In Brief

Qatar Airways to expand East Europe services

QATAR Airways has launched an expansion programme covering Eastern Europe. Flights to Zagreb (Croatia) and Budapest (Hungary) are increasing to a 10-weekly service from a current daily service from April 3 and July 3, respectively, while flights to Baku (Azerbaijan) are increasing to an 11-weekly service, also from a current daily scheduled flight, from March 27. New direct flights will be launched to Belgrade (Serbia) from March 16.

Emirates plans fifth daily service to Colombo

EMIRATES has reaffirmed its commitment to Sri Lanka by introducing an additional daily service between Dubai and Colombo. Effective August 1, the airline will operate five daily flights between Dubai and Colombo every day except Wednesdays when it will operate four flights.

Dragonair rebranded as Cathay Dragon

THE Cathay Pacific Group has announced the rebranding of its wholly owned sister airline Dragonair as Cathay Dragon. The two will remain as separate airlines, operating under their own licences.

Amman passenger traffic steady

JORDAN’S Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) in Amman welcomed 7,095,685 passengers in 2015, marking a marginal increase of 0.1 per cent in traffic compared to the previous year. Aircraft movement figures registered a year-to-date fall of 1.9 per cent, settling at 71,753.

Turkish Airlines receives 300th plane

TURKISH Airlines recently celebrated the delivery of its 300th aircraft, an Airbus A330-300, during a ceremony held at the Atatürk International Airport in Istanbul. Turkish Airlines board chairman M İlker Aycı said the airline has set huge targets towards becoming the world’s leading airline.

Asaas wins Oman low-cost carrier licence

MUSCAT National Development and Investment Company (Asaas) has been awarded a new air services operator licence by the Public Authority for Civil Aviation to establish Oman’s first low-cost carrier.

ME carriers record strongest traffic growth

MIDDLE EAST carriers recorded a staggering 10.5 per cent growth in annual traffic last year compared to the figures in 2014, registering the strongest growth globally, said an International Air Transport Association (Iata) report. Following closely behind was Latin America (9.3 per cent), Asia Pacific (8.2 per cent) and Europe (5 per cent).

Flydubai profits down

BUDGET carrier flydubai posted a 60 per cent drop in 2015 net profit as tough market conditions, the airline’s fuel hedging policy and the impact from a stronger dollar outweighed higher revenue. It made a net profit of Dh100.7 million ($27.4 million) in 2015, down from Dh250 million ($68 million) a year earlier, a Reuters report said. The number of passengers carried by flydubai rose 24.7 per cent to 9.04 million in 2015.

Gulf Air boosts Jeddah flights

GULF AIR, Bahrain’s national carrier, has boosted its service to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with the launch of four daily flights between Bahrain International Airport and King Abdulaziz International Airport. Earlier last month, the airline supplemented its existing Kuwait service and began operating six daily flights between Bahrain and Kuwait.

Jazeera posts $51m net profit

JAZEERA AIRWAYS, a low-cost carrier based in Kuwait, reported a net profit of KD15.4 million ($51.2 million) for 2015. The airline’s operating profit for 2015 hit KD13.6 million ($45.2 million), reflecting a 2 per cent increase from 2014. Operating revenue for the year was KD58.6 million ($194.9 million).

Saudia gets Dreamliners

BOEING, a leading aircraft manufacturer, has delivered two B787-9 Dreamliners and a 777-300ER (Extended Range) to Saudia, Saudi Arabia’s national airline. The airline had ordered eight 787-9’s in 2010. "The delivery of our first Dreamliners marks yet another exciting chapter in Saudia’s long-standing relationship with Boeing," said Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, director-general, Saudi Arabian Airlines.