DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways has officially entered the metaverse by launching QVerse, a novel virtual reality (VR) experience for visitors to the airline’s website. The national carrier of the State of Qatar is also the first global airline to introduce a MetaHuman cabin crew offering a digital interactive customer experience.
Users of the www.qatarairways.com/QVerse website can now virtually tour and navigate the Premium Check-in area at Hamad International Airport (HIA), the cabin interior of the airline’s aircraft, including the award-winning Business Class – Qsuite, and the Economy Class cabin, by using their own Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs).
“With physical boundaries beginning to be challenged by the metaverse on an increasingly larger scale, it is exciting to embrace a technology that enables all travel enthusiasts to enjoy a unique immersive experience of our award-winning products and services,” said Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker.
He added: “Our status as the first airline to introduce a MetaHuman cabin crew is testament to our unwavering desire to innovate and delight our customers. We are constantly looking forward to adopting and introducing novel technologies that enhance our passengers’ complete journey.”
The experience was developed using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, the world’s most advanced real-time 3D creation tool, and MetaHuman Creator, a cloud-based app for creating high-fidelity digital humans.
Qatar Airways is the first global airline to introduce a MetaHuman cabin crew, featuring a digitally-created high-fidelity 3D human model named ‘Sama’ – whose name is of Arabic origin and translates to ‘sky’. ‘Sama’ offers an interactive customer experience through engagement with the user, taking them on a virtual journey of discovery, while presenting the unique features in both the Business and Economy Class cabins through a narrated script.
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was announced as the ‘Airline of the Year’ by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax, in addition to securing five additional awards, including World’s Best Business Class, World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge, World’s Best Business Class Airline Seat, World’s Best Business Class Onboard Catering and Best Airline in the Middle East.
FRANKFURT, Germany—Buoyed by strong demand for air cargo services, Lufthansa Cargo announced it has ordered 10 more new freighters—three Boeing 777Fs and seven new-generation Boeing 777-8Fs—the first of which could be acquired as early as July this year.
Described as the largest investment in the company’s history, Lufthansa said the new cargo planes will make it possible to market additional freight capacities in the short to medium term with an aircraft type currently available in the industry and established in the Lufthansa Cargo fleet.
Apart from buying new planes, Lufthansa says it has also extended its leases for two Boeing 777F freighters (current technology), which run through 2024 for seven more years each or through 2031.
The first of the 777F aircraft, which could be acquired on the used market at short notice, is expected as early as July 2022. Two more brand-new B777Fs will follow at a later date.
Lufthansa Group is also reportedly making forward-looking investments in seven new B777-8Fs, a technically enhanced freighter version of the B777F. Delivery of these aircraft is expected at a later date between 2027 and 2030.
Currently, Lufthansa Cargo’s freighter fleet consists of a total of 15 Boeing 777Fs, four of which are operated by AeroLogic. In addition, there is the capacity of two A321 freighters and the belly capacity of passenger aircraft operated by Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings Discover.
With the order of 10 Boeing freighters, Lufthansa Cargo will offer its customers expanded capacities within its global long-haul network in the future.
“We are very pleased that we have been able to set an important course for our future and the growth of Lufthansa Cargo with the decision to order ten additional widebody freighters. We can offer our customers significantly more capacity in the short and long term, and also ensure that we operate the most modern and efficient freighters in their class. The investments in the next freighter generation, the Boeing 777-8F, will significantly reduce CO2 emissions,” Dorothea von Boxberg, Chairperson of the Executive Board and CEO of Lufthansa Cargo, noted.
“We are, thus, taking another important step on our way to CO2-neutral airfreight. These major investments in Lufthansa Cargo are a sign of confidence in the future development of the airfreight market and in the role that Lufthansa Cargo will continue to play in it.”
The new Boeing 777-8F is considered the most powerful freighter aircraft. It has a range of 8,167 kilometers (4410 nautical miles) and a maximum payload of 118 metric tons. Compared to the 777F version, it has 17 percent more cargo volume. Thanks to the two efficient GE9x engines from General Electric Aviation, fuel consumption is low, which in turn saves emissions. This enables Lufthansa Cargo to run a much more sustainable business and low operating costs.
Dubai, UAE—Emirates reinstated in April its pre-pandemic flight frequencies of 170 weekly flights to nine cities across India.
The airline said the move comes amid the Indian government’s decision to restore international flights to and from the country in line with established bilateral agreements from the end-March 2022.
Emirates will be operating the following flights:
Emirates has also brought back its customer-favorite Airbus A380 on a daily basis between Dubai and Mumbai in March 2022. Emirates flight EK 500/ 501 is operated by the iconic double decker aircraft.
Customers travelling on Emirates across all classes of travel can enjoy an unparalleled flying experience with spacious cabins and signature service. During their flight, Emirates customers can savor regionally inspired meals and more than 4,500 channels of content on its award-winning in-flight entertainment system, ice.
Customers travelling in First and Business Class with Emirates from Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi can avail complimentary chauffeur drive service to the airport and on arrival at select locations within the airline’s global network. Customers travelling in premium cabins and Emirates Skywards members in select membership tiers will also have access to Emirates’ exclusive lounge experience in Dubai and select airports around the world.
Emirates’ flexible booking policies are extended through 31 May 2022.
MUSCAT, Oman—The Sultanate of Oman’s fastest-growing value-for-money airline, SalamAir, launched in April non-stop flights from Muscat and Salalah to four Indian cities –Salalah, Calicut, Jaipur, Lucknow, and Trivandrum.
The flights from Salalah to Calicut will operate on Friday and Sunday. Flights from Muscat to Jaipur is daily except Sunday. Lucknow double daily, and Trivandrum daily except Monday.
While the Salalah to Calicut route is new, previously, SalamAir operated special flights to these Indian destinations as part of the COVID-19 pandemic related air bubble pact between India and Oman, now with the launch of the scheduled flights from Muscat to Jaipur, Lucknow, and Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), SalamAir has expanded its network in the Indian Subcontinent.
“In line with our network expansion plan, it is with great pleasure that we announce our direct flights to India. Our aim is always to provide our customers with greater connectivity and convenience, and the addition of these routes will cater to the expat population, business travellers, and tourists. Our strategic cooperation with Oman Air enables us to serve the Indian market and augment demand and traffic volume, thus fulfilling the Oman Vision 2040,” said Captain Mohamed Ahmed, CEO of SalamAir.
SalamAir recently announced its strategic cooperation with Oman Air, which expanded the codeshare agreement to facilitate dynamic and smooth passengers’ movement to the Sultanate to promote tourism growth.
The airline plans to introduce non-stop flights from Suhar, Oman to Calicut in the future. Oman is home to a large Indian community. Trade relations between Oman and India also remains robust.
“During the pandemic, we operated multiple charter flights; and we hope to continue our service to the community and hope our flights will continue to facilitate and strengthen these strong ties and bilateral relationships in the future,” the SalamAir CEO shared.
SINGAPORE—DHL Express, the world’s leading international express services provider, has entered into a Crew and Maintenance agreement (CM) with Singapore Airlines (SIA) to deploy five Boeing 777 freighters.
This agreement marks a further step in DHL Express’ expansion of its intercontinental air network to meet customer demand in fast-growing international express shipping markets.
“With the deployment of five Boeing 777 freighters, we can expand our express service linking the Asia Pacific region with the Americas. Following the pandemic, we see good prospects for strong growth in trans-Pacific trade lanes. By collaborating with Singapore Airlines, we see a unique chance to establish a long-lasting relationship with a long time partner who shares common values and operates at the highest standard,” said Travis Cobb, Executive Vice President Global Network Operations and Aviation, DHL Express.
Based at Singapore’s Changi Airport and serving DHL’s South Asia Hub there, the freighters, which will sport a dual DHL-SIA livery, will be operated by SIA pilots on routes to the United States of America via points in North Asia. SIA will also oversee the maintenance of these aircraft.
The initial agreement is set for more than four years with the opportunity for an extension. As part of the agreement, the first aircraft delivery will be in July 2022, with the second in October 2022. The remaining three aircraft are planned for delivery throughout 2023.
“Today’s agreement builds on and strengthens the long-standing partnership between SIA and DHL. This new freighter operation will support the fast-growing e-commerce segment, in addition to other key business segments that rely on trusted express services that DHL excels in providing. It also provides a foundation on which the partnership between SIA and DHL can be further expanded in the future. Basing these freighters at Changi Airport will further reinforce Singapore’s position as a key air cargo and e-commerce logistics hub, contributing to its growth and development,” said Lee Lik Hsin, Executive Vice President Commercial, SIA, said:
Ken Lee, CEO DHL Express Asia Pacific, said: “This new agreement guarantees capacity on our critical routes out of Singapore as we gear up for ongoing growth in Asia Pacific trade. It gives us greater flexibility to add new routes and optimise our aircraft utilisation in the face of unpredictable changes or sudden increases in demand.”
The Boeing 777 freighters are the world’s largest, longest range, and most capable twin-engine freighters that also contribute to DHL’s sustainability goals, reducing CO2 emissions by 18% compared to the legacy Boeing 747-400s.
MONTREAL, Canada—Air Canada says it will be donating $10 for every booking made on aircanada.com to support Ukraine relief aid, with a total donation of up to $250,000.
This $250,000 donation will complement the $170,000 contribution recently made by Air Canada’s employees and the Air Canada Foundation to the Canadian Red Cross and other charities, as well as the ongoing humanitarian aid destined to Poland and Ukraine transported through Air Canada Cargo.
Additionally, Aeroplan Members may donate Aeroplan points at Ukrainian Relief Fund, with 100% of points to be redistributed to various charitable organizations supporting relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees as well as providing critical aid to those in need.
Customers may also elect to donate further to the Air Canada Foundation which will focus donations to registered organizations in their work supporting the people of Ukraine.
“It is clear the scale of this extraordinary worldwide crisis requires combined efforts and to collectively enable additional global humanitarian support, we have made it possible for Aeroplan Members to donate points towards Ukraine relief. We also remain in close contact with various stakeholders to determine how Air Canada and its employees can support Ukrainian people further, including those coming to Canada,” said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer at Air Canada.
Air Canada has also operated humanitarian special cargo flight on behalf of Airlink and other aid partners transport hospital beds, humanitarian and medical supplies to Warsaw, Poland and medicines destined for Lviv, Ukraine.
Canada’s national airline is also involved in the ongoing transportation of medical supplies to Europe with final destination of Ukraine as well as transportation of rapid response teams to scale up operations in Europe to help arriving Ukrainian families.
Air Canada and Air Canada Cargo are able to accept requests for free or discounted transport of shipments including excess baggage waivers from registered charitable organizations only. These must be via Air Canada’s online application process. Individuals who wish to contribute supplies or other forms of aid are requested to work directly with a registered organization.
ABU DHABI, UAE – Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, launched a new experience for families flying with it with the launch of “Little VIP”—a one-of-a-kind family friendly experience on board its fleet in partnership with Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi.
Etihad’s new ‘Little VIP’ campaign recognizes that young travelers are all very important people and aims to make travelling with children as easy and enjoyable as possible. The Park’s iconic Animation characters like Scooby-Doo, and Looney Tunes including Sylvester and his beloved nemesis Tweety, are emblazoned across the children’s activity packs given to guests travelling on longer flights with Etihad.
The airline’s new children’s gifts are designed in three age ranges. For infants up to 2 years old, parents will be given a soft fleece blanket decorated with the faces of Tweety, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Sylvester for them to take home.
Young flyers aged 3 to 8 years, will be given a drawstring bag featuring an activity book, crayons, memory card game and passport holder. Tweens and teens aged 9 to 13 will be delighted with a Scooby-Doo themed backpack featuring the Museum of Mysteries board game designed to promote Yas Island’s incredibly immersive indoor theme park, Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi.
In addition to the Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi’s themed inflight gifts, Etihad is bringing a comprehensive family travel experience to life, through cabin crew and ground crew training to identify and support family travel needs.
At Abu Dhabi International Airport, a dedicated family check-in space will be available for families with minimized queuing to make family journeys as smooth as possible. Thoughtful touches include a small set of stairs at check-in counters meaning young eyes can take a peek at the check-in process with ease.
In flight, young travelers will be given their meals first for convenience, and diners will experience Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi themed dining equipment in bright colors. The menu has been enhanced based on consultation and feedback from family travelers and as a result requested traditional children’s favorites such as fusilli pasta with meatballs, waffles and pancakes have been added to the menu.
In line with Etihad’s sustainability ambitions, the new children’s packs and dining experience have been designed with product purpose and reusability in mind. The gifts are designed to be taken away and treasured, encouraging children to feel excited about travelling with Etihad. The amenities have also been designed without the need for individual packaging, avoiding the use of single use plastics.
Young flyers will also be kept amused on board by a bespoke children’s section on Etihad’s inflight entertainment, designed in a fun, kid-friendly format. Etihad offers a wide selection of family-friendly Warner Bros. movies and TV shows including Space Jam, Scooby-Doo, Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny and the Flintstones. A selection of TV shows for older kids from the DC Universe includes Batman, Justice League and Teen Titans.
In addition, an extensive selection of music albums for kids is complemented by a variety of e-games for avid gamers, which can also be played seat-to-seat.
DUBAI, UAE—flydubai has resumed flights to Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) from 02 March with five weekly flights, thus, increasing its total frequency to the city to 12 flights a week as it flies daily to Istanbul Airport (IST).
flydubai’s network in Turkey also includes the capital, Ankara, where it operates two weekly flights.
Commenting on the relaunch of the flights, Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations and E-commerce at flydubai, said: “flydubai remains committed to making travel more accessible by providing more choice for our passengers. Istanbul remains a popular destination on our network and we welcome the resumption of our operations to Sabiha Gökçen Airport, an airport that provides another convenient option for those travelling to Istanbul. We look forward to welcoming our passengers as they travel with flydubai onboard our Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.”
Istanbul offers a wonderful mix of Europe and Asia, with plenty of options for shopping, dining and sight-seeing. It remains one of the most visited cities in the world and continues to be an important economic hub. Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) is located on the Asian side of Istanbul, offering more options for passengers travelling to and from the city.
Emirates will codeshare on this route offering travelers more options for connections through Dubai’s international aviation hub to more than 190 destinations between both the Emirates and flydubai networks.
Passengers travelling on a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft can enjoy more comfort and an enhanced travel experience. The new cabin offering features a flatbed in Business Class and in addition to the extra space and privacy, passengers can sleep comfortably during their flight. Economy Class offers new RECARO seats, which are designed to optimize space and comfort so passengers can sit back, relax and enjoy their flight.
flydubai’s Boeing 737 MAX aircraft also features exceptional inflight entertainment with a full HD, 11.6-inch screen, with a wide selection of movies, TV shows, music and games in English, Arabic and Russian. Passengers can enjoy complimentary seatback inflight entertainment in Business Class or purchase affordable inflight entertainment packages when travelling in Economy Class.
flydubai’s passenger experience has been redesigned to enable travel in a safe environment that minimizes crew and passenger contact and offers passengers confidence to travel at every step of their journey. Customers who book a flight through flydubai.com will receive complimentary global cover for COVID-19 related costs to offer greater peace of mind when travelling.
DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways sets the stage for an unforgettable Lunar New Year experience with a special curated selection of festive treats and decorations onboard and in lounges, and traditional ‘hóngbāo’ red envelopes for all passengers travelling between 31 January and 1 February on selected routes.
The Year of the Tiger, being a water tiger year, celebrations will extend to passengers at Al Safwa First and Al Mourjan Business Lounge at Hamad International Airport (HIA) where they can enjoy a reunion dinner and sample traditional celebratory dishes from the bespoke Lunar New Year menu.
Marking the long-awaited end of winter and the start of spring, the Lunar New Year is one of the most important holidays in East Asia. All passengers travelling on Qatar Airways to and from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore can enjoy a range of celebratory dishes and treats.
Passengers on the selected routes will be welcomed with a ‘hóngbāo’ red envelope containing a complimentary Super WiFi code. Passengers transiting through Doha will receive an exclusive 22 percent Qatar Duty Free (QDF) discount when shopping from an extensive selection of perfumes, cosmetics and skincare at the QDF Perfumes and Cosmetics Stores.
Premium Cabin passengers can start their reunion celebrations onboard with a Golden Mandarin Mule mocktail drink as they begin their celebratory journey. They can then enjoy special dishes from a bespoke à la carte menu that includes Peking Duck Roll for appetisers, Stir Fried Noodles with Tiger Prawns as the main course and Beef Cheek with vegetable fried rice as a light option. For dessert, passengers can indulge in a traditional Mandarin Mousse – the mandarin orange is traditionally a symbol of prosperity.
To enhance the festive ambience, the dishes will be presented with red lanterns on the dining table and complemented with a Chinese knot tassel and a red band.
Passengers travelling in the Economy Class cabin during this period can select a meal from the ‘Lunar New Year’ digital menu that includes Green Tea Soba Salad for appetisers, Sweet & Sour Chicken with Vegetable Fried Rice as the main course and Tofu Cheese Mousse with Red Sesame Crumble for dessert, presented on a themed tray mat along with chopsticks and a red cutlery band that symbolises prosperity and good fortune.
Celebrations continue at Qatar Airways lounges at HIA. Al Safwa First Class Lounge and Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge passengers will enjoy dining on Hot and Sour Chicken Soup, Sichuan Style Beef Short Ribs with Vegetable Fried Rice, finishing off perfectly with a Black Sesame Baked Cheesecake. Tables will be dressed with specially designed red lanterns, chopsticks and Chinese knot tassel.
Dubai, UAE— Emirates has resumed passenger operations between Dubai and five African countries since 29 January 2022, offering customers more choice, superior value and enhanced connectivity to and through Dubai.
The significant restoration of services will include Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Dar El Salaam, Tanzania; Nairobi, Kenya; Harare, Zimbabwe; Emirates’ three South African gateways Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
Customers flying in and out of Emirates’ African gateways can safely connect to Dubai and to an array of onwards connections to Europe, Middle East, the Americas, West Asia and Australasia.
South Africa: Flights between Dubai and South Africa will operate as a daily flight to and from Johannesburg, effective 29 January and double daily services from 1 February. Flights to and from Cape Town and Durban will operate daily from 1 February.
Kenya: Emirates will operate 10 weekly flights to Nairobi from 29 January. EK 719 and 720 will operate on Sunday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, taking off from Dubai at 0935hrs and arriving in Nairobi at 1345hrs, in turn leaving Nairobi at 1530hrs, and landing in Dubai at 2130hrs. EK 721 and 722 will fly on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday with EK 721 taking off from Dubai at 0210hrs, arriving in Nairobi at 0620hrs. EK 722 will leave Nairobi at 2355hrs, arriving in Dubai at 0555hrs.
Ethiopia: Emirates flights to Addis Ababa will operate daily from 30 January, with EK 723 taking off from Dubai at 0925hrs, arriving in Addis Ababa at 1240hrs. EK 724 leaves Addis Ababa at 1505hrs, arriving in Dubai at 2015hrs.
Tanzania: Emirates will operate to Dar Es Salaam with five flights a week from 30 January. EK 725 will take off from Dubai at 0930hrs, arriving in Dar Es Salaam at 1355hrs. EK 726 will leave Dar Es Salaam at 1525hrs, landing in Dubai at 2150hrs.
Zimbabwe: Emirates will operate to Harare with six weekly flights linked to its Lusaka service from 30 January. EK 713 leaves Dubai at 0920 hrs, with a stop in Lusaka, and arrives in Harare at 1700hrs. EK 714 takes off from Harare at 1845hrs, stopping in Lusaka, and continuing on to Dubai to arrive at 0625hrs the next day.
All passengers travelling from Emirates’ African network with Dubai as their final destination require a 48-hour PCR test. Passengers must present a valid negative Covid-19 PCR test certificate with a QR code for a test conducted at an approved facility, and validity must be calculated from the time the sample was collected. Upon arrival in Dubai, passengers will undergo an additional Covid-19 PCR test and remain in self quarantine until the results of the test are received.
Passengers travelling from these destinations and transiting in Dubai are required to follow the rules and requirements of their final destination.
For more information on entry requirements for international visitors to Dubai visit: – https://www.emirates.com/ae/english/help/covid-19/dubai-travel-requirements/tourists/ All flights can be booked on emirates.com, with OTAs and via travel agents.
Since it safely resumed tourism activity in July 2020, Dubai remains one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, especially during the winter season. The city is open for international business and leisure visitors.
From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai offers a variety of world-class experiences. It was one of the world’s first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety.
Dubai is currently hosting the world for Expo 2020, until March 2022. Through the theme of Connecting Minds, Creating the Future, Expo 2020 Dubai aims to inspire people by showcasing the best examples of collaboration, innovation and cooperation from around the world. Its program is packed with experiences to suit all ages and interests, including a rich line-up of themed weeks, entertainment, and edutainment. Art and culture fans as well as food and technology enthusiasts can explore exhibits, workshops, performances, live shows and more.
Technology has made the world smaller and faster.Real time communication with people from all over the world at different time zones through phones and gadgets
