In Brief

KLM flies Dreamliner to Dubai too

KLM has launched its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Dubai. Dubai is the second UAE destination served by the Dreamliner following the launch of the inaugural flight to Abu Dhabi earlier – the first KLM route to be served by the new aircraft.

KLM now operates a daily direct service from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam, connecting the Dreamliner’s 294 passengers into KLM’s global network of destinations. KLM’s new, state-of-the-art Dreamliner offers a new in-flight experience for passengers.

Gilles Roche, general manager for Air France KLM Gulf, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan, commented: 'KLM is proud to welcome our second Dreamliner to the UAE with this new flight to Dubai. The UAE’s two major cities are key routes for KLM, as we serve passengers based in the UAE and the GCC region.'

DC Aviation Al-Futtaim to expand Dubai ops

DC Aviation Al-Futtaim (DCAF), a leading private and business aviation facility, will expand its operations at its home base at Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai South (formerly Dubai World Central), UAE.

This follows the recent announcement from its joint venture partner Al-Futtaim, a privately owned UAE business conglomerate, to lease an additional 10,000 sq m of land from Dubai South. DCAF is a joint venture between Germany-based DC Aviation, a major operator of business jets and Dubai-based Al-Futtaim. The new plot will increase the operational potential of DCAF, enabling the company to expand its existing VIP lounge and hangar facility.

Oman Air appoints new GSA for Bahrain

OMAN Air, the national carrier of Oman, has appointed Elite Travel as its new general sales agent (GSA) for Bahrain.

The Manama-based company is the largest BSP travel agency in Bahrain, with seven outlets around the country, including one at the airport.

Lufthansa Group transports 107m passengers

THE airlines of the Lufthansa Group transported 107.7 million passengers in 2015, which is a new record. The group carried 1.6 per cent more passengers than in the previous year.

The company carried out more than one million flights and achieved the highest ever seat load factor of 80.4 per cent. This corresponds to an increase in capacity utilisation of 0.3 percentage points compared to 2014, it said.

Turkish Airlines starts SAW-Dubai flights

TURKISH Airlines has launched its flight from the second airport in Istanbul, Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW), to Dubai.

The inclusion of seven additional flights per week from and to Sabiha Gokcen which is on the Asian side of Istanbul, will increase the national carrier’s capacity on routes to Dubai by nearly 50 per cent, said a statement from Turkish Airlines.

Starting from March 2016, the airline will boost its weekly flights to 10 per week between Dubai and Sabiha Gokcen, further increasing frequencies and capacity on this route, the airline said.

RJ relaunches Jakarta flights

ROYAL Jordanian (RJ) has relaunched flights from Amman to the Indonesian capital Jakarta.

RJ president/CEO Captain Suleiman Obeidat said reopening the Amman-Jakarta route comes at a time when Indonesia is witnessing a remarkable growth in air traffic. Indonesia is the 17th largest economy worldwide.

RJ operated flights to Jakarta between 1992 and 2002, but they were suspended for commercial reasons.

Captain Obeidat said this route is bound to carry tourists from Jordan and the Levant to Indonesia and from there transport Indonesian students who study at Jordanian universities. The route will also serve the Indonesian labour force, cargo and business traffic.

RJ will operate to Jakarta via Kuala Lumpur three times a week – on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays – using the wide body Airbus 330 aircraft.