Gulf companies

Last September, Air France announced the suspension of its Paris-Abu Dhabi route with the introduction of the winter timetable. A decision that seemed surprising given that the route had been inaugurated in October 2023. The airline had launched the route, pinning all its hopes on rapid development, with a flight operated on a frequent basis...

The news may have come as a surprise to the Gulf air transport industry last April. The transfer of all traffic from Dubai's current airport to Dubai World Central (also known as Dubai Al Maktoum) will take one of the world's leading airports into a new dimension. A surprise then...

The new Qsuite Next Gen has just made its first public appearance at the Farnborough Airshow, currently taking place in the UK. With this version, Qatar Airways aims to offer its passengers an even more exceptional and exclusive experience. The re-imagined Quad Suite is now equipped with the first Panasonic Astrova 4K OLED IFE displays...

Although Oman Air is due to join the oneworld alliance before the end of the year, and will therefore be coordinating its frequent flyer programme with its future alliance partners, the airline has signed a cooperation agreement with Flying Blue. The agreement came into effect on June 3. Flying Blue members can now...

From 2 August 2024, Basel-Mulhouse airport will be welcoming its first non-stop service to a country in the Persian Gulf. The leisure airline Flydubai will be the first UAE carrier to land at Euro Airport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (BSL). The flights will be operated four times a week by...

It is certainly the seat least coveted by all passengers: the middle of the row. While it is always present in economy or premium economy, forcing passengers to step over their neighbours, it is now rare for this to be the case in business class. Except at Emirates, which has so far...

At the latest ITB Berlin tourism trade fair, Qatar Airways announced that it was strengthening its routes for the 2024 summer season and the 2024/2025 winter season. The carrier is expanding to 15 destinations worldwide, including a large number in Europe. In France, Qatar Airways will increase its number of flights from 21 to 28...

Affected by the Covid crisis like all airlines in the world, the national carrier Oman Air is nevertheless finding it more difficult than others in the region to return to a healthy financial structure. The company continues to accumulate losses, even if they are decreasing from one year to the next. In 2022, Oman Air had already reduced its...

Qatar Airways and catering company gategroup have announced a new partnership focused on enhancing the in-flight dining experience. Structured around a commercial management agreement, the partnership aims to work closely together on various aspects of in-flight catering. This includes passenger dining experiences, the supply chain, the promotion of healthy eating and the...

The Etihad Airways 2024 summer schedule includes a number of new features for the UAE national carrier's network. The main new feature for the French market is the launch of a non-stop service between Nice and Abu Dhabi. From 15 June 2024, the Côte d'Azur capital will benefit from two weekly flights to the...

Officially launched by Airbus in December 2000, the Airbus A380 will have had the shortest life of any of the European aircraft manufacturer's models. Its production will have lasted just 19 years between the manufacture of the first wingboxes in 2002 and the last aircraft delivered to Emirates in 2021. Or even just 14 years, if you...

Emirates struck hard at the opening of the Dubai 2023 air show. The airline returned to the era of mega-orders. It has purchased a further 95 wide-body aircraft from Boeing, bringing its total order book to 295 aircraft. Emirates is the world's largest operator of wide-body passenger aircraft, and will buy a further...

There were increasing complaints from passengers about the impossibility of getting to the centre of Tokyo at a reasonable price with Emirates flight EK 312, which landed on the tarmac at Haneda airport at around 10.30pm. But by the time they had passed through police and customs checks and collected their baggage, most of the...

Emirates is taking its turn. Following in the footsteps of Singapore Airlines, Air France, Swiss, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways and Qantas, the Dubai-based airline is launching its meal pre-ordering service. This is a test period for this new service, which is only available on flights between Dubai and the three London airports...

The new interline agreement between Emirates and Etihad is aimed primarily at tourist circuits. But it will also have an impact on business travel. The new agreement signed at the beginning of May 2023 offers travellers additional itinerary options by allowing departure or arrival from both Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Abu Dhabi:...

Etihad put on a show on 1 May at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, unveiling its new business class. It will be fitted on Boeing 787 Dreamliners, three of which will join the fleet in the third quarter of 2023, marking the arrival of this new Business class. It is in fact a...

Qatar Airways inaugurated its new Doha lounge at Hamad International Airport a few days ago. The lounge, called "The Garden", covers an area of almost 7,500 m². No fewer than 24 "tranquillity areas" have been integrated into it. The new garden...

In-flight connectivity as a selling point to boost loyalty programmes? This is the credo being adopted by a growing number of carriers. Etihad has now taken the plunge, following in the footsteps of Turkish Airlines a few days earlier. From now on, it will be possible to communicate free of charge in-flight via the...

Last month at ITB Berlin, Qatar Airways announced the opening of seven new routes, including 3 in France. Nice-Doha will be the first route to return to the network. It will resume on 9 May with four weekly flights on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Flights depart from Nice-Côte d'Azur at 4pm and arrive...

In the space of two decades, Gulf airlines have become essential to India's integration into international air transport. Thanks to them, business travellers can reach more than a dozen cities on the sub-continent. Qatar Airways offers the most extensive network with 13 destinations, followed by Saudia with 10 stopovers. Emirates and...