Etihad to Launch Flights to Tripoli
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has announced it would soon begin flights to Tripoli, although it has not yet released details of when the service will commence. The Libyan capital will become the fifth North African destination for the carrier. The airline’s Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, confirmed that the airline was planning three flights a week to Tripoli. “As soon as the NATO no-fly zone is lifted, the airport is declared safe and all appropriate infra-structure is in place we will be able to begin services,” he said. Etihad said it will use an Airbus A330-200 with 22 Peal Business Class and 240 Coral Economy seats on the route and will develop a schedule that would allow maximum connectivity over Abu Dhabi for flights from North and South Asia and the Indian Subcontinent as well as serving strong point to point traffic. The new services will further strengthen links between Libya and the UAE as the Gulf nation was among the first to recognise the new government of the country and provide political, military and humanitarian support.
Abu Dhabi Airport Reports ‘Aggressive Growth’
Abu Dhabi International Airport has again posted a double-digit year-on-year passenger increase for the month of September as its aggressive growth continues. The latest statistics from airport operator Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) show a 17.1 per cent increase in September 2011 with a total of 1,086,348 passengers being handled during the calendar month. ADAC accounted the growth to the long Eid holiday, the return to school for children, Omra and the arrival of new operators. During the month O&D traffic increased 16.6 per cent and transfer traffic 17.7 per cent; the latter now accounting for 45 per cent of the airport’s traffic, reflecting the business model of its largest customer Etihad Airways and the ongoing development of Abu Dhabi Airport as a global hub. India remains the main driver of the O&D market with 77,303 passengers in September. It is also one of the fastest growing markets with traffic increasing by 16.7 per cent. Meanwhile, London has become the number one destination from the airport above Doha, Bangkok, Sydney and Cairo. Traffic to all five of these destinations grew by double digits in September, ranging from Sydney (up 40 per cent) to Cairo (up a modest ten per cent).
Oman Air Drops Moscow Launch for Second Time
Oman Air has confirmed that it will not launch flights between Muscat and Moscow Domodedovo in November as had been previously planned, the second time it has delayed the start of its proposed services to the Russian capital. The Gulf airline was originally due to inaugurate its four times weekly flight in May 2011 but the start date was pushed back until November 16. The airline now says the launch “has been delayed for operational reasons” and that a new launch date “will be communicated in due course”.
RAK Airways Increases GCC Footprint
Only last week, The HUB reported about RAK Airways’ ambitious expansion plans and how it intends to expand its network to include 35 destinations by 2015. Well, the next stage of its growth has now been confirmed and fresh from announcing its expansion into the Pakistani market earlier this month, the carrier has revealed it will also increase the frequency of flights to Doha and add a new daily link to Kuwait City. The Qatari capital, Doha, is one of six destinations currently flown by RAK Airways from its Ras Al Khaimah base. It launched flights in July on a four times weekly basis but will increase this to a daily frequency from October 30. “With the latent opportunities in Qatar in the lead up to the 2022 World Cup, we have increased the frequency of our flights, to enhance our offering for business travellers looking to capitalise on the resulting rise in trade and tourism,” said Omar Jahameh, Chief Executive Officer, RAK Airways. The new daily Kuwait City route will be launched on November 20 and will further extend RAK Airways’ footprint across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. An estimated 1.3 million O&D passengers travelled between Kuwait and the UAE in the past year, up 0.3 per cent on the previous 12 month period. The majority of these travelled from Dubai (1.0 million; 82.6 per cent) with smaller passenger flows via Abu Dhabi (132,000; 10.5 per cent) and Sharjah (87,000; 7 per cent). RAK Airways’ entry into the Kuwait market and frequency increase to Doha has been made possible by the arrival of a third Airbus A320 and the carrier plans to grow to a fleet of ten aircraft by 2015. Its network strategy is aligned to the huge expatriate work force within the Middle East and the growing leisure and business traffic between Middle East and other countries. At the World Routes forum in Berlin, Germany earlier this month, Rajendran Vellapalath, Vice President Corporate Strategy and Planning, RAK Airways confirmed to The HUB that the airline was looking to open up services to four destinations during winter 2011/2012, so a further route announcement could still be on the cards. This destination, although not confirmed by the airline, is expected to be the Sudanese capital Khartoum, which will be served three times weekly subject to Government approval. “With the ambitious growth plans for Ras Al Khaimah and the Northern Emirates catchment area, especially from a tourism and business development, RAK Airways plans to serve up to 35 destinations by 2015 all within a five-hour radius,” Vellapalath added.
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