Category Archives: Aviation

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain resumed its direct operations to Tbilisi International Airport in Georgia starting with 3 weekly flights from 15 July 2021. On this occasion, Captain Waleed Abdulhameed AlAlawi, Acting Chief Executive Officer, said “We have been operating direct flights between the Kingdom of Bahrain and Georgia since 2017 and it is one of the airline’s main destinations in the Caucasus region. We are extremely happy to see a much healthier trend in summer traffic and the resumption of some of our most popular destinations as the global vaccination program continues to bring a sense of normalcy back into our routine.” The airline currently flies to and from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Medina, Muscat, Cairo, Amman, Casablanca, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Athens, Istanbul, Larnaca, Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Dhaka, Colombo, the Maldives and several destinations in India and Pakistan. The airline has also 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. Recently, Gulf Air announced offering complimentary COVID-19 travel insurance coverage to all ticket holders including health and quarantine expenses in the unexpected circumstances of being diagnosed with or contracting COVID-19 during passengers’ journeys. All tickets booked, including redemption tickets, on Gulf Air flights for travel until 10 November 2021 are automatically covered with COVID-19 insurance at no extra cost. All passengers, according to the newly announced insurance policy and in the unfortunate event of being diagnosed with COVID-19 while traveling abroad, will be covered for repatriation assistance, medical and hospitals costs abroad as well as quarantine accommodation …

Emirates launched Emirates Pay, a new account-based payment method for purchasing air tickets. Emirates Pay is now available for Emirates customers in Germany and the UK who are purchasing tickets via emirates.com. Emirates is the world’s first airline to launch this payment alternative powered by a white-label solution jointly developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in partnership with Deutsche Bank. Michael Doersam, Chief Financial Officer at Emirates said: “We’re pleased to be the first airline to roll out this new account-based solution for our customers. Our aim is to provide our customers with choice, convenience, and the best possible experiences at every touchpoint. Customers who don’t have a credit card, and those already using direct payments for other purchases, will welcome the simplicity and security of this method when making travel purchases. When it comes to payments solutions, we’ve always kept close to the latest innovations so that we can offer our customers in different markets the most secure and convenient options.” Christof Hofmann, Global Head of Corporate & Payment Solutions at Deutsche Bank said: “We are very proud that Emirates, which is widely recognized as one of the world’s best airlines, is the first airline to implement the new payment solution. The launch of Emirates Pay not only sends a very positive message to all of us that the airline industry is putting COVID behind, but more importantly that Emirates is clearly focused on improving client experience at the transactional level when moving into a brighter, post COVID world.”  Emirates Pay is an alternative method for travellers to pay for air tickets purchased online by directly debiting their bank account. It is based on real time payments …

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, begins the summer season with 80% of its pre-pandemic destinations as it continues 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 this network restoration milestone, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi commented: “We at Gulf Air are very excited and proud to restore 80% of our 2019 destinations network amidst the restrictions and continuous updates from each and every destination we fly to. The national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain never stopped flying during the peak of the pandemic making it one of the most experienced and safest airlines to fly during these times and today we are growing closer to our full network”. He added: “We are working on frequencies and connectivity to offer more choices and more convenience to our passengers and we are confident that the months ahead will feature more milestones and success stories to tell”. Recently, Gulf Air announced the launch of point to point flights beyond its Bahrain International Airport hub allowing the airline to expand its operations to new destinations as well as …

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, announced its collaboration with the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), becoming official airline partner for the Middle East as part of ICCA’s Regional Travel Partnership Program. As newest member to the program, Oman Air brings 5-Star COVID-19 safety and network connectivity across the Middle East to association meetings professionals so they can re-connect with colleagues and work towards reviving face-to-face, in-person meetings in the post-pandemic landscape. “In securing this partnership, we are pleased to connect our ICCA members in the Middle East with an airline that will serve them under exceptional standards of health and safety. Meeting face-to-face is vital to our industry and we at ICCA World believe we can begin to do so once again as we continue to adhere to best practices in pandemic safety,” said Senthil Gopinath, ICCA CEO. “Throughout COVID-19, Oman Air has implemented and maintained exceptional health and safety standards on board our aircraft and across the entire passenger journey,” said Eng. Abdulaziz AlRaisi, CEO of Oman Air. “In-person, face-to-face meetings—whether association and industry meetings or the full offering of corporate travel and events—are crucial for the recovery of local economies and Oman Air is proud to partner with ICCA to offer safe travels for its members throughout the Middle East, and beyond, as we work together towards a robust restart of the interconnected aviation, MICE and tourism sectors.” “As ICCA Middle East Regional Director, I am proud to announce their new collaboration with Oman Air as the official airline partner for the Middle East region. Oman Air’s initiative during the current crisis and their adaptability demands applause and should be taken as …

Emirates is connecting global business and leisure travellers with it’s first-ever passenger service between Dubai and Miami. The airline celebrated the inaugural flight of its four times a week service when it touched down in Miami at 1100hrs local time on 23rd July 2021. Emirates flight EK213 was welcomed by Miami International Airport with a water cannon salute, and drew in an audience of passengers, aviation fans and guests. For the first flight, the airline operated its popular Boeing 777 Gamechanger, and on the ground, showcased the interiors of the aircraft to guests, featuring its highly popular First Class private suites. With floor to ceiling sliding doors and sleek design features inspired by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Emirates’ First Class suites on the Gamechanger offer up to 40 square feet of personal space each, and ultra-modern design features. The airline will subsequently operate its three-class Boeing 777-300ER on the route, featuring eight private suites in First Class, 42 lie flat seats in Business Class and 304 spacious seats in Economy Class for the four times a week service. Along with Orlando, the new service to Miami provides an additional access point to and from Florida and expands Emirates’ US network to 12 destinations on over 70 weekly flights, providing more choice and convenient connections from the Emirates network to Southern Florida. It also links travellers from Miami, as well as Southern Florida, South America and the Caribbean to over 50 points across the Middle East, West Asia, Africa, Far East and the Indian Ocean Islands via Dubai. “We are excited to welcome new Emirates flights to MIA as we expand business and leisure traveling options for Miami-Dade residents and visitors, connecting them …

Emirates has announced the launch of Emirates Pay, a new account-based payment method for purchasing air tickets. Emirates Pay is now available for Emirates customers in Germany and the UK who are purchasing tickets via emirates.com. Emirates is the world’s first airline to launch this payment alternative powered by a white-label solution jointly developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in partnership with Deutsche Bank. Michael Doersam, Chief Financial Officer at Emirates said: “We’re pleased to be the first airline to roll out this new account-based solution for our customers. Our aim is to provide our customers with choice, convenience, and the best possible experiences at every touchpoint. Customers who don’t have a credit card, and those already using direct payments for other purchases, will welcome the simplicity and security of this method when making travel purchases. When it comes to payments solutions, we’ve always kept close to the latest innovations so that we can offer our customers in different markets the most secure and convenient options.” Christof Hofmann, Global Head of Corporate & Payment Solutions at Deutsche Bank said: “We are very proud that Emirates, which is widely recognized as one of the world’s best airlines, is the first airline to implement the new payment solution. The launch of Emirates Pay not only sends a very positive message to all of us that the airline industry is putting COVID behind, but more importantly that Emirates is clearly focused on improving client experience at the transactional level when moving into a brighter, post COVID world.”  Emirates Pay is an alternative method for travellers to pay for air tickets purchased online by directly debiting their bank account. It is based …

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, announced its collaboration with the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), becoming official airline partner for the Middle East as part of ICCA’s Regional Travel Partnership Program. As newest member to the program, Oman Air brings 5-Star COVID-19 safety and network connectivity across the Middle East to association meetings professionals so they can re-connect with colleagues and work towards reviving face-to-face, in-person meetings in the post-pandemic landscape. “In securing this partnership, we are pleased to connect our ICCA members in the Middle East with an airline that will serve them under exceptional standards of health and safety. Meeting face-to-face is vital to our industry and we at ICCA World believe we can begin to do so once again as we continue to adhere to best practices in pandemic safety,” said Senthil Gopinath, ICCA CEO. “Throughout COVID-19, Oman Air has implemented and maintained exceptional health and safety standards on board our aircraft and across the entire passenger journey,” said Eng. Abdulaziz AlRaisi, CEO of Oman Air. “In-person, face-to-face meetings—whether association and industry meetings or the full offering of corporate travel and events—are crucial for the recovery of local economies and Oman Air is proud to partner with ICCA to offer safe travels for its members throughout the Middle East, and beyond, as we work together towards a robust restart of the interconnected aviation, MICE and tourism sectors.” “As ICCA Middle East Regional Director, I am proud to announce their new collaboration with Oman Air as the official airline partner for the Middle East region. Oman Air’s initiative during the current crisis and their adaptability demands applause and should be taken as …

Starting July 17, 2021 Kuwait Airways re-instated two weekly services between Munich and Kuwait City. The route is operated on Thursdays and Saturdays with a brand new Airbus A320neo. “We are very pleased that Kuwait Airways has decided to re-launch flights to Munich and we expect a good response to the route this summer” states Oliver Dersch, Vice President Traffic Development Munich Airport. Along with Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways flights, there will be a total of 19 weekly departures from the Gulf region to Munich this July and potentially more to come in the following months. In 2019, 1.7 million passengers traveled on flights between Munich and the Gulf States. “We are convinced that traffic between the two popular regions will soon recover, with Germany once again allowing entry for fully vaccinated visitors from countries outside the EU,” adds Dersch. With magnificent buildings and royal palaces, world-class museums, endless parks, high-end shopping and dining, and crystal-clear lakes and the Alps nearby, Munich and Bavaria represent the most popular tourism destination in Germany for visitors from the Gulf region.

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, will offer its luxurious First Class Suites on B787 Dreamliner flights between Muscat and Salalah for the popular Khareef season. In addition to its award-winning Economy and Business Class cabins, the airline will introduce the luxuriously appointed First Class Suites until 31 July 2021, offering three distinct cabin classes on the route. The Muscat flight (WY 907) will depart at 14:55 and arrive in Salalah at 16:30. The Salalah flight (WY 908) will depart at 17:45 and arrive in Muscat at 19:25. Guests should always consult omanair.com for the latest flight schedule and timings, which are subject to change. Featuring extra tall, soft closing sliding doors and canopy, Oman Air’s First Class Suite is recognized for its Omani-inspired design, modern amenities and exceptional comfort. In 2020 it was named best First Class Suite by German-based iF design, a world leader in design, and also won  ‘World’s Leading Airline – First Class’ at the World Travel Awards Middle East. Our flights are departing on time. For flights operating during the lockdown period, passengers and those dropping them off or picking them up are allowed to travel to the airport. Please ensure that you always carry a printed copy of travel tickets along with all applicable travel documents and valid ID in the event that you are asked to present them to the relevant authorities. 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 …

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, launched its inaugural flight to Vienna, the City of Music, the first of a new twice-weekly service between Abu Dhabi and the Austrian capital. Flight EY147 departed Abu Dhabi International Airport at 7.30am and is expected to land in Vienna Airport at approximately 11.20am today, where it will be welcomed by a traditional water cannon salute. The new service will be operated on Thursdays and Sundays using a state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, offering 28 seats in Business and 262 seats in Economy, entertainment systems, in-seat power, and in-flight Wi-Fi connectivity.  Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer at Etihad, said: “After successfully launching Mykonos, Santorini and Malaga earlier in July, we’re delighted to now introduce flights to Vienna. The 65th passenger destination to be added to Etihad’s growing network, we are confident that its timeless imperial grandeur and vibrant cultural scene will appeal to many travellers.” Julian Jäger, Joint CEO and COO of Vienna Airport, said: “We welcome Etihad as a new airline to Vienna Airport. Etihad is a strong carrier with a far-reaching route network, and we are delighted with its decision to launch regular scheduled flights to Vienna. The United Arab Emirates in particular is an important market for Austrian tourism, and the new flight connection is a good sign that things are slowly picking up again.” Known for its baroque architecture, coffee-house culture and rich musical legacy, Vienna is a five hours and 50 minutes flight from Abu Dhabi. Travellers from the UAE who have received all vaccination doses for full immunisation at least 14 days before arrival, including Sinopharm and Pfizer, currently do not have to …