Category Archives: Aviation

The Dubai Airshow 2021, set to take place from 14-18 November 2021, serves as a key indicator of Dubai’s success in overcoming the challenges that the pandemic has posed, and moving in the right direction towards achieving a full recovery of the aviation industry. Commenting on the progress that Dubai’s aviation sector has made following the pandemic, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group said: “We have crossed many significant milestones this year despite the difficult period. Dubai has been a symbol of resilience and agility in responding to the challenges that the pandemic brought, and we are confident that the collaborative work done by the sector’s key players to restore consumer confidence and boost travel operations will pave the way for a thriving aviation industry. Dubai Airshow 2021 will serve as the ultimate testament to the industry’s steady recovery and growth and firmly establish Dubai as the leading global aerospace hub.” Major Gen. Staff Pilot Ishaq Saleh Al Baloushi, Military Advisor to State Minister of Defence and Executive Director for Military Committee for Dubai Airshow: “For many years we have been collaborating and working closely with different defence delegations from across the world for the Dubai Airshow. This engagement has continued virtually throughout the pandemic, and we are now planning on having in-person meetings and sessions at the Airshow itself. With the positive sentiment within the industry and the appetite for business continuity, we believe the Airshow will provide the ideal event for strategic development and the creation of new partnerships. Taking centre stage will be the different technologies …

In response to exceptional Khareef season demand for Salalah in Oman’s southern Dhofar Governorate, Oman Air has gradually increased weekly flight frequencies from an average of 18 weekly flights in July to a total of 41 weekly flights at the beginning of August.  Both Muscat-to-Salalah and Salalah-to-Muscat reached a total of 41 weekly flights and 7820 weekly seats each way, for a grand total of 82 weekly flights and 15,640 weekly seats. The extra flights reflect Salalah’s popularity as a leading domestic destination during Khareef (monsoon) season, a time of year when the region is bathed in an abundance of rain, lush greenery, and cool air. Adil Al Zadjali, Oman Air Country Manager (Oman) said, “Salalah remains an extremely popular domestic destination and our commitment at Oman Air is to provide travel flexibility for our valued guests with the convenience of extra flights when needed. Khareef season—and all the visual splendor it offers—transforms Muscat to Salalah into one of our busiest routes. By progressively introducing 23 additional weekly flights in each direction, visitors to the region have been able to book their seats with full confidence. As domestic travel rebounds, our aim now is to develop a revised flight schedule that lets us maintain exceptional year-round frequencies to Salalah.” In July this year, Oman Air scheduled its Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 3-class configuration on flights between Muscat and Salalah, featuring award-winning Economy and Business Class cabins and luxuriously appointed First Class Suites. Initially planned to service the route until 31 July, the airline will continue to operate the 3-class Dreamliner on select flights to Salalah, adding to an already optimized mix of aircraft type and offering a wider choice of …

With the recent announcements of the UAE easing entry protocols for 12 countries*, and the UK adding the UAE on its ‘amber list’, Emirates is actively responding to the spike in travel demand across its network to make it easier for customers to connect to Dubai and beyond through the scaling up of its operations. In line with the easing of restrictions, the airline will be restoring capacity across 29 cities on its network on over 270 flights as well as fine-tuning its schedules to boost frequencies and capacity as demand proliferates for international leisure and business travel. By October, the airline will increase its services to 73 weekly flights to the UK, including a six times a day London Heathrow operation; double daily A380 flights to Manchester, ten weekly services to Birmingham and daily services to Glasgow. Emirates will begin serving London Heathrow with three daily flights, all operated by its flagship A380. Throughout August and September, Emirates will gradually increase its operations to London Heathrow, and by the middle of October, the airline will have restored its operations to six daily flights, of which four will be served by the A380. The multiple daily flights served by the airline’s flagship A380 will provide significant connection opportunities to one of the highest demand leisure and business markets in the world. For Emirates customers wishing to travel to the UK, the airline has optimised schedules to create the best connection options from its network, particularly across major cities in Africa like Johannesburg, Cape Town and Lusaka, and in West Asia including Karachi, Islamabad, among other cities. Emirates currently flies to 12 cities in the United States on over 70 weekly …

Gulf Air has extended the IATA Travel Pass trial to include more routes after the initial kick-off on flights from Bahrain to Athens, London and Singapore flights. Starting from today, the airline will include flights from Bahrain to Dubai, Frankfurt and Paris flights to the IATA Travel Pass trial project to expand to more passengers and more destinations. Moreover, another milestone will be added to the extended list of destinations in which passengers with non-biometric passports on both iOS and Android devices will be able to take part in the trial to simplify and manage COVID-19 travel requirements and enhance the overall travel experience. Passengers flying to Athens, Dubai, Frankfurt, London, Paris and Singapore will be able to trial the app which helps passengers easily and securely manage their travel in line with any government requirements for COVID-19 testing or vaccine information. Gulf Air passengers will be able to create a ‘digital passport’ allowing them to match their travel itineraries with the COVID-19 health requirements of their destination country, and validate compliance. Bahrain is one of the first governments to participate in a trial of the IATA Travel Pass with its national carrier to help pave the way for the re-establishment of global connectivity while managing the risks of COVID-19. Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi said: “We’re on the right track with our IATA Travel Pass trials and now we’ve added 3 more popular routes to be part of the trial. Our passengers can now participate when flying to Dubai, Frankfurt or Paris, even when using non-biometric passports”. He added: “We will keep adding more routes to the list to make it more convenient to our …

Gulf Air in response to the surging travel demand will increase its direct flights to the Maldives capital, Male, to be daily starting from 15th August 2021. The route has been very popular in the recent months due to the relaxed rules and regulations for passengers to enter the Maldives which led passengers from Bahrain, the GCC and Europe to prefer the destination to many other Indian Ocean choices. Commenting on this upgraded daily service to Male, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi commented: “The decision to increase our flights to Male is a classic example of demand and supply. We witnessed a growing demand for travel to the Maldives, being a year-round destination and one that’s open for tourism. Going daily with our flights is a fantastic feature for passengers to be able to depart or return on any day of the week depending on their calendars”. The airline recently upgraded its flights to Istanbul and Paris to become daily and restored its flagship double daily direct passenger flights to London Heathrow. It also extended the validity of miles of its loyalty programme, Falconflyer, to 31 December 2021. All miles, loyalty points and tiers that are expired or due to expire are now valid until the end of the year. Gulf Air began the summer season with flights to 80% of its pre-pandemic network and it continued 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 …

Flight shoppers and travel agencies can now see targeted, modern and appealing NDC offers when booking with Emirates partnership with ATPCO to enhance and enrich the airline’s new distribution content (NDC) offers with Routehappy Content. The new integration is now live via Emirates’ direct connect NDC API Gateway platform, enabling a more bespoke shopping experience for travel agents and corporate shoppers who use Emirates Gateway. The deal further expands the retailing reach of Routehappy Content around the world, with more agencies now able to consume ATPCO’s user-friendly and customer-centric rich content. Emirates’ NDC offers can now be viewed alongside highly targeted rich content, delivering a more innovative and transparent customer and shopping experience. The more visually appealing offer displays emphasizes Emirates’ award-winning ground and in-flight services, and the niche offerings that are only available for certain flights or promotions. Emirates was one of the first airlines to innovate with Routehappy Content to increase its merchandising and retailing capabilities for its indirect channels. The airline is now focused on its omnichannel distribution strategy and getting enriched offers to agencies connected to Emirates’ NDC API Gateway. This ensures no matter where an Emirates ticket is being booked, customers can see the right offer, with the right content, at the right time. “Our NDC offers are no longer just a customized price, attached to a schedule that is targeted to a certain agency. It is now a fully packaged offer that showcases a more accurate, compelling, and enriched experience for those consuming our Gateway API,” said Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates. “ATPCO’s Routehappy Content enables this richer shopping capability so our travel agency partners can see what their customers are getting …

Emirates has launched an exclusive offer for customers to experience the excitement of the World Expo, the largest-of-its-kind event in the region. Emirates customers visiting Dubai, and travelling through Dubai, anytime during the much-awaited mega event running from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, will be eligible to receive a free Emirates Expo Day Pass for every flight ticket booked with Emirates. The special offer is valid on all return tickets that include a flight to or through Dubai, for travel dates between 1 October 2021 and 31 March 2022.* The offer is applicable to tickets purchased in First Class, Business Class and Economy Class and extends to tickets booked through Emirates for flights on flydubai and customers travelling to anywhere on Emirates’ global network with a connection time of at least six hours in Dubai. One-way ticket holders whose journey originates outside the UAE are entitled to receive the complimentary Expo Day Pass if travelling to Dubai or onwards to other destinations if the minimum connection time is met. To make the deal even sweeter, the special added-value offer applies to all fare types including Special, Saver, Flex and Flex Plus. For more information on this promotion, please visit the dedicated offer page. Whether exploring Dubai solo, as a family, or reconnecting with family and friends, there has never been a better time to visit Dubai than now. Besides being at the epicentre of the largest themed event that promises to bring the world to one destination, visitors to Dubai during the six-month period can expect to enjoy a host of activities and special offers to celebrate the UAE’s golden jubilee, marking the 50th anniversary of the country’s …

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi announced it is adding a new GCC route to its flight roster, Manama in Bahrain. Set to commence on 9th of September, the route will strengthen connectivity within the GCC and will bring Wizz Air Abu Dhabi’s destinations to a total of 32 since launching in January 2021. The flight to Bahrain International Airport (BIA) will operate three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and tickets are on sale on wizzair.com and the airline’s mobile app (also available in Arabic), with fares starting at AED 129*. BIA is one of the most modern boutique airports in the Gulf and recently underwent comprehensive redevelopment as part of a USD1.1. billion Airport Modernisation Programme. The airport has a catchment area of 3.2 million people in Bahrain and a further 5.2 million in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Bahrain is well known for pearls and pearl diving. It is also home to the exhilarating FORMULA 1 in March. Just a one-hour flight away from Abu Dhabi and being on the “Green List”, Bahrain is ideal for an exploratory weekend getaway. Kees Van Schaick, Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi said: “Increasing the connectivity of the GCC by offering more affordable travel options has always been a priority for us at Wizz Air Abu Dhabi. We are excited to offer an alternative travel option for the short flight to the Kingdom of Bahrain. It is an appealing destination given its proximity to the UAE, friendly locals and wealth of history and culture – we are confident that Bahrain will be a welcome addition to our flight roster.” BAC Chief Executive Officer, Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah said: …

Gulf Air announced that it will resume its direct operations to Moscow Domodedovo International Airport in Russia starting with 2 weekly flights, beginning from 14th August 2021. On this occasion, Captain Waleed Abdulhameed AlAlawi, Acting Chief Executive Officer, said “Month by month, we are resuming services to more destinations of our pre-pandemic network and we can see the world slowly recovering as more people are confident to travel again. We have been operating direct flights between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Russian Federation since 2014 and it is one of the airline’s main destinations. Now is the time that we connect both countries with this direct service and offer our passengers the opportunity to travel to and from Russia for leisure or business.” Gulf Air began the summer season with flights to 80% of its pre-pandemic network and it continued 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. Back in May, the airline announced that all its flights would be operated by 100% vaccinated crew including pilots and flight attendants. The airline has started its internal vaccination campaign for its operating crew and front line …

Qatar Airways enhanced its presence in Southern Africa with the launch of a new linked service between Doha and Lusaka, Zambia and Harare, Zimbabwe. To mark this milestone, the new linked service was inaugurated by the airline’s state-of-the-art Airbus A350-900 featuring 36 seats in the award-winning Qsuite Business Class and 247 seats in Economy Class.   Qatar Airways now operates to Lusaka’s Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN). The country’s largest city and commercial centre, Lusaka is the gateway to experiencing Zambia’s legendary tourist attractions from the Victoria Falls which it shares with Zimbabwe, to game reserves and a variety of wildlife. Meanwhile, Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, will be served via Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (HRE) is also a destination with rich culture, World Heritage–listed archaeological sites, and diverse natural landscapes. The aircraft was greeted in Lusaka and Harare by traditional water cannon salutes upon arrival.   The airline has demonstrated its steadfast commitment to Africa throughout the pandemic having significantly grown its network by adding four routes to Accra, Abidjan, Abuja, Luanda and restarting services to Alexandria, Cairo and Khartoum bringing its footprint to 27 destinations in 21 countries. Earlier this month, Qatar Airways also signed an interline agreement with RwandAir giving customers greater access to the combined networks of both airlines.   Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We have ambitious plans for Africa which is one of the fastest-growing economic regions of the world, with rising consumer demand and an abundance of natural resources. We see enormous potential in not just outbound travel from Zimbabwe and Zambia, but also inbound traffic from India, UK, and Americas. We look forward to …