Top 3 Headlines
Riyadh Air opens public sales for Riyadh-London route
Riyadh Air has opened public ticket sales for its highly anticipated Riyadh-London Heathrow route, confirming the service will be operated by its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The London service is strategically important not only because of the prestige and demand profile of the UK market, but also because it places Riyadh Air directly into competition with established Gulf and European operators on one of the region’s most commercially valuable long-haul corridors.
Qatar Airways expands Africa operations
Qatar Airways has announced a significant expansion across Africa, restoring services to Seychelles, Kigali and Marrakesh while also increasing frequencies to major markets including Cairo, Alexandria, Tunis, Zanzibar, Cape Town and Johannesburg. The carrier will also launch flights to Port Sudan from 2 July.
Etihad launches Salalah flights while boosting Paris to triple-daily
Etihad Airways has officially launched flights to Salalah, adding additional Abu Dhabi-Oman capacity ahead of the peak khareef travel season. The route targets strong GCC leisure demand for southern Oman’s seasonal tourism market, which traditionally sees a significant rise in traffic during the summer months.
Etihad will also be boosting its Paris route to two daily flights on its Airbus A380, and will add a third daily service supported with its Boeing 787-9 from 1 July. The move adds more premium capacity on one of its strongest European routes.
Noteworthy
- flynas will launch daily direct flights between Jeddah and Amman from 15 June. The new service strengthens travel links between Saudi Arabia and Jordan. flynas has also launched its fifth operational hub in Abha International Airport, and unveiled a special aircraft livery inspired by Aseer’s identity.
- Etihad is offering 1,000 Etihad Guest Miles and 3kg extra baggage for travellers using City or Home Check-In from 19 May to 16 August. Extra baggage is also available during selected off-peak airport check-in windows at Zayed International Airport.
- Saudi Arabia has banned passengers from charging power banks onboard flights and limited travellers to two devices each due to safety concerns.
- Gulf Air has said it has now restored 75% of its global network, with flights operating across 40 destinations in 24 countries, signalling continued operational recovery and stabilisation across its route system.
- Emirates has completed the first retrofit of a two-class A380 aircraft, adding Premium Economy seating and converting the aircraft into a three-class configuration for Dubai-Birmingham operations. The project forms part of the airline’s wider multi-billion-dollar retrofit programme.
- Red Sea Global has added 10 extra Saudia flights over Eid, doubling capacity through Red Sea International Airport.
