Category Archives: Aviation

Qatar Airways enhanced its presence in Southern Africa with the launch of a new linked service between Doha and Lusaka, Zambia and Harare, Zimbabwe. To mark this milestone, the new linked service was inaugurated by the airline’s state-of-the-art Airbus A350-900 featuring 36 seats in the award-winning Qsuite Business Class and 247 seats in Economy Class.   Qatar Airways now operates to Lusaka’s Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN). The country’s largest city and commercial centre, Lusaka is the gateway to experiencing Zambia’s legendary tourist attractions from the Victoria Falls which it shares with Zimbabwe, to game reserves and a variety of wildlife. Meanwhile, Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, will be served via Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (HRE) is also a destination with rich culture, World Heritage–listed archaeological sites, and diverse natural landscapes. The aircraft was greeted in Lusaka and Harare by traditional water cannon salutes upon arrival.   The airline has demonstrated its steadfast commitment to Africa throughout the pandemic having significantly grown its network by adding four routes to Accra, Abidjan, Abuja, Luanda and restarting services to Alexandria, Cairo and Khartoum bringing its footprint to 27 destinations in 21 countries. Earlier this month, Qatar Airways also signed an interline agreement with RwandAir giving customers greater access to the combined networks of both airlines.   Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We have ambitious plans for Africa which is one of the fastest-growing economic regions of the world, with rising consumer demand and an abundance of natural resources. We see enormous potential in not just outbound travel from Zimbabwe and Zambia, but also inbound traffic from India, UK, and Americas. We look forward to …

As demand for travel picks up, greater digital integration between airline and package holidays ecosystem aims to streamline booking process to increase inbound tourism to the Sultanate, consistent with economic objectives set out in Oman’s Vision 2040 strategy. Oman Air Holidays unveiled its revamped brand, complete with a new wordmark logo and refreshed visual identity. Developed in-house, the new look and feel supports a shift in the company’s strategy towards facilitating in-bound tourism in the Sultanate through integrated ‘Fly & Stay’ package holidays available on its website. Aligned closely with Oman’s Vision 2040 strategy, which aims to develop a diversified and sustainable economy through opportunities that strengthen the country’s global competitiveness, Oman Air Holidays is redoubling efforts to broaden its integrated offering of flights, hotels, excursions and travel experiences which caters to growing local and international demand. Also unveiled were Oman Air Holidays’ refocused vision and mission statements, which champion ambitions to become one of the top tourism operators in the Middle East by leveraging Oman Air’s flight frequencies into the Sultanate from international source markets, and position Oman as a uniquely different holiday experience to travel trade globally. “The timing is right for Oman Air Holidays to foster closer ties with local and international travel trade,” said Mundher Al Shaikhani​, Senior Manager Oman Air Holidays. “As vaccine roll-out ramps up, we’re seeing renewed interest for package holidays and custom stays from locals inquiring about quick getaway options, as well as international guests in the early stages of planning their next overseas holiday. Our refreshed brand, vision and mission statements, and booking platform encapsulate our strategy to develop and offer exclusive ‘Fly & Stay’ packages here in Oman and everywhere …

Gulf Air restored its flagship double daily direct passenger flights to London Heathrow in line with the latest decision by the British authorities to add the Kingdom of Bahrain to their Amber List as of 8th of August. Being on the amber list will mean that citizens and residents of Bahrain will be able to quarantine at their choice of residence for 10 days as opposed to institutional quarantine for arrivals from red list countries. Commenting on restoring double daily direct passenger flights to London, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi commented: “London is one of our main destinations in Western Europe and we’ve been connecting both Kingdoms since 1970. It has also been a destination that we maintained scheduled operations to throughout 2020. Thanks to the great efforts by The National Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Kingdom of Bahrain is now moved from the red list to the amber list in the UK colour coding entry system.” He added: “Gulf Air is known for its morning and night flights to and from London and we’re happy to bring these back to offer more flexibility and convenience to our passengers”. Gulf Air began the summer season with flights to 80% of its pre-pandemic network and it continued to resume operations and restore services to cities of its original 2019 destination network. The airline has also announced that it has successfully launched all of its seasonal destinations for the summer of 2021 with direct flights to Mykonos and Santorini in Greece, Malaga in Spain and Alexandria and Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt as well as recently resuming Tbilisi in Georgia. The airline currently flies to and …

Emirates and Aeromar have announced that they have entered into an interline partnership which will provide seamless connectivity for customers between destinations in Mexico and United States via Mexico City to Emirates’ global network. Through this interline partnership, customers will now be able to book tickets to fly to and from 12 destinations in Mexico and the United States covered by the interline agreement via Mexico City, connecting to Emirates’ flights EK 256/255 between Mexico City, Barcelona and Dubai. Customers can then journey to Emirates’ network of more than 120 cities across the world. The interline agreement allows customers the convenience of booking their entire journey on a single ticket with uniform baggage policy and fare conditions. Tickets can be booked online on emirates.com or through travel agents. “Emirates is delighted to enter into this interline partnership with Aeromar. The strength of Aeromar’s regional flight network will allow us to connect a large number of travellers from cities in Mexico and Texas, United States to our global network via Mexico City, Barcelona and Dubai. Customers will not only have the opportunity to experience Emirates’ signature hospitality and flight experience but will also have the convenience of booking their journey from Mexico on a single ticket available online on Emirates’ website or through their travel agents,” said Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer. “Aeromar is very proud to partner with Emirates, globally recognized for its excellence of service and unrivaled Dubai hub. The agreement is a testament to Aeromar´s high quality standars and further enhances our strong interline cooperation portfolio, which includes several industry leading international airlines serving Mexico,” added Fabricio Cojuc, Aeromar’s Executive Director, Network Strategy and Alliances. The destinations …

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, will resume flights to Jeddah on 11 August, 2021. The twice-weekly flights will operate on Wednesday and Saturday as WY 1675 from Muscat (MCT) and WY 1676 from Jeddah (JED). Flights from Muscat will depart at 15:25 and arrive in Jeddah at 17:40. Flights from Jeddah will depart at 19:40 and arrive in Muscat at 23:45. No quarantine required for fully vaccinated travellers, with proof of second dose administered 14 days prior to arrival. Oman Air will maintain its comprehensive safety program throughout all elements of the travel journey to ensure that guests fly confidently. Masks are required when guests are on board the aircraft and in Oman’s airports. Distancing is maintained while guests board and exit the aircraft, which are carefully cleaned after each flight and at the end of every day. Cabin crew all wear a full set of personal protective equipment, meal service has been modified to further ensure safety, and a number of other measures have been implemented to ensure that the airline’s guests and crew are safe at all times. Guests who are planning to travel to Muscat should visit the Civil Aviation Authority website, caa.gov.om, to ensure they are prepared to comply with requirements to enter the Sultanate. Guests travelling to Jeddah should ensure they are aware of official requirements to enter or transit through the country. Guests travelling for Umrah should be aware of the latest conditions for travel, as well as other relevant Umrah measures and restrictions, available on omanair.com Guests departing from Oman should also ensure that they are aware of all pre-departure requirements and requirements during their flights, which are …

Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) has welcomed two new weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. The inaugural flight, operated by Iraqi Airways using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, landed at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) on Saturday 7 August at 17:00 Local Time (LT). Iraqi Airways will start by operating one flight per week and will then increase its number flights to two per week. Flights will be operating on both Saturdays and Tuesdays, upon the recovery of the travel demand. Francois Bourienne, Chief Commercial Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports said: “The introduction of the new flights connecting Abu Dhabi and Baghdad will support the Iraqi community in the UAE, facilitating a smoother travel experience for them. We consistently expand our network at Abu Dhabi International Airport, meeting the travel requirements of all who live in the UAE as well as international tourists looking to visit our leading destinations. “Abu Dhabi Airports continues to identify and leverage areas of demand for both passengers and airlines. At Abu Dhabi Airports, we remain committed to providing our customers with the best travel experience, while ensuring their health and wellbeing, which is our main priority,” Bourienne added. Captain Kifah Jabar, Chief Executive Officer of Iraqi Airways said: “Iraqi Airways is proud to commence operations between Abu Dhabi and Baghdad. We believe that connecting the two capitals will strengthen the relations between our countries, delivering greater corporation to enable successful operations in this sector.” Outbound flights will depart from Abu Dhabi International Airport on Saturdays and Tuesdays at 18:00 Local Time (LT), landing in Baghdad at 19:15 LT. Return flights will depart from Baghdad International Airport on Saturdays and Tuesdays at …

Emirates has announced it is restarting services to Glasgow in the United Kingdom, with 4 weekly flights from 11 August 2021. From 11 August to 30 October, flights between Dubai and Glasgow will operate four times a week on Emirates’ Boeing 777-200LR, in a two-class configuration, offering premium services in Business Class and Economy Class. Emirates flight EK 27 will depart Dubai on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 07:50hrs, arriving at Glasgow International Airport at 12:45hrs the same day. The return flight, EK 28, will depart Glasgow at 14:35 hrs, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving in Dubai at 01:05hrs the following day (all times are local). From September, Emirates will increase its flight frequency to a daily service.   With the UAE moving onto the UK’s ‘amber’ list for travel on Sunday 8 August, travellers arriving in the UK from Dubai no longer need to quarantine in a government-approved hotel, provided they are fully vaccinated. The latest travel requirements to the UK are available here.   Adnan Kazim, Emirates Chief Commercial Officer said: “Emirates welcomes the decision to add the UAE to the UK’s ‘amber list’ for international travel, reflecting the extensive steps that have been taken to mitigate the spread of the virus in the UK and UAE.   Since the UK’s announcement, we’ve seen a huge surge in queries from customers desperate to travel to see their families, planning their kids’ return for the new school term, as well as their postponed business or holiday travel. Emirates is reviewing our operations to various points in the UK and any service restart will be announced in the usual fashion.”   Emirates has been gradually rebuilding its …

Following the United Arab Emirates being added to the UK Amber List, Etihad Airways will resume passenger flights to London and Manchester from 8 August. Unvaccinated guests travelling from the UAE will be required to have a negative PCR test 72 hours before departure and to undergo 10 days home quarantine, as well as follow up Covid-19 tests on day two and day eight. Fully vaccinated guests who had their vaccine administered in the UK, US or Europe are exempt from quarantine and the day eight test. The airline’s three daily flights to London Heathrow have been scheduled to provide guests with a choice of conveniently timed departures and arrivals, and all 28 weekly services between Abu Dhabi and the UK will be operated using state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Those wishing to book are advised to visit www.etihad.com to view their options, and to remain informed of the appropriate entry regulations at their end destination. Flights are also available for booking through the mobile app, by calling the Etihad Airways Contact Centre on +971 600 555 666 (UAE), or through a local or online travel agency. A list of other local Etihad contact centres is available at etihad.com/contacts. Etihad continues to follow UAE and international government, regulatory and health authority directives, and is playing its part in helping to limit the spread of Covid-19. The airline has implemented an extensive sanitisation and wellness programme and is practicing the highest standards of hygiene at every part of the customer journey. This includes catering, aircraft and cabin deep-cleaning, check-in, health screening, boarding, inflight, crew interaction, meal service, disembarkation and ground transportation, among others. More information on the stringent measures being taken …

Cebu Pacific (CEB), the Philippines’ largest national flag carrier, confirms special commercial flights from Dubai to Manila this August, as well as additional flights to other key Asian destinations as it rebuilds international operations. The Bayanihan (a Filipino word that best describes uniting as a community) flights or special commercial flights from Dubai to Manila are scheduled on August 11 and 18, or two consecutive Wednesdays of the month in response to the government’s call for assistance to repatriate overseas Filipinos in the Middle East while the travel ban remains in effect. Other reinstated flights include flights to Singapore, Seoul, South Korea, Tokyo (Narita), Hongkong, Nagoya, Osaka (Kansai) and Taipei. “We remain cautiously optimistic as we gradually rebuild our international network,” said Candice Iyog, Vice President for Marketing and Customer Experience of Cebu Pacific.  “We recognize the need for non-leisure travel to these routes and we assure everyone that we are committed to keep prioritizing safety as we restore trust and confidence in air travel.” Flight schedules may be viewed, and bookings made on the website www.cebupacificair.com. Travel regulations issued by the governments of the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan will be implemented. Passengers may refer to the list of travel requirements here: https://bit.ly/CEBFlightReminders. CEB has been rated 7/7 stars by airlineratings.com for its COVID-19 compliance as it continues to implement a multi-layered approach to safety, in accordance with global aviation standards. These include daily extensive cleaning and disinfection protocols for all aircraft and facilities, antigen testing before duty for all frontliners and crew members, and contactless flight procedures. These are all in accordance with global best practices and the highest safety standards. Aircraft are …

The national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Gulf Air will ramp its services to the French capital to be daily. This is in line with the latest decision by the French authorities to add the Kingdom of Bahrain to their Green List as of 01st August. Being on the green list will mean that citizens and residents of Bahrain will be accepted to travel to France without the need to quarantine. Passengers aged 12 and above must present a proof of a complete vaccination which is authorised by the European Medicines Agency or a negative PCR test that is conducted within 72 hours before the flight or a certificate of recovery from COVID-19 for non-vaccinated passengers. Gulf Air began the summer season with flights to 80% of its pre-pandemic network and it continued to resume operations and restore services to cities of its original 2019 destination network. The airline has also announced that it has successfully launched all of its seasonal destinations for the summer of 2021 with direct flights to Mykonos and Santorini in Greece, Malaga in Spain and Alexandria and Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt as well as recently resuming Tbilisi in Georgia. The airline currently flies to and from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Medina, Muscat, Cairo, Amman, Casablanca, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Athens, Istanbul, Tbilisi, Larnaca, Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Dhaka, Colombo, the Maldives and several destinations in India and Pakistan. Commenting on restoring daily flights to Paris, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi commented: “This is wonderful news for citizens and residents of the Kingdom of Bahrain to be able to travel on Gulf Air to Paris on our newly introduced …