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Ma 5 - Etihad Airways is contemplating introducing all-economy, single-class flight services in a bid to cut costs, said the airline CEO James Hogan, who was speaking at the launch of Hala Abu Dhabi, the airline’s latest destination management product. "I think we are capable - we already have 15 A320 aircraft. That gives us the frequency and the depth that we need to cater to passengers in the GCC, the Middle…
May 4 - Etihad Airways hopes that passenger traffic will hit seven million this year as compared to 6.3 million in 2009, said Chief Executive Officer James Hogan yesterday. "As we approached the first quarter of 2010, passenger numbers grew by more than 11 per cent, with growth in our first class and business class. We witnessed success with our Abu Dhabi, London and Frankfurt lounges, and expect profitability in…
May 4 - Emirates Airlines’ flight A380 from Dubai to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Monday was delayed because of some technical issues. The flight has been rescheduled for today. “Emirates flight EK241 operated by an A380, scheduled to depart Dubai to Toronto on May 3 at 09:55 hours was delayed due to a minor technical fault prior to departure,” said an Emirates spokesperson.“Passengers, where…
May 4 - Iranian Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi has announced that Iran has designed a 150-seat passenger plane. "We have designed a medium size passenger plane which can carry between 100 and 150 passengers and we are cooperating with the civil aviation authority to build bigger planes," said the ministry’s website on Sunday. However, no details were given about when production for the plane will start. Iran has…
May 4 - Middle East's carriers will need 1,710 aircraft to meet its growing demand at an estimated price of Dh1.1 trillion, according to Boeing. Carriers across the region will require 850 twin-aisle aircraft, 680 single-aisle, 130 superjumbo, and 50 regional jets. Seat numbers for airlines across the Middle East will grow by 11 per cent annually, said a Boeing spokesperson. In 20 years, Dubai will become the…
May 2- A judge on Friday ordered the chief executive of Iraqi Airways to remain in London till Wednesday in the aftermath of the disastrous first Baghdad-London commercial flight. Kifah Hassan Jabbar, the chief executive, appeared in London's High Court on Friday after he had his passport seized and the plane he arrived on was impounded at Gatwick Airport on Sunday in a two-decade-long legal dispute with Kuwait…
May 1- Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has announced that it will open a premium lounge in Manchester, the third of its kind outside Abu Dhabii. The lounge will open later this year in Manchester Airport’s terminal 1. "Manchester has always been an important part of Etihad's growth plans, and the ties between Manchester and Abu Dhabi have never been stronger. We recently announced a capacity increase of…
April 30- Emirates Airlines’ online spend totals one third of its media buying, said Boutros Boutros, Divisional Senior Vice-President of Corporate Communications, Emirates at the SportAccord Convention in Dubai yesterday. He said that the airline’s spend on sponsorships has gone up by 10 per cent this year while participating in the round-table discussion at the SportAccord titled “Making the sponsorship…
April 30 - Budget carrier Air Arabia said on Thursday that traffic on its Sharjah-Beirut route (with 10 weekly flights) is growing steadily. According to the details, the airline reported serving over 28,050 passengers on this route in the first quarter of 2010, thus registering an increase of 7.2 per cent as compared to the same period last year. Figures show that in 2009, more than 115,675 passengers…
April 30 - The first commercial flight between Baghdad and London that was operated after 20 years ended in disaster when Iraqi Airways’ chief had his passport seized while the chartered planed was impounded. According to the details,the transport ministry in Baghdad said that Iraqi Airways chief Kifah Hassan's travel document was taken after papers were served by lawyers acting for Kuwait Airways, which says…
April 29 - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Wednesday that Middle East’s airlines have registered a traffic growth of 25 per cent last month as compared to the same period last year, the ‘strongest’ all over the world. However, the load factor in March was 76.2 per cent, lower compared to the global average of 78 per cent. International demand grew 10.3 per cent last month, while…
April 29 - Rolls-Royce, British engine maker, is showing caution despite the prediction venturing into aircraft programmes is going to double its revenues in the next 10 years. "Whilst we are seeing signs of stability and modest improvement in some parts of the global economy, the overall environment remains challenging," Rolls Royce Chief Executive John Rose said yesterday. Shares of the company that have been…
April 29 - Qatar Airways’ first flight to Tokyo, Japan, from Doha landed at the Narita International Airport on Tuesday night, making this the airline’s 89th destination and the second in Japan. The carrier is already flying to the Japanese city of Osaka. Tokyo is Qatar Airways fourth route to be launched this year. Talking about the launch of the new route, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker…
April 29 - Afghanistan’s national airline, Safi Airways, is hoping to double the number of destinations this year, said Claus Fischer, the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer. The expansion plans will be revealed in the upcoming Arabian Travel Market (ATM) slated to be held from May 4 to May 7. The airline is the first of its kind in Afghanistan to operate according to European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)…
April 27 - Flydubai has announced that it will launch flights to Latakia, Syria, in June. This will be Flydubai’s third Syrian destination after Damascus and Aleppo and the airline’s fifth new route this month. Flights will operate four times a week and the service will begin from June 20, thus upping the airline’s network to 18 destinations. Prices for Latakia will start from Dh350 for one-way fare. "Thanks…
Dubai-based Emirates Airline is set to launch an initial public offering (IPO) once it receives approval from Dubai government, said the airline’s Chairman Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum on Sunday. "We will always be ready, whenever the government takes such a decision," he said. The chairman also said that it would take about a year to float the IPO once a decision is taken in this regard. He also said that…
April 27 - The first commercial flight in 20 years between Baghdad and London landed at Gatwick airport given the delay it suffered owing to the volcanic ash cloud, said the airport in a statement released on Monday. The 10-hour-long flight IA237 carrying 30 passengers landed at 11:08 pm (2208 GMT) Sunday after coming via Malmoe in Sweden. Speaking on the occasion, Iraq’s civil aviation director Adnan Blebil…
India’s Kingfisher Airlines has announced the launch of two new international routes out of Dubai – Delhi and Mumbai. Also, a third international route from Delhi to Kathmandu was also launched by the airline. With the launch of these 2 new routes, Kingfisher Airlines now flies to a total of three destinations from Dubai with daily flights to New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. The flights on all these routes are…
