UAE Aviation News and Discussion Thread (Part 2)

[Parisian Girl]

Emirates had granted a 10kg extra baggage allowance to economy class passengers. (AGENCIES)

By VM Sathish | Published Monday, January 24, 2011

The UAE’s Emirates airline will be withdrawing its 10kg extra baggage allowance for economy class passengers from February 1, 2011, the airline said in a notice to customers.

In the official communication dated January 23, 2011, Emirates said that the “extra baggage allowance of 10kg hitherto to economy class passengers on selected routes will be withdrawn with effect from February 1, 2011.”

Emirates had granted a 10kg extra baggage allowance to economy class passengers, especially to the Asian subcontinent, allowing a total baggage allowance of 40kg, plus the usual hand baggage allowance.

The airline said in the statement that passengers with tickets booked prior to February 1, 2011, would still get the old allowance, but that the new rule applies to both commercial passengers and Emirates airline staff.

The revised baggage allowance, as per the statement, is 30kg for economy class, 40kg for business class and 50kg for first-class passengers.

http://www.emirates247.com/news/emir...01-24-1.346282

[Parisian Girl]

By Bloomberg | Tuesday, 25 January 2011 3:00 PM

Etihad Airways, the Middle East’s fourth-largest carrier, plans to rein in network expansion to concentrate on adding frequencies as it seeks to strip corporate customers from European carriers and differentiate itself from Gulf rival Emirates, chief executive officer James Hogan said.

The Abu Dhabi-based company will add no more than six new destinations in coming years, allowing it to deploy the bulk of seats from its 100 aircraft orders to satisfy the needs of the business-travel market, Hogan said in an interview.

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/etiha...ys-376170.html

[Dubaiiscool:)]

December passenger numbers reached 4.2 million, an increase of 11.6 per cent compared to 3.8 million recorded during the same month in 2009.

Staff Report

January 26, 2011

The Dubai International Airport saw 2010 passenger traffic reaching an historic 47.2 million, up 15.3 per cent over 40.9 million in 2009 and 2.4 per cent more than the 46.1 million originally projected for the year.
According to the annual traffic report issued on Wednesday by Dubai Airports, December passenger numbers reached 4.2 million, an increase of 11.6 per cent compared to 3.8 million recorded during the same month in 2009. In terms of monthly traffic, the airport crossed the four million mark for the third consecutive month in December, and for the fourth time in 2010.
Dubai International also witnessed strong cargo traffic growth in 2010 following a surge in air freight volumes during the first three quarters of the year as the global economy recovered and companies worldwide cleared inventories.

Air freight traffic growth slowed to single-digit monthly increases during the latter part of the year including December when the facility handled 188,103 tonnes of freight in compared to 182,874 tonnes in the corresponding month in 2009, an increase of 2.9 per cent. Annual cargo traffic rose to 2.27 million tonnes, a robust 17.7 per cent rise over the 1.93 million tonnes recorded in 2009.
Even with the trend of moderate cargo traffic growth expected to continue globally in 2011, freight volumes are fast-approaching Dubai's 2.5-million tonnes of capacity and should elevate the importance of Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International in accommodating additional cargo traffic.
Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Dubai Airports, attributed Dubai International's continued success to Dubai's progressive aviation model.
"The key to our success has been our coordinated and supportive approach to aviation," said Shaikh Ahmad. "Dubai has a model, unlike Europe and elsewhere, that recognises aviation's strategic importance and promotes growth in the sector. It starts with an open skies policy, competitive rates and a tax-free environment that has attracted over 130 airlines to Dubai and extends to strategic investments in top-flight aviation infrastructure that promote high service standards and sustain rapid growth. This combined with our geocentric location, which can effectively connect any two major cities in the world, will drive further expansion and continued benefits to consumers across the globe."
Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, added: "It was a year in which we celebrated many milestones. We surpassed our growth projections, ushered in Dubai's status as a twin-airport city with the opening of Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International in June and celebrated Dubai International's 50th anniversary.
"The growth story continues in 2011 with passenger numbers expected to surge another 11 per cent to 52.2 million. As a result, we have plans to boost capacity on the ground and in the air to ensure we can accommodate the growth while improving service across the airport."

http://gulfnews.com/business/aviatio...-2010-1.752343

[EmiratesAirline380]

Man admits Etihad bomb hoax
AFP
Last Updated: Jan 26, 2011

A man today pleaded guilty to a bomb hoax on board a flight from the UAE to Britain, causing it to divert under a fighter jet escort.

James Glen, 37, made the claims on Monday on a flight from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow, on the same day that 35 people were killed in a suicide bombing at Moscow Domodedovo airport.

The Etihad Airways flight, with 163 passengers and 15 crew on board, was diverted to London Stansted. Two Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled to escort it down.

Glen appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court, near Stansted, where he was remanded in custody until March 10, when he will likely be sentenced.

Glen, who was "intoxicated", told a flight attendant that a fellow passenger had a gun and had "threatened to blow himself up", prosecutor Vivienne Perry said.

She said the diversion had a "considerable financial cost", including charges incurred from the military escort, additional fuel and the cost to other passengers who missed connecting flights from Heathrow.

"The whole incident caused considerable problems for passengers and members of the air crew," she said.

"When he was interviewed, he admitted he made up the whole story and said he does not know why he did."

Glen, from Ayr in Scotland, had been living in Australia for 18 years and was flying for the first time since emigrating.

Defence lawyer Paul Cammiss said he was therefore anxious about the flight and had acted in a manner "alien to him".

[Parisian Girl]

The eDreams.com research is based on feedback from 30,000 customers who ranked the emirates airport as their top choice

By Bindu Suresh Rai | Published Thursday, January 27, 2011


Dubai International Airport (FILE)

Dubai International Airport has stuck another feather in its cap by winning the top spot as the best airport of 2010 based on a survey organised by eDreams.com, one of Europe's largest online travel agencies.

The 2010 survey, conduced by the Barcelona-based company, is supported by feedback and reviews from 30,000 customers across several categories in which Dubai Airport was rated 4.75 out of a possible five points overall.

http://www.emirates247.com/news/duba...01-27-1.347644

[Dubaiiscool:)]

Originally Posted by YU-AMC

Is there a decent location for spotters to take pictures upon arrival and take off? Any popular spots in the particular?

Can anyone help YU-AMC with it ?

[noir-dresses]

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles...a380s-rbs.html

Plenty of new markets for Emirates 90 A380s.

[Face81]

Emirates can now relax... They don't need Canada or Germany to expand.... according to this RBS Research Note

Plenty of new markets for Emirates' 90 A380s: RBS

By Kerry Reals

Emirates will not struggle to find enough economically viable routes on which to deploy the 90 Airbus A380s it has on order, and its 2020 fleet will be "modest" compared with airlines such as Air France-KLM and United Continental.

These are the main conclusions of a research note from Royal Bank of Scotland, which sees the Dubai-based carrier placing yet more aircraft orders in the second half of the current decade and into the following decade.

Emirates faced cynicism last June when it placed the single biggest A380 order with a deal for 32 of the type, taking its total order for the 500-seat aircraft to 90.

However, the RBS report supports the airline's growth strategy and, based on a hypothetical network and fleet plan to 2020, forecasts a growing share for Emirates in several key markets.



RBS foresees Emirates adding 21 new destinations to its network by 2015, based on the assumption that it will have taken delivery of 60 A380s, 23 A350s and 109 Boeing 777s by that time. The hypothetical schedule sees the carrier focusing its A380s on routes to Australia, Europe, the USA, China and Japan.

By 2020, RBS expects Emirates to add a further 25 new destinations with a heavier emphasis on south Asia and North America. This assumes that all 90 A380s will be in operation by this time, in addition to 70 A350s and 67 777s.

The report predicts that Emirates' total fleet will increase to 249 aircraft in 2020 from 155 in 2010. "This is notably more modest than one might expect, given the media discussion around Emirates' high-growth plans," says RBS, noting that this compares to a current 722-strong fleet at Lufthansa Group and a 1,261-strong fleet at United Continental. "These figures are boosted by large portfolios of regional aircraft but the scale of the Emirates fleet, on our modelling, would be modest."

RBS expects Emirates to retire a "significant share" of its existing fleet over the coming 10 years. This is in line with earlier comments from Emirates chief executive Tim Clark (Flight International, 15-21 June 2010) that the carrier would begin a phase-out in February of around 68 of its older widebodies, including A330-200s, A340-300/500s and 777-200s.

Source


Now all I want to know is after Basra, Geneva and Copenhagen, what's Emirates' 4th new destination for 2011 going to be???

[Dubaiiscool:)]

Emirates, Etihad get France clearance to operate 22 more weekly flights

Bloomberg

January 29, 2011


Virgin’s V Australia subsidiary had agreed to enter into a code-sharing agreement with Etihad which would involve frequent-flyer programmes as well as coordinated pricing and scheduling. Image Credit: Gulf News archive

Emirates and Etihad Airways won clearance to add 22 weekly flights to France in bilateral government talks.
Emirates and Etihad will each receive permission for an additional four weekly Paris flights and seven to smaller cities, said a French Transport Ministry spokeswoman who declined to be identified, citing government rules.
Flying rights
Air France-KLM Group, Europe's biggest carrier based on traffic, had pressed the government to refuse any new flying rights to Emirates and Etihad, arguing that lower taxes and airports fees at their hubs amount to an unfair advantage.
The French carrier had no comment on the agreement, Nicolas Petteau, a spokesman at the company's Paris headquarters, said yesterday.
Emirates said in an e-mailed statement that it was "encouraged by these developments."
Emirates is the biggest customer for the Airbus A380, with 90 of the superjumbos on order or flying.
The airline overtook Deutsche Lufthansa AG in 2009 as the biggest carrier on international flights following a sixfold increase in traffic since 2000, when it ranked 24th.
La Tribune newspaper reported on the aviation agreement earlier yesterday, without citing anyone.

Resume talks
The newspaper said the stalled talks on a UAE order for Rafale fighter jets from Paris-based Dassault Aviation would resume following the deal.
The French ministry spokeswoman declined to comment.

http://gulfnews.com/business/aviatio...rance-1.753756

[MKTJ]

Originally Posted by Face81

Now all I want to know is after Basra, Geneva and Copenhagen, what's Emirates' 4th new destination for 2011 going to be???

It could be Baghdad.

[LoverOfDubai]

Originally Posted by MKTJ

It could be Baghdad.

Flights to Baghdad began July 2010.

[Dubaiiscool:)]

Austrian Airlines reduces Dubai seat capacity


Arno Maierbrugger, Deoputy Business Editor

January 30, 2011

Emirates will offer four additional weekly flights to Vienna starting with the summer timetable, the Austrian branch of the company announced last week. In addition to the daily flight with a Boeing 777-300 the airline will deploy an Airbus 340-500 for additional flights on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
According to Martin Gross, Emirates country director for Austria, Hungary and Slovakia, the new flights "confirm the successful work we are doing in Austria." He added that the new additional flight schedules make it possible to connect Vienna with far more destinations. With the new flights, the seat number on the route will rise by 40 per cent.
The new flight from Vienna to Dubai leaves at 10.50pm and arrives in Dubai at 6.30am, which provides direct connections to 11 destinations in Africa and better accessibility of flights to India, the Far East and Australia, the airline said. In the other direction, the new connection will leave Dubai at 5.15pm to arrive in Vienna at 9.20pm.

Cargo boost
The new flights will also be used for extended cargo transport, as each flight can accommodate 15 tonnes of freight.
Meanwhile, Austrian Airlines, which also serves the Dubai-Vienna route, said it will continue flying to Dubai, but with a smaller plane. The Austrian carrier, which is part of the Lufthansa group, has already reduced its two daily flights to Dubai to one lately, and now says it will fly with a Boeing 767-300 instead of the 777-200, according to Austrian Airlines spokeswoman Ursula Berger. This means a reduction of seats by one quarter.
Last week, it emerged that Austrian airline Niki, a discount carrier founded by former Formula One driver Niki Lauda, and Emirates are in talks about a cooperation pact. Niki CEO Otmar Lenz confirmed to the Austrian Press Agency APA that the cooperation between Niki and Emirates will commence with the summer timetable.

No code sharing
However, he said that only onwards and connecting flights ("interlining") will be offered but no code sharing. There are currently no plans for code sharing between Niki and Emirates, he said.
Both Emirates and Niki will be tough competition in the future for Austrian Airlines, whose regional focus has been changed since it was taken over by Lufthansa group in 2009. Austrian Airlines, a member of Star Alliance, signed a code share agreement with Kuwait's Wataniya Airways in 2010, its first agreement of this kind with a Gulf-based airline.
Interestingly, Austrian Airlines charter arm Lauda Air was founded by Niki Lauda and sold to the airline in 2000. His new airline Niki, which now competes with Austrian Airlines, was launched in 2003.

http://gulfnews.com/business/aviatio...ienna-1.754132

[Parisian Girl]

By WAM | Published Sunday, January 30, 2011

Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Adac), the operator of Abu Dhabi's five airports, revealed on Sunday that Abu Dhabi International Airport retail revenue hit Dh582 million in 2010, setting a new record for the company. The figure represents a 15 per cent increase over 2009 sales performance.

http://www.emirates247.com/news/emir...01-30-1.349012

[zerozol]

Originally Posted by LoverOfDubai

Flights to Baghdad began July 2010.

No, it didn't.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/new...baghdad-launch

http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/201...flight-launch/

[LoverOfDubai]

Originally Posted by zerozol

No, it didn't.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/new...baghdad-launch

http://www.iraq-businessnews.com/201...flight-launch/

Thanks, I had not heard that.

[Parisian Girl]

2011-01-30 22:40:00

Dubai, Jan 30 (IANS/WAM) Dubai-based Emirates airline Sunday advised its passengers to avoid a trip to Egypt that is caught up in a political turmoil, but said services to and from Cairo are operating as scheduled.

'All passengers due to travel to or from Cairo in the next few days are advised to reconsider non-essential travel and check the status of their flight on www.emirates.com, before departing for the airport,' an Emirates spokesperson said.

'We are monitoring the situation closely and aim to give customers as much notice as possible, should there be any changes to our operations,' he said.

http://www.sify.com/news/emirates-wa...4wEegahge.html

[noir-dresses]

Here it is folks, the new Emirate Skywards IO card.

[Parisian Girl]

by ASC Staff on Feb 1, 2011

Etihad Airways recently held its 2011 Worldwide Staff Conference at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

The two-day conference, attended by over 500 staff from around the world, was addressed by Etihad CEO James Hogan and senior management team.

His Excellency Mubarak Al Muhairi, chairman of the airline's executive committee, also made a special address to thank staff for believing in Abu Dhabi and its vision for the future, pointing out that the growth and future success of both Etihad and Abu Dhabi is interwoven.

http://www.arabiansupplychain.com/ar...erence-in-uae/

[noir-dresses]

Originally Posted by noir-dresses

Here it is folks, the new Emirate Skywards IO card.

I still can't believe no body has nothing to say about this find. Less than 200 of them exist, and there are more than 6 million frequent flyers with Emirates. It's harder to see than a Bugatti in Dubai.

[noir-dresses]

Originally Posted by noir-dresses

Scheduled EK Deliveries for 2011 as follows

16 B777-300ER Begin on April 2011

7 A380-800 (Lighter units) Begin June 2011

Total of 23 schedule deliveries this year.

Will give you freightor deliveries in the next couple of day's

Remember I posted this a while ago Zero, and we had that chat ? Read this latest article, looks like it's true.

http://www.emirates247.com/news/emir...02-02-1.350624