Category Archives: Aviation

According to the latest passenger data shared by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for June 2022 shows that the recovery in air travel remains strong. Middle Eastern airlines’ traffic rose 246.5% in June compared to June 2021. June capacity rose 102.4% versus the year-ago period, and load factor climbed 32.4 percentage points to 78.0%. Total traffic in June 2022 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) was up 76.2% compared to June 2021, primarily propelled by the ongoing strong recovery in international traffic. Globally, traffic is now at 70.8% of pre-crisis levels. Domestic traffic for June 2022 was up 5.2% compared to the year-ago period. Strong improvements in most markets, combined with the easing of some Omicron-related lockdown restrictions in the Chinese domestic market, contributed to the result. Total June 2022 domestic traffic was at 81.4% of the June 2019 level. International traffic rose 229.5% versus June 2021. The lifting of travel restrictions in most parts of Asia-Pacific is contributing to the recovery. June 2022 international RPKs reached 65.0% of June 2019 levels. “Demand for air travel remains strong. After two years of lockdowns and border restrictions people are taking advantage of the freedom to travel wherever they can,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. Asia-Pacific airlines had a 492.0% rise in June traffic compared to June 2021. Capacity rose 138.9% and the load factor was up 45.8 percentage points to 76.7%. The region is now relatively open to foreign visitors and tourism which is helping foster the recovery. European carriers’ June traffic rose 234.4% versus June 2021. Capacity rose 134.5%, and load factor climbed 25.8 percentage points to 86.3%. International traffic within Europe is above pre-pandemic levels in …

SAUDIA inaugurated the first direct flight to its new international destination Zurich, Switzerland in collaboration with the Air Connectivity Program. To commemorate the occasion, SAUDIA organized an inauguration ceremony at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh in the presence of the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Switzerland to the Kingdom, Dr. Andreas Schaller, the Chief Commercial Officer of SAUDIA, Mr. Arved Nikolaus Von Zur Muhlen, the VP Strategy & Communication from the Air Connectivity Program, Mr. Sultan Alotaify, and the VP of Route Development Ms. Anita Gackowska, along with a number of government officials working at the airport. At the departure gate, a ribbon cutting ceremony took place to launch the new route as SAUDIA employees bid farewell to the traveling guests. Mr. Muhlen, the CCO of SAUDIA stated, “With continuous support from the Air Connectivity Program, we at SAUDIA are excited to begin transporting passengers along the milestone route, effectively utilizing our fleet of 150 premium aircraft to best accommodate travelers to and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”. Mr. Sultan Otaify, the Vice President of Strategy and Communications of The Air Connectivity Program, indicated that this type of fruitful local partnerships is a foundation stone for a series of future partnerships that aim to support and stimulate the aviation sector, establish new air routes and enhance the pace of flights, which contributes to the development of tourism in the kingdom. The aircraft was received with a water salute to welcome the first direct flight from Saudi Arabia in Zurich International Airport where SAUDIA held another celebration for the return flight from Zurich to Riyadh in line with its goal to bring the world to the Kingdom. The …

Vistara successfully inaugurated non-stop flights between Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Mumbai (India). The inaugural flight departed from Mumbai on August 2, 2022 at 1805 Hours (IST) and landed in Jeddah at 2050 Hours (AST). The airline now flies thrice a week between the two cities on its Airbus A320neo aircraft. Commenting on the launch of the new international route, Mr. Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “We are delighted to launch services to Jeddah, and to add Saudi Arabia to our growing international network. Given the multitude of upcoming futuristic projects in Saudi Arabia, strong trade ties with India and presence of large Indian diaspora, there is growing traffic between the two countries. We are confident that travellers will appreciate having the choice of flying India’s best airline on this route.” SCHEDULE OF FLIGHTS BETWEEN MUMBAI AND JEDDAH Sector Flight No. Days of Operation Departure Arrival Mumbai (BOM) – Jeddah (JED) UK 235 Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 1805 hrs 2050 hrs Jeddah (JED) – Mumbai (BOM) UK 236 Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday 2150 hrs 0530 hrs (+1) ·         +1 indicates next day arrival. All timings shown are in local time zones ·         The inaugural flight from Jeddah to Mumbai will be operated on 3 August 2022 Vistara is India’s highest-rated airline on Skytrax and TripAdvisor, and it has been the winner of several ‘Best Airline’ awards, besides being lauded for world-class cabin cleanliness and upholding high safety standards. In a short span of seven years since starting operations, Vistara has raised the bar for operations and service standards in the Indian aviation industry to become the country’s most loved airline and has recently crossed the milestone of flying 35 million passengers.

Emirates has resumed passenger services to London Stansted (STN), serving its third London gateway with a daily flight. The airline has advanced plans to increase capacity from five-weekly services to a daily flight, starting from today. With the return of services to Stansted, Emirates has ramped up  its operations to London with nine daily flights, including six daily flights to Heathrow and a double daily flight to Gatwick.*  The added services will meet market demand and offer customers more travel choices and enhanced connectivity this summer. London Stansted will be served by Emirates’ wide-body Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with its renowned ‘Game Changer’ First Class product. Emirates flight EK65 will depart Dubai at 08:50hrs and arrive in London Stansted at 13:30hrs local time. The return flight, EK68 will depart London Stansted at 21:10hrs and arrive in Dubai at 7:10hrs local time, the following day. Tickets can be purchased on emirates.com, Emirates Sales Office, via travel agents or through online travel agents. London Stansted remains a key hub for the airline’s passenger and cargo operations. The daily service will offer customers in East and Southeast UK more travel options, flexibility, and convenience when travelling with Emirates to more than 130 destinations, via Dubai. Emirates currently serves seven gateways in the UK. By October 2022, the airline will be serving the country with 110 weekly flights, including: six times daily to London Heathrow; daily service to London Stansted; double daily A380 service to Gatwick; three times daily to Manchester, including a double daily A380 service (starting 1st October 2022); double daily service to Birmingham; five weekly flights to Newcastle; and a daily service to Glasgow. The airline is also currently serving London …

Air Astana launched in May 2002,with Dubai being amongst its earliest international destinations. Initial services from Almaty to Dubai started in August 2002 with twice weekly flights and followed with additional services from Nur-Sultan commencing in 2007. The number of passengers travelling on flights between Kazakhstan and Dubai has dramatically increased over the past 20 years, with less than 7,000 carried in 2002 and over 101,000 already carried during the first half of 2022. A similar jump can be observed in cargo volumes, with 54,000kg being uplifted in 2002 and reaching over 730,000kg during the first half of 2022. Flights to Dubai are currently operated by state-of-the-art Airbus A321LR aircraft, which are configured with 16 Business class seats and 150 Economy class seats. “The UAE offers a wide range of leisure attractions and business opportunities, with Dubai proving to be a very popular destination for Kazakhstan travelers over the past 20 years,” said Adel Dauletbek, Vice-President, Marketing and Sales, Air Astana. “Passenger traffic from Almaty and Nur-Sultan continues to grow strongly, and we plan to restore pre-pandemic frequencies from both cities later this year.” In the coming winter season, flight schedules to and from Dubai will be improved for passenger convenience, with departures from Almaty and Nur-Sultan in the morning and arrival at lunchtime, with the return departure from Dubai just after lunch and arrival back in Kazakhstan in the evening. Frequencies are scheduled to peak at 17 per week by the end of 2022, with ten services per week from Almaty and seven from Nur-Sultan. Kazakhstan has re-established a visa-free regime for citizens of 57 countries, including the UAE, for up to 30 days to enter-exit and stay. Passengers …

Emirates has announced further movements in its commercial team in the Middle East, Far East, Africa, and West Asia in line with the airline’s continuous expansion and accelerated operations. The new rotations will position talented and dedicated UAE Nationals in some of Emirates’ key markets, to help drive the airline’s commercial initiatives. The newly appointed commercial leads will each bring their experiences and skills to lead the airline’s development in their respective markets, including growing the customer base, strengthening existing partnerships and identifying opportunities to forge ones. Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer said: “We’re proud to place UAE Nationals into leadership positions through our commercial outstation programme, representing Emirates and the UAE on the global aviation front. As a government directive and advocated by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, we continue to prioritise Emiratis to fill internal vacancies, where they can optimise their capabilities and reach their full potential. We are committed to building a talent pool of well-accomplished UAE Nationals, and I’m confident that our newly-appointed managers will not only gain new experiences, but also use their knowledge and expertise to support our current and future strategies as we continue to expand our global operations. ” Effective 1 August, the following changes will take place in the Emirates commercial team: Mohammad Lootah currently Manager Jordan will take on the role of Manager Israel Mohammad Bin Hafiz currently Manager Zambia will take on the role of Manager Jordan Omar Bushlaibi currently Manager Oman will take on the role of Manager Zambia Fahad Al Hassawi currently Commercial Manager in India will take on the role of Manager Oman Nasser …

Oman Air will launch service between Muscat and Trabzon, Turkey, with 3 weekly flights (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday), which will commence on 2 August 2022.  The Tuesday flight from Muscat will depart at 09:50 and arrive in Trabzon at 13:00. The flight from Trabzon will depart at 14:00 and arrive in Muscat at 19:05. The Thursday and Saturday flight from Muscat will depart at 08:30 and arrive in Trabzon at 11:40. The flight from Trabzon will depart at 12:40 and arrive in Muscat at 17:45. Economy class starts at 155 OMR and Business Class starts at OMR 680 OMR. Guests travelling to Muscat and Trabzon should ensure they are aware of official requirements to enter or transit through the country. Guests can also book a customized Trabzon holiday package through Oman Air Holidays.

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA), completed the transfer of its operations from Terminal 2 to Terminal 4 at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom in cooperation with its ground services arm, Saudi Ground Services (SGS) as well as Europe Handling. Led by the General Manager of International Stations, Mr. Muhammad Al-Zaydi, a SAUDIA and SGS team collaborated to support Cobalt, the UK local ground services company and to ensure the smooth running of the ground services. This collaboration signifies SAUDIA’s efforts to providing the best services to its guest as well as showcase the wide capabilities of SGS locally and globally. It also emphasizes the synergy of SAUDIA Group’s ecosystem and its ability to cover all aspects and requirements of work in the industry. SAUDIA and SGS both honored the working teams on Tuesday 26 July 2022 for their success in managing the transfer process at Heathrow Airport. The honoring ceremony was in the presence of the Saudi Ground Services CEO, and VP Ground Operations in SAUDIA, Mr. Mohammed Baakdah praised the working team’s efforts and emphasized the importance of the mutual and continuous cooperation between the companies under SAUDIA Group. While Mr. Raed Al-Idrissi commended the team for achieving a high degree of responsibility and efficiency and stated his pride towards the qualified young men and women in the team. It is notable that SAUDIA announced the transfer of its operational services at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom Terminal 4 on July 7, 2022. SAUDIA operates 48 flights between the Kingdom and UK, with a capacity of more than 13.9 thousand seats. And 28 weekly flights between Riyadh and London in both directions, with a capacity of 8.1 thousand …

Seera Group and flyadeal have signed a partnership agreement, to directly integrate Seera’s booking engines with flyadeal’s reservation system. Seera is the first ever travel company in Saudi Arabia to sign a direct integration agreement with flyadeal. The new partnership creates a direct channel for Almosafer, Seera’s travel business, to sell flyadeal’s full range of product offerings including a choice of fare families, as well as ancillaries such as meals and baggage additions. The direct integration will help improve efficiency by streamlining the process to make changes to bookings while reducing the time needed for manual tasks for Seera’s agents. At the signing ceremony recently at flyadeal’s HQ in Jeddah, Majed Alnefaie, CEO at Seera Group, said: “flyadeal is an important partner for us and we are pleased to be the first in the Kingdom to sign a direct integration agreement with them. Our customers can now benefit from the full range of flyadeal’s offerings and a smoother ticket issuing process. I have no doubt that this agreement with flyadeal marks the beginning of a very fruitful, mutually beneficial partnership. Going forward we will work together to ensure the best experiences and best value for our customers.” Con Korfiatis, CEO of flyadeal, said: “This is the first of its kind partnership for our company, which will add multiple options to customers through the umbrella of a strategic partnership with Seera, a major player with extensive experience in the field of marketing travel and tourism services. Creating a direct channel to provide a full range of booking offers at all price classes, in addition to offering various products and other miscellaneous services such as seat selection, meal purchase, added baggage, and …

Qatar Airways ramps up all-inclusive FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ travel packages for fans to secure their place in world football’s biggest event. The additional packages include match tickets, flights and accommodation throughout the course of the tournament, allowing passionate football fans to book their seats and follow their favourite team during the first FIFA World Cup™ in the Middle East. The airline originally launched these packages in September 2021 to cater to millions of anticipating fans, and now with less than 130 days to go until the mega event, a worldwide demand for match tickets has risen and these travel packages provide fans guaranteed tickets to experience matches in person. In a few easy steps, they can purchase match tickets, flights, and accommodation through a single dedicated platform by visiting: qatarairways.com/FIFA2022. If they are not yet members, fans need to ensure they join the Qatar Airways Privilege Club by visiting qatarairways.com/PrivilegeClub in advance, after which they will then be able to access the fan travel packages portal and select their options, which come with booking flexibility and seat reservations for their preferred games. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways is proud to be the Official Airline of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and bring the world’s most prestigious sporting event to the Middle East for the first time. We anticipate unprecedented demand throughout the tournament, and as part of our agreement with FIFA, fans from around the globe can rely on us to enjoy this once in-a-lifetime journey from start to finish. The fan travel packages will guarantee passengers a remarkable bucket-list trip and seamless travel experience.” The tournament will be …