Aviation

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 ...

Bloomberg Air France-KLM Group signaled that a turnaround that began early this year is continuing as summer bookings rise and tourists from Asia and the US return to France after staying away in 2016. “The second quarter is good and the bookings for this summer are also quite positive compared to last year,” Jean-Marc Janaillac said in an interview at ...

Bloomberg South Korea’s police raided the head office of Korean Air Lines Co. in Seoul to probe alleged misuse of company funds, the first crackdown on a major local conglomerate after President Moon Jae-in came to power in May. Police are investigating allegations that Chairman Cho Yang-ho, the head of Hanjin Group that controls Korean Air, had interior work done ...

Bloomberg A Deutsche Lufthansa AG pilot who was grounded when he turned 65 lost his age-discrimination fight at the European Union’s top court, which said EU legislation imposing the limit is justified for safety reasons. “It is undeniable that the physical capabilities essential to the profession of an airline pilot diminish with age,” the EU Court of Justice said in ...

Bloomberg Airbus SE Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders will take control of sales and marketing for the company’s planemaking division in a move that dilutes the role of chief operating officer and commercial-aircraft president Fabrice Bregier. The change comes after Airbus implemented a shift to a single corporate structure that folds the civil arm more closely into the group. That ...

Bloomberg IndiGo, the only carrier that has made a pitch to purchase Air India Ltd., sought to allay investor concerns about the budget operator buying the unprofitable national carrier, saying a deal would help speed up its plans for low-cost, long-distance flights. Spelling out the rationale for their interest in the highly indebted airline in a conference call with analysts, ...

Al Ain / emirates business The A350-1000 test aircraft, MSN065, successfully completed the hot weather tests at the Al Ain International airport. The tests which took place from July 4-7, involved the aircraft undergo extreme weather conditions at temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. The objective of the tests is to check systems behaviour with a focus on the cabin, including ...