Category Archives: Aviation

Etihad Airways announced it is extending its free Abu Dhabi stopover campaign to the end of the year due to the popularity of the special offer in its opening month. Travellers flying through the capital of the UAE with the airline are invited to enjoy a free two-night hotel stay to break up their journey and explore the city’s vibrant and diverse attractions. Abu Dhabi offers visitors the chance to explore cultural highlights, impressive architecture, world-class theme parks as well as striking beaches and desert landscapes. Etihad is offering two free nights of hotel accommodation in Abu Dhabi for all guests booking flights to and from all Etihad destinations via Abu Dhabi. Guests can choose from a range of hotels located across the city including the five-star Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Intercontinental Abu Dhabi and Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi, as well as the Pearl Rotana, Courtyard by Marriott WTC, Crowne Plaza and Radisson Blu. The free Abu Dhabi stopover promotion is available for bookings online through etihad.com or via a travel agent made by December 1 for travel until December 31, 2019. Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “We are extremely pleased that our Abu Dhabi stopover has appealed to so many of our guests and exceeded our expectations in the first month since it launched.” Etihad guests booking online should select a multi-city flight and will be directed to the stopover booking page once the booking is confirmed. Guests then have the option to choose a hotel package with one of the many hotel partners operating this promotion. With the Extraordinary Abu Dhabi Pass, visitors to Abu Dhabi can use their Etihad Airways boarding pass to …

GoAir passengers travelling from Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) are invited to take advantage of Abu Dhabi Airports’ new remote check-in location at the City Terminal in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s business district, located on 10th street opposite Abu Dhabi Mall in the Tourist Club area. From May 10 onwards, GoAir passengers are invited to check-in 24 hours in advance at the City Terminal. This provides GoAir passengers with the flexibility of checking-in at a time convenient for them, before departing for their flight from AUH. Abu Dhabi International Airport is one of the few airports in the world to offer remote check-in facilities. The City Terminal welcomes travellers to check-in between 24 and four hours before their flights. The facility also offers retail baggage services including sealing and wrapping to all passengers. Maarten de Groof, Chief Commercial Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “Last month we welcomed GoAir’s inaugural flight from Kannur to Abu Dhabi and this month we are delighted to welcome GoAir travellers to stop by our easily accessible and conveniently located City Terminal facility. India is an important market for us. Abu Dhabi Airports and we look forward to introducing travellers to our world-class services and unique brand of Arabian hospitality.” Bakul Gala, Vice-President PR and Marketing at GoAir, said, “GoAir is happy to invite its customers to avail themselves of Abu Dhabi International Airport’s City Terminal check-in service. The City Terminal not only provides passengers with the flexibility of checking-in at their convenience but also offers a range of additional services. We hope our passengers will greatly benefit from this service.”

RwandAir, the flag carrier of the Republic of Rwanda, announced that it will commence flights to Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong and the third largest city in China, effective from June 18, 2019. RwandAir will fly to Guangzhou three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Guangzhou will be tagged to the existing Mumbai route and will be operated by our Airbus A330 with triple class cabin and equipped with state-of-the-art technology, Wi-Fi onboard, in-flight entertainment and comfortable seats with more legroom making it very convenient for long haul flights. Commenting on the upcoming launch of the Guangzhou route, Yvonne Manzi Makolo, the CEO of RwandAir, said, “With the increasing volume of trade between African countries and China, the need to meet the high demand of businessmen and traders travelling between Africa and Guangzhou is strongly felt. This new route will open new business opportunities and also increase our passenger and cargo traffic”. Guangzhou, well known as the “Canton City” is an expansive port city northwest of Hong Kong on the Pearl River. The city, which is one of the major shopping destinations for merchants also features popular tourist attractions such as the iconic Canton Tower and Guangzhou Chimelong Tourist Resort which offers an amusement park, international circus, water park, safari park, a bird park and a hotel. Guangzhou will be RwandAir’s second destination in Asia following Mumbai, which has been operational since April 2017. This new route will extend RwandAir’s network to 28 destinations.

Dubai-based AA Al Moosa Enterprises has announced the rebranding of one of its four-star hotel properties located in a strategic area in Sharjah. Previously managed by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts under Ramada Hotel & Suites Sharjah, the property’s rebranding comes in line with AA Al Moosa Enterprises’ new strategy to strengthen its own local brand Golden Sands, which has been successfully present in the market for 30 years. Entering into force on July 1, 2019, the property’s new contract was signed during the opening of the Arabian Travel Market exhibition by Nayef Al Moosa, Director, ARENCO Real Estate, representing the owning company; and Mohammad Khoori, General Manager, Golden Sands Hotel Apartments. HE Khalid Al Midfa, Chairman, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, was present at the signing ceremony. He commented, “We are grateful to AA Al MOOSA for believing in Sharjah as an attractive tourism destination, and we are looking forward to support Golden Sands throughout its new venture.” “There is no doubt that the UAE hospitality industry is constantly evolving, therefore we must be flexible and adapt our strategies to meet the ever growing market needs,” Nayef Al Moosa said. “We maintain a friendly relationship with Wyndham, and are confident that Golden Sands management will achieve our aspirations for this property.” For his part, Khoori noted, “The emirate of Sharjah has recently witnessed a vast transformation in its tourism sector, and we are delighted to be here to support the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority’s vision for the emirate with a renowned local brand that is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.” He concluded, “We are extremely pleased to be selected by the owners to manage this fine …

Etihad Airways is set to operate a daily scheduled flight between Al Ain in the UAE and Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from May 26 to June 4 to meet increased demand during the last 10 days of Ramadan. The flights will be operated by an Airbus A330, and have been conveniently timed to offer customers in Al Ain with afternoon departures in both directions. Ahmed Al Qubaisi, Senior Vice President – Government and International Affairs, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “We are very pleased to offer these special flights from Al Ain to Jeddah during Ramadan. The flights are conveniently scheduled for the people residing in Al Ain wanting to attend Umrah during the last 10 days of the holy month.” Flight EY 335 will depart Al Ain at 1.30pm, arriving in Jeddah at 3.20pm, with return flight EY 336 departing the Saudi city at 4.20pm and arriving in the UAE city at 8.05pm.

Etihad Airways will boost its services from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow during the summer period. The additional flights will be operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, supplementing the current three daily all-Airbus A380 services between both capital cities. Four daily flights will be operated on the route between May 26 and June 22, increasing to five from June 23 to September 28, returning to four daily flights from September 29 to October 26. The extra flights are conveniently timed to provide easy connections via Abu Dhabi to and from key destinations across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia. Etihad’s two-class version of the 787-9 Dreamliner features 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats.

Ahead of the inaugural flight to Porto on July 2, 2019, Emirates is offering discounted fares to passengers. Economy Class passengers can enjoy fares starting from AED 2,795 and Business Class passengers can enjoy fares starting from AED 14,995. The offer is valid for bookings made today until May 20 for travel until February 28, 2020. Emirates’ new service to Porto will be four times weekly and operated by a Boeing 777-300ER. The three class cabin configuration offers 8 private suites in First Class, 42 seats in Business Class and 310 seats in Economy Class. The Dubai to Porto route will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Emirates flight EK 197 will depart Dubai at 9:15 am and arrive in Porto at 14:30 pm local time. The return flight, EK 198, will depart Porto 17:35 pm and arrive in Dubai at 4:15 am the next morning. Travellers can also book with Emirates Holidays and enjoy a five-star holiday experience starting at AED 5,799 per person, including airfare. Emirates passengers across all cabins will enjoy 4,000 channels of movies, TV shows and programmes on ice – the airline’s award winning in-flight entertainment system, regionally inspired meals, and up to 20 MB of complimentary Wi-Fi to stay connected with friends and family during the flight. Customers on-board will also enjoy complimentary beverages and the warm hospitality of Emirates’ multinational cabin crew, who come from more than 135 nationalities and speak more than 60 languages. Located along the Douro River, the coastal city is famous for its rich cultural heritage, its historic centre and delicious cuisine. Visitors will enjoy walking through the city’s narrow cobbled streets, discovering iconic bridges, local cafes and …

Dubai International (DXB) welcomed 22.2 million passengers in the first quarter of 2019, down 2.2 per cent from the same period last year due largely to reduced flights and a shift in the timing of the Easter holiday. Cargo volumes increased 4.1 per cent in the same period to reach 641,250 tonnes. A total of 22,230,810 customers were served during the first quarter of 2019 (-2.2 per cent). The average monthly volume of 7.41 million was slightly lower than the average monthly traffic of 7.42 million recorded in 2018. Cargo wise a total of 641,250 tonnes of airfreight was handled at Dubai International (DXB) during the first three months of 2019 up 4.1%. In terms of Flights the total passenger flights during the first three months of 2019 totaled 95,857, down 3% from last year partially due to the grounding of 737 Max aircraft in effect since March 13 in the UAE. In terms of top destinations, India continued to hold to its position as DXB’s top destination country by passenger numbers, with traffic for the quarter reaching 3,121,809 – propelled mainly by top city destinations Mumbai, Delhi and Cochin. Saudi Arabia was number two on the list with 1,745,750 customers, followed closely by the United Kingdom with 1,511,917customers. Other destination countries of note include Pakistan (1,159,722 customers), the U.S. (764,489 customers), Germany (690,062 customers), China (620,013) and Russia (414,445). The top three cities were London (871,180 customers), Mumbai (624,442) and Jeddah (605,628 customers). GCC was the fastest growing region with growth of 3.8%, followed by North America with 2.7% growth. Waiting times were reduced by a whopping 30%* in Q1 2019, thanks to DXB’s advanced operations centre which uses real-time information to …

Jordan Tourism Board (JTB) and The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced that the partnership with Ryanair, is already expanding its operations with the addition of four new routes to Jordan to and from Malta, Memmingen, Thessaloniki and Milan Bergamo, as part of its Jordan Winter 2019 schedule. With a total of 18 routes connecting between 12 countries, the new routes will serve over 500,000 customers annually at Amman and Aqaba airports. Majd Shweikeh, HE Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, elaborated, “Launching the world-renowned low-cost Ryanair operations has had a cascading positive effect on the sector’s dynamics, which resulted in an increase in numbers as a new segment of tourists — from Eastern Europe in particular — who have never been to Jordan before, are now exploring Jordan and its unique and diverse natural, cultural and archaeological heritage in a comprehensive touristic experience. ” Dr. Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat, Managing Director of the Jordan Tourism Board, said, “We are very happy to see tangible results in Jordan from our partnership with Ryanair. Less than a year into its operation, this collaboration has proved its power in making Jordan an accessible and affordable destination for many with its ever-growing number of routes.” Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair,  said, “Ryanair is pleased to launch its Jordan Winter 2019 schedule, with 4 new routes (18 routes in total), delivering over 500,000 customers through our two Jordanian airports. We are pleased to strengthen our cooperation with the Jordanian Tourist Board with these 18 winter routes that will further promote Jordanian tourism and will deliver visitors from 12 European countries to one of the world’s most attractive winter tourism destinations.” The new routes will operate …

Building on the success of its current daily service between the capitals of the UAE and Russia, Etihad Airways announced a new second daily flight between Abu Dhabi and Moscow’s Domodedovo airport, which will operate seasonally between October 27 and May 10, 2020. The additional flight, operated by an Airbus A320, will provide more convenient travel options between the two capital cities as passengers can now choose between a daytime and evening departure from both Abu Dhabi and Moscow. Together with the existing service, operated by an Airbus A321, travellers will also benefit from improved connectivity through Etihad’s Abu Dhabi hub to Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Maldives, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. Robin Kamark,  Aviation Group Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad, said, “Since launching our first scheduled flights to Moscow in 2008, the route has proved very popular, enjoying strong point-to-point business and leisure demand. The addition of the second flight underscores the importance we place on the Russian market, by providing our customers greater flexibility, convenience and easy transit through Abu Dhabi to key points across Asia and Australia.” Russia is the second largest source market for inbound tourism to the UAE with 820,000 Russian tourists visiting the country in 2018. The trade exchange between the UAE and Russia reached US$ 3 billion last year. Etihad Airways, together with its partners, continues to promote the increase of tourism, and trade and investment opportunities between both countries. Etihad’s Airbus A321 and A320 two-class aircraft feature modern Business and Economy cabins and the airline’s award-winning service and hospitality. Abu Dhabi – Moscow (effective October 27, 2019 –  May 10, 2020) – From Abu Dhabi at 02:40 to Moscow (DME) 07:20 …