Gulf Air Resumes Flights to Iran and Iraq

Bahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air resumed its flights to Iraq and Iran from September 20. The Airlines also launched a special promotion with up to 30 per cent off on its return air fares to Iran and Iraq from all destinations across its network, to mark the three-week countdown to the resumption of its services.

During this promotion that started on September 1, passengers could book their travel from any of the airline’s 48 destinations to Baghdad, Erbil and Najaf in Iraq and Tehran, Mashhad and Shiraz in Iran and enjoy a 25 per cent discount on Economy class and 30 per cent on Falcon Gold fares, according to the airlines’ press statement.

The special fares were available on bookings made between 1 and 14 September, and for travel between 20 September and 15 October 2012. All travel must be completed by 15 October 2012.

Gulf Air Chief Commercial Officer Karim Makhlouf said, “We are pleased to be able to offer customers this special promotion. For a limited time, passengers wishing to travel to Iran and Iraq and enjoy Gulf Air’s award-winning on-board service can do so at a reduced cost.” Flights to Baghdad, Erbil, Najaf and Basra in Iraq and Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz and Isfahan in Iran began progressively from 20 September.

Etihad Announces Anniversary Fares

To celebrate the fifth anniversary in Nepal, UAE’s national carrier Etihad Airways offered anniversary fares to a number of destinations from Kathmandu. “The various destinations include London, Frankfurt, Paris, Munich, Brussels, Manchester, Milan and Geneva, and the offer stood for the period from 1 to 30 September in terms of ticket sales and 10 to 24 October in terms of outbound travel,” said an official press statement from the company. Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), James Hogan, visited Boeing’s Everett production facility on September 12, as the UAE flag carrier prepares to take delivery of more Boeing 777s and awaits the arrival of the 787 Dreamliner.

Hogan was leading a senior delegation of Etihad Airways and airberlin executives on a one day visit. Etihad Airways owns almost 30 per cent of airberlin, Europe’s sixth largest airline, reads the company’s press statement. In March, the two carriers announced plans to strengthen their partnership by integrating their respective Boeing 787 Dreamliner programs. Together, Etihad Airways (41) and airberlin (15) have 56 Dreamliners on order. Inspecting the 777 and Dreamliner assembly lines, Hogan said, “It is exciting to see these aircraft take shape and we look forward to taking delivery of nine more 777s over the next 15 months. Last December, Etihad Airways announced it was taking its total order book for the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to 41, the first of which arrives in the last quarter of 2014. The order, valued at US$ 9.3 billion, will make Etihad Airways the largest operator of the aircraft type in the world. The UAE flag carrier has options and purchase rights for an additional 25 aircraft.

Etihad Airways on September 2 confirmed its equity stake in Virgin Australia Holdings which has now reached 10 per cent. According to the company’s official statement, this represents 221 million shares which have been bought in the open market over recent months. Six weeks earlier to the latest development, Etihad Airways received Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval to increase its holding from 5 per cent to 10 per cent. Hogan said, “We are very pleased to have reached this threshold. “We support the management strategy of Virgin Australia and will continue to work closely with them on ways to improve our business,” he added. Hogan reiterated that Etihad Airways wasn’t interested in becoming a majority shareholder or taking control of Virgin Australia. “Our small equity stake reflects the strong working relationship of both airlines and again demonstrates our enduring commitment to the Australian market,” he said. Hogan is confident that the equity stake would lead to more revenue generating opportunities.

Dragonair Launches Flights to Zhengzhou

Dragonair on August 31 announced that it will launch a new scheduled service to Zhengzhou from 8 January 2013, offering more travel choices and greater convenience for passengers travelling between Hong Kong and Mainland China. The new daily service will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft. Zhengzhou will be the ninth destination to be launched or resumed by the airline in less than 10 months, reads the press statement issued by the airlines. Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan Province. The city has seen rapid economic growth, particularly in the manufacturing and high-technology sectors, in recent years, attracting both domestic and international investment. World-famous tourist attractions such as the Shaolin Temple in Henan also help to make Zhengzhou a popular destination.

“We see great potential in the Zhengzhou market for both business and leisure travel, and the new service will significantly boost ties between Hong Kong and Henan Province,” said Patrick Yeung, Dragonair Chief Executive Officer. “Dragonair’s network in Mainland China will increase to 21 cities with the launch of the Zhengzhou service, reinforcing our commitment to the core Mainland China market and at the same time boosting Hong Kong’s role as a major international aviation hub.”

Since April, Dragonair either resumed or launched scheduled services to Xi’an, Guilin, Jeju, Taichung, Clark (in the Philippines) and Chiang Mai. It will relaunch flights to Haikou on 28 October and start a new Kolkata service on 2 November. With the addition of Zhengzhou next January, Dragonair’s network will number 42 destinations.