Airlines & Aviation

Investment experts at AHIC 2012 highlight opportune offers in GCC hospitality climate – post-Arab Spring resilience indicative of investor sentiment
Internationally renowned experts gathered at this year’s Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) and delivered a clear and consistent message: now is the right time to invest in the Gulf’s growing hotel industry – namely the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Oman.

Commenting on the common thread to emerge from AHIC’s main sessions which addressed the changing geo-political landscapes in the Middle East, and its ramifications for investors and developers, Jonathan Worsley, Chairman & CEO Bench Events, Board Member STR Global said:

“Dubai is setting the standard in hotel occupancy rates and sustainability; Saudi Arabia is sagaciously tapping its oil funds to lead the way in religious tourism and prudently diversifying its contribution to GDP away from hydrocarbon revenues; and Oman – the often mentioned ‘dark horse’ at the conference – presents a landscape fertile for hospitality development.

Escape the summer heat or plan ahead for your vacation next Fall in Switzerland or any parts of Europe with SWISS from Dubai.

SWISS, Swiss International Air Lines, today announced its special fare offers on bookings made up until 29 May 2012 for outbound travel dates up to 31 October 2012.  Return fares inclusive of taxes and fees start from as little as AED2,220 in SWISS Economy to Genevaand from AED2,490 to other key European destinations.Onboard SWISS Economy, passengers get to enjoy the sumptuous meal offered and relax on the ergonomically enhanced seats and ample legroom.

Travellers who prefer the comfort and luxury of premium cabins can book their flights to Europe in SWISS Business from AED11,310for return fares inclusive of taxes and fees.  While flying SWISS Business, guests’ palatesare treated to SWISS Taste of Switzerland and enjoy the comfort of the two-metrelieflat bed which can be adapted to personal preference from soft to firm, with an additional massage function.

Cairo, Egypt, 7 May, 2012:

British Airways’ home hub T5 has been voted the World's Best Airport Terminal by airline travellers at the World Airport Awards held at the Passenger Terminal Expo in Vienna. Organized by independent survey company Skytrax, the awards are based on 12 million customer surveys completed over ten months covering 388 airports.

"Despite initial teething problems when Terminal 5 opened in 2008, it has since become a firm favourite with passengers,” said Edward Plaisted of Skytrax.

“The architecture, ambience and terminal layout was repeatedly mentioned in the feedback in the survey, as well as the extensive range of shopping and dining options in the departures area."

Etihad Airways has marked eight years of flights to Beirut, the airline’s first commercial destination.

Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said: “Beirut holds a very special place in the history of Etihad Airways and I am delighted to be able to celebrate this important milestone today.”

The UAE flag carrier has carried more than 820,000 passengers and 700,000 tons of cargo between the Lebanese and UAE capitals since the historic first flight on November 12, 2003.

Mr Hogan led a high-level delegation to Beirut as part of the anniversary celebrations, and met the Lebanese Minister for Transport, His Excellency Ghazi AL Aridi, Middle East Airlines Chairman, Mohamed Al Hout, Lebanese Civil Aviation Authorities and senior Lebanese government officials.

The focus of the meetings was to strengthen Etihad Airways’ presence in the Lebanese market and promote tourism and travel connectivity over the airline’s Abu Dhabi hub, including the airline’s new route to Lagos, Nigeria. More than eighty thousand Lebanese live in the West African country and connectivity over the UAE capital has been optimised to fit with flights to and from Beirut.

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, has announced its backing for Oman Wild Art, a unique initiative aiming at showcasing Omani creative talent to an international audience.

Held between 5th and 10th May and launched at the Cultural Club in Qurum, Muscat, Oman Wild Art is a juried exhibition, organized in association with the Omani Society for Fine Arts, which will provide the opportunity for the Sultanate’s painters of natural history subjects to display their work and have it assessed by internationally-recognised judges.

Winning artists will then have their work exhibited throughout July at the Nature in Art Museum in Gloucester, England.

Etihad Airways has again cleaned up at the prestigious World Travel Awards Middle East.

The carrier was named the Middle East’s Leading Airline for the sixth year in a row at a glittering black tie gala in Dubai last night.

The accolade was one of four awards won by the national airline of the United Arab Emirates.

Etihad Airways was also recognised for the Middle East’s Leading Airline First Class, Leading Airline Inflight Entertainment and Leading Cabin Staff.

The World Travel Awards (WTA), described by the Wall Street Journal as the “travel industry’s equivalent to the Oscars,” are voted for by passengers and travel agents from 160 countries.

“Winning a Word Travel Award is the highest commendation in the travel and tourism industry and this triumph serves as a testament to Etihad Airways’ hard work and commitment to excellence over the last 12 months,” said Graham Cooke, WTA Chairman and Founder.

“Etihad Airways has become a global super-brand in just eight years. The past year has been particularly fruitful, as it reported its first full-year profit and continued its global expansion.”

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, today announced that Michael Venus will take charge of the company’s Corporate Affairs department.

Michael, who has been the airline’s Head of International Media Relations since June 2011, has been appointed Vice President Corporate Affairs, with immediate effect.  He will be responsible for Etihad Airways’ public affairs and corporate communications, including global media relations, social media strategy, internal communications, corporate social responsibility, environmental affairs and corporate events.

Michael, a multi award-winning journalist, brings more than 30 years of media experience to the position. His career began in Australian newspapers covering aviation, transport and politics. He was also a daily columnist, feature writer and investigative journalist. Michael then made the transition to television news as a senior on-camera reporter with the Nine Network before being appointed Chief of Staff at National Nine News in Melbourne. It was a position he held for more than a decade. In 2003 he assumed complete editorial and management control when he was appointed Director of News. After 7 years in the role he relocated to the United Arab Emirates.

Cairo, Egypt – 19 April 2012

British Airways has appointed Sarah Cain as its Commercial Manager for North Africa, responsible for Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Algeria.

In the five years she has been with the airline, Sarah, has fulfilled a number of customer service and commercial roles, most recently at IAG as the British Airways World Cargo key account manager for UK and Ireland sales.

Her experience includes project managing onboard catering changes for the North African Routes and working on the team that ensured the success of Terminal 5.
“British Airways has committed to putting the customer at the heart of our business. I hope my breadth of experience across the company and customer service knowledge, combined with the expertise of the local sales teams, contributes to us achieving this in these important North African markets.”