Category Archives: Aviation

Reaffirming the MEBAA Show’s position as the foremost business aviation platform in the Middle East and wider regions, gathering key players in the industry from over 95 countries, the ninth edition of the global business aviation show concluded on 8th December 2022. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group,opened the much-anticipated MEBAA Show 2022 at Dubai Airshow site (DWC). With an increased international presence at this year’s show and an up-weighted focus on in-person networking, Day 1 saw business leaders from across the world connect with exhibitors, all working together to redefine the future of the industry and take it to new heights. Key themes for the event include future aviation, sustainability, emerging markets and regulations, as well as a focus on digitalisation, block chain, AI and crypto based payments, all recognised as key trends that are driving the industry forward. Ali Ahmed Alnaqbi, Founding and Executive Chairman of MEBAA – the Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association, comments: “As we continue to witness huge growth across the business aviation industry, it’s been fantastic to see so many new initiatives highlighted at this year’s MEBAA Show. Day 1 has already seen the formation of many new connections between our visitors and exhibitors, along with the launch of a series of market-leading new technologies and sustainable solutions that will play a vital role in the future of the industry. We are pleased to be working with global industry leaders and specialists to deliver our best show to date, and look forward to seeing a continuation of today’s success …

Emirates has ramped up its operations to Gatwick Airport with the addition of a third daily A380 flight. The airline continues to scale up its UK operations to meet sustained demand ahead of the holiday rush. The additional frequency will offer enhanced capacity with more than 1,000 seats to/from Gatwick to Dubai, every day. Emirates flight EK11 will depart Dubai at 2:50hrs, flight EK15 will depart at 7:40hrs and flight EK09 will depart at 14:25hrs – offering customers even more flexibility and travel choices. Emirates currently serves the UK with 119 weekly flights across seven UK hubs including: six times daily to London Heathrow; three times daily to London Gatwick; daily service to London Stansted; three times daily to Manchester; double daily service to Birmingham; daily flights to Newcastle; and a daily service to Glasgow. Emirates’ extensive network spans to 130 destinations, across six continents. Emirates’ home and hub, Dubai, remains a very popular holiday and stopover destination. Visitors from the UK can take advantage of the new Dubai Experience platform that enables customers to easily browse, create and book their own customised itineraries including flights, hotel stay, visits to key attractions, and other dining and leisure experiences in Dubai and the UAE. For more information, visit emirates.com. Tickets can be purchased on emirates.com, Emirates Sales Office, via travel agents or through online travel agents.

Air Arabia Abu Dhabi celebrated its inaugural flight to Tashkent directly from Abu Dhabi, which was carrying an Air Arabia delegation headed by the Group Chief Executive Officer, Adel Al Ali. Upon arrival to Islam Karimov Tashkent International Airport, the airline held a press conference at the CIP lounge, to mark the special occasion and discuss the carrier’s expansion plan. Commenting on the occasion, Adel Al Ali said: “We are glad to launch Air Arabia Abu Dhabi’s first flight to Tashkent and we thank all our partners for their continuous support. This step reaffirms the airline’s commitment to provide travellers with the opportunity to explore numerous experiences across Air Arabia Abu Dhabi’s network. We remain confident that the new service will serve both leisure and business travellers and will further contribute to the growth of the travel and tourism sector of both nations while providing our customers with value-for-money product and added convenience.” Air Arabia Abu Dhabi started its operations in July 2020, since then, the airline continues to expand its network and currently serving a total of 26 destinations from the capital Abu Dhabi including Tashkent, Alexandria, Cairo, Sohag, Dhaka, Khartoum, Chittagong, Kathmandu, Muscat, Salalah, Tbilisi, Faisalabad, Multan, Cochin, Calicut, Trivandrum, Istanbul Sabiha, Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bahrain, Beirut, Kuwait, Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Kazan. The airline’s fleet has also grown from only two Airbus A320 aircraft, at launch, to eight new aircraft as of today. The aircraft’s cabin configuration provides added comfort with one of the most generous seat-pitch of any economy cabin. The aircraft is also equipped with “SkyTime”, a free in-flight streaming service that will allow passengers to stream a wide selection of entertainment directly to their devices. …

Ali Ahmed Alnaqbi, Founding and Executive Chairman of MEBAA – the Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association, and Tim Hawes, Managing Director of Tarsus Group, outlined exciting new features of this year’s MEBAA Show 2022, during a virtual press conference. Ali Ahmed Alnaqbi, Founding and Executive Chairman of MEBAA – the Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association, said: “We’re excited to host this year’s MEBAA show, with just one week to go until representatives from across the industry gather to lay out the roadmap for business aviation in the future. The tremendous rise of business aviation is a trend we are not only witnessing in the Middle East, but in key international markets, and we are committed to supporting this growth and taking the industry to new heights. “The MEBAA Show has already established itself as the ideal place to meet and build relationships with regional and international professionals from across business aviation, and this year we are proud to see many of our long-term exhibitors return for another show, as well as welcome many new ones to highlight the latest innovations shaping the industry.” “Our 2022 show will also see the introduction of brand new features, including the BizAv Talks conference, where we’re excited to hear from over 45 industry experts from across the globe during a series of insightful debates and presentations on the trends shaping the business aviation industry. We’ll also be encouraging attendees to download our newly launched AI-powered MEBAA Show Connect app, which will facilitate business connections between exhibitors and visitors and pre-schedule meetings in advance, all in line with our aim to take networking to the next level.” Tim Hawes, …

On the occasion of the United Arab Emirates national day, Etihad Airways has collaborated with creative Emiratis to highlight the country’s legacy, culture, and promising future vision. The project emphasises the principles and values of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the UAE, which have been the basis of the union since its inception on 2 December 1971. The UAE’s national airline launched a digital booklet created by three Emiratis, Nadia Alnajjar, writer; Noura Khoury, co-author and translator; and Alya Alhammadi, illustrator. The booklet depicts the beauty of the UAE’s seven emirates narrated by a traveller landing in the country on an Etihad Airways flight. The booklet takes its scenes from Abu Dhabi’s beautiful beaches, Dubai’s architectural Museum of the Future, and Sharjah’s “Dar Alhikmah”. Continuing through the Northern Emirates the booklet depicts the traditional sailing dhows in Ajman, Falaj Al Mualla fort in Umm Al Quwain and rides on the world’s longest zipline at Jebel Jais mountain in Ras Al Khaimah. The tour of the Emirates ends with an encounter with a rare fish at Wadi Al Wuray’ah in Fujairah. The digital booklet is available on Etihad’s inflight entertainment system, E-BOX. Limited edition hard copy booklets, produced by the National Library and Archive, will also be distributed to guests on board. In addition, a video inspired by the booklet has been produced by the Emirati filmmaker Aiysha Alzaabi and will be featured across Etihad’s social media channels. During the UAE National Day celebrations, Etihad Airways will be serving guests a special menu with an Emirati touch, created by Emirati Chef Khalid. The airline has decorated the aircraft seats and its Business and First class lounges at …

The highly anticipated Emirates Dubai 7s, part of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, is set to take place over the 51st UAE National Day weekend from Thursday 1st to Saturday 3rd December. The first day of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series will take place on Friday, and will be celebrated by a breath-taking Emirates Airline A380 flypast at 4pm. Tickets for Friday’s event are available at https://dubairugby7s.com The 2022 edition of the rugby festival will deliver an amplified experience for all in attendance with additional entertainment stands and activations for children and young adults, including a new Hops & Food Market, the invitational team party tent, as well as a new stage called ‘The House’. With over 100,000 fans expected to attend this year’s festival, fans and visitors can look forward to an exciting weekend of music alongside the rugby action on Pitch 1 and 2. Children of all ages are in for a treat with a series of fun activities across three Kids Zones that will be available throughout the festival from 9am – 7pm, including arts and crafts, meet and greets with cartoon characters, bumper cars, face-painting, go-karting car racing, inflatable parks, and more. Kids under 12 even get complimentary access to the Emirates Dubai 7’s. From entertainment crews roaming around the venue to interactive setups and different genres of music playing from popular DJs across all zones at the festival, the entertainment options are endless for each member of the family. Fans and ticketholders visiting on Friday can enjoy thrilling rugby matches across two pitches kicking off at 9am with Ireland competing against Spain in women’s Pool C as well as an exclusive concert by …

Emirates officially opened its ‘Emirates World’ retail store experience in the heart of Jumeirah, one of Dubai’s most vibrant communities. Located in Jumeirah Town Centre, the airline’s redesigned 3,000 square foot retail store is an open and fluid space for customers to shop for all of their travel needs in a lounge-like environment. It will also offer customers the ability to literally immerse themselves in Emirates’ signature products via VR/ AR technologies. Emirates World was officially inaugurated with a special ribbon cutting by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group. Also in attendance was Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, senior Emirates commercial and sales executives, in addition to government representatives, industry guests, corporate customers and members of the media. Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer said: “Emirates World sets a new standard for the travel retail store experience and embodies our commitment to provide customers best-in-class products and services across every touchpoint. The opening of this latest concept store is an expression of our retail vision for the future and marks the first of several stores we’ll be opening in the coming years across our network. It’s also part of our larger retail strategy to make the store experience more convenient, engaging and personal.  We’ll employ a mix of the latest technology coupled with personalised one-to-one service from our highly knowledgeable travel consultants. Our open, welcoming, and functional space will also allow customers to discover our products like Premium Economy seats, in addition to a host of other elegantly displayed experiences.” The Emirates World store features a free-flowing open floor plan that allows customers …

Air Arabia Abu Dhabi announced the launch of its two new routes from Abu Dhabi to Kazan and Yekaterinburg in Russia. The new direct flights will connect Abu Dhabi International Airport to both Koltsovo International Airport and Kazan International Airport, effective December 29, 2022. Schedule to Yekaterinburg, effective December 29, 2022 (all times local): Flight Departure Time Arrival Time Aircraft Frequency 3L 756 Abu Dhabi 09:05 Yekaterinburg 15:20 Airbus 320 Monday/Thursday 3L 757 Yekaterinburg 16:25 Abu Dhabi 20:50 Airbus 320 Monday/Thursday   Schedule to Kazan, effective December 30, 2022 (all times local): Flight Departure Time Arrival Time Aircraft Frequency 3L 788 Abu Dhabi 09:00 Kazan 13:05 Airbus 320 Tuesday/Friday 3L 789 Kazan 14:05 Abu Dhabi 20:05 Airbus 320 Tuesday/Friday Customers can now book their direct flights between the cities by visiting Air Arabia’s website, or by calling the call centre or through travel agencies. With the edition of its new routes to Kazan and Yekaterinburg, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi currently serves 28 routes from the capital Abu Dhabi including Alexandria, Sohag, Cairo, Dhaka, Khartoum, Chittagong, Kathmandu, Muscat, Salalah, Sarajevo, Trabzon, Tbilisi, Faisalabad, Multan, Cochin, Calicut, Trivandrum, Istanbul, Sabiha, Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bahrain, Beirut, Kuwait, and Moscow. Air Arabia Group operates a fleet of Airbus A320 and A321 neo-LR aircraft, the most modern and best-selling single aisle aircraft in the world. The cabin configuration across Air Arabia’s fleet provides added comfort with one of the most generous seat-pitch of any economy cabin. The aircraft is also equipped with ‘SkyTime’, a free in-flight streaming service that will allow passengers to stream a wide selection of entertainment directly to their devices. Customers can also enjoy a wide variety of delicacies between snacks, meals, …

SAUDIA Group and the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Culture signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on promoting the nation’s distinctive culture throughout the world while enriching the cultural experience of the Kingdom’s guests. This agreement is in line with the Group’s commitment to achieving the goals of Vision 2030 to promote the Kingdom’s cultural sector by creating exceptional cultural experiences that touch the senses of guests on board being the first gateway for the traveler to Saudi. This partnership reflects SAUDIA Group’s efforts to create exceptional cultural experiences to more than 60,000 passengers daily. The role of the group is not limited to only creating these cultural experiences, but it also extends through its sponsorship and support for cultural events and festivals such as the first edition of The Red Sea International Film Festival, Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, and the support it has extended to the Ministry of Culture in celebrating the ‘Year of Arabic Calligraphy’ by adorning two of its aircraft with a special livery marking the initiative. And its support to the ‘Year of Saudi Coffee’ initiative. For 77 years, SAUDIA has strived to bring elements of Saudi culture to the destinations it serves. With the establishment of the Kingdom’s Ministry of Culture in 2018, coupled with SAUDIA’s significant network expansion, Saudi Arabia is primed to impart its fascinating customs to a wider audience. This is in line with Vision 2030 which looks to celebrate the nation’s rich and unique dialect, culture, tradition, heritage, and culinary identity as shaped by the diversity of its people.   His Excellency Eng. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of SAUDIA, said on the occasion of the MoU signing: “We firmly believe …

This month marks five years since Emirates and flydubai activated their extensive partnership and joined forces to offer customers unrivalled travel options to every corner of the globe. They’ve certainly delivered on their promise. The carriers’ joint route network has significantly expanded, enabling more than 11 million customers to connect on over 250,000 flights and benefit from seamless travel since the partnership launched in 2017. The innovative partnership goes beyond the standard codesharing model and today includes integrated network collaboration, schedule optimisation, seamless connectivity at Dubai International airport (DXB) between Terminals 2 and 3, baggage transfers on a single itinerary, as well as reciprocal loyalty benefits under the joint loyalty programme, Emirates Skywards. Here’s five key highlights of Emirates and flydubai’s partnership and the benefits it offers to customers: Joint network offers unrivalled choice:  Today, customers have access to 215 destinations across 98 countries, with over 250 codeshare flights to choose from on an average day. Emirates customers can book flights to over 80 unique flydubai destinations and flydubai customers can choose from over 99 Emirates destinations. Popular customer favourites, whether travelling for business or leisure include: Kathmandu, Kuwait, the Maldives, Tel Aviv, and Zanzibar.   Joint loyalty programme maximising customer rewards: More than 8.5 million members have been able to enjoy joint Emirates and flydubai frequent flyer programme benefits, earning 150 billion Skywards Miles in the last five years through the partnership. Seamless connectivity at DXB: Customers enjoy seamless check-in, efficient baggage transfers, passenger access to Emirates’ lounges at Terminal 3 and the flydubai lounge at Terminal 2, reduced connection times as both airlines expand their flight schedules, and convenient connections to 33 flydubai destinations operated from Emirates Terminal …