Category Archives: Aviation

Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director-General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners’ Affairs in Dubai, revealed that Dubai International airports received 105, 326 passengers in one day for the first time. Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri expressed his happiness about this achievement consisting of receiving this huge number of passengers to UAE, which reflects UAE’s vision to make of Dubai a place where the world’s cultures meet and interact. Major General Al Marri made this statement as he presented statistics about the numbers of passengers coming and traveling from Dubai on New Year’s Eve. He stated that the total number of passengers during the period from December 28th to December 31st 2016 reached 669,093 passengers, noting that the numbers of travelers coming to Dubai reached 389,290 while the travelers from Dubai reached 288,803. He said that Dubai seeks to accomplish the entry and departure procedures for travelers according to the best standards to guarantee their satisfaction. He also noted that a special team was assigned to facilitate these procedures during holiday’s period to guarantee speeding the process.

Flynas flight from Dammam touched down at Abu Dhabi International Airport marking the start of its new direct operation between Abu Dhabi and Dammam with four weekly flights. Abu Dhabi Airports and Flynas teams celebrate the start of the airline’s new operation from the capital’s airport, linking Dammam with Abu Dhabi with four weekly direct flights.

Dubai Airports welcomed Sichuan Airlines’ first direct flight from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport to Dubai International (DXB) with a traditional water salute. The airline, which operates into DXB’s Concourse D, offers two weekly flights on Airbus A330. Sichuan Airlines joined DXB’s list of 90 international airlines in September 2015 when the carrier launched flights between Chengdu and Dubai via Yinchuan Hedong International Airport. A direct connection to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, which is a major international airport serving the capital of China’s Sichuan province, is a significant addition to DXB’s connectivity which spans 240 destinations across six continents.

LATAM Airlines Group S.A. and Qatar Airways, both members of the oneworld alliance, announced that Qatar Airways, through its wholly owned subsidiary Qatar Airways Investments (UK) Ltd, completed its acquisition of 10 per cent of LATAM reaching a total of 60,837,452 shares. The preemptive rights offering of 61,316,424 new shares, at a price per share of US$10, ended on December 23, 2016, in which Qatar subscribed shares of LATAM through its wholly-owned subsidiary Qatar Airways Investments (UK) Ltd. (“Qatar”), in its capacity as assignee of the preemptive right assigned by the shareholders of the Cueto, Amaro, Eblen and Bethia Groups to Qatar, as agreed between LATAM and Qatar, and other minority shareholders subscribed 12,140 shares of LATAM.

A new service that enables the use of Emirates ID cards to pass through automated immigration gates at Dubai International (DXB) is gaining popularity, with more than 234,000 UAE residents using it during its phased roll out. Completely free of charge and requiring no pre-registration, the new service makes passing through immigration Smart Gates fast and convenient for all UAE residents. The first of its kind in the region, it is the result of the joint efforts of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), the Emirates Identity Authority and Dubai Airports. The new service, available on all 127 Smart Gates across all three terminals at Dubai International, has been enabled by creating a secure and efficient link between various operational systems and databases managed by Emirates Identity Authority, GDRFA and Dubai Airports. Upon inserting the Emirates ID Card into the Smart Gate, the system can quickly, accurately and efficiently confirm the identity, travel plans and eligibility of UAE residents to enter and depart the country.

Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) received close to 1.9 million passengers in November, representing a 4.4% increase in airport traffic compared with November 2015. Abu Dhabi Airports’ traffic figures also show consistent growth throughout the year, with total AUH passenger numbers having increased by 5.3% on the previous year. More than 22 million travellers have used AUH so far during 2016. Total passenger traffic in November reached 1,860,207 which was a 38.6 per cent increase in passenger traffic through Terminal 3 compared to the same month last year, reaching 1,317,591. Traffic to and from Saudi Arabia saw a large surge compared to the previous year, with a significant increase of 43.5 per cent and the cargo services experienced growth of 1.3 per cent this year (2016) compared to November 2015.

Mini Port is a daily passenger baggage transportation service between Taksim and Atatürk Airport . The passenger comes to the Mini Port Service Point and submits their flight information to the officials, the Miniport Service Officer welcomes the passengers and receives their baggage, The Mini Port officials comply with the transport procedures of baggage arriving by the vehicle of the transportation company. This occurs at scheduled times, three times a day to the Mini Port Office in AHL International Lines metro floor from Taksim Mini Port Office. The passenger who is travelling from Istanbul and receives his baggage from AHL Mini Port Office, delivers his baggage to the counters in check-in area as complying with normal flight check-in procedures and the service is offered from Airport to Taksim and from Taksim to Airport. The scope of services was expanded and within the cooperation with the contracted hotels in Taksim region, passenger baggages will be transported from these hotels to Atatürk Airport. Recently, Turkish Airlines presented new features including Denon Headphones to be added to its on-board entertainment services. Due to this recent in-flight innovation, Turkish Airlines’ business class travellers on extended route flights will have the possibility to experience a renewed audio experience without any cost. This brand new app has been created in accordance with the Off-Airport concept which is now very much preferred by modern airlines. Now passengers who have to check out early from their hotels would spend their day comfortably without carrying their baggages. The Mini Port Office in Istanbul Atatürk Airport is located on the metro floor. Ahmet Olmuştur, Chief Marketing Officer, Turkish Airlines, said: “Turkish Airlines has been confirmed as one of the companies …

Turkish Airlines has just added flights to Havana and Caracas as its 16th and 17th destinations in the Americas. Its existing services are Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Bogota, Panama, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Boston, San Francisco, Miami and Atlanta . The inaugural flight from Istanbul got water cannon salutes in both airports with a ceremony graced by  Mehmet Büyükekşi, Member of the Board of Turkish Airlines and the senior bureaucrats both from Republic of Cuba and Republic of Venezuela, in the presence of diplomatic, protocol and media representatives as well as Turkish Airlines’ officials. Beginning from December 20, Havana and Caracas flights will be operated 3 times per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays in both directions.  Introductory round trip fares are available from Istanbul to Havana – the capital and largest city of Cuba – and to the Caracas -the capital and largest city of Venezuela. Additionally, for the first 6 months of operation to these new destinations, there is a special offer for Miles&Smiles members, with a 25% reduction in the miles needed to redeem either award tickets or upgrades.* Also launching with the new destinations, the “Bridging Youth” project, a corporate responsibility initiative by Turkish Airlines, kicked off with a fast start, as four university students from Turkey from varying backgrounds were given free tickets to Havana for a series of cultural activities including guided tours of the city with their Cuban hosts. The visiting youths will share their memorable moments and photographs of their trip on Turkish Airlines’ social media accounts.

Ras Al Khaimah International Airport has enjoyed a highly successful 2016, according to its Chairman Engr. H.E. Sheikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi. In terms of passenger numbers Ras Al Khaimah’s tourism industry has also contributed to figures that show 68 per cent growth over 2015 on a like-for-like basis. That marker alone makes 2016 one of the most successful years for the airport in its recent history, but cargo tonnage climbed an even more impressive 98 per cent and aircraft movements increased by a handsome 37 per cent. Sheikh Salem believes that this shall be the airport’s most positive year, with a host of landmarks passed and records broken during its course. Sheikh Salem explained, “A lot of hard work has been put in over recent years and we have now started to reap some of the rewards. In February, Qatar Airways inaugurated their flights from Doha to Ras Al Khaimah, connecting RAK to long haul routes in Europe, China and beyond. In April Air India Express gave us an Indian connection that goes some way to satisfying the still under-served Indian sector from RAK. In May Sun MRO started their setup at RAK to establish a narrow body repair and maintenance centre and in September we had the inauguration of Egypt Air Cargo flights, the first flag carrier freighter operating to RAK. The beginning of October saw an early start of winter tourism season with ten charters coming from various parts of Europe, CIS and Russia. The latter was a result of joint efforts by RAK Airport and RAK Tourism Development Authority.” Mohammed Qazi, the airport’s CEO, also noted that in addition to these key moments Ras Al …

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline Group inaugurated the largest purpose built facility in the world poised to be a game changer in the business aviation sector, offering VIP customers seamless travel experience coupled with time and cost efficiencies within a thriving aviation eco-system. The launch of the VIP terminal is a significant step towards realising Dubai’s vision of becoming the Aviation capital of the world. Dubai South has raised the bar on luxury travel redefining the passenger experience. The 5600-square-metre VIP terminal will cater to heads of states, ministerial portfolios and the business travellers. It currently hosts two FBOs including Falcon aviation, Jetex and Jet Aviation. The VIP terminal saw its first private jet take off in April this year, since then the terminal has witnessed 1000 flight movements and anticipates that in 2017 it would grow up to 4000. It offers a wide range of products from the arts, culture, paintings, sculptures, priceless artefacts to cars, watches, real estate, super bikes, etc., to make it a more immersive experience.