Category Archives: Aviation

Designed to further enhance the passenger experience at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH), Abu Dhabi Duty Free has launched its website, www.ADDF.ae, to enable travellers to browse and shop online from wherever they are, prior to their arrival at the airport. Products are available for guests departing, arriving, or transiting through the airport, and those who are using the exclusive VIP terminal. The online store, which initially offers around 1000 of the most popular products varying from beauty, fragrances, food and confectionery, to jewelry, sunglasses, watches, souvenirs, and toys, will allow passengers to select their desired items online and pick them up from designated collection points conveniently located inside Abu Dhabi Duty Free. Online orders can be made between two weeks and up to four hours before a flight. By using the website passengers will be able to shop efficiently and spend more time enjoying the other facilities on offer at the airport. Abu Dhabi Duty Free is offering a 5 per cent discount on all online orders for first time users. For passengers who do not yet have a confirmed date of travel they can shop and create a “Wish List”. The “Wish List” is accessible to registered users and will allow them to keep their items for later when their trip is booked. Duty free shopping at AUH rose 7 per cent in 2015 despite the global slowdown of the retail market.

Abu Dhabi Airports has announced a 5.6 per cent increase in passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) for May 2016, compared to the same month last year. A total of 1,982,010 people travelled through AUH last month, exceeding May 2015’s figure of 1,877,440. A number of destinations witnessed noteworthy growth in passenger traffic, with the UK exceeding its May 2015 figures by 18.4 per cent last month, and Egypt recording a 24.3 per cent increase over the same period last year. The number of travellers with AUH as their final destination was 355,457 up by 4.6 per cent. The top-five routes were Bombay, Doha, London Heathrow, Manila and Jeddah respectively. Arrival and departure transfers both showed an increase of 7.5 per cent and 7.7 per cent respectively compared to the same month last year, while the total number of transfer passengers recorded was 1,279,599, up by 7.6 per cent, reflecting the airport’s connectivity and position as a global hub.

As the connected world of travel becomes a reality, 91 per cent of airlines plan to invest in cyber security programs over the next three years. This is according to the SITA Airline IT Trends 2016 Survey published.  SITA, the travel technology provider to the air transport industry, carried out its survey among the world’s top 200 airlines, and discovered that cyber security at airlines is progressing. Three years ago less than half of airlines (47 per cent) said they were making advanced preparations to manage cyber risks — today this has doubled to 91 per cent. The level of commitment to cyber security reflects the consensus that a lot is being done in this area but there is always more to do. The focus on cyber security also reflects the move to the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) in which a vast number of physical objects will become connected to the Internet. This enables tracking, data collection, analysis and control, which necessitates more security. An overwhelming majority of airlines (68 per cent) are investing in IoT programs in the next three years, up from 57 per cent this time last year. A key area of IoT investment is in connected aircraft which 46% of airlines believe will give a better passenger experience. Today 37 per cent of airlines operate connected aircraft and this will jump to two thirds by 2019. Currently ‘Internet via passenger devices’ is the service offered by most (33 per cent). Over the next three years big increases in services are expected with more than half of airlines planning to provide destination services and duty-free shopping apps, while 70 per cent plan to provide multi-media file streaming …

Turkish Airlines continues to expand its already substantial Far Eastern network with new flights launched to Hanoi, Vietnam. Roundtrip flights between Istanbul and Hanoi will be operated five times per week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in both directions. Introductory round trip fares are available from Istanbul to Hanoi starting at €603 ($669.2, inclusive of taxes and fees.

Nile Air, a private schedule airline in Egypt, has extended its contract with Amadeus to expand the scope of the airline IT services that they use. Nile Air is now the first in the Middle East to use Amadeus’ complete Airline IT portfolio, which provides end-to-end IT solutions for carriers of all sizes, including small to mid-size airlines. Apart from Amadeus’ complete Altéa Suite and the Amadeus Digital Solutions, Nile Air has now gained access to four key new features — revenue management, revenue accounting, mobile web and loyalty management — that will boost operational efficiency and save the airline money. Altéa Segment Revenue Management tool will give Nile Air recommendations on the best price and packaging for flights and allow the airline to apply dynamic pricing, fare families and ancillary services to better package their fare offers. With Amadeus Revenue Accounting solution’s real-time transactional model, Nile Air can track all passenger sales revenues as they happen to increase productivity and data accuracy. The Amadeus Loyalty Management system helps Nile Air personalize offers so that they can retain loyal passengers and boost revenues. Finally, Amadeus Mobile Web solution ensures that Nile Air’s website is mobile friendly so the airline can achieve brand consistency, smooth customer service and accuracy on all digital platforms. The new multi-year agreement gives Nile Air access to a fully integrated IT system with instant communication, so the airline can make revenue decisions in real time. The system is also scalable, which allows Nile Air to quickly respond to the needs of a growing airline.

Emirates will operate its daily non-stop services between Dubai and Auckland with an A380 aircraft, less than a year after operating the flights with a Boeing 777-200LR. The new EK448 route, which Emirates opened on March 1, will depart Dubai at 10.05am and arrive in Auckland the following day at 11.10am (local time). Westbound, flight EK449 will depart Auckland each night at 9.15pm, arriving in Dubai the following morning at 5.35am (local time). Emirates’ flagship double-decker A380s will operate on the route, currently the world’s longest, from October 30. The airline has been flying the route since March 1, in addition to three daily A380s flying from Auckland to Dubai and beyond via Australia, and a daily Boeing 777-300ER from Christchurch. Operating eastbound as flight EK448, the service will depart Dubai at 10:05am and arrive in Auckland the following day at 11:10am (local time). Westbound, flight EK449 will depart Auckland each night at 9:15pm, arriving in Dubai the following morning at 5:35am (local time) connecting with Emirates’ 39 European destinations, as well as other destinations in West Asia, Africa and the Middle East. This flight also connects in both directions with 10 A380 destinations, providing passengers the opportunity to fly all the way from Auckland to Europe on Emirates’ flagship aircraft. The very first flight from Dubai to Auckland and return at the beginning of March was operated by an A380 to especially commemorate the start of the non-stop route, but the flights have since been flown by the Boeing 777-200LR. As the largest A380 operator in the world, Emirates now has 80 Airbus A380s serving its network. Last month, Emirates placed a new order for an additional two new A380 aircraft, …

flydubai has announced that it will begin daily operations to Prague from July 1, an increase from four weekly flights. With this additional frequency, flydubai will operate a total of 49 flights a week to 11 points in Central and Eastern Europe.Economy Class return fares from Dubai to Prague start at AED 1,399, including 20kg checked baggage, while Business  Class fares start at AED 5,500, including 40kg checked baggage. flydubai has been operating flights to Prague since 2014. Alongside Belgrade, Bratislava, Bucharest, Skopje, Sarajevo, Sofia and Zagreb, it is part of the airline’s network in Central and Eastern Europe. Renowned for its cathedrals, courtyards and culture, Prague is one of Central Europe’s most popular destinations. Travellers can enjoy the Baroque architecture in the Old Town, take in the stunning views from Charles Bridge, discover the largest ancient castle complex in the world at Prague Castle and watch time go by at the Prague Astronomical Clock. “We are delighted to offer more flights to Prague,” commented Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer of flydubai. “Prague remains a popular destination for our passengers in the GCC. We also look forward to providing those in Europe with more choice and more opportunities to visit Dubai and beyond on our network. Our strategic base in Dubai allows passengers to benefit from flydubai’s interline agreements with other carriers, providing opportunities for onward travel to more than 200 destinations.” “With the start of daily flights to Prague we are offering greater convenience and the value for money that our passengers expect. With WiFi connectivity and Live TV as our latest product offerings, flydubai is an airline that continues to innovate,” said Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President Commercial …

Etihad Airways has entered into a code-share with Avianca Brasil.Under the agreement, Etihad Airways will put its ‘EY’ code on domestic flights operated by Avianca Brasil, while Avianca Brasil will put its ‘O6’ code on Etihad Airways flights between Abu Dhabi and São Paulo. Travellers on Etihad Airways flights between Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi and beyond will benefit from connections to and from eight other Brazilian destinations on Avianca Brasil, including Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador, and Maceió. Later this year, Etihad Guest members and Avianca Brasil’s Amigo members will be able to earn and redeem miles on code-share flights. “Avianca is an important strategic partner for Etihad Airways in South America. In addition to the code-share agreement recently signed with Avianca Colombia, we are further strengthening our presence in Brazil with a single combined ticket,” said Martin Drew, senior vice president – Americas at Etihad Airways. By end of 2015, Etihad Airways had carried over 340,000 passengers on the route while Avianca Brasil in 2015 transported 8.5 million customers.

Turkish Airlines now connects Košice, the urban center of Eastern Slovakia, with Istanbul. The flag carrier will operate flights to and from Košice three times per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in both directions. Introductory trip fares are available from Istanbul to Košice starting from $99 and from Košice to Istanbul Euros 99 (including taxes and fees). Additionally, for the first 6 months of operation to the new destinations, there is a special offer for Miles&Smiles members, with a 25 per cent reduction in the miles needed to redeem either award tickets or upgrades. This way, Košice will gain strategic importance in the process of building and strengthening cultural, business and tourist activities. For Turkish Airlines, Košice is the 289th destination that its fleet will connect with the rest of the world.

Air Cairo, an Egypt-based carrier, has signed a new agreement with Amadeus for both IT and distribution services. During June 2016, Air Cairo successfully completed its cutover to Amadeus’ Altéa Reservation and Inventory and Amadeus e-Commerce modules, whilst also signing for a full content distribution agreement.  The migration to Altéa Reservation will enable the airline to maximise booking and revenue growth through wide-reaching distribution channels, whilst Altéa Inventory provides the airline with the latest schedule management technology in the market place. Altéa will also provide the airline with a scalable platform to support its future growth. In terms of distribution, Amadeus-connected travel agencies will now benefit from access to the airline’s complete range of fares and prices, assisting the carrier in achieving its business goals in regional and international markets. Air Cairo has traditionally operated as a low cost /charter airline but is part way through an ambitious evolution aimed at becoming a Full Service Carrier. Part of the rationale for this strategic shift is access to more passengers made possible by partnerships with Egypt Air, which owns a significant stake in Air Cairo, as well as other airline partners.