DUBAI: Emirates’ inaugural flight to Porto departed this morning from Dubai International Airport, with a VIP delegation on board the flight. Flanked by Emirates Cabin Crew, from left to right are: Gil Azevedo, Senior Vice President Head of Consumer Banking, Emirates Islamic Bank; Jose Silva, Chief Executive Officer, Jumeirah Group; His Excellency Joaquim Moreira De Lemos, Ambassador, Embassy of Portugal in the UAE; Thierry Aucoc, …

DUBAI: Dubai Airports and China Eastern celebrated the arrival of the carrier’s inaugural flight from Qingdao to Dubai at Dubai International (DXB) on Saturday evening. The thrice weekly service is an important addition to China Eastern’s existing flights connecting DXB to Shanghai and Kunming, and the first ever to connect DXB to Qingdao, a major port city of 9 million …

BANGKOK: Mr. Nond Kalinta, Vice President of Sales, Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI), said that cancellation of THAI roundtrip flights from Bangkok-Lahore and Bangkok-Islamabad has been extended from 30 June 2019 until 15 July 2019, due to partial opening of Pakistani airspace and restrictions on some routes. To facilitate THAI passengers travelling to Lahore and Islamabad, THAI has …

IRAQ: Careem has just begun testing a pilot scheme in Iraq to enable people to book Careem rides via WhatsApp. Ride-hailing is a relatively new concept in many parts of the world, and especially so in Iraq, but WhatsApp penetration throughout the country is as high as 80 percent. By allowing people to book via WhatsApp it simplifies the process, …

MANAMA: Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, will feature United Nations’ award-winning series of short feature stories – ‘UN in Action’, that reports on the organization’s peacekeeping efforts as well as United Nations’ projects aimed at reducing poverty and human suffering, fighting disease, providing humanitarian assistance and stimulating economic growth. The main objective of this agreement …

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopian Airlines Group, Africa’s Largest Airline Group and SKYTRAX Certified Four Star Global Airline, has signed a partnership agreement valued at $500 million with Collins Aerospace, one of the world’s largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products based in West Palm Beach, Florida.  The 25-year agreement covers maintenance of heat exchangers, air management systems and fuel metering units …

MANAMA: Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, announces the appointment of Mr. Esam Abdulhameed Al Hammadi as a Country Manager for its Dubai station. With a vast experience in airline sales and having managed Gulf Air’s hub station in Bahrain, Mr. Al Hammadi will transfer his years of knowledge and practice to manage one of the …

By Rafiq Vayani DUBAI: Careem, the leading online platform in the Middle East, to launch Free unlimited WiFi in all Careem cars from mid-July this year. The service is a result of a recent partnership with Etisalat, the UAE’s leading telecommunications operator, and Snapit Digital, a Media Tech company driving digital transformation, to provide free, high-speed Wi-Fi to all Careem …

DUBAI: Emirates SkyCargo has announced the appointment of Alyazeya Saeed and Fatma Ahli to the key positions of Cargo Managers of Oman and Kuwait respectively. The two appointees, who graduated from Emirates SkyCargo’s Commercial Management Programme, will manage the airline’s cargo operations in the two countries. With the new appointments, Emirates SkyCargo will be utilising UAE talent to oversee operations …

ABU DHABI: Etihad Guest, the award-winning loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, and Al Hilal Bank, one of the leading Islamic banks in the country, have partnered to launch Al Hilal Bank Etihad Guest Visa credit card in the UAE. The programme offers UAE residents an attractive package of benefits including Silver or Gold Etihad Guest Tier Status with the first …