Tag Archives: Memorandum of Understanding

Emirates and SpiceJet have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enter into a reciprocal codeshare agreement, which is set to open new routes and destinations for passengers travelling between India and popular destinations across Africa, America, Europe and the Middle East. Subject to necessary government approvals, the partnership will enable Emirates’ passengers to enjoy seamless connectivity on flights to India, leveraging SpiceJet’s strong domestic presence and adding six new destinations: Amritsar, Jaipur, Pune, Mangalore, Madurai and Calicut — to the nine existing cities in India served by Emirates. This will bolster Emirates’ already-extensive network adding a total of 67 weekly connections between Emirates’ hub in Dubai to these six fast growing destinations in India. This includes increased domestic connectivity from Emirates’ nine Indian gateways to points such as Goa, Hubli, Guwahati, Vishakhapatnam and Tuticorin which would allow for a greater variety of travel options between both Emirates and SpiceJet flights. “Our journey in India has been defined by progressive investment, partnership and growth. We constantly try to improve and provide our customers with greater flexibility and travel choices,” said Adnan Kazim, Divisional Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Revenue Optimisation and Aeropolitical Affairs at Emirates. Passengers travelling from India will have more choice to travel seamlessly with minimum connection times, when flying to destinations in Emirates’ Europe network such as London, Paris, Frankfurt, Manchester and Amsterdam. The codeshare agreement will also open up flights for Indian travellers to North and South American destinations such as New York, Washington, Toronto, and Sao Paulo as well as Middle Eastern destinations such as Jeddah, Kuwait and Amman, operated by Emirates.

Etihad Airways and Gulf Air have signed a codeshare partnership for travel commencing with the summer schedule. The announcement follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two carriers at the Bahrain International Airshow in November last year and will further strengthen the strong ties between the two countries and carriers. The agreement will see Etihad place its ‘EY’ code on Gulf Air flights from Bahrain to and from Abu Dhabi, Baghdad, Casablanca, Dhaka, Faisalabad, Larnaca, Malaga, Multan, Najaf, Peshawar, Sailkot and Tbilisi. Gulf Air will place its ‘GF’ code on Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi to and from Bahrain, Brisbane, Chicago O’Hare, Jakarta, Lagos, Los Angeles, Melbourne, New York JFK, Sydney and Washington. The announcement was made at a signing ceremony held at Etihad Airways Headquarters in Abu Dhabi, attended by Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group, and Krešimir Kučko, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Air. Douglas said, “We are thrilled to be signing this codeshare agreement today with our long-time partner, Gulf Air. The signing today is a great example of how two flag carriers can enhance the experience of our guests by providing a greater choice of destinations and world-leading inflight service and Arabian hospitality.” Kučko added, “This is a remarkable event for both Gulf Air and Etihad Airways and we take pride in elevating this relationship further with the signing of this codeshare agreement.”

Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai (GDRFA) to further facilitate the delivery of smart services to investors, entrepreneurs and startups, particularly homegrown entities, and help them develop their businesses in areas such as technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and smart city applications. Aligned with Dubai’s Smart Government strategy and the UAE Vision 2021, the agreement will ensure the protection of intellectual property and enhance creative thinking skills and applications, while boosting cooperation in the scientific, training and professional fields as well as the exchange of expertise in legal, technical and administrative matters. As part of the MoU, the GDRFA will set up an office in DSOA’s headquarters to provide government services directly to Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO)-based entrepreneurs and investors. Dr Mohammed Alzarooni, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DSOA, signed the MoU with Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General, GDRFA, in the presence of senior officials from the two sides. Dr Mohammed Alzarooni said, “DSOA is committed to growing and developing its services according to the Smart Dubai initiative, which aims to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world. We are pleased to sign this partnership agreement with a pioneering entity such as GDRFA that is known for its extremely effective and efficient smart government services and for achieving high levels of customer happiness. Notably, the agreement supports the objectives of the UAE Vision 2021 and Dubai Plan 2021 in shaping an attractive environment that empowers creative entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into successful projects that serve the national economy.” Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri said: “Our agreement is …

Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center (Tadweer) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore how municipal waste can be converted into jet fuel. Representing a major development in the adoption of sustainable fuel, the project would aim to use the final jet fuel on Etihad Airways’ flights. The MoU mandates the two entities to undertake an initial feasibility study towards developing a flagship waste-to-fuel facility in Abu Dhabi. Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Waste-to-biofuel is a cutting-edge technology – one that Etihad Airways believes will have a profoundly positive impact on the aviation industry, while also providing waste management solutions and a cleaner environment. The adoption and upscaling of sustainable energy supplies is a crucial step towards reducing Etihad Airways’ dependency on fossil fuels, allowing the airline to grow sustainably and offset carbon emissions. This landmark agreement signed with Tadweer today reflects Etihad Airways’ mutual commitment to sustainability, and the airline hopes that it can bring about lasting change to the sustainable energy landscape in the UAE.” Dr Salem Al Kaabi, Acting General Manager, Tadweer, said, “The MoU aligns with our mandate to deliver highly innovative industrial and municipal waste management solutions, as well as our commitment to the National Agenda of the UAE Vision 2021 and Abu Dhabi Waste Master Plan 2040 that aims to divert 75 per cent of municipal solid waste away from landfills.”  

Huawei and Hamad International Airport (HIA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formalising a strategic partnership to enable the airport’s digital transformation. The objective is to accelerate digital transformation at Hamad International Airport and to share the solutions with the community for wider benefit of the air transport industry. The MoU between HIA and Huawei provides a broad framework for collaboration between for co-creation of innovative concepts, prototypes and solutions using cutting-edge technologies, particularly in the areas of IoT and autonomous machines, to address real business challenges and opportunities. Through this cooperation, HIA aims to improve the passenger experience, enhance security and communication, and increase operational efficiency. Commenting on the cooperation with Huawei, Eng. Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Chief Operating Officer at HIA said: “Innovative technology will continue to drive digital transformation at Hamad International Airport. Through this strategic alliance with Huawei, which also provides access to its eco-system of niche partners, we aim to accelerate our journey and to demonstrate our commitment to the industry by sharing viable concepts and solutions that may be developed through this partnership”. Xilin Yuan, President of the Transportation Sector of Huawei’s Enterprise Business Group, commented: “It is a great pleasure for Huawei to collaborate with Hamad International Airport to enable a Smart Airport that can meet the future demands of passenger flows as well as the needs of digital-savvy customers. By placing digital transformation at the heart of its commercial strategy, HIA will deliver a user-centric connected experience to continue delighting its customers.”

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Qatar Airways, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on April 24 at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2017 in Dubai. With this latest partnership, TAT seeks to leverage the strength of Qatar Airways’ extensive global network, particularly its presence in secondary cities in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, to increase the number of tourist arrivals to Thailand in 2017/18. Under the MoU, TAT and Qatar Airways will develop joint promotions to mutually increase tourism and visibility for Thailand to travellers in more than 150 destinations the airline flies to. Effective 1 June, Qatar Airways will have five daily flights from Doha to Bangkok. The increased frequency, along with its double-daily Phuket flights and the five-month-old Krabi operations (4 flights a week), take the number of weekly Qatar Airways departures from Thailand to Doha to 53. Besides the existing three popular Thai destinations, Qatar Airways has also set its sights on Chiang Mai, the largest city in Northern Thailand. The MoU was signed by Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer Ehab Amin and Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Deputy Governor for International Marketing, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Americas, Tanes Petsuwan. They were joined by Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Chalermsak Suranant, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Dubai and Middle East Office and other high-ranking executives from both organisations.