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Flydubai will launch operations with its inaugural flight from Terminal 2 at Dubai International Airport on 2 June 2009. The budget carrier will be the first low cost airline to take off from Dubai. The airline will fly to Beirut and Amman on 2 June and services to Damascus and Alexandria will be introduced soon. Flydubai chairman and CEO presided over the unveiling of their first aircraft, a 737-800 NG…
General Manager for Dubai’s Holiday Inn said they are confident of a turnaround in the market because there is a perfect mix of corporate and leisure sectors, and Holiday in Dubai is perfect for both. Reda Moukthar said emphasis is being placed on boosting the hotels appeal to the corporate sector. Moukthar said “We have designed some unique packages this season that not only offer good value for money but are…
Virgin Atlantic is reviewing its Dubai operations and may increase services if passenger demand stays high. During the worst trading environment in the British carrier’s twenty five year history, Virgin Atlantic announced their profits nearly doubled last year. Between 28 February 2008 and March 2009 their pre-tax profit increased to $109 million from $55 .4 million. An airline spokesman said they constantly…
Dubai based Emirates Airlines said it does not have immediate plans to begin services to Fiji, but did not rule out beginning the service later this year. There were reports in the news in Fiji on Wednesday that the airline would begin flight services to Fiji later this year. Fiji’s civil aviation director has been quoted as saying authorities have been approached by Emirates officials regarding air service…
Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways announced it will begin two additional daily flights from Kuwait to Dubai beginning on 1 June. The airline provided a 48 hour special promotional offer on Thursday to celebrate the launch of the new services. Tickets purchased can be used for flights between 1 June and 15 September. Under the promotional offers passengers can purchase one way tickets starting at AED 119 which is…
Emirates Group reported last week they have achieved annual profits of Dh1.48 billion (US D406 million). Emirates airline and associated companies realized profits even as its toughest competitors recorded losses. British Airways, for example, lost Dh 2.35 billion (£ 401 million) compared with a £922 million profit the year before. Emirates Airlines earned Dh982 million and its sister company, which handles…
International Air Traffic Association (IATA) data shows that Middle Eastern airlines achieved double digit growth last month even as global growth declined 3.1%. Passenger demand increased 11.2% in April 2009 compared to the same month last year and airline capacity increased 12.3%. IATA increased its projected loss figure for Middle Eastern Airlines to Dh 3.3 billion - more than four times the previous…
Abu Dhabi hotels revenue dropped last month for the first time in more than a year demonstrating that the global financial crisis and weaker tourism demand is impacting the capital. According to STR Global data, Abu Dhabi RevPar decreased 6.9% to $249.53 last month compared to $267.90 last April. Occupancy levels also fell to 80.3% down from 88% last April. However, average room rates increased 2% in…
Revenue per available room (RevPar) in the Middle East dropped again due in part to Dubai’s negative performance and its effect on the region. STR Global figures show that RevPar dropped 18.4% to Dh548.12 (US$149.3). Beirut was an exception, achieving growth of more than 150%. Occupancy rates in the Middle East fell from 76.8% to 68.9%. RevPar in the Middle East fell 14.9% during the first four months of the…
A health expert said the UAE has the right elements for medical tourism including health care infrastructure, service quality, and perception. Dr. Prem Jaqyasi said the perception of a destination, value of solutions, and quality of healthcare are among the most important components necessary for brand building medical tourism. Dr. Jaqyasi is the Chief Strategic Officer at Medical Tourism Association (MAT) US,…
A press release stated that Terminal 2 at Dubai’s International Airport is set to welcome flydubai passengers on 1 June when the budget carrier begins operations. Flydubai will have a dedicated entrance and center counters, and a separate entrance for pre check in screening. The Head of Terminal 2 said “”Flydubai’s entrance will be clearly branded with the flydubai colorful branding and is the first entrance to…
Revenue per available room for Dubai Hotels (RevPar) fell a record 34.5% in April 2009 compared to April 2008. According to Deloitte analysis of the STR Global report, occupancy levels also fell 16% during the same period. The London based STR Global released their report for the Middle East for April 2009. RevPar for Dubai Hotels in April was slightly more than $200, a huge drop from last year’s peak of…
Alshamel International announced yesterday they plan to expand in Saudi Arabia and Oman, bringing their total number of regional countries in which they operate to seven. The Kuwaiti based travel management company will also consider strategic mergers and acquisitions in order to its market reach and customer service capacity. Alshamel Chief Executive said while the difficult global economic conditions have…
The International Air Transport Association said reported that Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK) increased 11.1% last month. RPK is a measure of passenger traffic. IATA data also showed a 3.1% fall in passenger demand and an average passenger load factor of 74.4%. The report concluded that while the 3.1% decline in passenger was an improvement in the compared to March’s 11.1% fall in March “this…
Bahrain authorities said they are closely watching the countries entry and exit points in order to prevent a case of swine flu from entering. A Health Ministry Spokesman said they “stepped up their vigil at all of the islands entry and exit points.” Officials at King Fahd Causeway Bridge are taking all precautionary measures. Many Saudi families cancelled or postponed their weekend trips to Bahrain following…
General Manager for Sahara Tours praised the Qatar Tourism Authority effusively speaking to the Peninsula. Emad A. Nasr said they serve a very important in the country’s tourism industry, are supportive to all tourist companies and are “very helpful to us in every service and activities we provide to clients” Nasr said they are a professional organization doing a fantastic job promoting the country so it can be…
A senior Samsung Electronics executive recently increased its 2009 sales target for the Middle East to $20 million. Peter (Ju Sun) Lee said their original sales target for the Middle East Hospitality TV business was $10 million and they have recently raised that to $20 million. Mr. Lee said for the first half of this year they expect to sell Hospitality TV’s worth $5 million to the hotels in the…
Royal Jets executive chef and catering manager last year won three gold medals, one silver, and one bronze at the International Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany. Mr. Ulherr won one of his gold medals for two green iguanas made of salt dough, each weighing more than 15 kilograms. He has made many memorable creations during his career as an executive chef, but is probably most famous for the two iguanas. Mr.…
