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Amadeus announced yesterday they partnered with Syrian Arab Airlines to launch their operations in Syria. Amadeus is the global leader for technology and distribution solutions for the travel and tourism industry. Amadeus has been active in Syria over the past five years with partners. Amadeus market share of Syrian travel agency reservation distribution increased 25% to 73% this year. The general manager…
Emirates Airlines increased its Far East flights, introducing three additional weekly flights from Dubai to Jakarta and announcing double daily flights from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur from 1 May. The World Bank recently forecast a 5.3 per cent increase in the gross domestic product for the Far East this year. Emirates Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations Worldwide explained the Middle East and Far…
Emirates Airline is ready for heavy criticism again at the annual International Air Transport Association Meeting for the airline industry in June. In the past there has been very critical comments aimed at the airline during panel discussions. Two years ago Lufthansa had complaints and last year Air France-KLM and Singapore questioned whether Emirates record Dh5.02 billion profits for 2007-2008 were achieved…
Sudanese operated Sun Air began flight operations between Abu Dhabi and Khartoum on Saturday. This is the 43rd airline to operate from the Abu Dhabi International Airport, and Abu Dhabi is the second UAE destination for Sun Air. Sun Air will operate the flight on a Boeing 737 with capacity for 168 economy class passengers from terminal 2 in the Abu Dhabi International Airport. Sun Air is full service…
Middle East Business Aviation Authority (MEBAA) is negotiating an insurance plan for its members that may reduce costs up to 20%. Dubai based MEBAA is also considering pooling fuel purchases. President and Chief Executive of MEBAA explained one of their objectives is to reduce costs for members. Abu Dhabi companies are also working together to share costs. Royal Jet, the charter jet operator in Abu Dhabi…
Sharjah based airline Air Arabia won the 2009 World Airline Award for “Best Low Cost Airline in the Middle East”. The award is based on passenger surveys conducted by Skytrax Research. Air Arabia is the first and biggest low cost carrier in the Middle East and has served more than 10 million passengers since it was launched in October 2003. This is the third consecutive year the carrier has won the award for…
The Jordanian charter flight operator Arab Wings announced yesterday they will launch a sister company, Gulf Wings, in Sharjah. Arab Wings general manager, Ahmad Abu Ghazaleh, said they have recently received an Air Operators certificate to form Gulf Wings which will be an executive flights business also providing aircraft management for luxury jet owners. Mr. Ghazaleh said the company’s expansion reflects…
Planet Group was awarded the General Sales Agent (GSA) for Uzbekistan Airways, the Uzbekistan national carrier for the UAE. Planet Group is a conglomeration of 11 companies including a well established chain of companies in the UAE. Ibrahim Naikhande, the GSA for Uzbekistan tourism in the UAE said during the Arabian Travel Market 2009 they plan to launch a standalone brochure on Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan…
Emirates Airlines said they have not yet made a final decision regarding repair of the damaged A340-500 aircraft which made an emergency landing after striking its tail on the runway in Melbourne last month. According to the Australian Transport Safety Board damage is substantial. When asked if the plane would be written off an Emirates spokesman said they are still considering repair options. The…
Emirates Airlines bolstered its market position with recent important appointments and adding new services to its current network of 100 destinations. Richard Vaughn was named Divisional Senior Vice President (DSVP). He is an Australian with more than forty years of experience in the travel industry. UAE nationals Ahmad Khoury, Salem Obaidullah, and Majid Al Muah assume senior positions in the commercial…
Airlines hope that as Gulf families take holidays in Europe and Asia this summer there will be a new wave of ticket bookings. The first quarter travel season was very slow due to the global slowdown. Airlines have been offering bargain deals for months, and may not be able to raise prices. Regional manager for Austrian Airlines said based on the preliminary data for the initial travel bookings for the summer…
Etihad Airways issued a press statement on Friday announcing the appointment of Amer Khan as the Pakistan country manger. Khan is based in Karachi and will be responsible for managing all of Etihad Airway’s operations in Pakistan. Previously Khan worked eight years for American Airlines as Regional Manager for the Middle East and Pakistan. Prior to that, he was employed by South African Airways as Business…
Palm Aviation executive vice president said he expects Dubai’s private charter airline to sustain its revenue growth of 35% this year. Mohammed Saideh said the company’s performance last year was exceptional and its fourth quarter performance was supported by long term contracts with its partners. He said private charter flight services remain an attractive option as rates soften and fuel prices come…
Advanced booking by passengers travelling on airlines has declined 50% due to a big increase in bargains and competitive prices. A senior airline executive said while airlines have reduced their economy fares in most sectors, passengers are still looking for more bargains before booking their summer travel plans. Most airlines have implemented a dynamic pricing policy giving passengers a lower fare on…
The United Arab Emirates UAE) may amend the air and space laws enacted in 1991. Civil aviation administrators say European and US standards are under consideration. Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said they are in the final stages of deciding whether to go with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or European Aviation Administration (EAA) standards. Next week the GCAA is hosting…
Amman and Beirut are the first destination for Dubai’s new budget carrier flydubai, which begins operating on 1 June. They are offering introductory fares of Dh 250 (US$68) each way, including taxes. Flydubai has included Levant destinations in order to test demand for another low cost airline in the Dubai/Sharjah metropolitan region. Last March the Dubai government launched the new flydubai airline using…
Emirates Airlines is among the small minority of airlines expecting to post a profit for last year, one of the most difficult periods for the industry. Emirates Airline and Group said they expected a small profit, and that any profit at all is an achievement given the billions of losses in the industry. The International Air Transport Association said worldwide losses will be in excess of $4.7bn and the Middle…
Royal Jet has again been honoured by the World Travel Awards, being named the World’s Leading Private Jet Charter, for the second year running. The award was presented to H.E. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Royal Jet’s Chairman, by WTA President and Founder, Graham Cooke. The World Travel Awards (WTA) are regarded as the travel industry's equivalent of the 'Oscars'; and the…
