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Qatar Airways is set to launch service to three new destinations beginning next year. The carrier will begin daily flights to Bangalore in February, followed by a service to Ankara, Turkey, then a third to Tokyo, Japan. Akbar Al- Baker, Chief Executive of the Doha based airline, said many airlines around the world are retrenching and cutting capacity, but Qatar remains “ well on track to offer the traveling…
Etihad Airways will increase its number of flights to Dublin to ten per week beginning in March 2010. This represents a 150 percent increase since the carrier launched service to Dublin in July 2007, with four flights a week. Etihad increased this to a daily service in March 2008. James Hogan, Etihad Airway’s CEO said “Dublin has been one of our most successful ever destination launches, with more than…
Etihad Airways is now fully accredited to provide maintenance services on a range of aircraft for all European carriers. The European Aviation Safety Agency awarded the UAE national carrier EASA Part 145 certification following a successful comprehensive audit by the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA). The certification means that Etihad Airway’s technical division can now provide line maintenance…
Significant growth in passenger traffic and cargo revenues during the second half of this year indicate the aviation sector in the Middle East will probably recover next year. Regional Vice President for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said the airline industry in the region is likely decrease its recession induced losses by 4/5th to $200 million by 2010. Dr. Majdi Sabri talked about the…
Emirates Airline’s first A380 flight to North East Asia landed in Seoul, South Korea, carrying passengers from 27 countries including the UAE, Bahrain, UK, and South Africa. The passengers received a colorful and vibrant welcome at the Incheon International Airport this afternoon. The new flight service was timed to support ‘Visit Korea Year’ in 2010 and will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays. Daily…
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said Middle East carriers will cut their losses to $300 million (Dh 1.10 billion) in 2010, down from $1.2 billion in 2009. IATA said in a statement “A strong long-haul connection business over Middle East hubs will provide some insulation against the impact of Dubai’s financial difficulties.” Many airlines in the Gulf are in growth mode and making huge…
Architect of the Dh100 million Lebanon Resort in the World project said work will begin in January 2010. The Indian architectural firm N Salim of NM Salim and Associates said “The Indian investor, Wakheel Ahmed, a non-resident Indian from Uttar Pradesh who is developing the project is keen to start the construction work.” Salim said the Lebanon Island will be a 76 suites resort with 10 water cottages,…
China Southern Airlines (CSA) will add another flight to its Guangzhou- Dubai route beginning on January 7, bringing its total flights to five times a week. The carrier will also begin direct flights between Guangzhou and Jeddah in the first quarter of 2010. However, there are no plans for new codeshare agreements. Assistant Sales and Marketing Manager for CSA, Najeeb Akhtar said air traffic on CSA between…
A senior official with Virgin Atlantic Airline said Dubai is becoming a more popular destination for the average British holidaymaker, because room rates are falling and value for money is increasing. Paul Dickenson, the airline’s sales and marketing director said “We are seeing an increase in hotel rooms and average rates are coming down so suddenly we can offer fantastic prices that people can afford.”…
Emirates Airline is moving forward with its fleet expansion, taking delivery of its sixth Airbus A380 aircraft, which will make it possible to expand its long haul network. The huge aircraft traveled from the Jurgen Thomas Delivery Centre in Hamburg, Germany, and landed in Dubai last night. Emirates Executive Vice President Adel Al Redha said the delivery of their sixth A380 demonstrates the airlines resilience…
Low cost carrier flydubai received its sixth aircraft in just over six months, a Boeing 737-800NG, which will begin service with its inaugural flight to Bahrain on Sunday, December 13th. The new aircraft will also operate the new Kathmandu route beginning on December 15th, the carrier’s tenth and eleventh destinations. Dubai based flydubai is scheduled to receive its next new aircraft in March 2010. Last…
Emirates Airlines raised more than $1 billion and now plans to receive its fifth Airbus A380 super jumbo next week, and another by the end of the year. Emirates Airlines is the biggest airline in the Middle East and the world’s top buyer of the A380 plane. The Dubai based carrier says it will receive four more of the double decker aircraft next year. Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, said the airline…
Abu Dhabi based Etihad Airways will increase its flights to Kathmandu, Nepal from four times a week to every day, beginning in January 2010. Etihad began the Kathmandu flight service in December 2008, and it has proven to be quite popular, with high volumes of traffic going into the Middle East and Abu Dhabi, as well as transit traffic to onward destinations like Frankfurt, London, and Western Europe. A…
While most employers believe that a good in person interview combined with an impressive CV are the most important factors effecting their decision to hire a candidate, Fairmont Hotels has developed its own testing process that is critical in determining whether they offer the candidate the job. The testing process assesses how well the candidate will fit into the hotel. The Fairmont Selection Interview was…
Aviation Lease & Finance Co., (Alafco) will probably not make any purchases next year because airlines are struggling to emerge from recession. The Kuwaiti company currently has 70 planes on order with Boeing Company and Airbus SAS. Chairman Ahmed Al Zabin said they will meet their target of delivering 18 aircraft to six customers this year but are planning to lease two less new planes in 2010. Al Zabin…
86 percent of airlines surveyed by Sabre Middle East believe customer loyalty and retention are the most important challenges in 2009. Sabre Middle East surveyed 90 airlines around the globe and found that while fuel cost, instability and revenue management will continue to be challenges over the next 18 months, customer loyalty and retention has emerged as new trends in the aviation industry. The survey…
Dubai based Emirates Airline said they will announce new routes to Amsterdam, Netherlands in the next few months, which is supported by ongoing aircraft deliveries. This is the airline’s 23rd destination and its fourth new route this year. The carrier launched Durban and Luanda in October, and recently announced Tokyo with a start date of March 28. The new daily, non-stop service from Dubai to Amsterdam will…
Gulf Air said no passengers were in danger following a near miss midair collision with a Saudi plane. A Saudi Arabian Airlines plane came within 800 vertical feet (200 feet less than industry guidelines) of a Gulf Air flight from Bahrain carrying 180 passengers. The Saudi Arabian Airlines flight, which was carrying 377 passengers, was warned by air traffic controllers. An airport official explained the…
