Category Archives: Aviation

To meet exceptional Khareef season demand for Salalah in Oman’s southern Dhofar Governorate, Oman Air has gradually increased daily flight frequencies on its Muscat-Salalah-Muscat sector to reach up to 30 flights a day on Thursday and Saturday and up to 22 flights a day on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The additional flights on the sector reflect Salalah’s reputation as a top tourist destination during Khareef (monsoon) season. The airline will increase flights based on the schedule below: Flights a day Dates   20 Flights Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday Effective 14 August 2022 28 Flights Thursday, Saturday 22 Flights Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday Effective 21 August 2022 30 Flights Thursday, Saturday  

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), concluded its participation in the fourth edition of the Tourist Hospitality Initiative held in southwest region of Aseer. SAUDIA celebrated guests on flight SV1644, inbound from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, with a welcoming event and giveaways. Held under the theme of “1,000 Welcomes,” a phrase traditionally used as a greeting for visitors in the Saudi region of Aseer, and with direct support from the Governer of the region, the initiative is aimed at continuing to welcome a diverse range of visitors to the region. In recognition of the tourism campaign, the SAUDIA sales offices and the arrivals terminal at Abha International Airport were decorated with the initiative’s vibrant designs, highlighting SAUDIA’s role in connecting the capital of Aseer with the rest of the Kingdom. In addition to its scenic nature and charming ambiance, Abha contains a variety of ways to keep tourists interested. SAUDIA’s participation in the initiative is a continuation of the national carrier’s involvement last year and comes as part of its efforts to promote domestic tourism. The flag-carrying airline’s operations out of Abha are continuously being enhanced and scaled, with more seating capacity being made available as required by seasonal demand.

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) announced that it will be commencing services to Seoul, South Korea from 16 August 2022. SAUDIA will operate its state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner, configured in two classes with 24 flat bed seats in Business Class and 274 seats in Guest Class, featuring inflight television screens at every seat with up to 5,000 entertainment hours. Engr. Ahmed Alwassiah, the Acting Chief Executive Officer, SAUDIA said: “We look forward to welcoming guests onboard our flights to and from Seoul this summer. SAUDIA’s debut into South Korea will mean more choices for travellers from both countries and beyond to our far-reaching network, alongside our signature hospitality and award-winning onboard experience.” He added: “SAUDIA is committed to creating new opportunities for business and tourism and strengthening the bilateral ties between Saudi Arabia and South Korea. This direct route will have a positive impact not only on the tourism sector, but also the business, logistics, investment, and manufacturing sector as it aims to serve multiple segments of guests. The flight will takeoff from Jeddah on 16 August as SV898, leaving at 01:00hrs with a quick stop at Riyadh and arriving at Incheon International Airport at 19:50hrs local time. The return flight SV899 will depart Seoul Incheon at 21:40hrs, arriving in Riyadh at 02:10hrs and Jeddah at 04:45hrs on the next day. Flight schedules have been timed to provide convenient access to the Kingdom, and optimum connection opportunities to Middle East, Africa and European destination. SAUDIA Holidays, the tour operating arm of the airline will also provide travelers with personalized holidays to Seoul and across the SAUDIA network, with travel consultants that handpick hotels and experiences to suit the needs of customers. …

Priding itself on a brand promise of ‘Fly Better’, Emirates is investing over US$ 2 billion to enhance its inflight customer experience, including a massive programme to retrofit over 120 aircraft with the latest interiors, plus an array of other service improvements across all cabins starting in 2022. Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “While others respond to industry pressures with cost cuts, Emirates is flying against the grain and investing to deliver ever better experiences to our customers. Through the pandemic we’ve continued to launch new services and initiatives to ensure our customers travel with the assurance and ease, including digital initiatives to improve customer experiences on the ground. Now we’re rolling out a series of intensive programmes to take Emirates’ signature inflight experiences to the next level.” Some of Emirates’ latest initiatives include: elevated meal choices, a brand new vegan menu, a ‘cinema in the sky’ experience, cabin interior upgrades, sustainable choices and a generous approach to the little touches that make travel memorable. Starting from August, Emirates’ passengers can look forward to: New Inspirations, New Menus:  An award-winning team of chefs, a world-class catering team and a wide variety of suppliers have been assembled to design and deliver the best fine dining experience in the sky. New menus will be served on select Emirates routes in First Class, featuring dishes such as pan-fried salmon trout with moqueca sauce and creole rice, roasted duck breast with orange thyme jus, steamed broccolini and fondant potatoes. New menus will also be introduced to Business and Economy on the 1st of September. Purposefully Vegan Choices: Emirates’ new vegan menu is carefully curated to cater to the growing numbers of customers …

Air Arabia (PJSC) reported a strong first half (January to June) 2022 as recovery in demand for air travel continued. Air Arabia reported a net profit of AED 451 million for the first six months ending June 30, 2022, compared to AED 44 million registered in the corresponding first half 2021. In the same period, the airline posted a turnover of AED 2.24 billion, a 110 per cent increase compared to the corresponding first half of last year. More than 5.2 million passengers flew with Air Arabia between January and June 2022 across the carrier’s five hubs, an increase of 131 per cent compared to the same period last year. The airline’s average seat load factor – or passengers carried as a percentage of available seats – increased by 11 per cent during the first six months of 2022 and stood an average at 79 per cent. During the second quarter ending June 30, 2022, Air Arabia registered a net profit of AED 160 million, compared to AED 10 million net profit reported for the same period last year. The company’s turnover for the second quarter of 2022 increased by 125 per cent as demand for air travel increased registering an AED 1.11 billion, compared to AED 496 million in the corresponding period last year. More than 2.7 million passengers flew with Air Arabia between March and June 2022 across the carrier’s five hubs, an increase of 195 percent compared the same quarter last year. The airline’s average seat load factor increased by 13 per cent during the second quarter of 2022 and stood at an impressive average of 79 per cent. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohamed Al Thani, Chairman of Air …

Oman Air continues to facilitate travel for football fans to this year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The airline will operate 48 Match Day Shuttle flights between Muscat and Doha from 21st November to 3rd December 2022. The airline offers wide-body service, including Boeing 787 Dreamliner between Muscat and Doha. Passengers on shuttle flights will enjoy Oman Air’s exceptional award-winning products and services, both in the air and on the ground, and its signature Omani hospitality accessible to guests on every flight. Return Match Day Shuttle flights can be booked on the Oman Air website (omanair.com) with prices starting from 49 OMR for Economy Class and 155 OMR for Business Class. Fares include fees, taxes, airport charges, and hand baggage allowance. Passengers are advised to arrive in Doha at least four hours before the start of a match due to the high frequency of flights each day. In addition, all passengers must register for a Hayya card (fan ID) prior to their flight, as this is required for travel on all Match Day Shuttle flights and for entry into Qatar. Throughout the tournament, football fans can book their Match Day Shuttle flights, which provide a smooth and comfortable 24-hour experience between Muscat and Doha. The service is intended to seamlessly connect fans to Qatar so that they can attend their respective matches. A no-check-in baggage policy also allows passengers to plan an easy-in, easy-out travel itinerary. Football fans to the region can also visit Muscat to experience thrilling adventures, breathtaking natural beauty, and genuine Omani hospitality through a variety of stopover packages available from Oman Air Holidays. Whether stopping for a few hours, overnight or several days, the Sultanate of …

Close on the heels of re-introducing double-daily flights, Emirates has announced plans to up frequencies to Mauritius starting 1 October 2022. The additional evening frequency which will operate up till 31 January 2023 is in response to increased travel demand to and from Mauritius, and will boost connectivity to the island nation. Emirates’ third-daily flight to Mauritius will operate with the following schedule (all timings local): EK 709 departs Dubai at 22:10 hrs and arrives in Mauritius at 04:45 hrs. EK 710 leaves Mauritius at 06:30 hrs, arriving in Dubai at 13:05 hrs. The third-daily flight will boost seat capacity to and from Mauritius by approximately 35%, catering to the surge in demand and providing added support to the tourism industry during one of the busiest travel seasons. The added frequency supplements the existing double-daily Airbus A380 services and will also offer customers travelling to Mauritius with more flexibility when planning their trip with the choice of an early morning arrival at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport in addition to the existing EK 0701 service which arrives mid-morning, and EK 0703 that arrives early evening. Travellers departing Mauritius will also have ample choice to connect safely and seamlessly to Dubai, and through Dubai onwards to Emirates’ global network of 130 destinations. All three daily flights offer code sharing with Air Mauritius to allow greater access and a seamless travel experience to and from the island nation. HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group said, “We thank the Mauritian authorities for considering our request to operate a third daily flight. Air connectivity is critical to international tourism, and these extra seats will help …

DidaTravel launched its B2B flight booking multi-GDS portal, including access to full-service carriers, low-cost carriers (LCCs), and new distribution capability (NDC) content. DidaTravel’s 23,000 B2B buyers around the world – such as travel agents, tour operators, OTAs, TMCs and MICE – can now access flights from 500 plus airlines to fly to more than 20,000 destinations around the world. Going forward clients will have the added option of combining flights with accommodation to boost their ancillary revenue thanks to dynamic packaging technology that also includes in-path and post-booking cross-selling tools. Packaging of flights with accommodation is already available through the company’s new flight booking engine or as an XML / API integration, with dynamic packaging to be integrated at the end of 2022. In addition, currently there is an option for clients to query flight prices manually. To lead this new area, Jason Guan – who joined DidaTravel last year – has now been appointed as Flight Business Unit General Manager, reporting directly to Rikin Wu, DidaTravel Founder & CEO. This new team consists of specialists with expertise in the area of system analysis and design, system architecture and modelling, development and coding, testing and implementation. Rikin Wu, DidaTravel’s Founder & CEO comments: “Most of our clients across Middle East region are looking for flight content, in particular for the possibility to package flights with accommodation.  Given the popularity of packages in the region, we anticipate a high level of demand in the Middle East market – and are already putting in place the resources to fulfil this demand.” Jason Guan, DidaTravel’s Flight Business Unit General Manager added: “I am so pleased to join DidaTravel. We have put together a …

dnata has extended its long-standing partnership with GOL Airlines (GOL), a leading Brazilian low-cost carrier.  The extension of the contract will see dnata continue to provide a range of passenger, ramp and baggage services to the airline, ensuring a seamless airport experience for over 19 million passengers and safe and timely departure of up to 133,000 flights annually across 20 airports in Brazil. dnata’s latest contract win cements its position as the leading ground services provider in Brazil. David Barker, dnata’s Divisional Senior Vice President for Airport Operations, said: “We are proud to extend our successful partnership with GOL Airlines across their extensive Brazilian operations. We will continue to work hard to provide the highest level of quality and safety for the airline and its customers, every day.” André Cruz, GOL’s COO, said: “dnata is an important partner for GOL since 2016, providing excellent services in more than 20 cities in Brazil. This extension strengthens even more our partnership and offers to our customers the best airport experience.” dnata has recently increased its investment in Brazil to become the sole shareholder of its local subsidiary. In recent years dnata Brazil has significantly expanded its footprint in the country and currently serves more than 15 airlines at 29 airports with a team of 5,000 local aviation professionals. David Barker added:  “Our increased investment in Brazil underscores our commitment to the South American market, our highly-trained team and global customers. We see excellent growth opportunities and strong demand for our reliable and safe services across the continent. We will seize opportunities to further enhance our offering and consistently deliver world-class quality in Brazil and beyond. “Globally, we will continue to go the …

Qatar Aviation Services (QAS), the subsidiary of Qatar Airways Group, announced its partnership with International Air Transport Association (IATA) to become the first ground handler globally to join the new expansion of the IATA Environmental Assessment Programme (IEnvA) for ground service providers. The IEnvA programme for ground service provides a framework for achieving environmental sustainability across all ground operations. Taking advantage of the knowledge and experience garnered from the airline programme, ground service providers can rely on its definitive guidance to reduce their impact on the environment, and improving health and safety for both employees and the community, while maintaining operational efficiency. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “I am proud to lead the efforts to create a sustainable aviation industry. Environmental sustainability awareness across the entire organisation is critical to the success of Qatar Airways Group. Through IEnvA, Qatar Aviation Services will be able to demonstrate the value of environmental compliance and ensure sustainability in its operations.” IATA’s Director General, Mr. Willie Walsh, said: “We’re delighted to count Qatar Aviation Services as the first ground handler to join the newly extended IATA’s IEnvA programme. Sustainability is a critical challenge for our industry. By taking proactive steps to measure their impacts and address them throughout their operations with IEnvA, QAS and Qatar Airways Group will back their sustainability achievements with the most comprehensive global standard environmental certification available in the industry”. Qatar Aviation Services, managed by the Senior Vice President, Mr. Mehmet Murat Nursel, is committed to minimising the environmental impact of its operations, playing an instrumental role in helping Hamad International Airport gain its world-class standing as environmental leader amongst airports globally. Through …