Category Archives: Aviation

Emirates airline updated its COVID-19 travel waiver policies into one simplified approach for rebooking and refunds on tickets issued in all its global markets, showcasing their customers first approach. Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates said, “The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented for everyone, and we’d like to thank our customers and trade partners for their patience, understanding and support as we worked through this period to ensure our policies are not only customer-friendly but also in line with regulatory requirements.We sincerely hope that our customers will choose to rebook and fly with us again at a later time, and that is why we’re offering up to two years validity on their current tickets, or travel vouchers which can be redeemed for any Emirates product or service. Any fees for making a change to the tickets will be waived for tickets issued till May 31, 2020 for travel up to August 31, 2020. However, if they would still like to opt for a refund, we will process that. We would just like to seek our customers’ understanding that refunds will take time as we have a significant backlog to manage.”

Emirates Airline has unveiled multi-faceted measures for employee and customer care at every step of the travel journey, redefining safety and hygiene standards on board and on the ground. The new measures were implemented with the resumption of regularly scheduled passenger flights to nine destinations. Adel Al Redha, Chief Operating Officer, Emirates said “Emirates is implementing a comprehensive set of measures at every step of the traveller’s journey, to enhance the sanitisation of all touchpoints, and ensure the health and safety of our customers and employees. The risk of catching an infection on an aircraft is already very low, but we have spared no effort in reviewing and redesigning every step, from check-in to disembarkation.” “Every measure implemented is an additional reduction in risk, and taken altogether, our aim is really to make flying as safe as possible. We are working with all the stakeholders in Dubai – including the airport, immigration, health and aviation authorities to implement such measures, and we will continue to review and consult expert advice for any development and changes. We are all aware that we have to adapt to different practices during this pandemic in our day to day activities.” said Redha.

Airports Council International (ACI) World and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have called on governments to ensure any new measures introduced for airports and airlines in the wake of COVID-19 are supported by scientific evidence and are consistent across the world. ACI and IATA have jointly issued a paper laying out a pathway for restarting the aviation industry – Safely Restarting Aviation – ACI and IATA Joint Approach. Airlines and airports have cooperated to build a roadmap for resuming operations which reassures the travelling public that health and safety remain the overall priorities. ACI and IATA are both central members the COVID-19 Aviation Recovery Task Force (CART) being led by the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). CART enables the collaboration among governments and between governments and industry, which is vital to ensure the harmonisation and consistency of measures that are essential to restoring air connectivity and passenger confidence in air travel. “Airports and airlines have come together with ICAO and the wider aviation industry to address the biggest challenge ever faced by commercial aviation in restarting a global industry while continuing to halt the spread of COVID-19,” ACI World Director General Angela Gittens said. IATA’s Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said, “Safety is always our top priority and that includes public health. Restoring air connectivity is vital to restarting the global economy and reconnecting people. Our layered approach of measures recommended by airports and airlines safeguard public health while offering a practical approach for a gradual restart of operations.”  

Etihad Airways continues to increase the number of special flights it is operating worldwide to and from Abu Dhabi. Throughout May and June, the airline will increase frequencies on previously announced special flights and will add new services to Belgrade, Dublin, Geneva, Milan, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Toronto. In addition to the recently launched link between Melbourne and London, Etihad will also add services to Sydney, allowing a direct transit connection to and from the UK capital via Abu Dhabi. 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 customer safety 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.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is calling for aviation-specific financial relief measures from the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to address the severe impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the air transport sector. IATA estimates that revenues generated by airlines in the Saudi market will fall by $7.2 billion in 2020, 35 per cent below 2019 levels. That puts at risk nearly 287,500 Saudi jobs and $17.9 billion of Saudi’s GDP, which is generated by aviation directly and aviation-related tourism. In response to the impact of COVID-19, the Saudi government has introduced broad economic relief measures in excess of $32 billion in financial support for the private sector. It has also provided support for air transport by suspending the airport slot use rules for the summer season and extending licenses and certifications for crew, trainers and examiners. We urge the government to build on this and implement specific financial relief measures for aviation to ensure that the sector will be capable of driving the recovery. “Saudi Arabia has announced financial relief measures for sectors affected by COVID-19, but not specifically for aviation. Given the industry’s role in social and economic development as well as achieving the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, it is important the government prioritises aviation and provide urgent financial relief,” said Muhammad Albakri, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East. “Without a viable air transport sector, we can expect a slow and painful economic recovery. Before the crisis, Saudi Arabia was moving at full speed and achieving tangible results in modernisation, infrastructure development and economic growth,” said Albakri.

Arabian Travel Market (ATM) has confirmed aviation industry veteran Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airlines, and Jozsef Varadi, CEO of Wizz Air will speak at the inaugural ATM Virtual, which takes place from June 1-3, 2020. According to the latest analysis from the International Air Travel Association (IATA), the COVID-19 crisis will see global airline passenger revenues drop by US$314 billion in 2020, a 55 per cent decrease compared to 2019. In a series of seminars and interviews led by respected aviation expert John Strickland, Director of JLS Consulting, ATM Virtual will look at the measures airlines are undertaking to counteract the direct impact the pandemic is having on their business. A major discussion point during the event will be the opening of Wizz Air’s forthcoming subsidiary in Abu Dhabi, in partnership with Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company, which will further underscore its market position in the budget airline sector. Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “The airline industry continues to face deteriorating conditions with global airline passenger revenues predicted to fall by over 55 per cent in 2020. To address these issues, we have brought together two of the most influential figures in the airline industry to discuss their procedures and strategies for the future.”

Lufthansa will be offering a resumed flight service from Dubai to Frankfurt, starting from the beginning of June. The flight offer from the United Arab Emirates will thus resume with three weekly departures. These new connections are part of the overall restart of schedules containing at the end of June 180 destinations. The Lufthansa Group connections for the United Arab Emirates will commence (Subject to government approval) on June 7, when the Lufthansa flight LH 630 from FRA to DXB will take off from Frankfurt at 2:10 pm and arrive in Dubai at 10:35 pm (local time). Flights will continue between the destinations every second day, with the LH 631 from DXB to FRA commencing on June 9. LH 631 leaves Dubai at 1:00 am, and arrives in Frankfurt at 5:55am (local time). The airlines in the Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa, SWISS, Eurowings) expand substantially their schedule in June, offering numerous leisure destinations, as well as more intercontinental connections. With more than 106 destinations in Germany and Europe and over 20 intercontinental destinations, the range of flights on offer by the end of June will expand noticeably for all travellers. By the end of June, the Lufthansa Group airlines plan to offer around 1,800 weekly roundtrips to more than 130 destinations worldwide. “With the June flight schedule, we are making an important contribution to the revitalisation of the aviation infrastructure. It is an essential part of the German and European economic power. People want to and can travel again, whether on holiday or for business reasons. That is why we will continue to expand our offer step by step in the coming months and connect Europe with each other and Europe …

Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports confirmed that while the airport operator is taking appropriate measures to control costs, optimise liquidity, facilitate cargo and repatriation flights and prepare for a timely and proportionate activation of facilities and services at Dubai International (DXB) to support the resumption of scheduled traffic, the timing and the speed of air traffic recovery will ultimately depend on the development of a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19. “The COVID-19 pandemic is of a very different nature than any previous crisis in that it has affected supply, demand and health security and by extension the entire global economy,” said Griffiths. “We’re dealing with a monster here for which we clearly have to find a solution. Until there is a proven level of confidence medically that people can travel without fear of spreading or contracting the virus, the situation we find ourselves in is likely to continue.” “Until a medical solution is found, the industry will rely on bilateral agreements that enable the resumption of services. We will gradually start to see some confidence build between trusted countries where the governments have acted significantly enough and early enough to get the spread of the virus under control,” said Griffiths. “In the short term, until we get a medical and technical solution, we will have robust measures in place. And while we will all have to practice social distancing in the near term, the idea of social distancing as a permanent part of society would be so socially and economically destructive it would simply not be sustainable. We’re looking at an 18 month to two-year time frame but that is highly dependent upon the development of an effective treatment or …

Etihad Airways has amplified its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to support those affected by the novel coronavirus. In an effort to provide additional safety for medical staff interacting with patients, the Etihad Airways Medical Centre (EAMC) collaborated with Etihad Engineering to develop personal protective equipment (PPE) that would add an additional layer of protection for healthcare professionals working in medical centres across the UAE. Dr. Nadia Al Bastaki, Vice President Medical Services at Etihad Aviation Group said, “As part of our CSR efforts, as an organisation we challenged ourselves to determine what we could do to help combat the effects of this global pandemic. With high demand for PPE in the UAE, our innovative design team at Etihad Engineering successfully developed 1,000 face shields for us to distribute locally. With the logistical support of Emirates Red Crescent, we’ll start distributing the face shields to medical professionals at EAMC and SEHA this week.” “An overwhelming number of our employees have selflessly put their hand up to volunteer, from working at call centres, to distributing masks and gloves and physically cleaning the streets of our capital city as part of the government’s sanitisation programme. This year, Eid will not be the same for most. Therefore, in collaboration with Grace Conservation, we will be distributing 1,000 gift boxes to families in need containing clothes for adults and children,” added Dr Nadia.

Abu Dhabi Airports is supporting global efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring the safe, secure and efficient transport of essential supplies and equipment through Abu Dhabi International Airport, in addition to facilitating a number of repatriation and humanitarian flights. It is the primary gateway to Abu Dhabi and a key global transit hub for passengers and airfreight, offering connections to the world’s key markets. Its specialist cargo facilities offer significant capacity for transhipments and the efficient handling of time and temperature-sensitive goods. Shareef Al Hashmi, Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “This is a critical time for the aviation sector and our nation as we come together to combat the global COVID-19 pandemic. We are committed to ensuring the health and safety of our employees, stakeholders and passengers as we continue to operate our airports and facilities in order to provide our communities and healthcare centres with the goods and equipment they need.” “We do not take this responsibility lightly and have mobilised special teams to enhance our cargo operations and facilitate the necessary repatriation and humanitarian flights departing from Abu Dhabi International Airport. I am especially proud of our employees’ continued dedication and commitment during this challenging time,” added Al Hashmi. Waleed Salem Al Hemeiri, Acting Deputy Chief Operations Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said, “We have implemented a range of special measures across its cargo and passenger operations, including workforce cluster management, thermal imaging cameras at key transit areas, free COVID-19 tests for passengers and employees and roster realignment to ensure the continued safe and efficient management of vital supplies and repatriation flights.” “We are coordinating with all relevant authorities, partners and suppliers at …