500 Etihad Guest miles per guest, 5kg additional baggage per guest, as well as an Abu Dhabi Airports discount and offers voucher on Duty Free and Food & Beverage. Moonlight Check-in guests will have the option to purchase access to one of the Etihad Business Class lounges at Abu Dhabi Airport with a special 50 per cent discount offer. Moonlight check-in will operate at Abu Dhabi Airport Terminal 3, counters 75 to 80, between 4am and 6am, and again between 4pm and 6pm during the following periods: 4pm-6pm Wednesday, June 27 to 4am-6am Monday July 9 and 4pm-6pm Thursday, July 12 to 4am-6am Sunday July 14. Check-in and Boarding Times – Economy Class check-in for non-US flights opens three hours before departure and closes one hour before departure. Economy Class check-in for US flights opens five hours before departure and will close two hours before departure.

Dubai International Airport has said that it expects to see more than 1.1 million travellers between July 5-8 as the summer holidays kick in. In order to handle over one million passengers, departments across the airport began preparations many weeks ago, learning from previous years and a wealth of experience. Eugene Barry, EVP Commercial, Dubai Airports said, “We are about to face the busiest days of the year here at Dubai International. It is predicted that June28 is going to be the first of our busy days during the summer holiday. The weekend of July 5-8  is anticipated to be a busier time as the majority of local schools are breaking up for the summer. We expect during those few days to welcome over 1.1m travellers.” Talking of the specific changes being implemented in the passenger facing areas Essa Al Shamsi, VP Terminal Operations, Dubai Airports said, “Preparations within the airport for the upcoming peak have been ongoing for the past couple of weeks. The entire operations team has been working closely with all our service partners to ensure a seamless journey for customers, from the moment they arrive at DXB to the moment they leave. For those travelling in the next few days, we would advise passengers to get to the airport early and encourage them to use the latest technologies we recently added, like the Smart Gates, to expedite their journey.”

Priority Pass has announced that members can now access more than 1200 lounges, dining and spa experiences globally. The expansion of its offering follows another strong year of growth which has led to Priority Pass now being welcomed at locations in over 500 cities and 143 countries. Priority Pass has added 141 new lounges from June 2017 to June 2018, to cater to increased demand from travelers for a premium experience at airports. Alongside the additions to the traditional lounge portfolio, Priority Pass has introduced 34 new dining, spa and relaxation experiences that can be accessed in the same way as lounges, broadening the choice for Members while at the airport. Priyanka Lakhani, Commercial Director, Middle East, Africa and India at Collinson, the operator of Priority Pass, said: “In the last year we’ve added some exciting choices to the Priority Pass portfolio, increasing the global footprint of the program to more than 1200 experiences around the world. New and exclusive partnerships with lounge, dining and spa providers demonstrate our commitment to providing our Members with more options that cater for their individual needs at airports while also broadening our airport coverage. As the needs of travelers continue to evolve, we’re constantly striving to further improve and develop the Priority Pass offering, providing our Members with access to the very best possible experiences each time they travel.” Priority Pass has seen significant growth around the world with forty-eight new lounges added across Europe, the Middle East and Africa..

With its offering of transit visas on arrival, flight updates via social media, efficient and innovative passenger processing systems and an upgraded, stronger Wi-Fi service to ensure great connectivity, Enriching Tourist Experience is at the heart of all initiatives at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) this summer. “Abu Dhabi Airports prioritises passenger safety above all else. We have worked hard to add the element of utmost convenience to this, to ensure that all passengers passing through Abu Dhabi International Airport have a truly world class experience,” said Abdul Majeed Al Khoori, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports.  “We are indebted to the support of all our stakeholders and partners in making this possible and for contributing to our collective success,” he added. In collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways and the General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs – Abu Dhabi, a new transit visa counter has been set up inside AUH to grant both transit and arriving passengers visas to Abu Dhabi within 30 minutes. The new service is located at the Terminal 3 transit area at AUH and facilitates activation of the new four-day or 96-hour transit visa for all nationalities travelling through the airport, and inclusive of all of other types of transit visas available. This is in support of Abu Dhabi’s ongoing efforts to attract more visitors to the capital. With the introduction of the new BizTweet service, incoming and outgoing passengers to AUH can receive real time flight updates to their Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Turkish Airlines’ Turkish Cargo has inked a partnership agreement with ZTO and Pal Air . According to the agreement, a new joint venture will be established in Hong Kong which will provide a range of logistic services. The partnership was sealed and signed by Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, M İlker Aycı, ZTO Express Chairman Mei Song LAI and PAL Air Ltd. Vice-Chairman Vivian Lau. “Today, I feel privileged to welcome you all for the signing ceremony of a great partnership agreement between the biggest brands of China and Turkey. As Turkish Airlines, ZTO Express and PAL Air Ltd., we are announcing the signing of MoU to build a Joint Venture company to operate as a Global Express/ Courier company mainly focusing on Global E-commerce market with full door to door services. We are now delighted to make this strategic move into Global Express business together with the strong partnership of ZTO, the best and largest Express company from China and our long term cross border forwarding partner PAL Air Ltd. from Hong Kong. The Joint Venture, after reaching quickly to fully functional and operational levels, is expected to take place within the world’s largest integrators. In 5 years’ time it will generate over 2 billion USD of revenue,” said Aycı, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Turkish Airlines.

In order to celebrate Emirates airline’s 25 years of service to Oman, the airline will deploy a one off A 380 flight to Muscat on July 1. This special flight re-affirms the newly opened airport infrastructure to handle A380 operations. The new passenger terminal at Oman International Airport recently opened its doors in March 2018. The Emirates A380 service will operate as EK 862 and EK 863, departing Dubai at 0825hrs and arriving in Muscat at 0935hrs. The flight will depart Muscat at 1205hrs arriving in Dubai at 1310hrs on the same day. Khalid Bel Jaflah, Divisional Vice President Commercial Operations UAE and Oman, Emirates said, “We are proud to fly the first scheduled A380 service to Muscat as Emirates marks a significant milestone of 25 years of service to the Sultanate of Oman. It is a very important destination for us in the region and we maintain our strong commitment to the country. We look forward to showcasing our innovative products and stylish amenities on-board this iconic aircraft to our trade partners and travel industry stakeholders in Oman.” David Wilson, Chief Operations Officer, Oman Airports said, “On behalf of Muscat International Airport, we thank Emirates Airline and express our appreciation for the upcoming historic arrival of a scheduled A380 service to the Sultanate of Oman. The arrival of the aircraft will be a valuable initiative which will highlight our new international airport terminal and we look forward to celebrating our long standing commitment with Emirates Airline.”