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Etihad Airways started weekly flight service to Chicago from its home base in Abu Dhabi on flight EY151 on 2 September 2009. The flight landed 14 hours later at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Etihad Airways is the national airline for the United Arab Emirates. Chicago is Etihad’s third destination in North America following Toronto and New York, bringing to 55 the total number of international…
Gulf Air will begin flights to Najif, Iraq four times a week beginning on 26 September 2009. This will become a daily service from 26 October 2009. Gulf Air is Bahrain’s national carrier. They will begin flight service to Erbil, Iraq three times a week on 26 October and this also will become a daily service. Gulf Air will operate the Najif service on an A320 aircraft Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and…
Jet Airways began daily flights between Sharjah and Kochi on Tuesday. Flight 9W-562 landed at Sharjah International Airport from Kochi carrying 134 passengers. Director general of the Sharjah Airport Authority said “A carrier of such prestige and repute as Jet provides a new dimension and alternative to the subcontinent bound traveler.” Dr. Ganem Al Hajiri said Sharjah is an important industrial and tourism…
Qatar Airways announced it will add to its Switzerland operations with an extra flight on the Doha-Zurich route beginning on 25 October 2009. CEO of Qatar Airways said the new service is part of their expansion plan for their global network. Akbar Al Baker said Swiss holiday makers will like the addition of a new Saturday departure from Zurich, as their leisure destinations include Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi…
Budget carrier Nasair will begin flight service from Jeddah to Sanaa’s Yemen from 2 September 2009, out of King AbdulAziz International Airport. National Air Services (NAS) CEO said “Sana’s is one of the main potential destinations that was included within Nasair’s strategic network plan for 2009.” NAS is the parent company of Nasair. Three flights per week will operate on the Jeddah-Sana’s-Jeddah route and a…
Wataniya Airways has postponed launch of daily Jeddah flights in Saudi Arabia at the end of October end. The new service is intended to meet the expected high demand for seats to Jeddah as the Haj season begins at the end of November. The airline will add more flights to Bahrain, Dubai, and Damascus, and improve timing for Sharm El Sheikh flights. Wataniya’s fourth aircraft is arriving at the end of…
Emirates Airline will resume its A380 Dubai-New York service in the first half of 2010 if demand continues to increase. Due to declining demand the carrier discontinued this daily route in early June and moved the A380 service to Dubai-Toronto, Dubai –Bangkok instead.
Dubai’s low cost carrier flydubai has expanded its Africa operations, adding a second Africa destination on Tuesday - flight FZ601 touched down at Dijbouti Ambouli International Airport. CEO of flydubai Ghaith Al Ghaith said second tier cities are underserved by carriers flying out of Dubai. He said there is not enough traffic for bigger airlines but “there is a significant amount of traffic from these markets…
Emirates Airline CEO said the rise in global stock markets and returning consumer confidence indicates global air travel demand may increase by mid 2010. Tim Clark, who has been president of Emirates Airline since 2003, said if there is no evidence of a deepening recession or another stock market crash, consumer spending will probably pick up next year. He said “On the basis of what we see looking ahead, I…
Hotels in Abu Dhabi will be able to receive entertainment licenses online within 24 hours, starting next week, after the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) introduces its online program. The switch to an online license application system will lessen reliance on the prior manual system, which required the involvement of various authorities. The move to the online system will take between two and six weeks to…
Etihad Airways introduced its new first class suite on the Abu Dhabi to London route last week, on an Airbus A340-600 aircraft. This is the first Etihad aircraft to feature the suite. Etihad Airways chief executive James Hogan called it a major milestone that demonstrates “our continued commitment to providing a world class experience for our premium passengers.” Each state of the art suite features an extra…
A list published by the European Union (EU) over the weekend showed that UAE airlines will be monitored under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Emirates Airline, Air Arabia, and Etihad Airways are some of the airlines in the program, which starts in 2012 and will monitor airline carbon dioxide emissions. Depending on the results, carriers could have to reduce environmental effects by buying carbon credits…
The new chief of Bahrain’s Gulf Air said they may cut loss making routes and renegotiate aircraft orders to end their dependence on their sole shareholder, the Bahrain sovereign wealth fund – Mumtalakat. Samer Majili, who last month left Royal Jordanian to become chief executive of Gulf Air, said all options were being considered as part of a wide review of the struggling company’s business plan. He said “Gulf…
Gulf Air won the “Middle East’s Leading Airline Reward Program at the recent World Travel Awards 2009. Bahrain’s national carrier said they have made it easier for members to use their Frequent Flier Program (FFP). They added new facilities to its online FFP site allowing members to log onto their personal account to redeem their miles or check their loyalty points – any time, any where. Gulf Air…
International Air Charter (IAC) expects a 50% increase in demand for its chartered flight services to Saudi Arabia during Ramadan this year compared to 2008. IAC is an independent private charter jet broker. People have become more aware of the flexibility and practical value of using chartered jet services. IAC bases its positive forecast on the Kingdom’s consistent strong performance in the tourism sector.…
Air Arabia will launch services to Madinah in Saudi Arabia from its main hub in Sharjah from 1 September 2009. The new service is part of the airlines strategy to strengthen its network in the Kingdom. Madinah is its fourth destination in Saudi Arabia and 58th worldwide. Round trip flights to Madinah will depart on Tuesdays and Saturdays from Sharjah at 8:25 am, arriving in Madinah at 9:50 am. The return trip…
Etihad Airways winter 2009-10 schedule offers travelers more flights and better connections including new service to India and Hyderabad and more services to Athens, Beirut, Kathmandu, Cairo, and Istanbul. The new winter service, which starts on 25 October, will be about 15% larger than last year, with 950 flights operating each week. The Hyderabad service begins on November 2009, and along with Chicago and…
The cruise line industry has been sailing through the recession while other sectors of the international travel industry have been greatly impacted. Bookings have increased and operators will introduce 36 new ships around the world by 2012, costing about $22 billion. Cruise Lines International Association will launch 14 new ships worth $4.8 billion this year, increasing their total capacity by 5%. The Dubai…
