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Etihad to fly to Hyderabad
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has announced the launch of a new route to its latest destination in India, the city of Hyderabad. Etihad is the first airline to operate flights between Abu Dhabi and the state capital of Andhra Pradesh. Initially operating four flights a week, Etihad will increase to daily from the start of 2010. Etihad now flies to seven Indian destinations including the cities of New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. In total the airline now operates 42 flights to India each week.
Flydubai to launch service to Azerbaijan
Low-cost airline Flydubai has announced that it will expand its network into the former Soviet Union for the first time on Friday, November 20, when it commences flights to the Azeri capital, Baku. Flydubai's CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, adds a new dimension to flydubai's network. 'Baku is our first route into Asia and a prime opportunity because of its rapid expansion as a business and tourism centre. There is currently only one other airline operating direct flights between Dubai and Baku so we anticipate strong demand for our service.' One-way fares to Baku from Dubai will cost from Dhs300, which includes all taxes and one piece of hand baggage weighing up to 10kg.
Abu Dhabi sees 7.5% passenger rise
Abu Dhabi International Airport has recorded 7.5% passenger growth in the last three quarters compared to the same period last year. Passenger traffic figures also showed a 6.8% increase for the month of September alone, compared to the same month of 2008.
Royal Jordanian inks IT deal with Amadeus
Jordan's national carrier, Royal Jordanian, has signed a 10-year IT partnership with Amadeus Gulf to adopt its Altéa Customer Management and e-commerce suite of solutions. The new solution will enable RJ to manage all reservations, inventory and departure control.
Sharjah airport traffic up 8% rise
Sharjah International Airport has reported an 8% rise in traffic in the first nine months of this year compared to the same period a year ago. Roughly 4.24 million passengers passed through the airporst in the first three quarters of '09, while the number of flights rose to a record 45,022 from 44,086 flights in 2008. The volume of cargo handled at the airport had reached 373,745 tons, with air cargo showing a slight increase to 35,646 tons during the period, the airport said.
French firm wins Iraq airport contract
Iraq's transport ministry has awarded Aeroports de Paris, a France-based airport operator, a $42.5m contract to work on plans for a new international airport in Baghdad, Reuters has reported. The new airport, which will be built between the three provinces of Kerbala, Najaf and Hilla, is scheduled to be ready within three to five years, with an initial capacity of five million passengers per year and eventual capacity of 35 million per year, the ministry said.
Lebanon may sell stake in MEA airline
Lebanon's central bank governor has said the country may sell a 25% stake in its national carrier, Middle East Airlines, in an initial public offering, Reuters has reported. Riad Salameh said the proposed sale would have to be done after the end of the current economic slowdown and when a new Lebanese government approves the IPO plans and the listing of shares on the Beirut bourse.
Cathay Pacific to launch service to Jeddah
Cathay Pacific Airways, the flag carrier of Hong Kong, has announced the launch of a new route to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The four-times-weekly service, which is to operate through Dubai on the way to and from Hong Kong, will be operated by an Airbus A330-300 aircraft in a two-class configuration. The carrier launched its service to Riyadh in 2001 and the number of flights per week was recently increased from five times a week to daily.
Airbus considers delaying A380 deliveries
Airbus has said that one or two of the superjumbo A380s scheduled for delivery this year may be pushed back to January 2010, Reuters has reported. Client financing remains difficult and it would take time for the business environment to return to normal, the France-based firm said. "Everything will depend on airlines' capacity to take these planes at the end of the year," Chief Operating Officer Fabrice Bregier said. Airbus has to date delivered seven of the 13 A380s scheduled for this year.
Qatar Airways wants revised A380 delivery schedule
Akbar al-Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, has said that in view of the airline's "performance requirements", the carrier has sought a revised schedule for the delivery of Airbus A380 aircraft, Gulf Times has reported. However, Qatar Airways will take delivery of the "contractually committed aircraft," he said. "We have placed orders for five Airbus A380s. These are firm orders and we have not gone for any other option," al-Baker said. The airline originally planned to start taking delivery of the double-decker A380 once the new airport in Doha was completed.
SriLankan adds new flights to Dammam
SriLankan Airlines has launched another flight to Dammam, Saudi Arabia, offering now a total of four flights per week to its Dammam-Colombo route, Arab News has reported. SriLankan has two flights from Riyadh and two from Jeddah.
Gulf Air flights move to London Heathrow T4
Gulf Air has announced its recent move at London Heathrow Terminal 4 (T4) from T3. First and Business passengers and Gold and Silver members of Gulf Air's Frequent flyer programme will have access to the Sky Team lounge located opposite Gate 10 at T4.
RJ profits rise but passenger numbers fall
Jordan's national carrier, Royal Jordanian has reported a net profit of JD25.5m for the first nine months of 2009, compared to JD3.8m in net losses during the same period of last year. Gross profit increased by 89% to JD40.7m from JD21.5m in the corresponding period of 2008. However, there was a 3% drop in the number of passengers and 32% drop in cargo that the airline carried during the period. This resulted in operating revenues falling 16% to JD449m, from JD532m during the first three quarters of 2008. The airline said the profit was due to falling fuel costs and a 20% drop in operational costs.
Oman Air starts Maldives flights
Oman Air has started a non-stop service between the Sultanate and the Republic of Maldives. The flights to the Maldives capital, Malé are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, returning the same day. The route will be operated by Oman Air's newly introduced Airbus A330 aircraft, which has first, business and economy class seating, the airline said.
Saudia adds two Airbus A320s to its fleet
Saudi Arabian Airlines has taken delivery of two more aircraft as part of its new fleet of A320 Airbus planes. The new 120-seat planes are part of its plans to modernise its fleet with 70 new aircraft, which will consist of 35 Airbus A320s, 15 Airbus A321s, eight Airbus A330s and 12 Boeing 787s. The airline has now taken delivery of four new A320s.
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