Category Archives: Aviation

Etihad Airways will be adding year-round flights between Abu Dhabi and both Cairo and Lagos later this year to cater to the growing demand of travel on these routes. A fifth daily scheduled service will be introduced on the Cairo route, effective October 1, 2017, taking the frequency to the Egyptian capital up from 28 to 35 flights a week. This service will include mid-morning departure from Abu Dhabi and return from Cairo in the afternoon and will also provide convenient connections between Abu Dhabi and key cities in North and South Asia, including Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. For Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos, Etihad is launching a new Saturday flight from December 2, 2017, which will increase the frequency of its services on the route from four to five each week. The flight will leave from Abu Dhabi early morning and return from Lagos in mid-morning. This service will also provide convenient connections to cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kuala Lumpur in the Asian continent.

Kuwaiti airline Jazeera Airways recently launched a twice weekly service to Azerbaijan’s capital city, Baku. The inaugural flight (Airbus A320) landed at the Baku airport earlier this week and was received by the customary water arch. Being one of the first to provide non-stop flights of extended frequency to this emerging holiday destination, Jazeera Airways will offer a frequency of two flights every week, on Mondays and Fridays, taking off from Kuwait at 09:00 am and arriving at Baku at 12:10 pm and then departing from Baku at 13:10 pm on the same day and landing in the home country at 14:25 pm.

Etihad Holidays has launched operations in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain to provide a wide choice of package holiday options to travellers in the four countries. The move follows the successful introduction of Etihad Airways’ holiday division in the UAE, UK, Germany, India and North America. Launched in 2004, Etihad Holidays offers dynamically packaged holidays at exceptional rates at many of the world’s leading hotels. Guests can now book their flights with Etihad Airways and its partner airlines together with their hotel, rental car, tours and activities, with real-time availability, at the best available prices.  From family, beach and luxury holidays to sporting breaks, fly drives and city stays, the choices to destinations across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Australia, Africa and across the Middle East are endless. Guests can design their dream holiday from the comfort of their own home on the Etihad Holidays website and avail tailor-made packages to suit their individual needs. A team of travel professionals is only a phone call away for assistance and provides a Concierge Service for the discerning travellers. The Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Stopover Programme can be combined with any Etihad Holidays package, allowing guests to break their journey in Abu Dhabi and take the advantage of the special 2-for-1 night accommodation offers in the capital city.

Etihad Airways has recently replaced the three-class Boeing 777-300ER for the overnight service between Abu Dhabi and Paris with an Airbus A380 aircraft. Right now it has been done to meet the increased seasonal demand between July 1, 2017 to October 28, 2017 and then between December 15, 2017 to February 15, 2018. However, from March 15, 2018, the aircraft will be run permanently on this route. Mohammad Al Bulooki, Executive Vice President Commercial, Etihad Airways, said, “Paris is one of Etihad Airways’ most sought-after destinations, popular with both leisure and business flyers alike. The global capital of style and gastronomy deserves us to fly our flagship product to town, offering world-leading and award-winning in-flight hospitality experiences in the skies.

Dubai International Airport welcomed 6.8 million customers during May, according to the monthly traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports. In May 2017, passenger numbers at DXB rose by 1.9 per cent to 6,850,052 compared to 6,721,995 recorded in May 2016. During the first five months of 2017, DXB welcomed 36,969,594 passengers, a year-on-year growth of 6.7 per cent compared to 34,649,748 passengers recorded during the same period last year. “Considering that we’ve had some record breaking months earlier in the year, including the rush of travellers during the summer holiday and Eid break last week, we are looking forward to a robust growth in the first half,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports.

Emirates will introduce an additional daily flight from Dubai to Brussels from 29 October 2017, providing a double-daily service to customers on the route. The new scheduled flight is to meet the growing demand for travel on the route – Emirates has carried over half a million passengers between Dubai and the Belgian capital since launching operations on 5 September 2014. Further, this second daily flight, offering additional cargo capacity in the belly hold of the wide-body Boeing 777-300ER, will enhance trade links between Brussels and Dubai, transporting pharmaceuticals, perishables such as chocolates, and automotive parts from Belgium to the UAE and beyond. With the launch of the new flight, inbound tourism is also expected to receive a significant boost, creating an anticipated 50,000 more tourist arrivals.

Etihad Airways, Emirates Airline, Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways have all been cleared to allow customers to bring electronic devices, including laptops, tablets and e-readers, on flights from the Middle East into the United States. The ban on electronic devices that was implemented on ME flights travelling to the United States since March 25, 2017 ended on July 5, 2017.

Air Arabia recently launched a direct flight to another destination in Turkey — its historic port city Trabzon. The flight is scheduled to operate on five days a weekly — Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the flight departs from Sharjah International Airport at 21:45 and arrives at Trabzon International Airport at 00:20 local time the next day. The return service departs from Trabzon at 01:00, landing in Sharjah at 05:15 local time. On Tuesdays, the flight departs from Sharjah at 13:15 and arrives at Trabzon at 15:50; then the return flights from Trabzon are scheduled to take off at 16:30 and land in Sharjah at 20:45. Finally, the flights on Sundays are scheduled to depart from Sharjah at 16:35 and land in Trabzon at 19:10, and then the return flights are to take off at 19:50 from Trabzon and arrive at Sharjah at 00:05 the next day.

Emirates’ inaugural double-decker A380 service from Dubai to Nice recently landed at Nice Cote d’Azur International Airport, marking officially the replacement of Boeing 777-300ER used on this route with A380. The flight timings will remain unchanged. The passengers of the premium class in the A380 will get flat-bed seats as well as the Emirates Onboard Lounge to have a completely relaxed and enjoyable ride. First-class passengers can unwind in their very own private suite and leave all their travelling stress behind in the Emirates A380 Shower Spa.

Emirates recently launched a new daily service from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon. Badr Abbas, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Far East, was on board the inaugural flight on 1st July. Upon arrival, the aircraft was greeted in Phnom Penh by a traditional water cannon salute. Going per the local times, flights to Phnom Penh will depart daily from Dubai International Airport at 09:15 local time and arrive at Yangon at 17:25. It will then depart from Yangon at 18:55 and arrive at Phnom Penh International Airport at 21:25. On the return segment, flight EK389 will leave Phnom Penh at 23:10 and arrive at Yangon at 00:40. It will then set off for Dubai‎ at 02:10, arriving there at 05:40.