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Etihad Airways announced on Thursday that it will add seven extra flights to Australia in 2011. A statement issued by the national carrier of the UAE said the seven extra flights can operate to any gateway in Australia including Etihad’s current destinations of Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. The new flight slots will be available beginning on March 11th, 2011. Etihad Airway’s chief executive, James Hogan…
Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) increased the number of weekly flight services between Abu Dhabi and Kiev to five times a week, less than five months after launching the new service in September, 2009. The Kiev-Abu Dhabi route now operates on a Boeing 737 with business and economy class, departing from Abu Dhabi three times a week. Yuri Miroshnikov, President of UIA, said “We are delighted to be adding…
Emirates Airlines appears to have started a drive to increase capacity to Australia, as a four year agreement between the UAE and Australia ends next year. The deal provided for the phased growth of Emirates Airline, and negotiations for a new air service agreement between the two countries are expected to start soon. The Dubai based carrier currently operates 70 flights each week, up from 49 in 2007, and this…
Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, the investment arm of Bahrain, said it will transfer ownership of the kingdom’s national carrier, Gulf Air to the government A statement released by Mumtalakat on Thursday evening explained that, “Given the strategic importance of Gulf Air to the national economy, the Bahrain government is the suitable owner of the airline.” Gulf Air was originally co-owned by Bahrain,…
Istithmar, the investment arm of Dubai World, sold its entire stake in Indian budget airline SpiceJet for $35.23 million (Dh129.37 million). A spokesman for SpiceJet said “We have been informed that Istithmar World has sold its equity stake in SpiceJet. They remain invested in the company through FCCBs,” Foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) are debt instruments that can be converted into equity…
The national airline of the UAE, Etihad Airways, began operations to Nagoya, Japan on Tuesday with the launch of its Nagoya-Abu Dhabi flight service. The new service will initially operate four times a week on two Airbus A330 aircraft via Beijing. The number of flights to Nagoya will increase to five times a week beginning on March 29th. Etihad Airways chief executive officer James Hogan said “We believe…
Qatar Airways has increased the number of flights and upgraded aircraft to several important destinations in Asia. The Qatari flagship carrier has increased the number of flights to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from seven to eleven flights a week. The Indonesian tourist island of Bali will now be served every day from Singapore, up from four times a week. The airline has also started non-stop service to Jakarta,…
Emirates Airlines added an extra flight between its home base in Dubai and Kuala Lumpur to meet demand to and from Malaysia, and because of Emirates’ deep commitment to serving the Malaysian market. The extra flight brings to 21 the number of weekly non-stop flights to Kuala Lumpur. Richard Jewsbury, an executive with Emirates, said “Emirates has always been committed to Malaysia. This increase in flight…
Budget carrier AirAsia X announced it will end its flight service to Abu Dhabi for commercial reasons. AirAsia X is the long haul arm of low cost carrier Air Asia. The airline is now informing customers its last flight from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur will depart on February 21st. AirAsia X CEO explained they are discontinuing the flight service because there has been and “underwhelming” demand for tickets,…
A recent survey of seven airlines operating long haul flights was conducted by the customer service consultancy firm Ethos Consultancy. Their report ranked Emirates Airlines as number one for service quality, followed by Abu Dhabi based Etihad Airways. Both firms bested rivals British Airways, Air France, and Qatar Airways. The study reviewed all aspects of the customer service experience from flight booking…
James Hogan, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said the airline will add three new aircraft to its fleet and three new routes in 2010. This will bring the Abu Dhabi based carrier’s fleet strength to 55 and its total number of routes to 57. Two of the new aircraft will be for passengers and the third will be for cargo. All aircraft are being supplied by Airbus. Two new routes will be launched in Japan…
A top official with Etihad Airways said the airline is considering charging passengers for a second piece of luggage in order to maximize revenue, as depressed yield continues to reduce airline’s profits. Chief Executive of Etihad Airways said no decision has been made yet, but “A number of US and European airlines are charging passengers for the second piece of luggage. I expect to see a similar move by the…
A suspected fire on an jet aircraft waiting to take off at King Abdulaziz Airport (KAIA) caused passengers to be evacuated on Wednesday evening. A burning smell was noticed from the back of the Boeing 777 aircraft, flight 607, which was scheduled to depart for Cairo with 320 passengers on board. Director General of KAIA, Mazin Khashoggi, said “On sensing the smell of something burning in the rear of the…
Sama Airlines announced it has decided to end its public service obligation (PSO) flights due to a “long running delay in the formulation of a comprehensive aviation policy within Saudi Arabia.” Bruce Ashby, CEO of Sama, explained the carrier has been operating PSO flights at a large loss since it began operations in March 2007. Ashby said Sama is mandated by the government to operate the flights, but because of…
Abu Dhabi based Etihad Airways won three awards at the 18th annual Irish Trade News Awards. UAE’s national airline, which celebrated its third anniversary of services to Ireland in July, won the award for Best Business Class Airline for the third year in a row. Etihad also won the award for Best Airline to the Middle East and Africa for the second year in a row, and, for the first time, won the award for Best…
Kuwait’s government is moving forward with plans to privatize its national airline, Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC). KAC flies to 44 destinations in 28 countries throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. After the governments decision a marathon review session took place. Specialized international consultancy agencies reviewed results of KAC condition and assessment based on the studies. Dr.…
Australian Federal Police (AFP) confirmed on Monday that a suspicious bag on an Emirates Airline flight from Dubai was the cause of an alert at the Perth domestic airport in Australia. An AFP spokesman said a suspect bag was identified within checked luggage at the Quantas terminal. The spokesman said “It wasn’t a complete evacuation but some areas did have to be cordoned off when the bag was first located,”…
Bahrain’s struggling state owned carrier Gulf Air has sold two Airbus A340 aircraft to US based Apollo Aviation Group. The move is part of efforts by the airline to realign its fleet in order to focus on regional routes. The two aircraft were 16 years old and no longer in service. Gulf Air said it would have cost $25 million to return the aircraft to service. Gulf Air plans to shift its fleet of aircraft to…
