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Emirates to raise fares into Australia
Emirates Airline will raise fares into Australia for all cabin classes by 7% from this week, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Emirates may be attempting to curb some of the losses incurred from heavy fare discounting over the past six months, the newspaper said, citing unnamed industry officials. It also may be a sign that the price war on the route between Australia and Europe has reached the bottom, the Herald said.
Wataniya Airways to fly to Jeddah
Kuwait's Wataniya Airways will begin flights to Jeddah next month, ahead of the start of the holy month of Ramadan, Al-Watan Daily has reported, citing a source. The carrier will be flying seven weekly flights, an average of one a day starting from Aug 19 or 20 to Jeddah, the source said.
Nas Air adds new routes
Saudi Arabia's budget carrier Nas Air has launched new routes to two Egyptian cities, Sharm El Sheikh and Assiut. With the two new destinations, Nas Air now serves nine destinations abroad, including Amman, Damascus, Beirut and Abu Dhabi.
UAE, Bulgaria ink air agreement
The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has inked an Air Services Agreement (ASA) with Bulgaria, WAM has reported. The agreement allows unrestricted capacity and types of aircraft, whether owned or leased, to be operated by the designated airlines of each country in any type of service (passenger or cargo) on the routes between Bulgaria and the UAE. The UAE has designated Emirates airline and Etihad Airways, RAK Airways, Air Arabia and FlyDubai as UAE national airlines while Bulgaria confirmed the designation of Bulgaria Air as the designated airline of Bulgaria.
Emirates A380 on 1-day flight to UK
Emirates airline has announced a one-day flight to Birmingham International Airport with its Airbus A380 on September 9th, as part of Birmingham International Airport's 70th anniversary celebrations. Passengers will have two chances to fly on the superjumbo between Dubai and Birmingham. Flight EK039 departs Dubai at 0805hrs and arrives in Birmingham at 1235hrs. Alternatively, travellers can take EK040, which leaves Birmingham at 1505hrs and lands in Dubai at 0105hrs the next day.
Gulf Air Iraq flights 'imminent'
Bahrain's national carrier Gulf Air has announced that it plans to resume its flights to Iraq as soon as possible. This decision follows the agreement made between the governments of Bahrain and Iraq on July 9, allowing the national carriers of the two countries to operate direct services between Bahrain and four cities in Iraq. A total of seven weekly flights have been authorized to operate from Bahrain to Baghdad and 12 weekly flights to Najaf. Gulf Air first started flying to Iraq's capital Baghdad in 1976.
Jet adds Dubai, Hyderabad service
India's Jet Airways plans to launch its fifth daily service to Dubai from Hyderabad. Jet has also announced an all inclusive introductory return fare of Dhs995 in economy class, valid for travel from Dubai to Hyderabad in the first week of its new operation from August 16 to August 22, with return travel to be completed by September 30, 2009. Jet's Premiere fares start at Dhs2,000 without taxes. The airline has said it will commence services on the route aboard a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Empire expands fleet
UAE-based Empire Aviation Group (EAG), has announced the expansion of its fleet with the addition of a Gulfstream G450 intercontinental business jet. The group has brought under its management on behalf of a Middle East-based corporation. The aircraft joins EDG's mixed fleet of business jets which now comprises 12 aircraft, nine of which are offered to the charter market.
Royal Jordanian brings in revenue mgt system
Royal Jordanian has announced it has adopted the Group Revenue Management System, licensed by PROS, an initiative toward automating its processes and meeting the increasing demand on group bookings, particularly during the high seasons. The internet-based system performs real-time group-booking acceptance, group management, decision making and pricing. The system will also distribute passengers on multiple flight options, reducing cost and increasing profitability.
Iranian plane crashes en route to Armenia
An Iranian aircraft has crashed in the country's northwestern province of Qazvin on a flight to Armenia, state television has reported. All 168 aboard were believed to be dead. The Russian-made Tupolev plane operated by Iran's Caspian Airlines came down 16 minutes after takeoff from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, Reza Jafarzadeh, a spokesman for the country's aviation agency, told Iran's state-run Mehr news agency.
UAE initials 'Open Sky' agreement with Estonia
The UAE has initialled an 'open' Air Services Agreement and signed a Record of Discussions with the government of Estonia. The two sides have agreed to grant any of the designated airlines of both parties the right to perform scheduled air services. Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, RAK Airways, Air Arabia and FlyDubai are designated as UAE national airlines under the agreement. Additionally, the agreement allows unrestricted frequencies, capacity and types of aircraft, whether owned or leased, to be operated by the designated airlines of each country in any type of service on the routes between Estonia and the UAE.
Etihad invited to join IATA security committee
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has appointed the UAE's Etihad Airways as a member of its Working Group Committee for Security. The carrier is the first airline from the Middle East to join the committee. The security committee's ten members are selected from IATA's 230 member airlines, which together cover more than 90% of all scheduled international air traffic. Appointments are made in recognition of the airlines' experience and contribution to aviation security for a period of two years.
Jet Airways to fly to Jeddah
India's Jet Airways has launched its seventh Gulf destination with the introduction of its daily direct service from Jeddah to Mumbai. The airline's Flight 9W 521 will depart Jeddah at 0100 hrs and will arrive in Mumbai at 0835 hrs, while Flight 9W 522 will depart Mumbai at 2135 hrs and will arrive in Jeddah at 0001 hrs. Jet Airways will operate its maiden flight on the sector aboard a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Jazeera Airways announces route changes from Bahrain
Kuwait's Jazeera Airways has announced changes to the airline's operations out of Bahrain in light of the new regulations issued by the Iranian government. The airline's direct flights from Bahrain to Mashhad have been cancelled and will now operate with an intermediate stop in Kuwait. Passengers with an existing booking to Mashhad will be offered the choice of: re-accommodation for travel on the same date via Kuwait; a full refund inclusive of all fees and taxes; or a full refund for travel on any outstanding segment of a journey, if re-accommodation cannot be provided. Jazeera has offered all passengers affected by the changes a KD10 voucher to use for booking future travel, the airline said.
Etihad appoints new senior VP corporate communications
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has announced the appointment of Belinda de Rome as its new senior vice president to lead its corporate communications team. Ms de Rome, who will be based at Etihad's headquarters in Abu Dhabi and report to James Hogan, the airline's chief executive, had previously held the position of head of corporate communications at Australia's Qantas Airways, the airline said.
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