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New data released by STR Global shows Middle East hotels are the least affected by the economic downturn, although RevPar (revenue per available room) dropped 17.5% for the year ending 30 June 2009. Deloitte said RevPar in June was $132 across the Middle East and average room and occupancy rates also fell due to the global economic crisis. Beirut hotels had the strongest RevPar growth in the world in H1,…
Virgin Galactic, the space travel company founded by Sir Richard Branson, is struggling to find an investor. Credit Suisse says Branson’s “greenfield” project faces big challenges in finding an investor given the current economic climate and uncertainty about the project. Credit Suisse is the investment advisor that to Virgin Galactic for its $280 million dollar with Aabar Investments in Abu Dhabi last…
Etihad Airways announced they will start a codeshare agreement with American Airlines this week, just prior to launch of their new services to Chicago on 2 September. The Chicago service will operate three times a week and increase to six times per week on 1 November, then daily in from 1 January 2010. The codeshare agreement provides easy connections between Abu Dhabi and American cities including Houston,…
Dubai’s new low cost carrier (LCC) flydubai is still committed its new flight plans for India, despite delaying three of its routes this month. CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith said “India will be operational. We are committed to operating [routes] to India.” Operational issues last month forced the LCC to postpone all three of its new routes to Coimbatore, Chandigarh, and Lucknow. Those passengers affected by the…
Sama Airlines, Saudi Arabia’s low cost airline, will expand its fleet and add new destinations soon according to a senior airline official. Sama’s director of marketing said “We are currently reviewing options for adding new aircraft to our fleet and adding new destinations to the sub continent.” Faisal Al-Duhaim said their fleet of seven B737 aircraft now serves eight destinations in the Kingdom and seven…
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said the air will be filled with less carbon dioxide this year because of reduced air flights caused by the economic slowdown. Global aviation emissions will drop 6.5% to 623 million tons of carbon dioxide. Airlines, executive jets, and airforces around the world are expected to reduce their annual contribution to emissions this year by 43 million tons.…
The Pakistan Airlines Pilots Association (PALPA) announced it will not accept the pay raise just announced by management of Pakistan International Airlines, unless their contract pilots are regularized. Vice President for PALPA said management has put them in a difficult situation because they are bound to distribute Rs226 million to PALPA members but on the other hand, “the contract of more than 80 pilots…
Abu Dhabi added four more major trade shows to its portfolio to be held over the next year. The event organizer, Nexus Global Events, said more than 20,000 visitors will attend the four shows. The Abu Dhabi National Exhibition (ADNEC) will host the Middle East Broadcast Broadcast and Middle East Television shows this November, and the Sports Arabia and Franchise Arabia next year. The MICE industry now…
The number of flights at Kuwait International Airport increased 25% to 9,288 in July – compared to the same month last years. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said this represents a 26% increase in the number of passengers. A statement issued by a CAA authority said non-commercial flights fell 17%. The number of passengers coming through the airport reached 901,812 compared to 718,093 in July 2008. Air…
Dubai’s new low cost carrier gave all passengers a refund after they were forced to postpone plans to begin new flights to India. The airline had previously requested permission to fly to Coimbatore, Chandigarh, and Lucknow beginning in mid-July, but this has been delayed for operational reasons. A flydubai spokesman said “We have refunded all passengers who had booked flights to India with us and we sent…
Great Britain’s second biggest long haul carrier, Virgin Atlantic, has appointed Fursan Travel its General Sales Agent in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Fursan Travel is based in Riyadh. Virgin Atlantic’s regional manager for the Middle East said he is very happy about the appointment and it will allow them to promote their services to the Kingdom’s consumers. Andrew Fyfe said “Since launching our daily services…
State owned carrier Iran Air will begin a ban on flights to Saudi Arabia in order to prevent the spread of swine flu. The ban will start on Monday. Last month the Iranian government banned all pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia during the month of Ramadan – between 22 August and 19 September. The countries Health Minister said “We will have no pilgrims in Saudi Arabia during the month of Ramadan.” The…
Gulf Air online tickets sales were up 160% between January and July of 2009, with 140% more 140% more bookings in July than in January. They launched their online booking website www.gulfair.com in January 2008. Bahrain’s national carrier attributes the increase in online sales to its ease and convenience and expect the growth trend to continue. Gulf Air Director of Distribution and E-Commerce said “The…
The global aviation industry continues to face challenges with the outbreak of swine flu increasing its difficulties. However, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said most Gulf Airlines are still experiencing solid traffic, despite rising oil prices and a potential $9 billion loss this year. Air Arabia chief executive explained the current economic crisis is difficult to assess and…
Flydubai will add to its Africa network with new flights to Djibouti beginning on 1 September 2009. The one way flight to Djibouti from Dubai will cost Dh650 inclusive of taxes and one hand baggage weighing up to ten kilograms. Flight FZ601 will operate three times a week, taking off from Dubai at 8 am and landing in Djibouti at 10:15 am local time. The return flight to Dubai will depart from Djibouti at 11:00…
Air Arabia profits in the second quarter increased 10% due to their expanding network and higher demand from passengers looking for more affordable fares. The carrier reported net profit of Dh90 million (US $24.5m) up from Dh82 million last year. The airline has launched two new routes from Sharjah and added a Moroccan subsidiary. Air Arabia chief executive Adel Ali said their good performance during the…
Gulf Air, the national carrier for Bahrain, announced it will start new flight services to Baghdad, Iraq beginning on 1 September 2009. CEO Samer Majali said “Gulf Air will become the first GCC Airline to offer direct flights to Iraq, adding to its pioneering legacy.” He said there are many reasons geographically and economically to include Iraq in their regional network. There is a direct demand from…
Etihad Airways added its seventh Indian destination with the launch of service to Hyderabad, the state capital of Andrah Pradesh. The Abu Dhabi based carrier will start the four times a week service in November, and it will become a daily service at the beginning of 2010. Etihad is the first carrier to offer flights between its home base and Andhra Pradesh. Etihad Airways Chief Executive James Hogan said…
