Air Cairo gets first A320
AIR Cairo, the Egypt-based carrier, has taken delivery of its first directly purchased aircraft, an Airbus A320, at a ceremony in Cairo.
The delivery is the first from a total of four A320 aircraft ordered from Airbus. Air Cairo plan to operate the aircraft on charter routes between Europe and within the Middle East. The airline is majority owned by Egyptair and Egyptian banks.
Airlines opt for inflight iPod videos
AIRLINE passengers will be able to connect their iPods to in-flight entertainment systems and watch their favourite videos without fear of running out of battery power while travelling on any of at least four major carriers, iPod maker Apple Computer said.
Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Dubai’s Emirates, and UAL's United Airlines will begin offering their passengers iPod seat connections. Apple said in its statement that Air France and KLM were also part of the agreement, but the two airlines said it was premature to be definitive.
Elite begins charters from Dubai
CHARTER service Elite Jets is to commence operations out of Dubai Airport’s new VIP terminal. It is expected to compete with Dubai-based Execujet, Abu Dhabi’s Royal Jet, and Netjets, based in Saudi Arabia. Elite Jets is the new exclusive Middle East sales agent for American business jet manufacturer Raytheon.
Air Arabia to fly Yerevan
LOW-COST carrier Air Arabia is to fly direct from Sharjah to Yerevan in Armenia, the airline’s fifth new destination announced in recent weeks, after Chennai and Thiruvanthapuram in India, Latakia in Syria and Kathmandu in Nepal.
EgyptAir shifts to Amadeus Altea
AMADEUS has successfully migrated the complete reservation, inventory and departure control systems for EgyptAir to the Amadeus Altéa Customer Management System (CMS). The transition to Amadeus Altéa, completed in only nine months, enables the transformation of EgyptAir's operations by removing the inherent constraints of legacy technology and allows the airline to become fully e-ticket compliant.
Duty Free outlet for Fujairah
FUJAIRAH airport has introduced a new duty-free outlet, Gulf News reported. The new 1,000 square metre outlet, based in the airport’s new terminal, was inaugurated by Mohammad Al Salami, chairman of the Fujairah Civil Aviation Authority. The report said Fujairah airport’s air traffic has increased 28 per cent since the start of this year coupled with a 23 per cent increase in the cargo service sector.