Category Archives: Aviation

Etihad Airways has partnered with Farelogix to enhance its merchandising and distribution capabilities. The deployment of new generation technology from Farelogix will enable Etihad to provide unique, customised offers to its guests. Etihad’s strategy will focus on broadening ancillary offerings to customers, allowing for more personalised travel options across all distribution channels.  Etihad plans to implement FLX Merchandise, a cloud-based solution from Farelogix, to create personalised product and service propositions that increase customer satisfaction. As the industry’s leading merchandising engine, FLX Merchandise will enable Etihad to showcase optional products such as preferred seats, priority boarding, and other amenities that improve customers’ travel experience. In addition, the technology will provide greater flexibility and speed-to-market by introducing innovative new ancillary offers. Robin Kamark, Etihad’s Chief Commercial Officer said: “Our vision is to provide guests with the widest choice. We are proud to partner with Farelogix, a recognised leader in airline commerce technology, to realise this vision. The new partnership will help us in the journey towards the airline’s digital transformation that focuses on delivering modern retail experiences to customers around the globe.” In the near future Etihad plans to launch a full New Distribution Capability (NDC) enabled platform which will enable customers to visualise offerings through digital media such as images and videos, whether they are booking via travel agencies, meta-search engines, or other indirect channels.

Emirates and Jetstar Pacific have announced a new codeshare agreement, expanding the existing partnership between the Dubai-based carrier and Jetstar Group. The new partnership with the Ho Chi Minh City-based carrier allows Emirates’ passengers to enjoy connectivity on domestic flights within Vietnam, in addition to flights connecting Vietnam to Singapore, Thailand as well as Australia. The new codeshare services from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi connect Emirates passengers to 14 Vietnamese cities beyond Ho Chi Minh City and six cities beyond Hanoi. Emirates will also operate codeshare flights with Jetstar Pacific between the latter’s hub in Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore, as well as Bangkok, both of which serve as connections for Emirates passengers continuing their travel to Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney. The Vietnamese cities that are covered by the new codeshare routes include: Ban Me Thuot, Phuquoc, Dalat, Quinhon, Tamky-Chulai, Hue, Pleiku, Nha Trang, Vinh City, Tuy Hoa, Dong Hoi, Thanh Hoa, Haiphong, and Da Nang in addition to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Under the agreement, Emirates’ flight number will be placed on Jetstar Pacific’s services to all codeshare destinations. The codeshare partnership will give customers the simplicity of purchasing connecting flights using one reservation, and a smooth ticketing, check-in, boarding and baggage check experience during the entire journey.  Passengers booking flights from 16 destinations in Vietnam, in addition to Hong Kong, Osaka, Taipei, Singapore, Guangzhou and Bangkok will be able to connect in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi and fly with Emirates to many destinations worldwide.

The Latvian airline, airBaltic, in cooperation with Etihad Airways, has announced extension of the operating season of flights between Riga and Abu Dhabi in 2019. The flights will restart on October 28, 2018 and continue until April 29, 2019. Wolfgang Reuss, SVP, Network Management, airBaltic, said, “When we launched flights to Abu Dhabi last year, it instantly became one of the most demanded routes during the winter season. As more of the Airbus A220-300 aircraft are joining our fleet, we are now extending the operating season of these flights by additional two months in 2019. In addition to serving the point-to-point demand, the cooperation with Etihad Airways offers a multitude of travel options to the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent and Australasia,” Reuss added. This winter season, airBaltic will also continue flights from Riga to holiday destinations like Malaga, Madrid, Lisbon and Nice. airBaltic will restart flights from Riga to Abu Dhabi on October 28, 2018 and will operate the route 4 times weekly. Passengers will board an Airbus A220-300 aircraft for a flight that will last 6 hours and 15 minutes. One-way ticket prices start at 129 EUR, including airport fees and transaction costs. A full schedule of airBaltic flights can be found on the company’s homepage at www.airbaltic.com.

Emirates Holidays has partnered up with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to become the official tour operator for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019. The 17th edition of the continent’s prestigious football tournament will take place in the United Arab Emirates between January 5, 2019 and February 1, 2019.  Through the partnership, Emirates Holidays offers a broad range of excellent value packages to football fans traveling to Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah to support their teams. Each package includes match ticket(s), accommodation and return flights with Emirates Airline. Robin Parry, Vice President, Emirates Holidays, said, “We are thrilled to become the official tour operator of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019. Starting from today, supporters can seamlessly book match ticket, flight and accommodation with Emirates Holidays and enjoy the excellent travel experience our award-winning airline and reputable hotel partners offer. We see exciting opportunities for the company in sport tourism and continue to seek ways to accommodate the growing demand. We look forward to welcoming our football fan customers in the UAE.” Dato’ Windsor John, General Secretary, Asian Football Confederation, said, “Asian football continues to make giant strides on the world stage and the remarkable growth and stature of the AFC Asian Cup exemplifies the undeniable progress of football in the Continent. Emirates have been a long-standing partner of the AFC and we would like to thank them for their firm belief in the development and ever-improving proposition of Asian football.

Dubai Airports and China Eastern celebrated the announcement of three weekly non-stop flights between Shanghai and Dubai International (DXB) at an event in Dubai recently. Scheduled to begin on September 17, the non-stop services are an addition to China Eastern’s three existing flights between Shanghai and Dubai with a stopover in Kunming, the capital city of China’s Yunnan province. The new services will offer customers greater choice and facilitate ease of travel between the two destinations. A top trading partner for the UAE, China is a major contributor to DXB’s traffic with more than 2.2 million travellers in 2017. China Eastern’s association with DXB goes back to 2010 when it commenced service between Dubai and Kunming via Dhaka. As part of the event, Eugene Barry, Executive Vice President of Dubai Airports’ Commercial Group, presented a certificate of appreciation to Randy Cui, General Manager (UAE) of China Eastern, for the carrier’s role in boosting UAE-China connectivity through a strong partnership with Dubai Airports.

Royal Jordanian and Tunisair has signed a free sale code share agreement, whereby Tunisair will market RJ flights and thus put its carrier code on these flights running between Amman and Tunis. Tunisair does not operate flights between the two capitals. The code share, four-weekly flights are now open for sale. This agreement with Tunisair is bound to enhance cooperation between the two flag carriers and improve passenger traffic by providing Tunisair customers convenient options to fly to Amman; they can also plan their trips to reach further destinations on RJ’s global route network. RJ President/CEO Stefan Pichler said, “We are glad to offer our services to Tunisair passengers, who will experience compelling services on board our aircraft. This partnership is the first step on the way to enhancing relations with Tunisair, and will bring great benefit to both airlines, from a commercial perspective. This agreement will give Tunisair customers the opportunity to visit Jordan and learn about its historical and tourist attractions. ” Tunisair CEO Elyes Mnakbi commented, “We are delighted to be working with Royal Jordanian as a leading carrier in the Middle East and provide high quality services to passengers on the ground and in the air. This agreement is a new step in the strategic and historical partnership between our countries. It is also an added value towards enhanced air traffic between our companies.” This latest agreement raises the number of code share agreements concluded by RJ to 17. Half of them were concluded with oneworld carriers and the other half with Arab and international airlines.

Dubai International (DXB) has recorded its second busiest month ever surpassing the 8 million passenger mark in July, according to the monthly traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports. The airport clocked monthly traffic exceeding 8 million passengers on three other occasions last year – in January (8.03 mn), July (8.06 mn) and August (8.23 mn). Passenger numbers in July totalled 8,207,987, up 1.8 per cent compared to 8,065,789 recoded in July 2017. Year to date passenger traffic reached 51,947,092 up 1.6 per cent compared to 51,120,057 recorded during the first seven months in 2017. In terms of growth rate, Eastern Europe was the fastest growing region in July with traffic surging 24.4 per cent – mainly fueled by flydubai’s route development plan, followed by CIS (+18.34%) with major contributions from the Russian market and destinations such as Bishkek, Baku and Almaty among others, and Africa (+9.7%). India retained its position as the top destination country with 1,032,302 passengers, followed by Saudi Arabia (583,975 passengers) and the UK (581,557 passengers). London, with 358,201 passengers, topped the list of the most popular destinations served from DXB by traffic volume in July, followed by Kuwait (221,696), Mumbai (209,205) and Riyadh (200,411). Flight movements during July reached 35,393, up 3.5% compared to 34,181 movements recorded during July 2017. Year to date flight movements totalled 237,177 compared to 240,179 recorded during the first seven months of 2017, a contraction of 1.2%. Passengers per movement remained high at 238, but registered a contraction of 2.1% compared to the record high of 243 recorded in July 2017.

Emirates will launch its flights to Edinburgh, the airline’s second destination in Scotland after Glasgow and its eighth in the UK. The Scottish capital is the second most visited city in the UK by tourists with spectacular sites such as the city’s Old Town and New Town which are both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The new daily service will be operated by an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER in a three class cabin configuration which offers 8 private suites in First Class, 42 lie flat seats in Business Class and 304 spacious seats in Economy Class. Flight EK023 will depart Dubai daily at 0955hrs and arrive in Edinburgh at 1450hrs, while the return flight, EK024 will depart Edinburgh at 2015hrs and arrive in Dubai at 0640hrs the next morning. Travellers can also book with Emirates Holidays and enjoy a five-star holiday experience for an additional spend starting at AED 1,173 per person, exclusive of the airfare. To celebrate the inaugural flight to Edinburgh on October 1st, Emirates is offering passengers attractive fares to the Scottish capital. Travellers in the UAE can book special fares on all Economy and Business Class travel starting today until 10th September 2018 for travel between 1st October and 31st May 2019. Economy Class passengers can enjoy fares starting from AED 2,495 and Business Class passengers can enjoy fares starting from AED 13,165.

Oman Air is reviewing its route network with a view to further expanding its destinations in Africa. The airline already flies to Cairo in Egypt, Nairobi in Kenya, Zanzibar, Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania and on July 1st the airline launched its four times weekly service to Casablanca in Morocco. With the established Sudan diaspora in Oman, Khartoum is a strong favourite to be amongst the new additions to Oman Air’s African network in 2019. Last year Oman Air launched its four times weekly service to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and one of its most dynamic cities with a vibrant cultural life, fabulous places to eat and exciting locations to visit. The seven times weekly service to the popular archipelago of Zanzibar has been a longstanding favourite with holidaymakers with its vibrant atmosphere and culture. Oman Air also flies seven times a week to Dar Es Salaam the largest city and economic capital of Tanzania, and East Africa’s second busiest port. The most recent addition of Casablanca in Morocco demonstrates Oman Air’s commitment to expanding the network and its focus on the African market. The keen interest already shown in the route is a positive sign for its future success. As with the majority of new routes, Oman Air is appealing to both business and tourism traffic and aims to strengthen the bilateral relations with all destinations in its growing network.

Over the first quarter DWC (Dubai World Central) Airport has seen a steady growth in passenger traffic during the first half from CIS with 271,000 passengers, Eastern Europe with 98,633 passengers, Western Europe with 89,559 and the Middle East with 49,671 passengers, according to the traffic report issued by Dubai Airports. Flight movements during the first half totalled 16,069 compared to 18,373, down 12.5 per cent recorded during the corresponding period in 2017. The average passenger per flight movement during the first half was 163 compared to 121 during the first half in 2017, an increase of 34.7 per cent.During the period under review DWC was served by 8 passenger carriers, operating an average of 95 flights weekly to 14 international destinations and 26 scheduled cargo operators flying to as many as 70 destinations around the world. Cargo volumes at Dubai World Central (DWC) grew to 475,190 tonnes in the first half of the year, a year on year increase of 7.1% compared to 443,835 tonnes recorded last year. After a robust growth of nearly 9 per cent in first quarter, cargo volumes at DWC reached 245,