Category Archives: Aviation

A little over a month since it inaugurated its first flight, Emirates has announced plans to boost connectivity and increase travel options for customers flying between Dubai and Tel Aviv with a second daily flight, starting 30 October 2022.  The additional morning frequency is in response to high demand for travel to/from Israel, and builds on the success of Emirates’ existing operation, as the airline reaffirms its commitment to growing its presence in the country. The second daily flight will be served by the modern and efficient Emirates Boeing 777-300ER in a three class configuration. The new schedule will operate as follows: EK 933 departs Dubai at 0815hrs arriving in Tel Aviv at 0950hrs. EK 934 leaves Tel Aviv at 1150hrs, arriving in Dubai at 1650hrs*. The second flight provides Emirates customers from Israel with additional travel options to Dubai, as well as convenient onwards connections to popular destinations. The new flight also unlocks enhanced connectivity to a multitude of points within Emirates’ global network such as Auckland, Brisbane, Perth, Bali, Seoul, and Singapore, as well as points across India, among others, making it easier for Israeli travellers to discover new places with shorter transit times. The service will also provide customers traveling to Israel with more flexibility when planning their trip with the choice of a morning arrival at Ben Gurion airport, in addition to the existing EK931 service which arrives in the evening. Customers can also take advantage of Emirates’ partnership with flydubai when planning their travel, which includes a robust schedule of multiple daily codeshare flights. Travellers flying with Emirates can enjoy the best experience in the sky, with thoughtful product touches and exceptional service provided by …

As demand grows during the summer holiday season, Oman Air has increased the weekly number of flights from its Muscat hub, offering 10 flights to Bangkok, 7 flights to Kuala Lumpur, 5 flights to Manila, and 4 flights to Jakarta, providing more options to discover an array of cities and experiences across Southeast Asia. The additional flights offer greater convenience and connectivity for Oman Air guests to discover more than 40 other exciting destinations in Southeast Asia and Australia. Oman Air is optimizing its network through increased cooperation with alliance partners to link passengers to more locations as quickly and as seamlessly as possible. This will result in increased travel connections and an expanded network of destinations. Oman Air currently has four partner airlines in Southeast Asia, allowing guests to fly to 44 destinations across Southeast Asia and Australia from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. In total, Oman Air has entered into strategic codeshare agreements with 18 different partner airlines. These agreements enable Oman Air to market 229 different sectors, which, when combined with the 45 sectors that the airline itself operates, brings the total number of sectors it serves to 274. Oman Air is renowned for its exceptional award-wining products and services, both in the air and on the ground, and for the signature Omani hospitality accessible to guests on every flight. The airline offers wide-body service, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A330, between Muscat and destinations in Southeast Asia. Guests departing Oman should ensure that they are aware of all pre-departure requirements and requirements during their flights, in addition the updated flight times and schedule which are provided at omanair.com

Etihad Airways announced the extension of its flights between Abu Dhabi and Zanzibar to 14 January 2023. The service will continue to be operated at the current schedule of three times weekly until 26 November, when a fourth weekly flight will be introduced for the end of year holidays. The flights will be operated on modern Airbus A320 aircraft, providing travellers with a range of travel options to the popular Indian Ocean archipelago throughout the week. Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Global Sales & Cargo, said: “Zanzibar is an incredible destination and Etihad looks forward to welcoming more travellers on their way to experience the natural splendour of its islands. “Our seasonal Zanzibar flights have proven extremely popular with guests from the UAE and across Europe, especially Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France and Italy, and Etihad is on track the pass the 10,000-passenger milestone over the next few weeks.” Etihad’s seasonal Zanzibar service this year was launched on 17 June and initially scheduled to operate until 18 September before being extended throughout 2022.

With new flight services operating from Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Munich to Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, the destination strengthens direct connectivity with a major source market. Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) announces a new strategic airline partnership connecting the Emirate with major cities in Germany, including Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Munich. Starting from 1 November 2022, Corendon Airlines will operate seven direct weekly flights to Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, effectively meeting strong demand from Germany. Marking the latest in a series of strategic airline partnerships forged by the Tourism Authority, the new flights cement an important tourism market, delivering a significant weekly increase in visitors to an Emirate popular for its outstanding natural and cultural attributes, global hotel brands, as well as its unrivalled adventure tourism offering and year-round sunshine. The announcement strengthens the Tourism Authority’s ongoing strategy to enhance accessibility and accelerate connectivity by working closely with leading tour operators. Within a five-hour flying time, Germany is already a top five tourism source market for Ras Al Khaimah; the launch of new direct flights to the Emirate is expected to have a significant impact on tourism in the destination. “We’ve seen first-hand the impact of direct connectivity as one of the main drivers of tourism, especially in a post-pandemic period.  We also know that tourists who arrive directly to the destination, stay longer and really take the time to discover our nature emirate,” commented Raki Phillips, Chief Executive Officer, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority. “He added: “As Ras Al Khaimah’s tourism vision gains momentum, working with valued trade partners and securing new airline alliances builds on this progress, and delivering additional tourism from three major German …

dnata announced that it would invest US$ 100 million in green operations in the next two years to further enhance environmental efficiency across its global network. The company’s ongoing investment in infrastructure, equipment and process improvement will support it to achieve its strategic objectives and reduce its carbon footprint by 20% by 2024, and by 50% by 2030. dnata has embedded its environmental framework across its broad-spanning Travel businesses, aiming to empower customers to make better travel choices. Its corporate services include hybrid event solutions, sustainable travel policy guidance as well as carbon emission monitoring and reporting, aligned to global standards. dnata Travel Group in the UK has invested in green technologies and introduced new business practices to improve environmental efficiency. It switched to renewable energy to take all electricity from green sources at all of its offices, cut out single-use plastic (SUP) from its operations, reduced paper consumption by 4 million pages annually through its ‘paperless office’ initiative, and implemented a zero to landfill policy to ensure that all non-recyclable waste is sent to energy recovery facilities for processing. Furthermore, it replaced 80% of its fleet with electric or hybrid cars with a target to operate a fully green fleet by 2024. Steve Allen, CEO of dnata Group, said: “We’ve been making great progress on reducing our carbon footprint, minimising waste and reducing energy and water consumption across our operations. We will further increase our investments and efforts in strong cooperation with our partners to achieve our targets and preserve the environment for current and future generations.” In recent years dnata has significantly invested in advanced technologies to optimise resources and improve operational efficiency across its facilities. It installed …

As demand grows, Oman Air will operate 10 weekly flights instead of 7 weekly flights between Muscat and Kochi, Delhi, and Chennai in India between August 1, 2022, and October 29, 2022. “We are pleased to announce additional frequencies to Kochi, Delhi, and Chennai effective next month as part of our comprehensive plans to better serve our international markets and meet our guests’ travel expectations during the holiday season,” said Hamad bin Mohamed Al Harthy, Regional Vice President Sales – Indian Subcontinent & Asia-Pacific. The airline will operate a total of 122 flights per week between Muscat and its 8 Indian destinations with the additional 18 flights per week, offering 10 flights per week in each direction to Delhi, Kochi, and Chennai, 7 flights per week to Bangalore, Mumbai, Kozhikode, and Hyderabad, as well as 3 flights per week to Goa. Al Harthy continued, “The airline will offer wide-body service, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A330 in addition to the Boeing 737, between Muscat and destinations in India. Oman Air is renowned for its exceptional award-wining products and services, both in the air and on the ground, and for the signature Omani hospitality accessible to guests on every flight.” Oman ‘Stopover Packages’ offer Oman Air-ticketed passengers the flexibility to discover some of the most desirable tourist spots in and around Muscat. Each stopover is designed to offer visitors a distinct taste of some of Oman’s leading attractions. Enabling the country’s flourishing tourism potential is something Oman Air Holidays does exceptionally well, and the launch of its stopover packages adds to Oman’s growing inventory of custom stays and experiences. Oman Air welcomes all guests to the Sultanate of Oman …

Flights to the Maldives commence from 4th October making the tropical dream island paradise more accessible and affordable than ever. From 30 October, flights to Kuwait City will begin, underpinning Wizz Air Abu Dhabi’s commitment to the Gulf region. The new routes will be operated onboard Wizz Air Abu Dhabi’s newest Airbus 321 Neo aircraft, which is expected to join the national airline’s fleet later this year Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, the ultra-low-fare national airline of the UAE, today announces it will launch two new routes from Abu Dhabi to the idyllic island paradise of the Maldives, and the airline’s fifth key destination in the Gulf, Kuwait. The new routes will offer travellers the opportunity to explore marvellous destinations in line with the airline’s ambition to provide tourists and residents in the UAE and the region with hassle-free, affordable travel options. Tickets are on sale now on wizzair.com and on the airline’s mobile app, with fares starting from just AED 99* for Kuwait and AED 319* for Maldives. From October, Wizz Air will offer flights four times a week on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from Abu Dhabi to Male, the main international airport in the Maldives. Located in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is an unrivalled holiday destination, boasting white sandy beaches, spectacular sunsets and colourful reefs brimming with wildlife. With year-round tropical weather, this picturesque paradise promises ultimate escapism from everyday life. For those yearning to discover what the islands have to offer, Wizz Air’s new route unlocks affordable travel options for those within the UAE and for self-connecting passengers travelling from Central and Eastern Europe via the Wizz Air network. Flights to Kuwait, located in the North-Western …

Emirates will increase the frequency of its services to/from London Gatwick airport with the addition of a third daily flight, effective 27 July until 3 August 2022. This third daily flight will help serve high demand from customers travelling to and from London this summer. It will also provide additional seats to accommodate Emirates passengers affected by capacity adjustments on flights from London Heathrow, which will be made to help ease operational pressures at the airport. Emirates’ customers impacted by capacity adjustments at London Heathrow will be contacted directly by the airline or their travel agent. The airline is working closely with its travel partners to re-accommodate any impacted bookings and ensure smooth onward flight connections for customers to reach their planned destination. The additional daily flight to London Gatwick will be operated by a wide-body Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft offering seats in First, Business and Economy class. Flight EK011 and EK012 will operate to and out of London Gatwick in the morning. Emirates is grateful for the support of London Gatwick Airport, along other partners on the ground who have been working closely with the airline to secure sufficient ground handling resources to deal with the additional demand, and provide passengers with a smooth and reliable journey. Emirates will continue to operate its six daily flights to/from London Heathrow during this period, and its planned re-start of daily services to London Stansted will commence on 1 August.

Oman Air launched its Future Leaders Commercial Graduate Programme exclusively for Omani graduates. The intensive 2-year programme is currently accepting applications from university graduates of 2020, 2021, or 2022 and will offer up to 12 selected candidates the opportunity to gain internationally recognised qualifications while being exposed to all commercial functions at Oman Air. Future Leaders, which officially begins in October 2022, is designed for the most talented Omani graduates, and expands on Oman Air’s excellence-focused culture. With job rotations that will expose students to six core commercial departments—Strategy & Planning, Revenue Management, Sales, Marketing, Product Development, and Service Delivery—graduates will receive practical experience from inside the airline’s diverse commercial department. The programme will help students reach their potential as commercial managers and provide them with the skill sets needed to enter the airline sector. Oman Air CEO Eng. Abdulaziz Al Raisi remarked, “We are committed to attracting, guiding and mentoring university students for a successful career in aviation, which is why we are strengthening Oman Air’s commercial department with Omani graduates. There’s no better place for them to learn the ins and outs of the airline business and develop potential for commercial management than at our headquarters in Muscat. Through Future Leaders, we aim to train the best minds to become the best leaders with hands-on learning and responsibility in a fast-paced, real-world airline setting.” Students in the programme will receive formal induction and training for two weeks before starting their employment with Oman Air. They will receive soft and hard skills training from senior commercial leadership during their first week of onboarding. Additionally, they will be given an overview of each commercial department and how they all come …

Etihad Airways has become the country’s first airline to join the In-Country Value (ICV) Program. The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) is expanding the program’s scope to include new sectors like aviation as part of the national industrial strategy to sustain economic growth and raise the efficiency and competitiveness of the industrial sector. The In-Country Value Program, part of the UAE’s Projects of the 50, is a pillar of the national industrial strategy and benefits certified companies by increasing local demand for their products and services. By joining the ICV program, Etihad Airways will prioritize local suppliers and UAE companies in the procurement process. It will also encourage global suppliers to establish branches in the UAE, attracting more foreign investments to the country. The signing ceremony was witnessed by His Excellency Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, His Excellency Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology, and His Excellency Mohammed Ali Al Shurafa, Chairman of Board of Directors of Etihad Aviation Group. The MoU was inked on behalf of MoIAT by His Excellency Omar Suwaina Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry and for Etihad Airways, Tony Douglas, Group CEO of Etihad Aviation Group. Etihad Airways joins 18 other leading national institutions and 45 federal entities that have joined the ICV program since it launched on a federal level late last year. The program redirected more than AED 41 billion in 2021 from implementing entities purchases and services expenses, compared to AED 27 billion two years ago. His Excellency Omar Al Suwaidi said: “The In-Country Value Program is one of the pillars of the national strategy for advanced industry …