Abu Dhabi Airports has reported a 14.1% increase in passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) for January 2016 compared to the same period last year. A total of 2,154,241 people travelled through AUH last month, surpassing the previous January 2015 figure of 1,887,631.
ATR and Iran's national flag carrier Iran Air today signed in Teheran a deal for the introduction of 40 newest generation ATR 72-600s. The agreement includes firm orders for 20 aircraft plus 20 options, and is valued at one billion euro.
Dubai International (DXB) retained its position as the world's number one hub for international passengers by registering annual traffic of just over 78 million in 2015.
Etihad Airways has announced an increase in capacity between Abu Dhabi and Cairo with the introduction of a fourth daily scheduled flight, effective March 27, 2016.
Etihad Airways is to open a new First Class Lounge at Abu Dhabi International Airport's Terminal 3 in May, for the exclusive use of its First Class guests, Etihad Guest Platinum and Etihad Airways Partners Platinum guests, and those staying in The Residence onboard its Airbus A380 fleet.
French airport specialists Aeroports de Paris (ADPI), Vinci and Bouygues have signed MoUs to develop Iran's Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan airports according to sources in Iran
Temel Kotil, chief executive of Turkish Airlines, has ruled out acquiring Airbus A380s as long as the flag-carrier is based at its primary hub Istanbul Ataturk International Airport reports Martin Rivers.
Emirates has opened reservations for a new daily flight linking its Dubai International Airport hub with both Mactan–Cebu International Airport and Clark International Airport (formerly the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport) from the end of March 2016. The flight will operate on a triangular basis and will be flown using a two-class Boeing 777-300ER
Turkish Airlines has added another two destinations to its African network launching flights to Port Louis and Antananarivo, the capitals and the largest cities of Mauritius and Madagascar.
Egypt has hired global consultancy company Control Risks to assess security in its airports, following the crash of a plane over the Sinai Peninsula, which killed all on board.
In a move that will boost capacity in all three markets, the A380s will replace Boeing 777-300ERs during the first half of next year. Emirates will use a two-class A380 on one of its three daily flights between Dubai and Birmingham (EK039/040), while three-class examples will be deployed on its routes from Dubai to Prague and Taipei from May 1, 2016.
Etihad currently operates five 787-9s serving the markets of Brisbane, Washington, Singapore and Zurich from its Abu Dhabi International Airport hub. The type will become the UAE national carrier’s flagship long-haul aircraft in the coming years with a further 66 aircraft due to be delivered.
Emirates has confirmed it will introduce a four times weekly link between its Dubai International Airport hub and Yinchuan’s Hedong International Airport from May 3, 2016, with an additional onward leg to Zhengzhou’s Xinzheng International Airport. The flight will be operated by a 266-seat Boeing 777-200LR and will bring its offering mainland China to five points, adding to existing flights to Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.
