Category Archives: Aviation

Astra Tech (Astra), a leading consumer technology holding group based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a partnership with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, that will enable customers to book flights through BOTIM, the MENA region’s leading VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) solution, which was recently relaunched as an Ultra app. The partnership was signed today at the Arabian Travel Market, between Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves and Astra Tech’s Founder, Abdallah Abu Sheikh. With this partnership, Astra Tech and Etihad are providing customers with a fresh and hassle-free approach to booking flights. Through the BOTIM GPT module developed by Astra Tech, flights and other travel-related services are integrated into the Botim app, offering a convenient and innovative way for customers to book Etihad flights. The partnership aims to enhance the travel experience for customers by focusing on promotions and financing solutions, underscoring the companies’ steadfast commitment to delivering innovative and customer-focused solutions that meet the evolving needs of today’s travelers. Working together, Etihad and Astra Tech will provide customers with a comprehensive and integrated travel experience that simplifies the process of booking flights and accessing other travel-related services. The integration of flights into the Botim app enables customers to enjoy a more convenient and all-inclusive travel experience, making it easier than ever before to plan their travels. Antonoaldo Neves, CEO of Etihad Airways, said: “Etihad is excited about this new partnership with Astra Tech, as it provides a unique opportunity to launch flight bookings on Botim, a communications platform that families and friends use to stay connected. By integrating flight bookings into the application, Etihad becomes a part of the conversation, making it convenient for guests …

Sabre Corporation  and Air India announced a new multi-year deal that enables travel agents and corporations around the world to access Air India fares and seats through Sabre’s extensive global travel marketplace. Having recently placed the biggest aircraft order in aviation history for 470 aircraft, Air India is forging ahead with ambitious expansion plans. In addition to the distribution services, Air India is utilizing Sabre’s consultancy expertise to help determine optimal routes for its existing and new fleet. “The Indian travel market is back, and it’s coming back strong,” said Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial & Transformation Officer, Air India. “So, we’re delighted to have re-established, and enhanced, our relationship with Sabre at this transformative time for Air India, and the wider Indian travel marketplace. This long-term global distribution partnership will support our ambitious growth plans while paving the ground for our transition towards a more dynamic, merchandising-focused model, designed to unlock the value of Air India’s products and services.” “As well as coming together once more under a new GDS agreement, we’re excited to be working hand-in-hand with Sabre’s incredibly knowledgeable consultancy team on the development of a clean-sheet, long-term network plan,” added Mr Aggarwal. “We are confident this will strengthen Air India’s position in our domestic and international routes, and help us to become more competitive on the global aviation stage. We are delighted to further strengthen our relationship with Sabre, and look forward to closer collaboration in the coming years.” Now under the ownership of the Tata Group, Air India, as part of its five-year transformation plan, titled Vihaan.AI because it means ‘the dawn of a new era’ in Sanskrit, is substantially expanding its fleet and network, revamping …

Emirates is showcasing its latest roster of innovative products and fan-favourites at this year’s 30th edition of Arabian Travel Market, which got underway on 1 May. A milestone year for the event, which is celebrating its third decade of connecting the travel industry, this year also marks Emirates 30th year of partnership and commitment to ATM. When the exhibition first opened its doors thirty years ago, Emirates flew 15 aircraft to 30 cities and carried close to 2 million passengers. Today, Emirates is the world’s largest international airline serving over 140 destinations on more than 200 wide-body aircraft, connecting tens of millions of travellers across the globe each year, and making Dubai one of the most globally connected cities for travel, tourism and business. Over the years, the airline’s presence has expanded and evolved at ATM. In 2007, Emirates unveiled its huge ‘Globe’ stand, a captivating three-storey spherical structure which literally ‘turned’,  featuring  the airline’s industry-first private suite in First Class on its Airbus A340-500 in a specially recreated area.  Later, the 9.5 metre tall structure focused on the airline’s tremendous network expansion featuring Emirates destinations, and on the fringes of the stand, its cabin products on the A380 and Boeing 777 across all classes, as well as its sports sponsorships around the world. In 2016, the airline unveiled its ‘Infinite Possibilities’ stand at ATM, a futuristic display showcasing its industry leading products and services for visitors to experience before boarding their next Emirates flight. Standing at 8.5 metres tall and taking almost 9 days to assemble, Emirates’ ‘Infinite Possibilities’ stand was one of the tallest exhibitor stands at ATM, weighing in at 166 tonnes, equivalent to one third of …

Turkish Airlines, flying to more countries than any other airline, is bringing the UEFA Champions League vibe to their stand at the Arabian Travel Market 2023, complete with a display relating to the tournament. The centerpiece of the stand will be a life-size replica of the Champions League trophy, gleaming under the bright lights and drawing the visitors for photo opportunities with the trophy exhibit. Visitors to the Turkish Airlines stand also can enter a competition on the airlines Instagram page on @TurkishAirlinesArabia.  Two winners will get tickets to the semifinals of the tournament together with airline tickets to enjoy the excitement and energy of a packed stadium watching professional players dribble, pass, and score. At this year’s ATM, the airline is reinforcing connectivity in response to growing customer demand for a stopover in Istanbul on their way to different parts of the world. The airline has won multiple awards for their product and service offering recently including accolades such as the Apex Best Seat Comfort in Europe, Apex Best Food & Beverage in Europe, Skytrax Worlds Best in Business Class Catering, Skytrax Best Airline in Europe as well as Skytrax Best Airline in Southern Europe. Turkish Airlines connects travellers to over 340 destinations worldwide (289 international and 53 domestic) while maintaining the utmost care for a safe and healthy travel experience.

In the heart of Dubai’s bustling financial district, Emirates launched a new City Check in and Travel Store, enabling customers to conveniently book travel, check-in for flights, drop luggage, shop for travel essentials, and save time at the airport. Located in the elite ICD Brookfield Place in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the state of art facility will be open from April 27. As part of Emirates’ continuous investment into enhancing customer experience, the City Check-in and Travel Store has a prime and premium location for busy professionals in Dubai’s finance hub and allows customers to drop their luggage as early as 24 hours and up to 4 hours before a flight, arriving at the airport at leisure. Customers can visit the space and check in anytime from 8:00am to 10:00pm daily, beginning their travel experience with seamless service via self check in kiosks, at dedicated desks with Emirates agents, or with the help of the world’s first ever check in robot assistant – Sara. Sara is an innovative portable robotic check-in system, who can match faces with scanned passports, check passengers in, and guide them to the luggage drop area. With an eye-catching 2.5 metre LCD screen showing the latest destination content from Emirates, and more screens showing an interactive touchscreen map, the City Check-in and Travel Store is a stylish and spacious contemporary space which offers the opportunity to book tickets, browse travel merchandise, drop luggage, and check in – with paid valet parking and self-parking ensuring an elevated, hassle-free check in experience for Emirates passengers. Visitors can also get expert advice and offers on trending destinations, while dedicated travel consultants can assist with purchasing tickets for future …

As part of Kuwait Airways’ continuous efforts to provide various services to its valued passengers, the company launched the “Just Upgrade” travel service through a bidding system, where customers can offer the best price to upgrade the seat, from Economy Class to Business Class, or from Business Class to Royal or First Class. The Director of Network and Planning at Kuwait Airways, Mrs. Shorouk Al-Awadhi stated, “Kuwait Airways is pleased to launch its latest distinguished service which is the “Just Upgrade” service, allowing customers to obtain the best price to upgrade their travel class through bidding.  Here the customer can submit a bid before the departure of their flight through the available electronic payment methods. This is followed by a confirmation email being sent to the customer stating an upgrade in the promotion, for which the customer has offered the highest price to reserve the seat.” Al-Awadhi added, “This will provide the passenger with an upgrade from Economy Class to Business Class, or from Business Class to Royal or First Class and offer several privileges, including priority check-in, boarding and baggage handling, access to premium class lounge, and varied selection of meal choices. Moreover, Kuwait Airways is also keen to design seats to keep pace with the best in the world and believes in the comfort and relaxation of the passenger during the flight and until the passenger reaches their destination, which is one among the company’s important priorities. Kuwait Airways’ on-board experience also includes ample spacious seats, international in-flight entertainment, local and international meal options to suit varied preferences and requirements.” The Director of Corporate Communication, Public Relations, and Marketing at Kuwait Airways, Mr. Khalid Al-Bustan continued by saying, …

More than 100 tourism representatives from Austria, Germany, Ireland, and Switzerland will gather in Dubai later this month at the Discover Europe Travel Summit with the aim of strengthening relationships and exploring new opportunities within the Middle East travel market. The two-day networking event will take place at 25Hours Hotel Dubai One Central from April 29-30, the weekend immediately prior to the start of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the region’s largest travel exhibition. Promising an ideal prelude to ATM, Discover Europe is held in partnership with the European Travel Commission and set to draw attendance of at least 110 GCC buyers specialising in the culture and luxury sectors of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Set to feature presentations from the four national tourism boards along with one-to-one meetings and networking events, the summit will bring together buyers and exhibitors holding just under 4,500 meetings. Miguel Gallego, Head of Marketing at the European Travel Commission, said: “As we prepare to kick off the Discover Europe Travel Summit in Dubai, we are thrilled to be a partner at an event that has been collaborating with GCC buyers to strengthen our existing relationships and explore new opportunities. Our goal is to foster long-lasting partnerships and promote Europe’s rich culture, history, and natural beauty to the discerning travellers of the GCC region. We believe that by working together, we can create innovative travel experiences that showcase the best of what Europe has to offer and pave the way for a bright future of travel industry growth and success.” Michael Tauschmann, Head of Markets Middle East & India at the Austrian National Tourist Office, concluded: “It is an absolute privilege …

Advancing its sustainability efforts, Emirates and dnata have joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), a voluntary global initiative that promotes responsible business practices and the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said: “In the UAE’s Year of Sustainability, we are pleased to join the United Nations Global Compact, which is another step forward in the Emirates Group’s efforts to embed sustainable and responsible business practices across our operations. “Emirates and dnata have always taken a balanced approach to growth. Reflecting Dubai and the UAE’s long-term vision, we are tireless in our pursuit of excellence and progress, and we embrace the values of tolerance and respect. We will continue to invest in technologies, people, and partnerships to improve our business performance, expand our positive impact on the communities we serve, and reduce our environmental impact,” he added. As participants of the UNGC, Emirates and dnata commit to implementing the Global Compact’s Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption, and to report on its progress on these efforts annually. The Group will benefit from access to the UNGC’s extensive tools and resources to engage with its employees across the globe and improve their learning and training in Sustainability. The Emirates Group’s ongoing environmental initiatives focus on 3 areas: emissions reduction, responsible consumption and the preservation of wildlife and habitats. In June 2022, dnata pledged US$100 million to be invested over 2 years to enhance environmental efficiency in its operations. In January, Emirates successfully operated a milestone demonstration flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in one engine, supporting collective industry …

Emirates announced it will launch a new daily service from Dubai to Montréal, starting 5 July. Montréal becomes Emirates’ second gateway in Canada, complementing its passenger services to Toronto, which have been operating to Ontario’s capital city since 2007. The launch of services to Montréal comes as the UAE and Canada aim to deepen economic cooperation between the two nations and stimulate benefits to the aviation and tourism sectors, in addition to enhancing trade flows and commercial links. The daily flights to the new destination will help cater to the huge demand for direct flights between Dubai and Canada, particularly to its two largest metropolitan hubs, and provide more choice for travellers when flying to Canada. Passengers from Montréal can enjoy the airline’s award-winning services to and through Dubai, and connect safely, seamlessly and efficiently to Emirates’ global network of over 130 destinations in over 70 countries and territories. The daily flights between Dubai and Montréal will operate as EK243/244 with a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration, offering a premium travel experience across its cabins. Passengers can enjoy Emirates’ award-winning travel experience aboard its wide-body aircraft with 8 First Class suites, 42 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 304 seats in Economy Class. Tickets to Montréal go on sale today for flights starting 5 July and can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, or via travel agents. The flights will operate with timings as follows (all times are local):

flynas has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Air Connectivity Program (ACP) to launch five new international destinations. The destinations include the capitals of Iraq, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, as well as the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan. This collaboration aims to facilitate the arrival of visitors to the Kingdom. Under the agreement, flynas will operate direct flights to Abuja, the Nigerian capital, from Jeddah, and direct flights between Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, and King Abdulaziz Airport in Jeddah, as well as Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah. Three other destinations in Central Asia will be launched, including direct flights from Jeddah to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, and Osh, the second largest city in the country. The fifth new direct flight will operate between Jeddah and Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. During the signing ceremony, Bander Almohanna, flynas CEO and Managing Director, stated: “The new agreement strengthens the partnership between flynas and the Air Connectivity Program, and supports the company’s growth and expansion strategy launched under the slogan ‘Connecting the World to the Kingdom’, which aims to reach 165 destinations.” Almohanna emphasized that connecting direct flights with these five new cities distributed between Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, will enhance flynas’ ability to serve pilgrims and Umrah performers, and will open new horizons for tourism, trade exchange, and economic opportunities. It will also contribute to achieving the objectives of the Air Connectivity Program by establishing new routes. “The partnership between flynas and the Air Connectivity Program marks a significant milestone in the ecosystem’s efforts to facilitate travel to the Kingdom,” said Ali Rajab, CEO of ACP. ‘’By enabling direct air connectivity to these five new …