Tag Archives: italy

Turkish Airlines  announced a significant expansion in its flight frequencies to Italy, offering enhanced connectivity and convenience for travellers. This strategic decision reflects Turkish Airlines’ commitment to meeting growing demand and expanding travel destinations for its passengers. By flying 129 countries, the flag carrier offers 42,600 connection options to its passengers within its operational performance. Turkish Airlines currently operates direct flights from Istanbul to eight cities in Italy, including Milano, Rome, Venice, Bologna, Naples, Bari, Catania, and Palermo. As of March 31, 2024, Turkish Airlines will increase the number of round-trip flights from Istanbul to Bologna from 18 to 21 flights per week. Additionally, flights from Palermo will be raised from four to six flights per week, and Bari flights will be increased from five to seven flights per week. Furthermore, flights to Naples will also see an increase from 12 to 18 flights per week. This expansion marks the introduction of a total of 13 new flights, symbolizing Turkish Airlines’ commitment to strengthening air connectivity between Istanbul and significant Italian cities. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bolat, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee at Turkish Airlines, commented: “We are so glad to increase flight frequency to Italy. This increase will offer more option to our passengers to discover the major cities of Italy. By adding new destination to our network and constantly renewing our services Turkish Airlines keeps to unite people, cultures, continents, countries and cities while providing unparalleled travel experiences. We look forward to welcoming more travelers on board from Italy with our new flight destinations.” Turkish Airlines keeps carrying its unique service and unparalleled hospitality to every corner of the globe.

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 …

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has signed a long term management agreement with Attestor Limited to rebrand and manage the historic Hotel Cristallo in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. The property will undergo a substantial renovation after closing in the second quarter of 2023, re-opening as a Mandarin Oriental resort in the summer of 2025, ahead of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. Mandarin Oriental Cristallo, Cortina will be the Group’s first alpine resort and expands Mandarin Oriental’s presence further in Italy. The property sits above the most recognized mountain village in the Dolomites, a short walk away from Cortina d’Ampezzo, known as the ‘Queen of the Dolomites’, which features many award-winning restaurants, luxury brand boutiques and local arts and crafts. Venice Marco Polo Airport is reachable in one and a half hours by car. Hotel Cristallo was built in 1901 in Art Nouveau style by the Menardi family and was a popular ski destination in the 1930s for the European cultured elite. After the Olympic Games of 1956, the Hotel entered its “golden era” as a renowned ski destination, hosting royals and celebrities, including Peter Sellers, Frank Sinatra, Saul Bellow and Vladimir Nabokov. It has featured as a backdrop for a number of award-winning films, maintaining its historical charm as an early 20th century grand hotel.  In 2021, the property was acquired by funds managed by Attestor Limited, who also own Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como. Hotel Cristallo will undergo a thorough renovation including a new extension, created by award-winning architects Herzog and deMeuron. On re-opening, the hotel will feature 83 guestrooms, many with balconies, including 30 spacious suites with beautiful views of the Dolomites. The resort will also feature a range of restaurants …

Residents of Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can apply for visas to Italy at the new Visa Application Centre jointly launched by the Consulate General of Italy in the UAE, and VFS Global, the world’s largest visa outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. The centre was officially inaugurated on 27 September 2020 by Ms. Valentina Setta, Consul General of Italy in Dubai, and Mr. ZubinKarkaria, Chief Executive Officer, VFS Global, in the presence of dignitaries from the Italian Consulate and VFS Global staff members. Commenting at the inauguration ceremony, Vinay Malhotra, Regional Group Chief Operating Officer – South Asia, Middle East & North Africa, Americas, VFS Global said, “With the launch of the new centre in Dubai, and our new relationship with the Consulate General of Italy in the UAE, VFS Global reinforces its partnership with the Italian Ministry. VFS Global has a long association with Italy, providing visa services on behalf of the country since 2004. With the growing demand for Italy as a destination, we look forward to welcoming customers to our new centre and offering them our best-in-class services.” In order to ensure a safe, productive work environment for employees, while still protecting communities to the maximum extent possible from the spread of the novel coronavirus, VFS Global has established standardised protective measures to be followed across the centre including specific social distancing and sanitation mandates. All customers are subject to body temperature checks before entering the centre, to assess their health condition. Any customer exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, including high fever, cough and breathing difficulties will not be permitted to …

The Higher Organising Committee of IWAS World Games Sharjah 2019 confirmed that 1,462 participants from 50 countries are set to compete in the world’s largest wheelchair and amputee sports championship in Sharjah from February 10-16. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member Ruler of Sharjah, the IWAS World Games has returned to the emirate for the second time after its successful debut in the city in 2011. The eighth edition of the world championship brings together seven games including archery, athletics, badminton, swimming, shooting, table tennis and wheelchair fencing. New details of the upcoming biennial sports championship were revealed at a press conference held recently at Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa. Global athletes landing in Sharjah over the next few days are set to represent 50 competing nations confirmed by the Higher Organising Committee which include the UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Algeria, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, India, Sweden, Ukraine, Thailand, Turkey, Brazil, Portugal, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, Kenya, Russia, China, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Italy, South Africa, South Korea, Poland, Pakistan, Norway, Kenya, Latvia, Macau, Azerbaijan, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Serbia, France, Georgia, the UK, the US, Hong Kong, Greece, Czech Republic, Austria, Belarus and Comoros.

OYO Hotels & Homes welcomed over 100,000 guests from 78 countries across 14 properties and 20 homes in the UAE, since its launch in April last year. With this lease and full inventory control model, OYO currently manages 1,300 rooms within these properties in Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al-Khaimah and Fujairah and is set to touch 12,000 rooms by 2020. Since the first 9 months of its launch, the hotel chain has received guests from within the UAE, which accounted for 45.73 per cent of their guests and the remaining from countries such as India, Oman, Saudi Arabia, France, Russia, United States, Australia, Italy, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Mauritius and United Kingdom, among several other counties. OYO aims to grow its market share through its ‘Manchise’ business model — a unique business model that combines the best of management contract and franchise agreement. Through this model, OYO aims to grow its footprint within the two-, three- and four-star hotels in the UAE.  With nearly 15.8 million overnight visitors in 2017, Dubai retained its ranking as the fourth most visited city in the world for the fourth year in a row, according to Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index. Dubai was ahead of Singapore, followed by New York, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Istanbul, and Seoul. Manu Midha, Regional Head — Middle East, OYO Hotels & Homes, said, “OYO has now grown to become a preferred choice for several nationalities across the globe due to its ideal location, quality and also the price point. At the moment, we have touched around 78 countries and we are going to take this number higher due to the upcoming EXPO 2020. With 190 nations already signed up, we are confident that our …

Emirates and Trenitalia, Italy’s national railway company have announced a new codeshare agreement which will enable Emirates’ customers to discover new destinations across Italy. With just one easy-to-book ticket, travellers will be able to fly on Emirates and reach some of Italy’s picturesque cities and towns using high speed, modern and comfortable trains that leave from Emirates’ four Italian gateways – Bologna, Milan, Rome and Venice. Customers can now start booking their codeshare trips via Emirates’ website and travel onwards to these destinations. “This codeshare agreement with Trenitalia opens up new possibilities for our customers and complements our current services to Bologna, Milan, Rome and Venice. With Trenitalia, travelling to the Far East from Foggia or to Padova from Sydney has never been easier. Emirates already flies more than 1.6 million passengers to and from Italy every year. With this codeshare agreement, we’re connecting Italian regions to our global network, significantly boosting the Italian tourism industry,” said Hubert Frach, Divisional Senior Vice President – Commercial Operations, West, Emirates.

Mandarin Oriental, Bodrum has recently opened for GCC for the summer season with an expanded offering for guests. New villas and suites overlooking the Paradise Bay will be available, and more butlers will be on hand to maintain the resort’s reputation for excellent service. Guests can savour new menus at the resort’s award-winning restaurants and book its new Flavours of Bodrum accommodation package. Guests staying at Mandarin Oriental, Bodrum now have three new villas and the Bougainvillea and Royal Suites to choose from in addition to the existing selection of guest rooms, apartments, suites and villas. The Bougainvillea Suite, also known as the honeymoon suite, is in a secluded spot at the far end of resort. The 95-square metre retreat features a single bedroom and private swimming pool overlooking the Aegean Sea. The sea-view Royal Suite, with seven rooms, private garden and swimming pool is the largest on the Bodrum Peninsula with 533 square metres of space. Including its existing seven-room villa, the resort now offers large-scale family accommodation on the Peninsula. All suites and villas at the resort have infinity pools and private terraces overlooking the sea.

Emirates and flydubai announced their latest codeshare flights planned to Krakow in Poland from April 8 and Catania in Italy from June 13. The partnership initially began with codeshare flights to 29 cities, and this has quickly expanded to meet demand as customers realise the benefits of increased flight frequencies, expanded access to global destinations on a single ticket, and more. For bookings under the codeshare, Emirates passengers will receive complimentary meals and the Emirates checked baggage allowance on flights operated by flydubai in Business and Economy class. Under the partnership, passengers will benefit from a reduced minimum connection time of 120 minutes between Emirates’ home in Terminal 3 and flydubai’s in Terminal 2. Emirates Skywards members earn Skywards miles and Skywards Tier Miles on codeshare flights as per the existing Skywards programme. In addition to the Emirates free checked baggage allowance, Skywards Premium members can also enjoy their extra checked baggage allowances of 20 kg (Platinum members) 16 kg (Gold members) and 12 kg (Silver members) on codeshare flights operated by flydubai. Skywards Silver, Gold and Platinum members travelling on codeshare flights can access flydubai’s Business check-in counters and receive priority tags.

Qatar Airways is in negotiations to purchase a 49 per cent stake in Italy’s Meridiana Fly, revealed Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive His Excellency Akbar Al Baker during a press briefing in Tuscany. H.E. Al Baker said that Italy is an incredibly important destination in their network and they will keep investing in new routes and increase services in this market. Once the runway extension at Florence Airport is complete, they intend to start a service to this historic city. They also committed to upgrade the aircraft type currently flying to Pisa from an A320 to a wide body model as soon as they receive more aircraft in their fleet. Celebrating the launch of the airline’s flights to Pisa in August 2016, the press briefing was also attended by His Excellency Abdulaziz Bin Ahmed Al Malki Al Jehani, Qatar’s Ambassador to Italy.