Category Archives: Aviation

SAUDIA signed an agreement with GE Digital, to implement three solutions from its suite of aviation software. The deal was signed at a ceremony in Jeddah by Mr. Abdulgader Attiah, the Chief Data Officer in SAUDIA, and Mr. Rami Aynati, the Commercial General Manager – Europe, ME, and Africa for GE Digital’s Aviation Software team. Under the agreement, GE Digital will provide SAUDIA with three software solutions to optimize the Kingdom’s 77-year-old airline’s operations in line with its ambitious sustainability goals. GE Digital’s Fuel Insight is expected to help SAUDIA reduce its fuel costs and carbon emissions by better understanding its own data. The software is designed to visually merge actual flight data with intended flight plans, allowing analysts to drill down from macro trends to understand issues on a per-flight level. SAUDIA is focused on maintaining the highest level of safety by tracking and monitoring safety performance, optimizing practices and processes to minimize safety events, understanding fuel consumption trends over time, and recognizing potential savings associated with adopting sustainability best practices. GE Digital’s solution, Safety Insight, is designed to support SAUDIA in those initiatives. Finally, GE Digital’s FlightPulse® is designed to empower SAUDIA pilots with data-driven pre-flight and post flight self-briefings, enabling more informed decisions around fuel and safety. Mr. Abdulgader Attiah said, “SAUDIA’s significant investment in the latest, sophisticated technology from GE Digital is part of our strategy to operate in the most efficient way possible. From saving fuel and reducing carbon emissions to enabling our pilots to access their own flight performance data at any time, these new systems will ensure SAUDIA is making decisions based on precise, real-time data which integrates sustainability goals at every point.” …

Emirates will soon build an advanced training facility to accommodate 6 Full Flight Simulator Bays (FFS) for its future Airbus A350 and Boeing 777X aircraft. The brand new, 63,318 sq. ft. facility is slated to open in March 2024. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline and Group, said: “This US$ 135 million investment to build a new pilot training centre will ensure Emirates’ readiness to commence its pilot training ahead of the delivery of its new aircraft fleet starting from 2024. The building will be equipped with the latest, technologically advanced simulators to provide the best training for pilots, while using solar power to reduce energy consumption.” The new building will be adjacent to the existing Emirates Training Facilities in Dubai, which will provide a great integration and close proximity to all the other pilot training centres. Pilot trainees will also benefit from being able to set-up and configure the cockpit environment using bespoke devices as part of the pilot training module and upload the data to the Full Flight Simulator (FFS) prior to commencing their training session. This innovative, first-of-its-kind concept is designed to shorten the trainee’s preparatory time inside the simulator, help them maintain focus and take full advantage of the training duration. With the addition of the new building to Emirates’ existing training colleges in Dubai, the airline will have the potential to expand its pilot training capacity by 54% per year. Across the airline’s training buildings, Emirates’ pilots will have increased flexibility and facilities to hone their flying skills with 17 full flight simulator bays offering a capacity of more than 130,000 training hours a year. In line with …

SriLankan Airlines made an upbeat comeback to South Asia’s Travel & Tourism Exchange (SATTE), for the first time since 2019 to reconnect with the trade and jump-start Indian outbound travel to Sri Lanka. SriLankan ran a stall at the expo from 9 – 11 February 2023, and successfully galvanized the support of visiting travel agents, tour operators and other industry allies for the airline as well as national efforts to restore tourism in Sri Lanka. Indian travellers flocked to Sri Lanka before the borders closed in 2019, encouraged by the short travel time and unmistakable similarities of culture. SriLankan Airlines was often the preferred conduit of travel between the two countries owing to its broad Indian network and unparalleled flight frequencies and connections to the East and beyond. The airline is well-placed to welcome Indian customers onboard and to the shores of Sri Lanka once again, and this was the core message driven home to agents at SATTE 2023. In supporting its commercial goals, SriLankan seized the platform offered by the SATTE expo to give a boost to SriLankan Holidays’ package, ‘Dil full of Sri Lanka,’ that was introduced in India recently.  The three-day package provides an unbeatable value proposition combining the airline’s warm and convenient service with four-star properties of partner hotel chains. SriLankan remains strongly committed to its Indian customers and currently operates 80 weekly flights between Colombo and nine Indian cities. Travellers from Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Madurai, Mumbai, Tiruchirappalli and Thiruvananthapuram can expect a seamless travel experience when flying to Colombo and beyond on SriLankan Airlines. For more details and bookings visit www.srilankan.com    

Emirates announced that it will boost its operations to and from Cairo to 28 weekly flights, effective 29 October, 2023. The additional flights provide more options for customers to connect to Dubai and beyond with enhanced schedules and the opportunity to enjoy more of the Emirates A380’s signature experience. The operational boost will see Emirates operating four daily flights, thrice daily on the A380 and a daily service on the Boeing 777. Cairo has the highest deployment of Emirates A380 services in the MENA region, outside of Dubai. The additional services and upgrade of seat capacity  on the Dubai-Cairo route will help meet high demand to and from Cairo and support the country’s tourism revival with the addition of more than 2,200 weekly seats in each direction. EK921 will now operate daily, departing at 1200hrs from Dubai to arrive at Cairo International Airport at 1415hrs. The return service EK922 will depart from Cairo at 1615hrs, to arrive at 2145hrs in Dubai. Emirates’ third A380 service to Cairo, EK925 will depart Dubai at 20:40hrs landing at 22:55hrs. EK926 will then depart Cairo, the following day at 00:40 hrs, to arrive in Dubai at 06:10hrs. The Emirates A380 experience remains highly sought after by travellers for its spacious and comfortable cabins, and signature products that offer travellers the best experiences in the sky like the Onboard Lounge, First Class suites and Shower Spa. The airline currently deploys its flagship A380 to 41 destinations worldwide. The modern Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration on flights to Cairo offer Emirates’ award-winning service and industry-leading products, with private suites in First Class, lie flat seats in Business Class and spacious seats in Economy Class. …

From 18 March 2023, Air Astana will resume flights from Astana to Beijing with a frequency of two per week on Wednesdays and Saturdays and a further increase set for summer. The flights will be operated on Airbus A321LRs. In addition, from 2 March 2023, the airline will increase the frequency of flights from Almaty to Beijing to four times a week with plans to increase this to daily flights during the summer season. These will be operated on Airbus A321LR and Airbus A321neo. Adel Dauletbek, Vice President for Marketing and Sales at Air Astana: “As we begin to navigate the summer season, the airline is gradually increasing its capacity in China to meet the growing demand of the country with the largest economy and population. Our passengers have the opportunity to travel on comfortable Airbus A321LR and A321neo aircraft. We are confident that these flights will be in demand by passengers who are heading to China for business, tourism and other purposes.” The airline resumed flights to Beijing from 22 November 2022 after suspending operations with China in March 2020 due to the pandemic. From 2002 to 2020, more than 1,100,000 passengers were transported across this route.

The landmark 10th edition of the Arab Aviation Summit will be hosted in collaboration with Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority from March 14 – 16 at Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Centre under the theme ‘Impactful sustainability in modern-day travel and tourism’ in the presence of leading regional and global players in the aviation and travel industry from across the public and private sectors. The growing demand for decarbonising aviation and travel will be in focus at the region’s leading aviation industry event that brings together more than 600 aviation experts and hundreds of attendees across multiple sectors at Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Centre. Featuring a line-up of interactive panel discussions and inspiring keynote addresses in addition to various workshops and exhibitions which will take place during the three days summit enabling industry experts to share expertise and knowledge and explore the trends, insights and opportunities driving the continuous growth and development of the Arab aviation and tourism industry. Hosted in collaboration with Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), the summit will analyse the importance of impactful sustainability and disruptive technologies in a rapidly changing travel market. Stalwarts in the industry including Original Equipment Manufacturers, Destination Management Companies, tourism boards and start-ups, will include best practices and offer valuable perspectives on sustainable business models. Strategic sector discussions will also highlight curated and innovative products, services and initiatives that are currently changing the way people travel. The 10th Arab Aviation Summit will cement its status as the ‘voice of the industry’ with a series of workshops and partner networking events that open doors for discussions on opportunities and challenges in the sector. Endorsed by Arab governments, …

Discover Qatar (DQ) has launched three new additions to its spectacular series of Transit Tours that highlight Qatar’s position as the principal destination for sports activities following the success of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.Transit passengers can now embark on a journey to re-experience the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM in an exclusive transit tour that takes tourists across Qatar’s leading state-of-the-art stadiums. The tour includes an exterior visit to five of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ stadiums: Al Thumama, Education City, Khalifa International, Lusail Iconic Stadium, and the innovative Stadium 974 before its permanent disassembly. The guided coach tours offer a unique experience for passengers to explore Qatar’s architectural wonders from the outer perimeters that showcase the country’s culture, heritage, and history during the world’s most prestigious sporting event. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are delighted to help our transit passengers maintain their active lifestyle through our sports simulator sessions offered by Discover Qatar. Sports enthusiasts can also relive the excitement of the historic FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ by visiting Qatar’s iconic stadiums which hosted an unforgettable edition of the world’s most popular tournament.” Discover Qatar World Cup Stadiums Tour can be booked online up to 48 hours before arrival in Doha or offline at the Qatar Tourism/Discover Qatar kiosk in the Duty Free Plaza on arrival at Hamad International Airport. The tour is priced at USD 42 per adult, USD 21 per child under the age of 12, and free of charge for children below the age of two. For more information, please visit:  https://www.discoverqatar.qa/transit-exclusive-world-cup-stadiums-tour For passengers who are transiting for four hours or more, DQ offers …

Air Arabia Abu Dhabi announced the launch of its new direct route connecting the UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi to Kolkata city in India. The new flights between Abu Dhabi International Airport and Kolkata Airport will operate three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, starting from March 15, 2023. Schedule to Kolkata, effective March 15, 2023 (all times local): Flight Departure Time Arrival Time Aircraft Frequency 3L 168 Abu Dhabi 14:25 Kolkata 20:20 Airbus 320 Monday/Wednesday/Saturday 3L 169 Kolkata 21:05 Abu Dhabi 01:05 Airbus 320 Monday/Wednesday/Saturday Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia, said: “We are delighted to launch this new route, offering our customers an even wider choice of destinations in India. Kolkata is a vibrant city, and this new service will enable us to provide our customers base with more convenient and affordable opportunities for business, leisure, and cultural exchange between the two countries. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi remains committed to provide customers a unique travel experience and value driven products. We look forward to welcoming our passengers on board our flights”. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi continues to cater to its customers’ needs through expanding its route network to reach a total of 28 destinations directly from Abu Dhabi International Airport while the new service to Kolkata marks the 7th destination in India after Cochin, Calicut, Trivandrum, Chennai, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad. Air Arabia 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 …

Jazeera Airways, continuing robust growth, announced record net profits of KD20.1 million for the year 2022, an increase of 183.6% over 2021. Operating revenues for 2022 increased to KD182.116 million, up 126.5%, and operating profit increased by 148.4% to KD26.8 million. With the resumption of operations at the Kuwait International Airport (KIA), the airline built on its quick return to profitability in the second half of 2021. During 2022, Jazeera also exceeded 2019 performance; which was the last comparable full year of unrestricted operations, by 30%. While overall passenger traffic at the airport dropped by 26% compared to 2019, Jazeera’s traffic grew by 19% during the same period. Passenger numbers increased by 247.5% to an unprecedented 3.6 million, compared to the last year. Load factor increased by 10.2% to 77.01, which offset a decline in yield, the average fare paid per passenger, by 35.1% to KD47.96. Marwan Boodai, Jazeera Airways Chairman, commented: “We are extremely proud to report record annual net profits for the year 2022, the highest in the history of Jazeera Airways. In the last year, high fuel prices added approximately KD9 million to our costs. Our financial performance despite this additional cost burden testifies to the aggressive cost focus across the organization. The fact that we carried 3.6 million passengers in 2022, up from 2.4 million passengers in 2019, shows the strong acceptance of our business model and growing service by our customers. With our growing fleet, new upcoming routes and planned enhancements to our operations, 2023 is going to be another exciting year.” In the last quarter of 2022, the airline reported a modest net loss of KD0.7 million, compared to a profit of KD7 million …

Sharjah Airport experienced a remarkable growth in the previous year achieving the Authority’s primary objectives of revamping the Emirate’s tourism sector as well as elevating the airport’s status as one of the top five airports in the region. Passenger traffic witnessed a growth rate of 84.73 per cent, increasing the numbers to nearly 13 million passengers in 2022, as opposed to 7 million passengers in 2021. Meanwhile, aircraft movement experienced an increase of 51.69 per cent to 87,495 flights in 2022, as compared to 57,679 by the end of 2021. Moreover, around 170,544 tonnes of freight were handled through the Sharjah Airport in 2022, indicating an increase of 21.20 percent from around 140,717 tonnes in 2021. His Excellency Ali Salim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Airport Authority, said: “The growth and achievements recorded in the previous year reflects our commitment to meeting evolving passenger expectations through our enhanced customer services. This marks a significant step in our journey towards excellence and leadership, which is in line with the visions and aspirations of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah and are as a result of the close supervision of H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Executive Council. The remarkable results resonate our strategic goals of reviving the travel industry in the Emirate of Sharjah, together with our ambitions to offer elevated levels of services. To satisfy the rising demand of the travel and air freight sectors, we further aim at raising our investments in expanding the airport’s capacity and enhancing the network of tourism …