Category Archives: Aviation

flydubai will double its operations to Russia for the upcoming winter season. From the end of October, flydubai will operate 40 weekly flights to 10 points in Russia. This year the airline will add Makhachkala, Voronezh and Ufa to its existing network in the country that includes Kazan, Krasnodar, Mineralnye Vody, Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Samara and Yekaterinburg. Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President Commercial (UAE, EU, ME, CIS), flydubai, said, “We are pleased to increase our services to Russia as Dubai increases in popularity among Russian travellers. Since 2010, flydubai has been committed to connecting previously underserved points in Russia with Dubai. With three more routes and our additional flights, we look forward to offering tourists from Russia more choice and flexibility when travelling to Dubai.” The airline presented its seasonal offering at the Leisure 2017 Exhibition that opened in Moscow where it is participating for the third time in partnership with Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). This year, the UAE has seen a growing demand from Russia after changes to visa requirements enabled passengers to get a free 30-day visa on arrival to the country. Travel from Russia to Dubai grew by 97 per cent in the first six months of 2017, according to Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). flydubai operates flights to 97 destinations in 44 countries, including popular routes among Russian travellers, such as Dubai (UAE), Bangkok (Thailand), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Kathmandu (Nepal) and Zanzibar (Tanzania). Passengers can also benefit from flydubai’s interline agreements with other carriers, providing opportunities for onward travel to more than 200 destinations.

Abu Dhabi Airports and Al Hilal Bank entered a joint agreement to offer exclusive VIP terminal access to top ranking customers of Al Hilal Bank at the Abu Dhabi International Airport. Abdul Majeed Al Khoori, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Abu Dhabi Airports, commented, “The VIP Terminal has been built and operated with one ambition; to extend a luxury service to all our customers and ensure they receive an exceptional travel experience that mirrors what Abu Dhabi has on offer. Therefore, partnerships like this are instrumental to achieve this ambition, and we look forward to the success it will deliver to Abu Dhabi Airports and all its partners.” Alex Coelho, CEO, Al Hilal Bank, commented, “At Al Hilal Bank, we always strive to go the extra mile when it comes to entering new partnerships. Our partnership with National Aviation Services is our latest client-centric endeavour; focusing on improving the lifestyle of our customers by making the travel experience more rewarding. Through this partnership, Al Hilal Bank customers can now enjoy complimentary access to the VIP Terminal at Abu Dhabi International Airport. We are happy to be part of this fruitful collaboration; offering our customers an easier and better travel experience, and we will continue to provide our customers with similar offerings that improve their quality of life.”

Oman Air has implemented a code share agreement with Kenya Airways (KQ) covering services between Muscat and Nairobi. The new partnership will allow seamless connectivity to Kenya Airways customers in accessing Muscat directly from Nairobi. Oman Air launched its flights to Nairobi in March this year. On the Nairobi – Muscat route, KQ will place its code share flight numbers on the Oman Air flights operating on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Through this partnership, Kenya Airways extends its services to tourists as well as to those who are visiting friends and families, in Oman – through the cultural links that Oman shares with the coastal parts of East Africa – especially Kenya and Tanzania. Commenting on the new code share agreement, Paul Gregorowitsch, CEO, Oman Air, said, “Oman Air is very happy with the implementation of this code share agreement with Kenya Airways. Through this partnership, Oman Air extends its exemplary services to guests of Kenya Airways. Trade between Kenya and Oman has been growing steadily over the years and this latest agreement with Kenya Airways is a natural progression, following the launch of our new flight from Muscat to Nairobi in March this year.” Sebastian Mikosz, Managing Director and CEO, Kenya Airways Group, commented, “This new code share agreement represents an important element of our strategy to increase the choice, convenience and connectivity that Kenya Airways offers its customers. The code share partnerships and airline alliances continue to play an important role for Kenya Airways in improving the airlines competitive offering.”

Emirates will commence a fourth daily service from Dubai to Sydney, Australia, on its iconic A380 aircraft from March 25, 2018. The new daily service will complement Emirate’s existing three daily A380 services and improve connections globally. The move will provide passengers travelling from Europe and North Africa greater connectivity to Australia. It also builds on Emirates’ partnership with Qantas, meeting continued demand for services to Dubai and complementing Qantas’ re-routing of its current Sydney to London service via Singapore (instead of Dubai). Emirates’ new service will offer passengers an afternoon departure from Sydney and a convenient arrival in main European cities the following morning. It also introduces a new option for passengers to depart London and main European cities in the morning with an afternoon arrival in Sydney the next day with a short connection in Dubai. Between March 25 -30, 2018, the inbound service EK416 will depart Dubai at 20:40 hours, arriving in Sydney at 17:20 hours, the following day. Due to daylight savings from March 31, 2018, the arrival time changes to 16:30 hours, the following day. Between March 26-31, 2018, the outbound service EK417 will depart Sydney at 17:05 hours, arriving in Dubai at 00:25 hours the following day. Due to daylight savings from April 1, the outbound service EK417 will depart Sydney 16:15 hours, arriving the same time the following day. All services will be operated by an A380 aircraft. The A380 aircraft offers 489 seats in a three-class cabin configuration with 14 private suites in First Class, 76 flat-bed seats in Business Class and 399 spacious seats in Economy.

Having recently completed 25 years of operations in Dubai, Marhaba, the provider of premium airport passenger services, launched its first airport lounge in Australia. In addition to its new facility in Australia, Marhaba also opened a new lounge at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport in July this year. Marhaba offers a meet and assist service and operates lounges in Dubai (DXB and DWC) and Bahrain. The spacious Melbourne lounge features seating for 200 guests, a quiet zone for relaxation, shower facilities and buffet cuisine from around the globe. Speaking at the official opening of the lounge, Gary Chapman, President, dnata, said, “Australia is a very important market for us and we continue to look for opportunities to bring more of our services to customers here.” “We already operate Australia’s leading in-flight catering company, Alpha Flight Services, and are delighted to add the Marhaba brand of airport hospitality to serve Melbourne and those passing through Melbourne Airport.” Melbourne Airport is the second busiest in Australia and one of the most important travel gateways in the country with more than 33 million passengers in 2016. International passenger traffic is expected to reach 64 million by 2033.

Latvian airline, airBaltic in code share with Etihad Airways, will launch a direct service between Riga and Abu Dhabi on October 29, 2017. The four-times weekly service will depart from Abu Dhabi at 9:45 am, providing travellers from the UAE and surrounding Gulf countries with excellent and convenient access not only to the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, but also to the northern European destinations of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Russia.  To promote the flights and act as the airline’s General Sales Agent (GSA) within the UAE, airBaltic has selected AVIAREPS. Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer, airBaltic, says, “We are delighted to link Latvia and the UAE with our brand-new Bombardier aircraft. Riga is a notable business and leisure hub in Northern Europe, attracting millions of passengers every year. In addition to that, our clients appreciate the convenient transfer possibilities we offer to over 60 destinations in Scandinavia, Russia and the CIS.”

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has started a unique test for a new service on WhatsApp. KLM now offers customers around the world booking confirmation, check-in notification, boarding pass, flight status updates and asking feedback in 10 different languages on WhatsApp via the official WhatsApp Business application. KLM is one of the first companies and the very first airline worldwide with a verified WhatsApp business account. The rollout has already started in a limited number of countries, and the service will become more widely available in the coming days and weeks.

Passengers on-board Cebu Pacific will be served all Halal-certified in-flight meals in adherence to the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) system for international food safety. Moreover, these dishes come with nutritional and product information, as reference for an increasing number of health-conscious passengers on CEB. Cebu Pacific takes a step forward in enhancing passenger experience with the launch of its all-new in-flight meal selection, in partnership with Miascor Catering, a joint business venture between Miascor Holdings and  Gate Gourmet. Starting September 2017, all domestic and international flights of Cebu Pacific will be offering a fresh selection of pre-ordered meals, including 12 new dishes up for grabs. Ranging from rice meals, pasta and noodles, and premium sandwich packs, the new Cebu Pacific in-flight menu was created exclusively by Miascor Catering to the varied tastes and preferences of the CEB flier. “Guests can easily pre-order the new CEB Meals during booking, or up to 24 hours before their flights. These new inflight dishes are prepared only when pre-ordered, to provide guests with fresh and delectable meals at 35,000 feet,” said Candice Iyog, Vice President for Marketing and Distribution.

Etihad Airways has introduced the Boeing 787-9 aircraft on its daily service from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam, delivering greater levels of comfort to its customers flying to and from Schiphol Airport. Etihad Airways previously operated the 787 Dreamliner on the Amsterdam service in the summer of 2016. The introduction of the ultra-modern, fuel-efficient aircraft heralds the start of a year-round service to the Netherlands. The 787 Dreamliner features Etihad Airways’ next generation Business and Economy Class cabins, configured with 299 seats – 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats. Peter Baumgartner, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said: “The decision to upgrade our daily Amsterdam service to the 787 Dreamliner aircraft reflects the importance of the Netherlands market. We received great customer feedback when we first flew the ‎aircraft to the Dutch capital last summer, and I’m very pleased that more travellers will now be able to enjoy the superior levels of comfort and technology it offers, year-round.‎” The Business Studios offer an increase of 20 per cent in personal space and a fully-flat bed of up to 80.5 inches in length.  The airline’s Boeing 787 fleet is equipped with the latest in-flight entertainment system offering more than 750 hours of movies and television programmes, including live news and sports channels, as well as hundreds of music choices and a selection of games for both adults and children. Etihad Airways currently operates a fleet of 16 Boeing 787-9s from its home base, Abu Dhabi, to 14 destinations: Amman, Beijing, Beirut, Brisbane, Düsseldorf, Johannesburg, Perth, Riyadh, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, Washington, D.C. and Zurich.

Etihad Airways and Aerolíneas Argentinas have launched a new codeshare partnership. Under the agreement, Etihad Airways customers will enjoy convenient connections via Rome and Madrid to Buenos Aires (EZE) and onwards to nine other popular Argentinian destinations – Córdoba (COR), Mendoza (MDZ), Rosario (ROS), Iguazú (IGR), Salta (SLA), Mar del Plata (MDQ), Bariloche (BRC), Trelew (REL) and Ushuaia (USH). In turn, Aerolíneas Argentinas guests can have access to Etihad Airways’ network of over 100 destinations from its Abu Dhabi hub via the Italian and Spanish capitals. Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways Executive Vice President Commercial, said: “This codeshare demonstrates the importance of Argentina as a vital travel market for Etihad Airways in Latin America given the growing tourism, cultural and business opportunities that exist between the UAE and Argentina. We wish to give travellers flying Aerolíneas Argentinas the opportunity to enjoy the acclaimed service and hospitality for which Etihad Airways is renowned throughout the world. This codeshare will make the experience that much easier.” Diego Garcia, Aerolíneas Argentinas Chief Commercial Officer, said: “This is a very good opportunity to consolidate and increase our offer to one of the most important hubs in the Middle East. It also allows us to improve our load factors, optimise the use of the fleet and strengthen the image of Aerolíneas Argentinas in the Asian market. We hope that this agreement will also be the gateway for many tourists to visit some of the most attractive landmarks in our country.”