Emirates to add A380 to Mauritius route

Emirates will launch a daily Airbus A380 service between Dubai and Mauritius from December, it was announced today.

From December 16, the aircraft will operate as flight EK701 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays and EK3701 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, departing from Dubai International Airport at 03.10 hours and arriving in Mauritius at 0940.

Return flight EK702 and EK3702 will depart Mauritius' Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport at 1820 hours and arrive in Dubai at 0110 the next day.

The A380 service will replace one of the existing three class Boeing 777-300 services the airline currently operates to Mauritius, meaning there will be an additional 153 seats on the route each day across first, business and economy.

The news comes four months after Emirates operated a one-off A380 flight to Mauritius to celebrate the island's 45 years of independence.

Thierry Antinori, Emirates' executive vice president and chief commercial officer, said: "Having brought our flagship A380 aircraft to this beautiful island for the first time in March, we could see how much appeal the aircraft had for our customers on the route.

"A first amongst the Indian Ocean Islands, it is a matter of great pride to be able to offer this service on a daily basis from December this year."

Emirates currently has the world's largest fleet of A380s, with 35 of the superjumbos.

emirates.com

Graham Smith

New Qantas Offering

Qantas has taken the next steps towards establishing its new gateway to Europe and the UK, enabling customers to book flights through the global hub of Dubai for travel from 31 March, 2013. The revised Qantas routes, Sydney-Dubai-London and Melbourne-Dubai-London, come as the ACCC considers the proposed Qantas-Emirates partnership, which remains subject to regulatory approval.
The schedule changes do not involve co-ordination between the airlines and do not require ACCC approval. Qantas will start initial work with Emirates on its proposed partnership, following discussions with the ACCC and withdrawal of the airline’s request for interim authorisation.
The ACCC is considering the airlines’ substantive application for authorisation. Qantas has also made a series of other adjustments to its international flight schedule, focused on giving customers more choice and flexibility. Qantas services to Frankfurt will continue until October 2013 and flights to Singapore will be timed so that they connect better with onward flights within Asia.
 The new schedule will be available shortly on qantas.com and via travel agents. Qantas will contact passengers with existing bookings to Europe or the UK after 31 March 2013 affected by these changes, to offer them alternative flights. Customers with bookings prior to this date are not impacted by the change.

Emirates Increase Seychelles Flights

Emirates will introduce two additional flights to the Seychelles in December and February, thus increasing the service to 13 weekly flights. The 12th flight starts on 3 December and will depart Dubai at 08h45, arriving in the Seychelles at 13h25. The return journey from the Seychelles will depart at 23h50, arriving in Dubai at 04h20 the following day. The 13th flight will be operational from 5 February, 2013. Emirates has been flying to the Seychelles since January 2005. Emirates flies to 125 destinations in 74 countries across six continents. Operating 177 wide-body Airbus and Boeing aircraft, including 21 A380s, Emirates has orders for an additional 226 aircraft, worth more than USD$62 billion.

Qantas, Emirates In New Global Aviation Partnership

Qantas and Emirates have announced a new global aviation partnership, whereby Qantas will move its hub for European flights to Dubai and enter an extensive commercial relationship with Emirates. Whilst neither airline will take equity in the other, the 10-year partnership will go beyond codesharing by including integrated network collaboration with co-ordinated pricing, sales and scheduling, as well as a benefit-sharing model. 
Qantas will launch daily A380 services from both Sydney and Melbourne to London via Dubai, and together Emirates and Qantas will offer 98 weekly services between Australia and Dubai. Qantas will be the only other airline operating to Terminal 3 and the new purpose-built A380 concourse at Dubai International Airport. Qantas customers will get one-stop access to more than 70 Emirates destinations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and for Emirates customers it will open up Qantas’ Australian domestic network of more than 50 destinations and 5,000 flights per week.
 The Emirates and Qantas frequent flyer programs will also be aligned. The airlines will also provide reciprocal access to tier status benefits, including end-to-end customer recognition, lounge access, priority check-in, boarding and other exclusive services. The airlines will submit an application for interim authorisation to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, in order to begin commercial planning. 
Subject to regulatory approval, it is anticipated that the partnership will commence in April 2013. Qantas will restructure its Asian network to strengthen its focus on services to and within the region. Qantas’ Asian services will no longer be a subsidiary of the ‘Kangaroo Route’, but will be dedicated to connecting Australians with the region, and Asian visitors to Australia. It will also increase dedicated capacity to Singapore and re-time flights to Singapore and Hong Kong to enable more ‘same day’ connections across Asia. Qantas will also withdraw from the Singapore-Frankfurt route due to underperformance. However, the partnership with Emirates will enable it to take place with minimal impact on Qantas customers.

Emirates Offers Easy Access into Dubai

Emirates Airline will be offering extra convenience to South Africa travellers by providing a UAE entry visa with each ticket when booked between the 13th through the 17th of August for travel from the 6th of September to 5th October, 2012.
 The offer is available through all Emirates classes (First, Business and Economy) to enable easy passage into Dubai from any one of Emirates’ three gateways in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Travelling to Dubai will now be a lot easier for South African merchants, business people and leisure travellers visiting the region in the months of September and October.

ExecuJet Middle East Receives Top Award

ExecuJet Middle East has received the Aviation Business Award 2011 as best business aviation operator in the region, at the bi-annual Dubai Airshow.

The show has established itself as a celebration of achievements within the Middle East aerospace industry over the past 12 months.

The Aviation Business Awards 2011 ceremony included 15 categories in total, covering the airline, airport and cargo sectors, along with supporting niches.

This award marks the second recognition for ExecuJet Middle East this year, with their maintenance division being awarded with the Bombardier Authorised Service Facility (ASF) Excellence Award prior to the Dubai Airshow.