Category Archives: Aviation

Air Arabia signed a lease agreement for six Airbus A321neo Long Range aircraft with the Los Angeles-based Air Lease Corporation. These additional aircraft will join Air Arabia’s fleet starting 2019 and will help the airline better serve its existing network. The agreement was signed between Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia and Alex Khatibi, Executive Vice President, Air Lease Corporation on the sidelines of Dubai Airshow. Air Arabia’s new A321neo LR aircraft will feature 215 seats per aircraft while maintaining Air Arabia’s industry leading seat pitch that customers currently enjoy. Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia commented, “We continue to witness growth in passenger traffic across our hubs and remain focused on our business model to provide affordable fare and value for money to passengers.” The new A321neo LR will join Air Arabia’s existing fleet of 50 A320 aircraft that serve over 133 routes from five hubs in the UAE (Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah), Morocco, Egypt and Jordan.

Hundreds of visitors from around the world, attending the official public opening celebrations of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, were treated to a low-level fly-by of the Jean Nouvel-designed museum by one of Etihad Airways’ flagship Airbus A380 aircraft. Sporting the airline’s ‘Facets of Abu Dhabi’ livery, the aircraft chosen for the display also features Louvre Abu Dhabi’s official logo on each of its four engines, to promote the opening of the institution. Two specially equipped helicopters were also positioned above the capital to capture air-to-air filming of the aircraft as it flew over the museum. Peter Baumgartner, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said, “Echoing the sentiments from the signing of our landmark partnership agreement with Louvre Abu Dhabi last month, Etihad Airways is honoured to play its part at the inauguration of this universal institution. We, as the UAE’s national airline, are poised to play our part in bringing millions of guests to our home to experience this modern wonder of art first-hand.”

Emirates announced that it will reinstate its second daily service to Lagos and resume operations to Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, with four weekly flights from December 15. The added frequencies to Lagos will be operated with Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, offering eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 310 spacious seats in Economy Class. “As Nigeria is a key market for Emirates, we will add 11 weekly flights between Dubai and two major cities in Nigeria, Abuja and Lagos. This highlights our commitment to providing travellers in Nigeria with not only the very latest in aircraft innovations but also increased connectivity,” said Orhan Abbas, Emirates Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Africa. The added Lagos flight EK781 will depart Dubai every day at 03:55hrs and arrive in Lagos at 09:05hrs. The return flight EK782 will depart Lagos at 12:40hrs and arrive in Dubai at 22:55hrs.

flydubai unveiled its brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8, the first of 76 ordered from Boeing, all of which will be delivered by 2023. Six of these will join the flydubai fleet by the end of 2017. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman, flydubai, said, “This is another milestone in Dubai’s aviation success story. The efficiency and enhanced performance this aircraft promises is going to play an important role in the new chapter of flydubai’s growth strategy.” The new Boeing 737 MAX 8s will initially be deployed on the furthest points on flydubai’s network, including Bangkok, Prague, Yekaterinburg and Zanzibar. Michele van Akelijen, Managing Director of show organisers, Tarsus F&E LLC Middle East, said, “The Dubai Airshow has always been the place for the industry to meet and do business, and to see new product launches and industry innovations. We are looking forward to what the rest of the week will bring.”

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai joined officials from Emirates airline and Boeing to witness the signing of a US$15.1 billion commitment to purchase 40 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners. Emirates is already the world’s largest Boeing 777 operator and the airline will be first to receive the new 777X in 2020. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates airline, said, “Emirates’ orders today will be delivered from 2022, taking the airline well into the 2030s. Some of these will be replacements so that we maintain a young and efficient fleet, and others will power our future network growth. Today’s announcement also speaks to our confidence in the future of aviation in the UAE and the region.” The 787-10 Dreamliner is the newest and longest member of the super-efficient 787 family. Boeing says it offers 10 per cent better fuel and emissions than competitive aircraft in the sector.

The first day of the Dubai Airshow kicked off with Emirates’ President Tim Clark unveiling the latest partnership with Mercedes Benz in one-of-a-kind fully enclosed private suites. With floor to ceiling sliding doors and sleek design features inspired by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Emirates’ new suites take luxury and privacy to the next level. Offering 0up to 40 sq ft of personal space each, these spacious, fully-enclosed private suites are laid out in a 1-1-1 configuration. The latest Emirates 777 aircraft boasts of a multi-million dollar upgrade that includes newly-designed seats and upgraded inflight entertainment systems in all cabins. Clark said, “The inflight experience is the heart of our brand and service proposition. The new 777 interiors that we are unveiling today is part of Emirates’ ongoing investment to continually exceed our customers’ expectations. Our Business Class features latest fully-flat leather seats with personal minibars while the Economy Class seats have adjustable full leather headrests.”

Emirates’ first Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with its first-class product will operate from Dubai to the airline’s Belgian and Swiss destinations from December 1. The new cabin will feature six private suites laid out in a 1-1-1 layout, compared to the eight private suites in a 1-2-1 layout on its existing 777 fleet. Prior to entering commercial service, the first Emirates aircraft to feature the new private suites will be on display at the Dubai Airshow from November 12-16, following a product reveal on the first day of the show. Operating as one of the two daily flights from Dubai to Geneva, travellers can enjoy the new product on flight EK083 departing Dubai at 14:50hrs, arriving in Geneva at 18:55hrs. The return flight leaves Geneva at 20:40hrs, arriving at Dubai International Airport at 06:05hrs on the following day. For travellers heading to or from Belgium, the new product will be available on flight EK183 which leaves Dubai at 08:20hrs, arriving in Brussels at 12:45hrs. The return flight leaves Brussels at 14:35hrs, arriving at Emirates Terminal Three in Dubai at 00:15hrs on the following day.

The partnership between Emirates and flydubai announced 16 additional destinations to which Emirates’ passengers can travel on a single ticket. The new, expanded network includes destinations such as Zanzibar, Kathmandu and Kilimanjaro. Travellers can book on Emirates.com, through Emirates’ contact centres or via travel agents, commencing from November 8. Emirates President Tim Clark said, “We are thrilled with the positive response from travellers. Nearly 14,000 sectors have been ticketed during the first week of operation. We have witnessed strong demand for travel from Europe and the United States to South Asian destinations.” The new codeshare destinations include Bratislava (Slovakia), Chittagong (Bangladesh), Djibouti, (Djibouti), Dushanbe (Tajikistan), Hargeisa (Somalia), Istanbul – Sabiha Gokcen (Turkey), Kathmandu (Nepal), Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), Mattala Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka), Makhachkala (Russia), Podgorica (Montenegro), Sylhet (Bangladesh), Ufa (Russia), Voronezh (Russia), Yerevan (Armenia) and Zanzibar (Tanzania). Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer, flydubai, said, “Today’s announcement will allow keen travellers to discover another 16 destinations as well as enjoy the unique personality of each airline.”

Meeting Point Emirates commenced its first charter flight set to fly from Leipzig to Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) 365 days of the year, regardless of seasonality arrivals. The flight programme includes daily, year-round direct flights and departs on a weekly basis from Leipzig, Hannover, Cologne, Munich and Stuttgart. In winter, weekly flights are scheduled from Berlin and Basel, while in summer, weekly flights are scheduled from Nuremburg and Dresden. This initiative, which started on November 2, makes Dubai directly accessible from most of these cities, hence, exposing the Dubai to new potential travellers, with a market reach like never before. Khaled Jouni, CEO, Meeting Point International, said, “Adding over 100,000 arrivals per year from the German speaking market is certain to have a positive augmentation on the destination and our local hotel partners alike”. Dubai Tourism’s Saud Hareb, Market Lead for Germany, said, “Dubai has seen strong growth and enthusiasm among visitors as a safe, family-friendly destination with a variety of attractions to be enjoyed year round, from theme parks, beaches, water parks, cultural offerings, and authentic desert safari experiences.”

Emirates celebrated the milestone delivery of its 100th Airbus A380 aircraft at a special ceremony with Airbus at the manufacturer’s delivery centre in Hamburg. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Emirates’ Chairman and Chief Executive officiated the ceremony. Ahmed said, “This is a tremendous moment for Emirates, for Airbus and our many partners involved in the A380 programme. There is no doubt that the A380 has had a big positive impact on aerospace manufacturing and the broader aviation industry, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and stimulating innovation and new product development in many related areas such as ground handling, catering, airport facilities and cabin products, to name a few.” The unique livery will feature a customised decal of UAE’s founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, marking the airline’s first initiative for the ‘Year of Zayed’, which commences in 2018, coinciding with the centennial of the birth of Zayed. A total of ten Emirates aircraft, five Airbus A380s and five Boeing 777-300ERs will carry the special livery. The aircraft will carry the distinctive decal of HH Sheikh Zayed beginning in November 2017 and throughout 2018.