Air Arabia increases Doha flights
Air Arabia has announced the expansion of service to the Qatari capital, Doha, from the carrier’s primary hub in Sharjah, UAE.
Air Arabia now offers twice-daily flights to the Qatari city, up from the previous 10 flights per week.
The service departs Sharjah International Airport daily at 8.30am and 6.30pm and return flights depart Doha daily at 9.20am and 7.20pm.
Etihad agrees Astana codeshare
Etihad Airways has signed its 30th codeshare agreement with Air Astana, the national carrier of Kazakhstan.
Under the new deal, travellers originating from any of Etihad’s destinations worldwide can now fly to Kazakhstan through its Abu Dhabi hub.
Air travellers in Kazakhstan benefit through greater and easier access to Etihad’s global network. Air Astana currently operates 11 services per week to Abu Dhabi from Almaty and Astana.
Emirates increases Cape Town flights
Emirates has strengthened its commitment to South Africa with the launch of a second daily flight to Cape Town.
From March 27, Emirates is now flying non-stop twice a day to Cape Town. The new service is operated by an Airbus 340-500 aircraft in a three-class configuration, providing 12 first class private suites, 42 business-class seats and 204 spaces in economy.
Gulf Air launches Basra route
Gulf Air, recently launched a four-times-weekly service to Basra in Iraq.
The route will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays using Embraer and Airbus A319 aircraft.
Joining the first flight, airline CEO Samer Majali said: “Gulf Air’s relationship with Iraq goes back to nearly 35 years with our first flight to Baghdad in 1976. When we recommenced our services to Baghdad in September 2009, I promised to connect more destinations in Iraq and I am pleased say that we have added Najaf, Erbil and today, Basra.”
Daily service to Bangalore
Etihad has increased the frequency of its Bangalore flights from four per week to a daily service from March 25.
The airline flies a two-class Airbus A320 on the route providing a complimentary chauffeur service for its premium class passengers.
The airline will also commence operations to Malé, the capital city of the Maldives, on November 1, subject to government approval.
Etihad will operate a daily return service from its home base in Abu Dhabi operating Airbus A320 aircraft on the route, configured with two cabins and offering 1,904 seats each week.