Category Archives: Aviation

The Emirates Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Youth Authority to establish a strategic framework that further develops the Group’s youth community, inspiring generations of aviation and travel professionals. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed emphasised the importance of empowering youth, recognising the need to forge partnerships with like-minded entities: “The young minds at the Emirates Group are invaluable to our organisation. They provide fresh perspectives that inspire positive change, fuelled by passion and contagious energy. This strategic partnership with the Federal Youth Authority reflects our Emiratisation team’s ongoing commitment to empowering youth, in line with the UAE’s National Youth Agenda 2031. We hope it will motivate our entire community to keep innovating, dream big, and further build on the successes of the Group. Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders. We will continue to invest in them, ensuring they are future-ready to drive our nation’s achievements across all fronts – including travel and aviation.” In the presence of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline and Group and His Excellency Dr Sultan Saif Al Neyadi, Minister of State for Youth Affairs; the MoU was signed by Yousuf Bin Lahej Al Falasi, Vice President Emiratisation and Government Partnerships at the Emirates Group and Khalid Mohammed Al Nuaimi, Director of the Federal Youth Authority. His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Neyadi, UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs, stated: “This partnership reflects the enduring vision of the UAE’s leadership, which recognises youth as the driving force behind the nation’s future growth and progress. Guided by this belief, our national youth strategies empower young people with the resources and opportunities to unlock their potential …

flynas announced connecting Trabzon in Turkey, and Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan to Medina with weekly direct flights, within 2025 summer destinations. In collaboration with Taibah Airports Company, starting 4 July, flynas will be operating two weekly flights to the Turkish city of Trabzon, a popular destination for Saudi travelers seeking stunning natural scenery and a temperate climate. A weekly direct flight to the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, will also be launched starting 6 July, reflecting flynas’ commitment to connecting Medina with multiple international destinations and offering diverse, direct travel options to key global tourist destinations. Currently, flynas operates 139 routes to over 70 domestic and international destinations across 30 countries, with more than 2,000 weekly flights. Since its launch in 2007, it has carried over 80 million passengers. The airline aims to reach 165 domestic and international destinations as part of its growth and expansion strategy aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.

As Emirates is gearing up for a busy week of departures from T3, Dubai International. Emirates expect more than 30,000 customers will depart T3 DXB today, and this level of departures will be at a similar level until 30 June. Emirates has requested customers to plan for extra traffic on the roads approaching the airport, busier carparks, more people at the airport going through Immigration, and the time it may take to travel between Concourses and reach Boarding Gates at least an hour prior to the departure time. They have recommended to arrive 3 hours ahead of departure time and to pass through immigration at least one and half hours ahead. • In peak travel times, arrive to the Airport: 3 hours before departure • Ensure you pass through Immigration: 1.5 hours before departure • Ensure you reach your correct Boarding Gate: 1 hour before departure Download the Emirates App to check in online Download the Emirates app for flight details at your fingertips. Book and change flights, download a digital boarding pass for most destinations, get notifications about your flight, check what meals will be served, pre-order your hot meal in Business Class, book a chauffeur drive service and even pre-select and plan movies to watch via ice inflight entertainment. Customers can also check in on Emirates.com. Online check-in and app check-in are both open 48 hours ahead of flight departure time. Emirates customers can drop off luggage at the airport the night before travel at no charge. Passengers who are departing from Dubai can check-in early and drop off their bags 24 hours before departure, or 12 hours before departure if flying to the US. Then closer to …

Etihad Airways and Air Europa celebrated a historic milestone as Air Europa operates its inaugural wet-lease flight from Abu Dhabi to Madrid, marking the Spanish carrier’s first-ever aircraft operation from the Middle East. Etihad now offers twice-daily services to Madrid, with the afternoon EY103 service operated by Air Europa’s Boeing 787-9 aircraft featuring 32 Business class and 307 Economy seats. The wet-lease arrangement, alongside the expanded codeshare, strengthens the growing market between Abu Dhabi and Spain, and supports wider tourism and trade links between the two countries. The landmark Boeing 787-9 service represents a significant evolution of the partnership between the two airlines, building on their expanded codeshare agreement and frequent flyer programme cooperation. This collaboration highlights the value of strategic partnerships in improving global connectivity and offering more seamless travel options for passengers across four continents. Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “Today marks a new chapter in our partnership with Air Europa. This collaboration demonstrates how Etihad can work with strategic partners to enhance our Madrid route and offer even greater choice for travellers between the UAE and Spain. By partnering with Air Europa, we’re opening exciting possibilities for our passengers seeking to explore new destinations.” Juan José Hidalgo, Air Europa’s President, added: ““Partnering with Etihad Airways to launch our first Middle East service from Abu Dhabi is a major milestone for Air Europa. It allows us to better serve growing demand for travel between Spain and the UAE. Abu Dhabi is a world-class destination and an ideal platform for us to expand into new markets.” The partnership reinforces Etihad’s commitment to supporting Abu Dhabi’s position as an attractive destination for both leisure and business travel, …

Emirates’ passengers experienced minimal disruptions to their travel plans after last night’s (23 June) regional events, with regularly scheduled flights resuming within a few short hours. The airline quickly activated its robust contingency and disruption plans, with no diversions, only a small number of cancellations and a few flights experiencing longer flight paths due to airspace congestion. Despite rapidly evolving regional developments, it’s been business as usual across the Emirates network. In the past two weeks, Emirates has maintained scheduled services by rerouting flights to avoid conflict zones, successfully serving over 1.7 million passengers on more than 5,800 flights across its global network and delivering certainty to their travel plans when they needed it the most, while upholding its commitment to safe, reliable travel. The airline took immediate action by suspending flights only to areas directly impacted by conflict while maintaining operations to all other destinations. Services to Amman and Beirut were briefly suspended but resumed quickly, demonstrating Emirates’ ability to nimbly adapt its operations while prioritising safety, and helping thousands of families start their summer holidays. The safety of Emirates’ passengers and crew is its absolute priority, and the airline would never fly if it was not safe to do so. Emirates continuously monitors developments, coordinates with aviation authorities, and assesses every potential risk to ensure all flights are safely rerouted away from conflict zones, all the while meeting the most stringent regulatory requirements. Throughout the last two weeks, the airline kept customers informed with regular operational website updates as well as on its social media channels, and reservations teams helped reaccommodate affected customers. As Emirates gears up for the busy summer travel season, it will continue to actively …

Qatar Airways can confirm the reinstatement of flights following the reopening of airspace in the State of Qatar. Our focus at this time is to help our passengers return home or reach their onward journey safely and smoothly. We are working tirelessly with government stakeholders and the relevant authorities to restore operations as quickly as possible. We have also deployed additional ground staff at Hamad International Airport and other key airports to assist affected passengers by minimising disruptions and offering the utmost care and support to all customers. As operations resume, we anticipate significant delays to our flight schedule. We would advise passengers to check qatarairways.com or the Qatar Airways mobile application ahead of travel. The safety of our passengers and crew is the first and highest priority at all times.

Gulf Air and CFM International have extended the airline’s long-term CFM LEAP-1A Services for A320neo family aircraft. This strategic extension, along with the purchase of additional spare engines, forms a strong and reliable foundation for comprehensive engine support, enhancing fleet reliability and operational continuity. Being the Kingdom of Bahrain’s national carrier, Gulf Air operates one of the region’s most modern and efficient fleets, which includes 29 LEAP-1A-powered A320neo family aircraft, continued collaboration with CFM is key to operational excellence; and a renewed affirmation of CFM’s support and technical expertise. “We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with CFM, who have been a key partner of our growth since our first CFM engine operations in the 1990s”, said Dr. Jeffrey Goh, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Air Group. “This agreement will enable us to secure MRO capacity for our fleet and maintain our growth.” “It’s an honor to further expand our relationship with Gulf Air, a long-standing member of the CFM family”, said Gaël Meheust, President and CEO of CFM International. “This agreement commits us to provide Gulf Air with the best CFM standards in terms of support, reliability, and utilization for its LEAP fleet.”

Riyadh Air and Blacklane launch a strategic global partnership to provide premium chauffeur services to guests. The partnership sets a new benchmark for seamless, guest centric travel – marrying the ground and air experience of comfort and hospitality. Eligible guests will enjoy complementary luxury chauffeur services between Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport and within a 50km radius. Riyadh Air guests can also separately book Blacklane’s chauffeur services worldwide, integrated into their travel journey. The collaboration represents a significant step in Riyadh Air’s plan to deliver best-in-class services throughout the customer journey experience and brings together two companies committed to exceptional service. The new agreement sets new standards in the airline industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and around the world. Through this partnership guests travelling internationally in Riyadh Air Business Elite or Business Class, plus eligible loyalty members will enjoy complimentary luxury chauffeur services with Blacklane within 50 KM radius of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport in elegant, high-end vehicles. Integrated directly into Riyadh Air’s booking platform, guests will be able to arrange their Blacklane chauffeur as part of their travel experience where eligible. Guests also have the ability to enjoy seamless journeys, including airport transfers, city-to-city travel, in-city rides and chauffeurs by the hour in Riyadh and at any of the airline’s global destinations. Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air said :  “Our partnership with Blacklane reinforces our ethos of ensuring our customers experience Saudi hospitality with world-class service standards, We revealed our stylish new Business Elite and Business Class seats recently, and this is the next step in keeping our promises to deliver an exceptional premium experience to our guests. Riyadh Air and Blacklane are two outstanding …

Emirates has announced it will ramp up operations to Barcelona with the addition of a third daily flight starting from 26 October 2025. The added service will meet market demand and offer customers greater connectivity to/from the coastal city as well as access to popular destinations across Emirates’ network including Maldives, Bangkok, Bali, Hong Kong and Singapore. Customers can look forward to the airline’s award-winning service and industry-leading products across all cabins including regionally inspired meals, premium beverages, and up to 6,500 channels of on-demand entertainment on ice – the airline’s inflight entertainment system. Emirates currently serves Spain with 28 weekly flights utilising a fleet mix of A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft, including: 14 weekly flights to Madrid; and 14 weekly flights to Barcelona including 7 weekly flights from Dubai to Mexico City via Barcelona. Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, or via both online and offline travel agents as well as at Emirates retail stores.

Emirates and Uber have announced a strategic partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore ways to make journeys more seamless, effortless and rewarding for travellers. This includes enhancing the on-ground mobility experience for Emirates customers, while offering Skywards members loyalty benefits when using the Uber platform across select markets within the Emirates network.* Through this partnership, Emirates and Uber will work towards introducing several initiatives to offer travellers more seamless and effortless journeys. These include; Developing an integrated booking experience  that combines Uber Rides Vouchers with flight bookings for easier airport transfers or in-city rides. Additionally, Emirates and Uber will explore offering Uber rides to and from the airport for select Emirates customers, supporting a complete door-to-destination experience. The MoU was signed by Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer and Anabel Diaz Calderon, Vice President and Head of EMEA Mobility at Uber. The partnership will explore strategic opportunities to closely collaborate on offering Skywards members in the UAE the opportunity to earn on rides or redeem their miles for Uber app credits or vouchers. Emirates Skywards will also explore ways for members in the UAE to benefit from earning Miles on Uber rides across select markets  in the Emirates network. Another area of collaboration will include exploring opportunities around Last Mile delivery initiatives for Emirates Courier Express, leveraging Uber’s advanced technology platform and vast network of global Delivery partners to enhance customer reach, speed and efficiency. Adnan Kazim said: “Emirates is excited to join forces with Uber as part of our commitment to delivering seamless travel experiences. In the months ahead, we’ll closely work together to leverage our combined capabilities in travel and technology to expand …