Category Archives: Aviation

Gama Support Services, a division of global business aviation services company Gama Aviation, has signed commercial agreements with Sharjah Airport Authority for the development and operation of a private aviation terminal at Sharjah International Airport. Estimated to cost AED 110 million ($30 million) to get built, this purpose-built, integrated business aviation complex would provide ground handling services to business jet owners, business jets, and crew members. The terminal would be spread over an area of 40,000 square metres and will include two aircraft hangars that would be able to accommodate business aircraft up to the size of Airbus ACJ & Boeing BBJ (ACJ aircraft are based on the Airbus A320 family, while BBJ are based on Boeing 737 commercial aircraft frames). Further, it will also be complemented with rest areas, lounges, duty-free shops, passport control and customs. The development will also include an aircraft fueling unit, an aircraft parking apron for business jets and ample car parking adjacent to the terminal.

Customers flying First in British Airways from Dubai can now enjoy special rates if they book 60 days in advance, with fares starting from as little as AED 21,270. They will also be able to access British Airways’ new Concorde Lounge concept at Concourse D at Dubai International Airport that provides a dedicated area for First customers and their guests to relax and unwind in a private environment before boarding their flight. Further, all passengers who are flying First Class from Abu Dhabi to Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport in British Airways and are booking 60 days in advance can experience the newly designed luxury cabins on board the 787-9 Dreamliner for as little as AED 20,550. British Airways is continuing to invest in other improvements in its First Class amenities, including a similar refresh of its flagship Concorde Room at Heathrow Terminal 5, with an updated look and feel as well as improvements to the terrace area, which is to be unveiled in October 2017.

Etihad Airways recently introduced Boeing 787-9 on its scheduled daily route from Abu Dhabi, UAE to Beirut, Lebanon. The new 787 Dreamliner service replaces the Airbus A321 aircraft that was previously used for the airline’s EY535/EY538 flights to and from the Lebanese capital. The Boeing 787-9 features Etihad Airways’ next-generation Business and Economy Class cabins and is configured with 299 seats – 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats. Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways Executive Vice President Commercial, said: “Beirut was the first international destination served by Etihad Airways in 2003 and it is fitting that we introduce the state-of-the-art 787 Dreamliner to this key market today. The new two-class 787-9 provides an increase of 125 seats per flight, with 4,186 weekly seats now offered in both directions. This reflects the strong demand to Lebanon from Abu Dhabi and the entire UAE, where a large Lebanese expatriate community resides.”

Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport (DXB) surpassed 43 million in the first half of 2017, according to the traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports. DXB handled a total of 43,054,268 passengers during the first half, up by 6.3 per cent from the corresponding period in 2016 when the airport welcomed 40,507,251 passengers. The traffic in June alone reached 6,084,674, up by 3.9 per cent from the 5,857,503 travellers that accessed the airport during the same month last year. The relatively modest growth was the outcome of the holy month of Ramadan falling in June, a traditionally slow month. The top country destination in terms of total passenger volumes at DXB in these six months was India with 5,943,359 Indian travellers, on its heels was Saudi Arabia with 3,108,492 travellers accessing the airport in H1. The maximum percentage growth in the number of travellers from a particular region was seen by South America, which had 36.4 per cent more of its travellers transiting at DXB in H1 of 2017. Top cities by passenger volumes include London (1,893,038 passengers), followed by Mumbai (1,205,504 passengers), then Bangkok (1,037,606 passengers) and thereafter New Delhi (1,016,183 passengers). While passenger traffic increased, flight movements at DXB saw a slight decrease in the first half of this year with a total of 205,996, against 207,970 recorded during the same period in 2016, a marginal contraction of 0.9 per cent.

Gulf Air recently hosted key travel industry representatives in Abu Dhabi at an event that showcased the airline’s latest developments and customer-focused initiatives. The event was hosted by Gulf Air’s Country Manager in Abu Dhabi, Madina Abdulla Albalushi. Most recently, Gulf Air launched passenger-oriented facilities like prepaid seat selection, excess baggage permit and lounge access, all aimed at making travel more comfortable for passengers while giving them greater control to manage various add-ons pre-travel. It also rolled out options for their travellers to know the flight status as well as do group bookings online. Amongst its most highly anticipated upcoming initiatives is the rolling out of its dedicated holiday unit ‘Gulf Air Holidays’, which would offer travellers a wide range of holiday packages and tailor-made travel solutions to destinations worldwide. The airline is also preparing to launch an online visa facility this summer that will support its longstanding efforts to promote the Kingdom of Bahrain as a destination to a broad spectrum of travellers, while making the process of obtaining a short-term-visit visa to Bahrain more convenient.

flydubai recently announced that it is going to add two new destinations, Voronezh and Makhachkala, and resume services to one more destination, Ufa, in its Russian network, bringing its presence in the country to ten points. Starting from October 29, 2017 for Voronezh and from October 31, 2017 for Makhachkala, flydubai’s services to both the new destinations added will operate twice a week from Dubai. Services to Ufa will also resume from October 31, 2017, with three flights a week. flydubai will be the only UAE-based carrier offering direct air links on these routes. Along with these new additions, flydubai’s network in Russia includes Kazan, Krasnodar, Mineralnye Vody, Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Samara and Yekaterinburg. Travel between Russia and Dubai recently received a push by the new changes in visa requirements, enabling Russian passengers to automatically receive a free 30-day Visa on Arrival in the UAE.

Sharjah Airport Authority has launched an awareness campaign to introduce their Smart Gates to travellers. The campaign, which will run till the end of August, aims to provide travellers with the required information to understand how to register and use the Smart Gates and will also highlight the importance of this facility for passengers to save time and enjoy a new travel experience. The Smart Gates, which were installed in collaboration with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Sharjah, have been highly praised since they were first rolled out in October 2016. The authority announced that over 850,000 passengers have passed through the 16 Smart Gates installed at the departure and arrival terminals in Sharjah International Airport until now. Travellers can now get through passport control within 20 seconds, reflecting the pioneering services provided by the authority as part of its continuous efforts to contribute to the development of the aviation sector in the UAE.

Turkish Airlines added Phuket as the 300th destination in their global network. The inaugural flight from Istanbul was welcomed by the customary water cannon salute in a formal ceremony at Phuket International Airport. Deputy Chairman and CEO of Turkish Airlines, Bilal Eksi, commented at the launch ceremony, “Turkish Airlines is excited to be bringing more value and connectivity to its passengers through its ever expanding network. As an award-winning airline that invites people to explore the beauties of our world, it was a natural choice for us to decide on Phuket as our next destination.” Introductory round trip fares for the Istanbul to Phuket flight, which has been launched on July 17, 2017, starts from $569 (including taxes and fees).  Direct flights from Istanbul to Phuket will be operated four times a week, on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. With Turkish Airlines launching flights to Phuket, Turkish Cargo has also launched freighter flights to the island.

HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Dubai Air Navigation Services (DANS), announced the latest air traffic movement figures for the month of June, which reveals a total volume of 41,589 movements in Dubai and Northern Emirates’ airspace. According to the air traffic movement figures report released by Dubai Air Navigation Services, a total of 31,243 movements have been registered at Dubai International Airport (DXB), with 15,491 movements in arrivals and 15,515 in departures. In addition, the daily average during the month was 1041 movements and 237 helicopter movements. Furthermore, air traffic movement figures at Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) registered a total of 2665 movements, including 921 movements in arrivals and 933 movements in departures. Air traffic movement reports also declared a daily average of 73 movements as well as 323 helicopter movements for the month at DWC, which reflects a significant increase of 14.1% in movements in comparison with the same month in 2016.

Philippine Airlines recently announced that it will resume its non-stop thrice weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Manila from October 31, 2017 so as to cope with the continuously increasing demand. In May 2017, the airline announced the suspension of its services on the route in order to pave way for route assessment initiatives. The suspended flights, PR656/657, will resume their services exactly like before. Operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, PR656 will leave from Manila at 11.45 am and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 5.45 pm and the return flight, PR657, will depart from Abu Dhabi at 7.30 pm and land in Manila at 8.50 am the next day.