Category Archives: Aviation

Emirates will boost its services to Riyadh with the addition of a fourth daily flight to the Saudi capital from September 1, 2018. The addition of the fourth daily service will take the total number of weekly Emirates flights serving Riyadh to 28. The fourth daily flight will be serviced by the Boeing 777-300ER in a three class configuration. Emirates flight EK813 will depart Dubai at 1500hrs arriving in Riyadh at 1550hrs. The return flight, EK814 will depart Riyadh at 1750hrs and will arrive in Dubai at 2040hrs. The late afternoon departure offers an additional option for travellers, complementing the existing morning and evening flights. Dubai’s attractiveness as a destination for Saudi travellers continues to be strong and in 2017 more than 1.5 million Saudis visited the city, according to data published by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism). Dubai offers an extensive array of leisure and family activities catering to every taste, in addition to hotels for all budgets. As a commercial and business hub, Dubai has become a platform for a myriad of businesses seeking exposure in emerging markets, and is also a springboard for investments coming into the region. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the UAE’s largest trading partner in the region, with non-oil trade reaching an estimated AED 880 billion (USD$24 billion) in 2017, according to UAE Federal Customs Authority data. Adil Al Ghaith, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Gulf, Middle East & Iran said: “Emirates’ expanded schedule to Riyadh will offer more travel options and choice for business travellers and families alike who are looking to visit Dubai.

dnata has launched passenger handling operations at New York-JFK Airport. Already providing ground handling to over 50 airlines in the United States, this is a natural portfolio extension for dnata in New York. The launch customer is Copa Airlines, the flag carrier of Panama, which operates four daily flights with an annual capacity of 364,000 passengers between New York and Panama City using the Boeing 737 aircraft. Copa Airlines’ choice underlines the demand for dnata’s reliable and quality services and dedicated team. Having been awarded with over 40 new contracts in the United States in the past 12 months, dnata continues to win new business with its attention to meeting customers’ requirements, and its commitment to maintaining the integrity of airline schedules. Including Copa Airlines, dnata’s global ground handling operations now serve over 270 airlines at 75 airports in 13 countries. David Barker, Chief Executive Officer of dnata USA, said, “Commencing passenger handling operations at New York-JFK is an important milestone for dnata in the USA. Expanding our passenger services portfolio is part of our overall strategy to offer a full range of quality ground handling services in all of our 27 airports in the country. With our dedicated team and passion for service excellence, we continue to deliver the promises our customers make, while ensuring the highest level of safety across our operations.”

Etihad Airways has signed an agreement to be the official shirt and main sponsor and partner of the Riyadh-based, Saudi Stars League team, Al Nassr FC. Etihad Airways has built a portfolio of international sports sponsorships which includes the Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Manchester City FC, and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. The multi-season partnership was signed at Etihad Airways’ Innovation Centre in Abu Dhabi, and was attended by senior members of both organisations’ leadership teams. Players from the football club were also in Abu Dhabi for the announcement, including Saudi national players, Mohammed Al-Sahlawi; and Ibrahim Ghaleb; and international stars Ahmed Musa and Noureddine Amrabat. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “This agreement signals the start of an exciting new partnership between Al Nassr, one of Saudi Arabia’s best-known football clubs, and Etihad Airways. We look forward to our teams working together to promote the two brands in our home markets as well as across the region.” Commenting on the partnership, Saud Al Sweilem, Chairman of Al Nassr FC said, “We are delighted to have signed with Etihad Airways, one of the world’s leading airlines and a brand that supports football in many markets. I believe that together we can deliver a mutually beneficial partnership as well as present something new and exclusive to Al Nassr fans.” In addition to appearing on players’ shirts on all home and away games, Etihad Airways will work closely with Al Nassr on areas of brand partnership, marketing, customer and loyalty initiatives, social media outreach, inflight programming and travel trade support.

Under the expanded codeshare agreement, passengers can now travel on Oman Air flights from Muscat International Airport and connect to Madrid, Brussels, Vienna and Prague from Lufthansa’s Frankfurt and Munich hubs. The agreement offers travellers even better connectivity and an extended range of services between Muscat and Europe. Guests of both airlines will benefit from the greater convenience and the agreement is the latest step in developing closer links between Oman Air and Lufthansa, both of which share a commitment to deliver excellence in customer service. Lufthansa will continue to codeshare with Oman Air on Oman Air-operated services from both Frankfurt and Munich to Muscat vice versa, allowing their guests to experience the hospitality and service of Oman Air. Oman Air guests will be spoilt for choice as they will be able to fly onwards to Brussels Airport (BRU), Vienna International Airport (VIE), Vaclav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) and Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) and Barcelona (BCN) in Europe. Both Oman Air and Lufthansa offer outstanding choice for customers and the new codeshare between the two airlines will maximise the travel opportunities offered to passengers through their extensive networks. Engineer Abdulaziz Al Raisi, CEO, Oman Air said, “Strategic codeshares are a crucial way for us to broaden customer choice. Our continued relationship with Lufthansa is very important for Oman Air, and we are delighted to offer our valued guests even better connectivity in Europe.”

Jazeera Airways has announced a partnership with Amadeus that will open up increased fare options and availability for travel agencies. Serving more than 2.2 million passengers a year and flying to 26 destinations, Jazeera Airways strives to be the seamless connection between its customers and their sources of inspiration. By adopting Amadeus’ Global Distribution Services (GDS) solutions, the airline will be well-positioned to provide the best value to customers and agents who book through the Amadeus system, while enjoying streamlined processes throughout several aspects of its operations. This partnership adds to the airline’s agreement with Navitaire, an Amadeus company, to use its customer-centric reservation platform to help drive higher revenues.

Air Arabia has signed an agreement with SAP – a Germany-based company that makes enterprise application software, for a new cloud-based Human Resources system. The new system “SAP SuccessFactors” will provide Air Arabia with advanced capabilities across all HR functions using some of the latest technologies and cutting-edge human capital management software solutions. Through this agreement, Air Arabia will acquire advanced capabilities across all its Human Capital functions via the use of the latest technologies provided by SAP SuccessFactors scope, which include core employee management functions, the payroll system, employee self-service, recruitment and onboarding, performance and goal management, learning management, manpower planning and many additional features. Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia, said,  “Since its launch, Air Arabia has always adopted smart and cutting-edge technologies that supports that carrier’s ever growing operations with reliability and efficiency. The new agreement with SAP is in line with this strategy and we look forward to working together to make this project a success.” Julien Bertin, Managing Director, SAP said, “We have developed the SAP Model Company for Human Resources service to support digital HR transformation. We are confident that Air Arabia’S human capital function will considerably benefit from a ready-to-run, preconfigured SAP SuccessFactors solution based on leading practices for end-to-end HR business processes. We are proud to have partnered with Air Arabia and we look forward to a successful collaboration.”

Emirates SkyCargo has launched Emirates Pets – a new and improved air transportation product developed by a team of experts to offer a convenient and comfortable air transportation experience for domestic pets. The product builds on Emirates SkyCargo’s existing capabilities to transport pet animals on its flights and offers new features such as door to door transportation as well as booking return flights for pets. With Emirates Pets, the entry level solution, Emirates SkyCargo will offer airport to airport transportation for pets across the carrier’s network of over 160 destinations. The owner of the pet will be responsible for completing all the required paperwork and clearances needed for the transport of the pet from one country to another. In addition, Emirates SkyCargo has also entered into a partnership with Snoopy Pets, a leading pet relocation service provider based out of Dubai, to offer a new premium door to door transportation service, Emirates Pets Plus, across 16 markets. Under its premium service, the complete logistics of transporting the pet, including filing all the required documentation, taking the pet for any required veterinary checks and transporting the pet to and from the airport, will be managed by Snoopy Pets on behalf of the customer and Emirates SkyCargo. The markets where this service is available are Bahrain, Brazil, Cyprus, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, UAE and UK. With Emirates Pets and Emirates Pets Plus, owners wishing to take their pets with them on extended holidays also have the option of also booking a return flight for their pets with Emirates SkyCargo.

Sharjah Airport Travel Agency (SATA) has geared up on the online space to provide additional travel products by partnering with Tune Protect EMEIA – the online facilitator of Travel Assurance. The travel assurance plans are extremely important as they cover unplanned expenses in case of an emergency, before, during & after travel. Unforeseen events whether traveling domestic or internationally can put travelers under a financial strain. It is extremely important to have the right travel protection cover. Tune Protect offers travel protection plans for different types of travellers be it for leisure, business or visitors traveling to meet family or friends, adventure seekers, golf lovers & more. Catering to varied types of international travelers requiring products customization, SATA, in partnership with Tune Protect EMEIA, offer travel products to meet need the travelers including travel protection plans with ease. Moses Paul, Manager IT & eCommerce at SATA believes, “With 17 years of dedicated commitment and 14 branches across the UAE, SATA has kept ahead of the travel game by providing tailor-made services and enhancing existing travel products to meet the ever-growing travel needs of our customers”. Speaking on the tie up with Tune Protect EMEIA, “With regards to SATA’s digital transformation strategy, i.e. bringing our multi-faceted travel products to the travellers on a single platform with the ability to customise, it was extremely important to provide additional value-added products personalized for Travel protection plans facilitated by Tune Protect EMEIA, makes it a perfect fit to our business ethos.”

Travelport has announced the signing of a new multi-year content agreement with Cobalt Air, which includes the use of the company’s leading merchandising tool, Travelport Rich Content and Branding. From its base in Cyprus, Cobalt Air, offers regular flights to 22 destinations in Greece, UK, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Spain, Israel, Denmark, Lebanon and the UAE. Under the new agreement, its full content and inventory will be made available for the first time to over 68,000 Travelport-connected agencies servicing hundreds of millions of consumers around the world. With Cobalt Air joining over 260 airlines using Travelport Rich Content and Branding, agencies and travel bookers will also be given a graphically rich experience when searching for and booking the airline’s branded fares, as well as greater access to its ancillary offers. Through delivering these benefits, Travelport’s merchandising tool will help drive increased revenue. Philip Saunders, Vice President, Air Commerce, Europe Middle East and Africa at Travelport added, “We are delighted to welcome Cobalt Air to Travelport’s platform and look forward to supporting its growth objectives. Our Rich Content and Branding solution will help promote the airline’s brand and increase revenue by facilitating upsell of branded fares, ancillaries, and special promotions while continuing to develop Travelport’s position in the Cyprus travel industry.”

Etihad Airways will operate additional flights between Abu Dhabi and its destinations in Saudi Arabia to facilitate the movement of thousands of pilgrims for Hajj. Until August 28, Etihad will operate special charters to carry pilgrims on its additional flights to Jeddah and Medina Airport. All flights will operate alongside regular scheduled services. The top inbound destinations for the Hajj Etihad flights are the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Korea, and Nigeria. Hareb Mubarak Al Muhairi, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President, said, “The Hajj pilgrimage is a very important experience for Muslims around the world and Etihad is proud to help its customers make this significant journey. This year we see a 17 per cent increase in the number of pilgrims travelling with Etihad compared the same period last year. To meet this increasing demand, Etihad Airways are adding 16 flights alongside our scheduled services to Jeddah and Medina. We are committed to providing a memorable Hajj travel experience for our customers and to helping them complete their journey with ease and peace of mind.” A dedicated group of airport staff is available to facilitate a seamless ground experience for Hajj travellers. In addition, dedicated check-in counters have been set up at Abu Dhabi international airport. Extra provisions will also be made by cabin crew to meet pilgrims’ needs and requirements and to facilitate the performing of ablutions, advising them about the entry into Al Miqat (state of sanctity), and the changing into Ihram robes.