Category Archives: Aviation

Drukair, Royal Bhutan Airlines, announced the launch of its new twice-weekly flights to Dubai, marking a significant expansion of its international network. This new route not only enhances global connectivity for travelers from the Middle East and beyond but also plays a crucial role in fostering tourism, trade, and diplomatic relations between Bhutan and the UAE. Key Details: Route: Paro (PBH) – Delhi (DEL) – Dubai (DXB) v.v. Frequency: Twice Weekly (Flight Schedule below) DAY FLIGHT NO SECTOR DEPARTURE ARRIVAL MON & FRI KB800 PBH-DEL 0800 1000 DEL-DXB 1055 1340 TUE & SAT KB801 DXB-DEL 0400 0755 DEL-PBH 0910 1140 Drukair is pleased to offer a 20% promotional fare discount with the promo code ‘DUBAI20’, valid until February 28th, 2025. This offer is available through all sales channels, including ticketing counters, travel agents, and Drukair’s online booking platform. Additionally, Frequent Flyer Members can enjoy an exclusive 30% discount on flights to Dubai, available for purchase only at Drukair sales offices. To further encourage international visitors to explore the beauty of Bhutan, a special discount for foreign travelers will also be offered during the shoulder period. “Launching services to Dubai is a proud moment for Drukair. It reflects our expanding international presence and our dedication to connecting Bhutan to the world,” said Drukair’s Chief Executive Officer. This new route is expected to boost tourism in Bhutan, attracting visitors from the Middle East and providing convenient travel options for Bhutanese residents and expatriates in the UAE and neighboring regions. As Bhutan’s national carrier, Drukair is dedicated to delivering safe, comfortable, and reliable air travel. We invite you to book your journey today and experience the warmth of Bhutanese hospitality while flying ‘On …

SAUDIA has officially launched its inaugural flight from King Fahd International Airport in Dammam to Beijing, China. The new route will operate twice a week in each direction, as part of a connecting flight from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. With this addition, Dammam becomes the third city from which SAUDIA operates flights to Beijing, following Jeddah and Riyadh. The total weekly seating capacity between the Kingdom and Beijing is approximately 1,310 seats across 4 flights, while the weekly capacity to Guangzhou is 1,966 seats across 6 flights. SAUDIA has a designated Boeing B787 Dreamliner, known for its high operational efficiency and comfort, offering guests an elevated travel experience. SAUDIA celebrated the inaugural flight from Dammam to Beijing with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony in the departure hall. The event was attended by Mr. Wang Qimin, The Consul General of the People’s Republic of China, Engr. Mohammed Al-Hassany, CEO of Dammam Airports Company (DACO), and Mr. Wail Basaffar, the Assistant Vice President of KSA Sales at Saudia. Eng. Mohammed bin Ali Al-Hassany, CEO of Dammam Airports Company, said: “The launch of flights to Beijing, in partnership with Saudia, reflects our commitment to diversifying the international destinations of King Fahd International Airport to meet travelers’ aspirations and enhance their experience. This initiative is part of our plan to develop international air traffic, aiming to attract new airlines and increase direct destinations, which will support economic and tourism growth in the Eastern Province.” He added: “From January to September 2024, King Fahd International Airport achieved a remarkable 16.2% growth in passenger numbers compared to 2023, and I commend the tremendous efforts of our team and partners in making this accomplishment possible.” Mr. …

ITA Airways has inaugurated its first route to the United Arab Emirates with a nonstop flight between Dubai and Rome Fiumicino. The Italian reference carrier will operate this route on daily basis. The new Rome – Dubai flight is a milestone for the company, expanding its network to include a strategic market. Dubai is a global hub for both business and leisure tourism, and the launch of this nonstop service demonstrates ITA Airways’ commitment to offering optimal travel solutions while reinforcing the importance of network expansion in the company’s growth strategy. The inaugural ITA Airways flight from Rome Fiumicino, AZ 856, serviced with Airbus A321neo, landed at Dubai International (DXB) at 7:50 p.m. (local time). The first ITA Airways flight from Dubai to Rome Fiumicino, AZ857, departed at 1:50 a.m. (local time) on Monday 28th of October. To mark the occasion, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at DXB Arrivals, which was attended by Pierfrancesco Carino, Vice President International Sales ITA Airways, Benedetto Mencaroni Poiani, Regional Manager for Asia, Middle East, and Africa ITA Airways, Lorenzo Fanara, Ambassador of Italy in UAE, and Robert Whitehouse, Vice President (VP) of Research at Dubai Airports. As part of the launch activities in the UAE market, ITA Airways showcased its network, brand and winter season highlights to local media representatives and stakeholders during an event hosted by the Department of Economy and Tourism of Dubai at Grand Hyatt Dubai. Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer of ITA Airways and CEO of Volare, said: “We are delighted to inaugurate our nonstop service between Dubai and Rome Fiumicino. As the first major addition to our winter schedule, this new daily route will enhance tourism and trade between Italy …

Emirates has signed two Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with Vietnam Airlines and VietJet, aimed at strengthening connectivity and offering more travel choices between Dubai and its Vietnamese gateways Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The MoUs were signed on the sidelines of the Vietnam – UAE Business Forum, held at the Hilton Dubai Palm Jumeirah hotel in Dubai on 28 October. Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer attended the signing ceremony along with government leaders, ministers, and business representatives from both countries. Orhan Abbas, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations, Far East delivered a keynote highlighting the airline’s commitment to deepening its presence in Vietnam, a market it has been serving since 2012, supporting trade and tourism links between the UAE and Vietnam, as well as offering customers convenient travel options. Adnan Kazim, commented: “Enhancing our cooperation with like-minded partners like Vietnam Airlines and VietJet is integral to our core commercial strategy to better connect customers across points beyond our own network. Vietnam is a market that presents tremendous opportunities to boost tourism and trade as a key hub in Southeast Asia, and Emirates supports the UAE government’s ongoing efforts to elevate its existing economic ties with Vietnam. Our decades-long cooperation with Vietnam Airlines has enabled us to enhance connectivity between Vietnam and Dubai, and we are pleased to have the opportunity to explore further elevating this partnership while also establishing a new strategic cooperation with VietJet. We look forward to growing our footprint in Vietnam and exploring more opportunities to widen the scope of our partnerships in the future.” Emirates and Vietnam Airlines MoU The MoU sets the framework to expand the current cooperation in place between …

Hamad International Airport (DOH) has reported serving 13.7 million passengers in the third quarter (Q3) of 2024, reflecting a robust 7.9 per cent growth compared to the same period last year. Point-to-point traffic also experienced growth by 11.7 per cent, contributing to the airport’s overall performance. The passenger traffic growth was driven by strong demand for air travel, with July marking the airport’s busiest month ever, handling 4,742,068 passengers followed by 4,717,885 passengers in August and 4,246,742 in September. In the Middle East, the key growth countries were Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain while in Europe, the growth was led by Spain, United Kingdom and Germany. China market grew by over 43 per cent compared to the previous year. The number of aircraft movements at Hamad International Airport reached 71,425 during Q3 2024, which is 6.2 per cent more that the same period in the previous year. This included 24,179 take-offs and landings in July, 24,329 in August, and 22,917 in September. This strong performance highlights the airport’s growing role as a major global aviation hub, handling increased volumes of air traffic with efficiency and precision.

Sabre Corporation announced a new collaboration with Philippine Airlines to launch the “Fly with Sabre’s Pal” campaign in Saudi Arabia. The campaign, running from October 20 to December 10, 2024, will reward travel agents using the Sabre Global Distribution System (GDS) with exciting prizes for the highest number of bookings on Philippine Airlines. This initiative aims to foster stronger ties between Sabre and its valued travel agency community in Saudi Arabia, while supporting the growth of Philippine Airlines in the region. The campaign reflects Sabre’s commitment to offering dynamic and rewarding opportunities to travel agents in the Kingdom, particularly in supporting popular destinations. “The ‘Fly with Sabre’s Pal’ campaign is designed to recognize and reward the hard work of our travel agency partners in Saudi Arabia,” said Hasan Qannati, Head of Business Development for Saudi Arabia, Sabre Travel Network Middle East. “At Sabre, we believe in creating opportunities that benefit both our airline partners and our agents, and this campaign is a testament to that.” Sabre and Philippine Airline teams with agents from Almatar in Riyadh during the campaign launch Throughout the campaign, the top performers will be recognized and awarded with four key prizes, marking the end of the campaign with a celebration of their achievements.

Etihad Airways now flies 42 times a week to North America: twice daily to New York JFK, and daily to Boston, Chicago, Toronto and Washington DC. Etihad starts daily flights to Boston, USA from 01 November, some six months after it opened the Massachusetts route. Guests flying stateside can take advantage of the new US Customs and Border Protection facility at Abu Dhabi, streamlining the immigration process and ensuring a hassle-free journey. Toronto Pearson Airport welcomed the arrival of Etihad Airways’ first Airbus A350 on Sunday, 27 October  2024, marking a further upgrade to the national airline of the UAE’s daily services between Abu Dhabi and Canada. The new aircraft extends the guest experience with its state-of-the-art design and Etihad’s latest cabin interior, representing Etihad’s ongoing commitment to offering a world-class travel experience for passengers flying between Canada and the UAE. Etihad’s Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer Arik De said: “We have seen significant demand on our Boston and Toronto routes. This expanding capacity gives our North American corporate and leisure travelers greater choice and flexibility when planning trips to the UAE and beyond to the Gulf region and the Indian subcontinent.” Etihad’s complimentary stopover programme means travellers can turn their layover into a memorable stay with up to two free nights at premium hotels in Abu Dhabi, highlighting the city’s growing appeal as a must-visit destination. “The introduction of our A350 to Toronto and expanding to daily services to Boston reflect our ambitious growth plans in 2024, set to take another major leap at the end of November when we announce an exciting lineup of new destinations,” said De.

AVIAREPS Middle East announced the launch of its exclusive private jet holiday packages, a groundbreaking initiative that offers tourism boards and their partners a pioneering platform to promote private jet holiday packages to luxury lifestyle concierge desks and leading travel agencies throughout the Gulf States (GCC) region. AVIAREPS’ private jet holiday packages combine the ultimate in luxury travel with insider access to hidden gems, private tours, and VIP events that the general public normally don’t have access to. These exceptional experiences are brought to life through strategic partnerships with national, regional, and city tourism boards, as well as specialized tour operators, hotels, resorts, airports, and JetClass, AVIAREPS’ strategic private jet consolidator partner. “We are thrilled to launch this new initiative that has been three years in the making, ensuring we have the right partners to provide the ultimate experiences for a particular international jet setting segment of travellers from the Middle East. Our private jet holiday packages are designed for those who already travel in style but seek experiences that go beyond the ordinary,” said Glenn Johnston, Vice President Middle East & Global Public Affairs at AVIAREPS. “Through our extensive global network and close collaborations, we’re able to offer our travel industry partners and their clientele insider access to some of the world’s most exclusive destinations, events, venues and experiences, creating once-in-a-lifetime adventures.” Commenting on the partnership, Dennis Peters, CBO & Partner in JetClass said: “Partnering with AVIAREPS is a seamless alignment of strengths—our advanced expertise in private aviation and technology complements AVIAREPS’ expansive reach in global destinations and tourism. This partnership allows us to go beyond offering private flights; we are curating meticulously personalized journeys where every detail is taken …

Etihad Airways announces an enhancement to its European network. From 1 October 2025, the airline will offer daily services to both Dusseldorf, Germany, and Copenhagen, Denmark, further strengthening connections between the UAE and these European destinations. The Dusseldorf route will see a substantial increase from its current schedule to a daily service. This expansion represents an addition of four weekly flights, providing passengers with greater flexibility and connectivity. Additionally, Dusseldorf will now be served year-round, offering consistent travel options throughout all seasons. Similarly, the Copenhagen route will be enhanced from its present four-times-weekly schedule to daily operations. This change adds three more weekly flights to the Danish capital, further strengthening Etihad’s presence in Scandinavia. Arik De, Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer of Etihad Airways, commented: “This move to daily flights for Dusseldorf and Copenhagen marks an exciting chapter in our European expansion. It reflects our commitment to providing unparalleled connectivity between Abu Dhabi and key European cities. These enhanced frequencies allow us to offer our guests greater flexibility and improved connection options across our global network. As we continue to grow, we remain dedicated to delivering our award-winning service and hospitality on these routes, ensuring every journey with Etihad is exceptional.” These enhancements reflect Etihad’s commitment to expanding its global network and providing guests with even more flexible and reliable travel options between Abu Dhabi and key European cities. Dusseldorf A perfect blend of modernity and tradition, Dusseldorf offers a unique European experience. Known for its fashion industry and art scene, the city’s Media Harbour showcases cutting-edge architecture. Visitors can enjoy luxury shopping along the famous Königsallee or explore the charming Altstadt (Old Town) for a taste of traditional German culture. Copenhagen …

According to Sojern’s latest findings, travel to the UAE and Saudi Arabia spikes ahead of major events and peak travel season. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is on deck to host the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from 6 -8th December, and flight bookings from the past 30 days are up 9% overall during December, with regional bookings up 13% compared to 2023 and international travel up 4%. In addition, as Saudi Arabia (KSA) enters its peak travel season, regional and international travel are showing increased demand. Currently, international flight bookings are up 15% compared to 2023, but regional travel is the shining star with a 38% increase. Formula One (F1) events are known to draw large crowds. For example, the 2022 F1 Singapore Grand Prix spiked travel to the country by 63%.