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Flydubai to launch Azerbaijan route
Dubai's low-cost airline, Flydubai is preparing to start direct flights between Dubai and the Azeri capital, Baku, according to local site abc.az. The only current flights between UAE and Azerbaijan are served by Azerbaijan Airlines.
Middle East to lead air traffic growth
A new study predicts that international air passenger traffic in the Middle East will grow 6.6% over the next decade, which would be faster than any other region in the world. The latest Global Market Forecast by Airbus also said it expects the number of planes serving the region to nearly triple by 2028.
Air France to serve Dubai with A380
Air France has announced it will reduce its services to Dubai from 14 weekly flights to a daily service, but will offset the reduction by introducing its A380 aircraft on the route, according to UK-based Business Traveller magazine. The superjumbo is scheduled to operate on the route from January 18, 2010. The change is part of the airline's 2009 winter schedule.
Saudi Arabia, India ink expanded air services agreement
Saudi Arabia and India have amended their air services agreement to allow for more airlines to serve the two countries and to increase the weekly capacity. Currently, only Saudi Arabian Airlines and Air India operate services between the two countries. The new amendment enables both sides to 'designate any number of airlines as they wish' to operate services, according to India's aviation ministry. The two countries have also agreed to an open skies agreement for all cargo services with full third and fourth freedom traffic rights.
Flydubai plans rapid growth
Low-cost carrier Flydubai will add eight new destinations by the year's end and plans to expand at a faster pace until 2011, Gulf Times has reported. The airline will focus not only on destinations covered by full-service airlines such as Emirates and Etihad, but also on smaller, secondary cities in the region, Flydubai's CEO, Ghaith al-Ghaith said. The airline carried its 100,000th passenger in August, three months after launching.
Dnata looks into Kabul expansion
Airport service company Dnata has said Kabul, Afghanistan is one of the locations it is looking for international expansions, Gulf News has reported. The report mentioned Dnata is close to secure a deal, taking over the operation and management of Kabul International Airport. The timeframe on when the deal could materialise was not given.
SAS to up Dubai services
The multinational airline of Denmark, Sweden and Norway, SAS Scandinavian Airlines plans to expand in the Middle East and to South Asia by using Dubai as its regional hub, Gulf News has reported. The carrier plans to increase the frequency on its current Dubai flights because 'Dubai is a good and increasing market and the region is becoming more and more important for us,' according to Albert Henschel, the airline's UAE manager.
Royal Jordanian, S7 ink codeshare deal
Royal Jordanian (RJ) has signed a unilateral Free Sale Code-share Agreement with the largest Russian domestic carrier, Siberia airlines (S7), where S7 will place its code on RJ flights operated on Amman-Domodedovo-Amman route. The agreement will enable RJ to operate three flights a week, which will run on on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The carriers plan to expand the agreement to be bilateral once the necessary approvals for the Moscow, St Petersburg sectors.
Emirates, V Australia ink code share deal
Dubai-based Emirates and Virgin Blue Group's new international airline, V Australia, have announced a code share partnership on the trans-Tasman route, effective 25th October 2009. The code share agreement - Emirates' first with an Australian carrier - will provide V Australia guests seamless connections when travelling between New Zealand and the USA.
Oman Air receives new aircraft
Oman Air has taken delivery of the first of seven ordered Airbus A330-200s, as part of the airline's international network expansion. The new aircraft, which was acquired through a lease agreement with Dublin-based AWAS, is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines and is configured with 20 business-class and 196 economy-class seats. By the end of this year, the Sultanate's national carrier's fleet will feature two A330-200s and two A330-300s. During 2010-11, the airline will take an extra three A330-300s.
IATA forecasts deeper losses for airlines
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced a revised global financial forecast predicting airline losses totaling $11bn in 2009, raising an earlier loss forecast of $9bn due to rising fuel prices and exceptionally weak yields. Industry revenues for the year are expected to fall by $80bn (15%) to $455bn compared with 2008 levels. However, IATA has improved its outlook for Middle East carriers by reducing its earlier losses forecast by $1bn to only $500m. Middle East carriers will continue to gain long-haul market share with expanded capacity and hub connectivity, the international body said. The weakness of economic recovery, however, could mean continued excess capacity and further losses, IATA noted.
Mideast air transport activity grows
Majdi Sabri, Regional VP of the International Air Transport Association, has said that air transport activity in the Middle East and North Africa region had improved during the first seven months of this year compared to the same period last year, the Jordan Times has reported. The improvement may be attributed to the limited impact of the global economic downturn on the region, as well as the improved air transport services, he said. The region is the only part of the world which had recorded a 6.8% growth in air transport activity compared to a drop on the world level by a similar percentage, he noted.
Dubai expects 13.6% passenger growth in 2010
Dubai's location and advancements in aircraft technology will help passenger traffic through the emirate's two airports to grow to 13.6% in 2010, the Dubai Airports Company has predicted. Total passenger traffic through the Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International Airport is expected to reach 40.5 million by the end of 2009 and top 46 million in 2010. Dubai International is ranked the world's fifth busiest airport in terms of international passengers, and fourth busiest for international air cargo volumes according to Airport Council International's latest published figures.
Dubai airport open to having foreign anchor
Dubai's new Al-Maktoum International Airport is open to having a non-home airline as the anchor carrier, according to a Dubai International Airport senior executive. 'It does not have to be on of our home-grown carriers,' Anita Mehra Homayoun, VP for marketing at Dubai International Airport told website Flightglobal. 'It could be an Asian or European airline that feels that Dubai will be a good base to be in, and we will welcome that.'
Air Arabia Egypt expects launch by year-end
The recently announced low-cost airline formed by Egypt's Travco Group and UAE-based Air Arabia may launch operations by the end of 2009 from as many as five Egyptian airports, Travco's chief executive has said. The new airline, Air Arabia Egypt, will seek Egyptian government permission to use airports at Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh. The company will lease aircraft from Air Arabia or other sources, he said.
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