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Gulf Air may renegotiate Airbus and Boeing orders
Samer Majali, CEO of Bahrain's Gulf Air, has said the airline may renegotiate its plane orders with Airbus and Boeing, Reuters has reported. The company would "honour the terms of the contract" with manufacturers, but may negotiate amending airplane numbers and sizes, he said.
Etihad increases winter flights
Etihad Airways has said its new winter flying programme, which starts on October 25, will be almost 15% bigger than for the same period last year, with 950 flights planned for each week. From November, its Hyderabad flights will join Chicago and Cape Town as the airline's newest routes. Flights to the Greek capital Athens will increase from three flights a week to five from November 1 and then become daily from January 1 2010. Etihad is adding one flight to Istanbul in Turkey, taking the service to five a week from November 1. Services from Abu Dhabi to Beirut will be increased from 14 to 18 flights a week, and to Cairo from seven to 10 a week, starting on January 1. The airline's Asian flying programme will also be boosted, with flights to Kathmandu rising from four a week to a daily service.
Emirates' offers Ramadan in-flight service
Emirates Airline has announced it will provide all flights departing close to Iftar with small snack boxes containing baklawa, dates, a laban drink and water to enable its passengers to break their fast immediately. For passengers who are in-flight when the sun sets, specially prepared Iftar meal boxes will be served in Economy class, with a similar selection of foods served to fasting passengers in both Business and First Class, the airline said.
Oman Air launches routes to Germany
Oman Air has is to launch non-stop flights from Germany to the Sultanate starting from September. Initially, it will fly to Frankfurt four times a week, adding a three-times a week flight to Munich from October. Other new routes from Muscat launching in October will additionally include Paris, Maldives and Colombo in Sri Lanka.
Air Arabia diverts Peshawar flights to Islamabad
Sharjah-based Air Arabia has said in a press statement that its flights to Peshawar airport in Pakistan will be diverted to Islamabad airport beginning August 23, 2009. The airline has stated it is due to security reasons and is the request of the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan. Air Arabia has expressed regrets to any inconvenience caused to its passengers.
July passengers up at Abu Dhabi airport
The Abu Dhabi Airports Company has reported a 10.3% increase in passenger numbers for July compare to the same month in 2008. More than 900,000 passengers, with a total of 923,124 people have travelled through the airport in July. London has noted as the busiest destination with 50,900 passengers, followed by Bangkok with 40,465 passengers. Doha took third place with 37,361. In fourth and fifth place came Cairo and Bahrain with 36,108 and 35,773 passengers respectively.
Air Asia X in talks with Gulf buyers
Malyasia-based AirAsia X is in talks with Middle Eastern investors, including sovereign wealth funds, to sell an equity stake in the carrier, Reuters has reported. 'We need a stronger equity base after 2010,' the budget airline's head Azran Osman-Rani said at the launch of a Kuala Lumpur - Abu Dhabi route, which will run five times per week from November. The stake amount will be decided next year, he added.
Sohar airport to be upgraded
Oman's government has invited bids for Sohar Airport's key airfield infrastructure project, the Oman Observer has reported. This phase includes building a 4,000-metre runway with turning loops at the ends, in addition to a full-length taxiway with high speed exits. With a width of 75 metres, the runway will be designed to handle some of the largest aircraft in operation today, including Airbus' Superjumbo A380. Other works envisaged in this package are airside roads, power and water networks, fuel fire fighting systems, and navigation aids. Sohar Airport, which is designed to handle 500,000 passengers and 100,000 tonnes of air cargo per year, will also serve as an emergency alternative to Muscat International Airport.
Air passenger numbers up in Dubai
Dubai Airport saw a 12.6% increase in passenger traffic in July, its highest monthly growth-rate since May 2008. July was the second month in a row that it has seen a double-digit growth in passenger traffic, following a 10% rise in June. The airport handled 3,768,965 passengers in July. Overall traffic for 2009 is currently up 6% over the first seven months of last year. Cargo traffic rose just under 2% in July, with Dubai Airports Cargo handling 160,289 tonnes of freight in July. However, year-to-date cargo volumes are down very slightly by 0.3%
Etihad, American codeshare approved
The codeshare agreement between Etihad and American Airlines has received regulatory approval and is due to come into effect this week. Etihad will place its 'EY' code on a number of the US carrier's flights between Europe and the US, and certain domestic services beyond New York and Chicago.
Iran bans lease of Russian-made planes
Mohammad Ali Ilkhani, head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation has said that Iran has banned its airlines from leasing more Russian-made aircraft or buying such planes second-hand after two fatal incidents last month, Reuters has reported. 'Eastern planes would be able to operate in the air sector only when they are brand new and made according to our order [specification],' he has said.
Emirates denies price fixing charges
Emirates Airline has denied allegations by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission that it has fixing air freight prices. The regulator has said it is taking action against the Dubai government-owned carrier in relation to alleged price fixing between 2002 and 2006. 'Emirates denies the allegations and will be defending the proceedings,' the group said in a statement.'
Sama plans fleet expansion
Saudi Arabia's low-cost carrier Sama Airlines is planning to expand its fleet and add more destinations in the near future, the Arab News has reported. 'We are currently reviewing options for adding new aircraft to our fleet and adding new destinations including the subcontinent,' Faisal Al-Duhaim, Sama's director of marketing has said.
Mobile connectivity set up on 40% of Emirates fleet
AeroMobile has said that 40% of Emirates Airline aircraft have been equipped with AeroMobile's mobile connectivity service, according to website FlightGlobal. The service allows passengers to make and receive voice calls and send and receive short messages using their cell phones. Emirates began offering the service in March 2008. Emirates had recently begun gate-marketing the product in Dubai, the company has said. Emirates' AeroMobile traffic as a whole indicates that 35% of usage occurs on routes to Europe, 16% to the Middle East, 15% to North Asia, 4% to South Asia, 21% to Africa and 9% on Australasian routes.
Qatar may buy Indonesian aircraft
Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar, Rozy Munir has said that talks were underway between the countries for the sale of the CN-235 aircraft to Qatar, the Gulf Times has reported. The CN-235 is a medium-range twin-turbo-prop aircraft developed jointly by CASA (Spain) and IPTN (Indonesia) as a regional airliner and military transporter. The aircraft manufactured in Indonesia are used by the Indonesian air force.
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