Category: Aviation

Maharashtra will get a new airport at ParuleChipi in Sindhudurg district in 2018. Work on the project is expected to be completed in June this year, before the onset of monsoon and the Ganesh Festival, which will begin in September this year. The airport is being constructed by IRB Sindhudurg Airport Pvt. Ltd. on a design-build-finance-operate-transfer (DBFOT) basis for the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). Sindhudurg airport will have a 2500-meter runway which has provision for future development. The airport will be built at an approximate cost of Rs 520 crores. Sindhudurg airport will have the capacity to handle 200 ... Read more

Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, is celebrating its 25th anniversary to Dammam. Originally operating two flights a week, Emirates now flies four times daily between Dammam and Emirates’ hub in Dubai. Since the start of the Dammam service in 1993, the airline has carried more than 3.8 million passengers. “We are embarking on a real milestone as we celebrate 25 years of service to Dammam. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a major market for Emirates and we take great pride in the role we play in providing global connectivity both for business and leisure passengers in Dammam and ... Read more

H H Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Transport, has inspected the specially-designed Etihad Airways’ “Year of Zayed” A380 at Etihad Airways Engineering’s facilities in Abu Dhabi. H H Sheikh Theyab was joined by H E Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, Chairman of Etihad Aviation Group, and Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, as well as members of the Etihad senior leadership team. The A380 in “Year of Zayed” livery is just one component of Etihad’s extensive initiatives taking place throughout 2018 which are based on the four “Year ... Read more

Oman Air has unveiled its new and exclusive premium lounge at the Muscat International Airport. Oman Air passengers travelling in First Class and Business Class can now take advantage of the airline’s new premium class lounge. Spread over a two story, the lounge offers guests a wide array of food and beverage services, including dining areas and bars, luggage room, entertainment area, a smoking room, prayer rooms, business centre, kid’s room, nap area, shower facilities, baby changing facilities and a wellness area. Covering 429.35 square metres with an overall capacity of 100 people, the area designated for First Class guests ... Read more

Flydubai flights will soon be landing at Emirates’ Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport (DXB), thanks to the codeshare agreement and the growing passenger numbers. “The cooperation is growing very strongly, and in the future we’ll be moving flights to different parts of the airport, [and] absolutely to Terminal 3,” Ghaith al Ghaith, the CEO of the airlines said. Flydubai has announced routes to 10 new destinations including Helsinki in Finland and Krakow in Poland over the last few weeks. Figures reveal that Flydubai and Emirates show more than 400,000 passengers flying on codeshare flights between the airlines between November 2017 ... Read more

Air India said it is introducing a direct flight from Amritsar to Bangkok starting from May 14, as part of its efforts to increase and augment services on key routes. The flight from Amritsar to Bangkok would operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The service will remain in effect till May 30 and a decision on its extension will be taken based on the response it gets. “Flight AI 336 will leave Bangkok at 13.00 hrs and arrive in Amritsar at 20.05 hrs. In-return flight AI 337 will leave from Amritsar at 05.45 hrs and arrive in Bangkok at ... Read more

Etihad Airways teams up with Emirati brand, A Friend of Mine by Xpoze to launch an exclusive luxury loungewear line to be offered to the airline’s First Class guests. The airlines is also planning to launch a new clothline for the guests who are staying in The Residence on board the Airbus A380 fleet. Inspired by the simplicity and elegance of traditional Emirati dress, the new clothline features earthy colours and is made of anti-bacterial and hypoallergenic Modal. The colours of the dresses have been selected to ensure that it complements all skin tones and can easily be matched with other items ... Read more

Oman’s first budget carrier SalamAir said it will operate three weekly direct flights to Tbilisi and two weekly flights to Baku starting from June 14. “It is the perfect time for SalamAir to fly to Tbilisi and Baku. The Eid holidays is a time for celebration and during this period there is generally a surge in travel to the Caucasia region. Our aim is to provide guests with better choice and flexibility to create their personal journey,” said Captain Mohamed Ahmed, CEO of SalamAir. “We want to bring Oman and the Middle East closer to Eastern Europe. There is great potential for ... Read more

Singapore Airlines is all set to launch the world’s first non-stop flight with almost 20 hours in the air, by the end of this year. Singapore Airlines’ newest plane, the Airbus A350-900ULR will connect Singapore to New York. On April 23, the plane had its first test flight, an almost five-hour round-trip that launched from the airframer’s assembly plant in Toulouse, France. The Ultra Long-Range will be able to fly a remarkable 11,160 miles, an increase of more than 1,800 miles over the standard A350. It means that Singapore Airlines will reclaim the crown of running the world’s longest non-stop air route. ... Read more

Emirates has introduced Home Check-in, a new service which allows customers to check in for their flights from anywhere in Dubai. The service is available for customers across all classes travelling on Emirates flights. The new service enables Emirates passengers to complete the security check and check-in from the comfort of their home, hotel or office and have their luggage transported to the airport prior to their flight. An Emirates check-in agent will arrive at the preferred location to weigh and tag the bags as well as check-in the customers and issue boarding passes. Customers can then make their own ... Read more

flydubai announced that flights to Sulaimaniyah will resume from 10 May 2018. The carrier now operates to five points in Iraq including Baghdad, Basra, Erbil and Najaf. The decision to relaunch the flights was taken following the Iraqi authorities’ announcement that that the airport reopened in March 2018. flydubai is the first carrier from the UAE to operate direct flights to the Kurdish city with a twice a week service from its Dubai hub to Sulaimaniyah International Airport. The frequency is set to increase to three times a week from June this summer. Flights FZ205/206 will operate between Dubai International ... Read more

The Dubai International Airport has retained its world coveted standing on top of world airports in terms of the number of international travellers, according to the Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2018. The airport has retained the award for several successive years in recognition of its premium travel services, including catering, entertainment and retail not to mention seamless travel procedures, says WAM. The awards celebrate the region’s best in business travel and hospitality and the ceremony was attended by key travel industry executives in Dubai. The award was received by Eugene Barry. EVP Commercial and Anita Mehra, Senior Vice President ... Read more

Orhan Abbas, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations for Africa and Sherin Francis, Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Tourism Board. Emirates has announced its renewed support to Mauritius and the Seychelles by extending its global marketing agreement with the respective Tourism Boards of the two countries. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the 2018 Arabian Travel Market, by Orhan Abbas, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations for Africa and Sherin Francis, Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Tourism Board and Devi Seewooruthun, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, in the presence of the Minister of Tourism of ... Read more

Emirates won four accolades at the Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2018. The airline was crowned Best Airline Worldwide, Airline with the Best Business Class, Best First Class Airport Lounge in the Middle East and Airline with the Best Cabin Crew – a testament to its commitment to meet and exceed customer expectations in the air and on the ground. Emirates has won Business Traveller Middle East’s Best Airline Worldwide award five years in a row. The awards celebrate the region’s best in business travel and hospitality and the ceremony was attended by key travel industry executives. “It’s an incredible ... Read more

Emirates and flydubai revealed strong passenger numbers for the first six months of their partnership, illustrating tremendous positive response from customers, and the successful start of the expanded codeshare partnership which was announced in July 2017. The first code-share flights began at the end of October 2017. Between November 2017 and March 2018, over 400,000 passengers have taken advantage of the partnership and more than 250,000 passengers have already planned their trip for the year ahead. The partnership initially began with codeshare flights to 29 cities, and this has quickly expanded to meet growing demand as customers realise the benefits ... Read more