Air Transport

Emirates managers are said to be ‘agonising’ over future plans for the long-haul dominated airline.

Rolls-Royce announced this morning that it will lose up to 9,000 jobs as it addresses the change in demand following the collapse of the aviation industry due to Covid-19.

Reuters has reported that Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways has laid off hundreds of employees this month,, after the coronavirus pandemic forced it to ground flights, according to industry and company sources.

Emirates has unveiled multi-faceted measures for employee and customer care at every step of the travel journey, redefining safety and hygiene standards on board and on the ground. The new measures took effect today, with the resumption of regularly scheduled passenger flights to nine destinations.

Saudi Arabia is to resume some domestic flights from Sunday as it eases restriction measures.

Tom Peaford, an A320 senior first officer, looks at the issues affecting flight crews as airlines begin the return to service.

The region’s largest airline, Emirates, is underway with its staff cuts as employees were called into the Dubai head office and training centre today to be issued with formal dismissal letters.

Some 1500 ‘foreign staff’ are to lose their jobs with Kuwait Airways. The airline has not yet said which departments will be affected.

Lebanon's Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport will reopen to international movements, the transport minister announced today.

Dubai-based A320 pilot Tom Peaford looks at the changing world for airline pilots and manages expectations.

Flydubai’s has been making preparations for the airline’s commercial return to service following the coronavirus pandemic.

IATA and the Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific are joining the International Civil Aviation Organization Middle East (ICAO MID) in urging governments of the Middle East to implement ICAO’s global guidelines for restoring safe air connectivity.

Qatar Airways has resumed flights to New York (JFK) from 19 June (rising to 10 weekly from 2 July) and to Boston, Los Angeles and Washington Dulles from 1 July.

IATA CEO Alexandre de Juniac yesterday stressed at IATA’s media briefing the urgent need for governments to address the quarantine issue, and for countries seeking to open up their economies, travel and tourism is a critical sector.

Four hundred more Etihad pilots are to leave the Abu Dhabi airline as another swathe of job cuts was announced.

The commercial aviation industry’s rebound from COVID-19 is underway, with the number of airline flights starting to gradually increase, but widespread recovery could take several years.

Royal Jordanian’s commitment to retain staff through the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic has, unsurprisingly, affected its first quarter earnings,

Qatar Airways mix of modern fuel-efficient aircraft helped it to develop a sustainable and adapted solution, allowing it to continue flying routes with less overall demand as it has a variety of aircraft it can select from to offer the right capacity in each market.

IATA has today called on governments in the Middle East to harmonise biosafety measures for passengers across the region as aviation restarts.

Pegasus Airlines has signed up to the COVID-19 Aviation Health Safety Protocol published jointly by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released an airline self-assessment health checklist to support the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Take-off: Guidance for Air Travel through the Covid-19 Public Health Crisis.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released new data showing the impact on the Middle East aviation industry and on economies caused by the shutdown of air traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened over recent weeks.

An Etihad Airways 787-10 Dreamliner kitted out with special equipment that can enhance safety and reduce CO2 emissions and noise has commenced flight testing this week for Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator programme.

Wizz Air’s new UAE launch has been delayed by two weeks due to Covid-19 restrictions, the Hungarian carrier said today.

Boeing and Etihad Airways concluded testing on the aerospace company’s 2020 ecoDemonstrator programme last week with a cross-country flight using a 50/50 blend of sustainable and traditional jet fuel.