Aviation

RABAT / Reuters A ban on carrying laptop computers and other large electronic devices in aircraft cabins on direct flights between Morocco and the United States will be lifted on Thursday, Morocco’s Royal Air Maroc said in a statement. In March, the United States banned laptops in cabins on flights originating at 10 airports in eight countries — Egypt, Morocco, ...

Bloomberg Air Zimbabwe is firing more than a third of its workforce to prevent the state-owned airline from going bankrupt. The airline has debts of about $330 million, Transport Minister Joram Gumbo said in June. The carrier was also banned from operating in the European Union in May on safety concerns even though it doesn’t currently fly there. As many ...

Bloomberg Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet has signed off on a plan to sell all or part of Air India Ltd, a debt-ridden, state-run carrier with the most unusual baggage. The airline’s balance sheet includes commercial space near London Heathrow, land in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Nairobi, all bought during the heydays when the airline commissioned paintings by Indian modern ...

Bloomberg Air France has a week to gain support from pilots for its plan for a new lower-cost airline to win back market share from competitors, with a key union demanding guarantees on the number of flights the carrier will operate. SNPL union has put Air France’s latest proposal for pilots, which includes the plan for the new airline, to ...

Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business Etihad Holidays has launched operations in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain to provide a wide choice of package holiday options to travellers in the four countries. The move follows the successful introduction of Etihad Airways’ holiday division in the UAE, UK, Germany, India and North America. Launched in 2004, Etihad Holidays offers dynamically packaged ...

Bloomberg Chinese aircraft builder Comac won approval from the nation’s aviation regulator to start mass production of its homemade ARJ21 regional jet, paving the way for deliveries to customers. The Civil Aviation Administration of China issued production certificates for the 90-seater Advanced Regional Jet, state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd., or Comac, said in a statement, adding it aims ...

Sharjah / Emirates Business Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) launched its inaugural flight to Sohar, making it the first international flight to commence operations at the Sohar Airport. The Air Arabia flight will operate three times a week, on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays, departing from Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) at 08:00 ...

DUBAI / Reuters Wataniya Airways is to resume flights on Tuesday for the first time since ceasing operations in 2011, according to state news agency KUNA. Wataniya halted operations after three years in business due to its financial situation and political instability in the Middle East. The Kuwaiti airline will restart with a scheduled service on July 11 to Tbilisi, ...

Bloomberg The national carriers of Jordan and Kuwait announced that passengers will once again be allowed to carry personal electronics, including laptops, on board US-bound flights, ending a ban that had been imposed in March. The US had issued the ban over concerns IS extremists and other extremists could hide bombs inside laptops. Royal Jordanian said it had implemented “enhanced ...

Dubai / Emirates Business Musafir.com, the UAE’s first homegrown premium-experience travel website has been recognised as the ‘Best Online Travel Agency’ in the Middle East at the first-ever Arabian Travel Awards held at JW Marriott Hotel Dubai. Musafir.com competed against a number of leading travel service providers in the Middle East to showcase its industry-leading technology, customer service and product ...