Category Archives: Aviation

Emirates expects a busy summer and is set to operate as scheduled over the peak travel season, including at its 39 European points with its London Stansted route re-starting from 1 August. With over 24,000 scheduled passenger flights to and from 129 airports around the world for July and August, Emirates has been co-ordinating with its ground handling partners at airports around the world, ensuring they are up-to-date with operational requirements and are prepared to support smooth passenger movement. Emirates has also worked closely with other stakeholders at Dubai Airport to support its flight schedule and services, provisioning additional resources to ensure efficient operations at the hub, including for transiting passengers. Those visiting Dubai or doing a summer stopover can ease through departures and arrivals with speedy biometrics-enabled check-points; and utilise various convenient options for mobile, online, home, and self-check in. The double-decked Emirates A380 aircraft is also being deployed to serve high customer demand at over 30 cities around its network, this includes popular European cities: Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Rome, Paris, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Vienna, and Zurich. Whether travelling for the holidays or to visit family and friends, customers can look forward to all of Emirates’ signature experiences. On ground, this includes complimentary Chauffeur Drive airport transfers for First and Business Class customers in nearly all cities served by Emirates. Onboard, customers in all cabins can expect freshly prepared meals inspired by the season and region, and an unmatched selection of the latest movies, TV shows, radio, live TV, podcasts and more on the 5,000 channels of on-demand entertainment on Emirates ice. Flight updates and travel advisories: To receive the latest flight updates, customers are …

Sharjah Airport has announced its readiness to handle the increased frequency of passengers to and from the Emirate of Sharjah during the peak summer season, while ensuring the highest levels of precautionary measures to ensure a safe and convenient travel experience. Sharjah Airport, in coordination with all partners, has prepared to deal with the growing number of passengers, following a prior strategy to streamline travel procedures and ensure passenger safety. This is accomplished by promoting smart services like self-check-in services and smart gates, that make travel procedures easy, and are driven by the latest technologies and innovations. Due to the increased demand for travel during the summer and the Eid al-Adha holidays, Sharjah Airport has advised passengers to arrive at the airport three hours before the departure of their flights to ensure a safe and smooth travel experience. Prior to heavy rush during the summer season, the airport emphasized the importance of using smart services to complete self-check-in, which allow travelers to complete all their travel transactions quickly, reduce their waiting time, and enhance their travel experience at Sharjah Airport. Travelers at Sharjah Airport can take advantage of self-check-in services by printing their boarding passes from self-travel devices, as well as printing and attaching labels to their luggage before delivering it to the self-delivery platform. The airport also provides automated verification of boarding passes through an automated verification system for pre-printed or digital passes. In addition, the smart information desk at Sharjah Airport provides passengers with the opportunity to communicate with the information department at the airport through voice and video calls, which also includes assistance for people with special needs. As part of the service, the desk also offers …

With borders open in full, GCC travellers are now ready to take the plunge and confident to explore the new post covid world especially as eid coupled with summer vacations sets in the region. Over the past few days the airline and hotel bookings have increased despite the fact that airline fares have increased a considerable amount. Our GCC line up of industry professionals share their observations. Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and India of Wego, “The demand for travel continues to see significant growth and recovery post COVID-19. With summer approaching, travelers began planning and booking their holidays, and we are witnessing an increase in bookings and demand for flights to and from the UAE. Travelers are also looking for new experiences and exploring places they haven’t visited before to make up for lost travel in the past two years due to the pandemic. And they are ready to spend more on leisure trips than before. Flight and hotel searches from the UAE during the month of June reached about 3 million, an increase of 77% over the same period last year. Despite the increase in airfares, we continue to see an increase in demand and people are booking longer stays. The airfares for the upcoming Eid Al Adha holiday have spiked for most destinations. If we look at the top destinations from the UAE during the Eid break, the average airfare to Egypt is $551 with an increase of 41% in comparison to the same period last year, the airfare to India is around $379 a rise of 114%, Jordan saw an increase of 45% with an average airfare of $689, …

flynas announced the launch of its first direct flights between AlUla, the Saudi historical city located in the northwest of Saudi Arabia, and the Egyptian capital, Cairo, starting from Thursday, 6th October 2022. flynas will connect AlUla and Cairo via two weekly direct flights, scheduled on Saturdays and Thursdays, from AlUla International Airport to Cairo International Airport. Known for its historical, natural and geographical significance, and full of archaeological treasures from the Dadanite, Nabataean, Roman and old Islamic civilisations, AlUla is a destination that reveals 7000-year-old of human history. The city is an open air museum and is home to the Kingdom’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hegra – the famous Nabataean site with 110 well preserved tombs carved in the sandstone rocks and dating back to the first century B.C.E. AlUla offers tourists a variety of curated experiences in heritage, art, culture, wellness and adventure. As a vital city located along the famous old incense-trading routes running from southern Arabia, north into Egypt and beyond, AlUla’s oases dotted the area and offered a much-needed respite for caravans of weary travellers, providing a welcoming place to rest, commune and recharge. AlUla is now reviving and celebrating its history by welcoming visitors again. Combined with high quality services and first-rate accommodations nestled amongst the staggeringly beautiful desert landscapes, AlUla is being introduced to the world as a must-visit destination for every traveller looking for a unique experience. In support of the Kingdom’s Saudi Vision 2030 plans to transform AlUla into a world-preferred tourist destination, flynas recently announced the resumption of its flights from AlUla to Riyadh, Dammam, and Dubai, with two weekly flights for each destination. Flynas was the first-ever airline …

Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa (MENA) and India of Wego, “The demand for travel continues to see significant growth and recovery post COVID-19. With summer approaching, travelers began planning and booking their holidays, and we are witnessing an increase in bookings and demand for flights to and from the UAE. Travelers are also looking for new experiences and exploring places they haven’t visited before to make up for lost travel in the past two years due to the pandemic. And they are ready to spend more on leisure trips than before. Flight and hotel searches from the UAE during the month of June reached about 3 million, an increase of 77% over the same period last year. Despite the increase in airfares, we continue to see an increase in demand and people are booking longer stays.” He further reiterated, “The airfares for the upcoming Eid Al Adha holiday have spiked for most destinations. If we look at the top destinations from the UAE during the Eid break, the average airfare to Egypt is $551 with an increase of 41% in comparison to the same period last year, the airfare to India is around $379 a rise of 114%, Jordan saw an increase of 45% with an average airfare of $689, the flight to Turkey is $306 with an increase of %36, $788 to Morocco with a rise of 65%, $1,900 to Thailand with a spike of %191, and flights to Lebanon from UAE recorded a 36% increase with the average airfare around $575.”

flydubai celebrated its inaugural service to Pisa, becoming the first UAE national carrier to operate this route from Dubai. The airline will operate three weekly flights from Dubai International (DXB) to Pisa International Airport (PSA). Emirates will codeshare on this route, offering travellers more seamless connections through Dubai’s international aviation hub. Flights to Pisa will operate from Terminal 3 at Dubai International. The inaugural flight arrived at Pisa International Airport (PSA) just after 12:00 local time on 24 June and was welcomed on arrival with a traditional water cannon salute and representatives from the airport and Italian government officials. On board the inaugural flight was a senior delegation led by Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai. Upon arrival in Pisa the flydubai delegation was met by an official delegation led by Marco Carrai, the president of Toscana Aeroporti. The welcome reception was followed by a press conference held at the airport. Speaking at the press conference, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said: “We are excited to launch our third point in Italy this summer with our inaugural service to Pisa. Our strong business model and growing fleet have enabled us to offer passengers from across our network more choices for travel, and we can expect Pisa to be a popular destination for travellers from the UAE and GCC to discover the beauty of the Tuscany region. The start of flydubai operations to Pisa also reflects our commitment to opening up previously underserved markets and providing direct air links to Dubai. We look forward to welcoming our passengers on board.” Marco Carrai, Chairman of Toscana Aeroporti S.p.A., said: “Today we inaugurate the connection between Pisa and …

Gulf Air recently introduced Apple Pay on the airline’s Mobile application. Gulf Air customers can now easily book a ticket on the airline’s application without the need of remembering or typing their credit card details, as the new feature allows them to process the payment by easily using Face ID to authorize the transaction. Commenting on this new service, Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi said “This new feature is one of a series of initiatives that we are working on as part of our roadmap for the Gulf Air app. One of our biggest objectives is to provide our customers with convenience and ease to interact with us across all our touch points. The Gulf Air app allows our customers to select their flights, choose their seats and purchase excess baggage among other features; and now with Apple Pay, they can pay for all of that in one easy and quick step”. Captain AlAlawi continued “The Apple Pay initiative was planned and carried out entirely by a team of Bahraini digital, IT and finance experts, and we are proud that such initiatives are managed end to end by Bahraini youth. We encourage our employees to trust their skills and knowledge, and we will continue to invest in developing those skills and training them to enable them to handle bigger projects in the future”. Gulf Air is embarking on an ambitious digital transformation that is aimed at modernizing the airline’s technology ecosystem. Customer centricity sets at the core of Gulf Air’s digital transformation strategy that will reinforce the airline’s position in the market as a five star major airline by allowing it to provide a boutique and personalized passenger …

Encouraging all travellers to explore the wide range of online and remote check-in options available, Emirates has invested in multiple smart tech developments to ensure seamless travel, ahead of the peak travel period of Eid and Dubai school holidays from July 8 onwards. Advising passengers to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours prior to their flight departure, and ensure they have all the required documents for their destination, there are a number of ways to further enhance the travel experience and avoid delays; 1. Use the Emirates App Download the Emirates app to have travel plans conveniently at your fingertips. The app allows users to book and change flights, download a digital boarding pass, pre-plan meals, book chauffer drive service and even pre-select and plan movies to watch via the ice inflight entertainment. 2. Check the COVID-19 travel requirements in advance Emirates recommends passengers arrive to the airport at least three hours before their flight so there’s time for any extra health and safety checks. Face masks are required for flights. The travel requirements for various countries change frequently so passengers are advised to check the COVID‑19 test requirements and the health documents needed for travel to Dubai and all Emirates current worldwide destinations. 3. Sign Up for WhatsApp COVID-19 Travel support Travellers in Dubai can get the latest travel requirements on WhatsApp for popular destinations. This is the latest information that the customer service team have and is updated daily. 4. Remote Emirates City Check-in in Ajman Those travelling from the northern emirates can take advantage of a 24‑hour City Check‑in at Ajman Central Bus Terminal and check in up to 4 hours before the flight departs, …

Gulf Air announced the launch of its services to Rome with two direct weekly flights between Bahrain International Airport and Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport. The national carrier held a celebratory lunch in Rome which was attended by numerous VIPs that included Mr. Manlio Di Stefano Undersecretary of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Ambassador of Bahrain to Italy Dr. Nasser Al Balooshi, H.E. Ms. Paola Amadei Ambassador of Italy to Bahrain, H.E. Sheikh Azzam Mubarak Sabah Al-Sabah Ambassador of Kuwait to Italy, H.E. Dr. Ahmed bin Salim bin Mohamed Baomar Ambassador of Oman to Italy, Mr. Paolo Campinoti CEO of PRAMAC, Mr. Federico Scriboni Head of Business Development Aviation at Aeroporti di Roma; among other dignitaries that attended the event. The luncheon also included trade and travel representatives and members of the media. Gulf Air Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi commented “By launching services to Rome, we are expanding our Italian operations which are complimented by the addition of Milan to our network. Now, we are seamlessly connecting Northern and South Central parts of Italy to the Middle East. Expanding into Europe is part of our strategy, and launching Rome will offer our customers the best network of destinations through the fastest hub in the region. Passengers will be able to enjoy excellent connectivity through Rome, while enjoying the great services and hospitality of the most family-friendly airline out there.” Captain AlAlawi also thanked the attendees for their support of the expansion of Gulf Air in Italy, appreciating their efforts in launching the new route. Rome has always been a popular destination among tourists for its history and heritage besides as a shopping destination, not …

Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi International Airport have geared up resources and are ready to welcome 2.7 million network passengers over the summer months, following a surge in demand for global travel. Over 1.4 million passengers will depart from Abu Dhabi International Airport, including 330,000 local joiners, with more than 1100 weekly network-wide departures. Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “As travel rebounds from the impact of the global pandemic, Etihad has witnessed a vast increase in bookings over recent weeks.  With summer holidays upon us and to manage the increase in passenger numbers, Etihad has bolstered operations both locally and across our global network to ensure guests enjoy a seamless airport and flight experience.” Importantly, guests are reminded to check-in online, use the Verified to Fly service to submit any Covid-related travel documents for prior approval, and arrive at the airport early.