• Middle East

          Air Arabia : Abu Dhabi launches new route Manama

          Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital’s first low-cost carrier, has announced the introduction of a new service to Manama capital of Bahrain, starting 15 May 2022. Abu Dhabi travellers will now be able to fly direct to Bahrain International Airport with competitive prices and a frequency of three weekly flights.
          Middle East
          Airline

          Emirates : boarding pass unlocks more offers in Dubai for summer 2022

          Your Emirates boarding pass is more than a travel document or travel keepsake, it is also the key to the coolest deals in Dubai this summer! For five months starting May 01 to September 30, Emirates is unlocking even more offers for all its customers arriving in or stopping over in Dubai with its My Emirates Summer Pass. Emirates’ customers can simply show their boarding pass and a valid form of identification to hundreds of retail, leisure and dining outlets to enjoy fantastic discounts throughout Dubai. In addition, during May, those landing in Dubai can enjoy a complimentary Dubai Marina Cruise, which gives unrivalled panoramic views of one of the city’s most iconic skylines from the Arabian Gulf.
          Middle East
          Airline

          Emirates : Increases flights to Algeria

          In response to growing passenger demand for air travel, Emirates will double its flights between Algiers and Dubai from two to four weekly, starting 1 May 2022. The service currently between Algiers and Dubai will no longer be linked with Tunis, offering more flexibility and convenience to travel to Dubai and onwards to Emirates’ extensive network of more than 130 destinations. Emirates is also the only airline serving Algeria with private, enclosed First Class cabins, offering premium customers an enriched experience across every touchpoint of the journey.
          Middle East
          Airline
          Business

          Dubai Airports to close DXB’s northern runway

          Dubai Airports confirms plans to close Dubai International’s (DXB) northern runway for a 45-day period between May 9 and June 22, 2022 to carry out complete refurbishment that will ensure continued safety and efficient operations. While regular runway maintenance is scheduled on a weekly basis, more extensive upgrades such as the one planned require a complete closure of the runway. Dubai Airports continues to invest in developing and maintaining its world class infrastructure to enhance customer service quality and capacity and maintain its position as the world’s busiest international airport.
          Middle East
          Borders
          Business

          Air Arabia: Starts new route to Mumbai from Abu Dhabi

          Mumbai is the sixth city in India that Air Arabia Abu Dhabi flies to after Calicut, Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi, Trivandrum. The new service represents the 20th route for Air Arabia Abu Dhabi since the launch of the carrier’s service from Abu Dhabi International Airport in July 2020.Customers can now book their direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Mumbai by visiting Air Arabia’s website, by calling the call center or through travel agencies.
          Middle East
          Airline
          Business

          Qatar Airways launches ‘Let’s Fly’ campaign to inspire post-pandemic travel

          Qatar Airways has launched its ‘Let’s Fly’ campaign to encourage travellers to take to the skies in search of new experiences and memories.With trips postponed, family occasions missed and friends disconnected over the last two years, the new campaign aims to inspire people to start an exceptional journey of discovery from the moment they step on board a Qatar Airways aircraft. With creative agency partner McCann London, this marks the largest brand collaboration of the airline in seven years. As one of the only airlines to never stop flying during the pandemic, Qatar Airways has regrown its network to almost 150 global destinations, with around 500 daily flights taking people to where they want to go.
          Middle East
          Airline
          Business

          Emirates : resumes services to four destinations as demand surges

          Emirates has announced it will ramp up its global operations with the restart of services to four destinations, including: Bali (1 May), London Stansted (1 August), Rio de Janeiro (2 November), and Buenos Aires (2 November). The airline has also announced it will boost services to Nigeria, Mauritius and Singapore to serve market demand. In line with the easing of travel restrictions worldwide, Emirates continues to rebuild and expand its global network to meet travel demand.
          Middle East
          Airline
          Business

          Etihad and Abu Dhabi Airports team up to launch Etihad Guest’s ‘Miles on the Go’

          Abu Dhabi Airports, the owner and operator of the emirate’s five airports, and Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, signed an agreement to launch the “Miles on the Go” product at Abu Dhabi International Airport.Etihad Guest members can now instantly earn and spend Etihad Guest Miles when shopping at participating merchants located at Abu Dhabi International Airport. By simply downloading the Etihad Guest app and linking up to five Visa cards to their profiles, members can spend their miles and receive cashback on their cards.Members can earn 1 Etihad Guest Mile and 1 Etihad Guest Tier Mile for every AED 3 spent at any of the 119 participating outlets including, lounges, luxury retail stores, dining establishments and Duty-Free outlets from over 35 brands.
          Middle East
          Airline
          Business

          Emirates to double capacity on Melbourne route

          Emirates has announced a second daily flight on its Dubai-Melbourne route, served by its flagship A380.Starting May 1st, the airline will offer customers fourteen weekly services from Dubai to Melbourne. The expansion of services is supported by the Victorian government to help fast-track the return of international flights to Melbourne and bring more visitors to the state.Emirates’ additional daily flight will depart Dubai daily at 10:05, arriving in Melbourne at 05:30 the next day.From Melbourne, the flight will depart at 05:15 and arrive in Dubai at 13:10.
          Middle East
          Airline
          Business

          Saudi Arabia : reintroduces visa on arrival scheme

          The Saudi Arabian government has reopened the visa-on-arrival scheme for holders of valid visas for the US, UK and Schengen area.The move comes two weeks after the country lifted all Covid-19-related entry restrictions and returns Saudi to pre-pandemic levels of openness.Citizens of any country who hold one of the three visas and who are travelling on one of the national carriers – Saudi, Flynas or Flyadeal – can now receive a 12-month tourism visa on arrival in Saudi Arabia without needing to apply in advance.Visitors holding a valid US, UK or Schengen visa must have used it at least once to enter the issuing country or region in order to qualify for a visa on arrival in Saudi.
          Middle East
          Borders
          Business

          Emirates : Restores pre-pandemic schedule to India

          Emirates will re-introduce pre-pandemic flight frequencies to its destinations in India from April 1st.The airline will be operating 170 weekly flights to nine cities in the country.The move comes on the back of the decision by the Indian government to restore international flights to and from the country in line with established bilateral agreements from the end of March.
          Middle East
          Airline
          Business

          Singapore : scraps Covid-19 testing requirements for travellers

          Singapore has unveiled plans for the Vaccinated Travel Framework (VTF) for all travellers.The new regulations, which replace the current Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) scheme, will come into effect on April 1st.From next Friday, all countries will be classified either under the General Travel or the Restricted Category and border measures would be accorded by individual travellers’ vaccination status.All countries will come under the general category to begin with, with no destination in the restricted category.Travellers will no longer be required to undergo an unsupervised self-administered rapid antigen test within 24 hours of arrival in Singapore.However, they must still take a pre-departure test within two days before departing for Singapore and obtain a negative test result.
          Middle East
          Borders
          Business

          Qatar Airways : to return to Gatwick in June

          Qatar Airways is to resume flights to London Gatwick Airport from June 5th. The airline will operate a daily service from Gatwick to Doha using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner featuring 22 seats in business class and 232 seats in economy. The resumption of the London Gatwick service complements recently launched flights to Doha from Gatwick by Qatar Airways’ joint business partner British Airways. The partnership means the airlines can jointly offer more options between London and the capital of Qatar.
          Middle East
          Airline
          Business

          Heathrow : drops mask rules for passengers

          Those travelling through Heathrow will no longer be required to wear a face mask after the airport announced that it is moving away from a mandate from tomorrow. In recognition that the pandemic is not over, however, Heathrow said it still strongly encourages those at the airport to continue wearing a face covering – particularly when coming into close contact with others. This, though, will no longer be a firm requirement.
          Middle East
          Borders
          Business

          easyJet : adds new summer leisure flights from UK

          easyJet and easyJet holidays have added seven new routes and more holidays to its UK network for this summer. Four new routes will launch from London Gatwick, easyJet’s largest base. The airline will now serve Pristina in Kosovo for the first time from the UK. The country remains one of the last truly off-the-beaten-path destinations in Europe and customers can now access it via a four-weekly service operating for the first time from May 1st.
          Middle East
          Airline
          Business

          Emirates :unveils plans for Israel debut in June

          Emirates has confirmed that it will be commencing daily services to Tel Aviv from June 23rd. The carrier will operate its three-class Boeing 777-300ER on the route. Adnan Kazim, chief commercial officer, Emirates Airline, said: “We look forward to finally welcoming customers onboard our flights to and from Tel Aviv this summer, and offer them substantial connectivity to and through our Dubai hub as Covid-19 travel restrictions continue to ease around the world and more borders open up.
          Middle East
          Airline
          Business

          Malaysia Airlines : to relaunch double daily London route

          Malaysia Airlines will be increasing its flight capacity by over 70,000 seats on its non-stop flight schedule from London Heathrow to Kuala Lumpur International Airport from March 27th. This will see the national carrier of Malaysia bring back its MH1 and MH3 flights to 11-times-weekly until June 29th. A full return to a double daily service will begin from June 30th onwards. This will significantly increase the volume of flights available for passengers ahead of the eagerly awaited Malaysia border openings on April 1st.
          Middle East
          Airline
          Business

          Malaysia : to reopen borders next month

          Malaysia will open its borders to international travellers from April 1st. The decision comes as the country transitions to an endemic phase of the pandemic, boosting the aviation and tourism sectors. The country has largely remained closed off to international visitors for two years. Under the new rules, fully vaccinated passengers will not be required to quarantine on arrival, provided they take a PCR test two days before departure and a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of arrival in Malaysia.
          Middle East
          Borders
          Business

          Wizz Air : Abu Dhabi adds new Sri Lanka connection

          Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has launched a new route from Abu Dhabi to Mattala, Sri Lanka. Flights to the destination are scheduled on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The airline introduces a new segment of travel by adding its first destination to south Asia which will allow customers from across the broader Wizz Air network to travel via Abu Dhabi to the exotic destination. Mattala, nestled in pristine natural beauty, enjoys a tropical climate with easy access to neighbouring wildlife.
          Middle East
          Airline
          Business

          Singapore Airlines : rebuilds London schedule

          With flights returning to pre-pandemic frequency from London, a new partnership and borders reopening, Singapore Airlines (SIA) is seeking to embark on a road to recovery. The carrier will resume its full schedule from London Heathrow (LHR) to Changi Airport from June 2nd. With four daily flights (28 weekly), the new frequency will also encompass Singapore’s Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL).
          Middle East
          Airline
          Business