Travel Updates (September 1)
Published: Sep 1, 2010 21:44 Updated: Sep 1, 2010 21:44
• Air Arabia sees rising demand for GCC • Rosewood Corniche is attractive to all • NAS Group appoints new CEO for nasair • Emirates to go daily from Madinah
Air Arabia sees rising demand for GCC
SHARJAH: Air Arabia, described as the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, says passenger traffic between Sharjah and other GCC destinations reached 551,041 in the first half of 2010, an increase of 16.8 percent, compared to 471, 828 in the same period last year. Air Arabia recorded an average seat load factor of 81.8 percent during this period with a total of 83 flights per week from its hub in Sharjah to nine destinations in the GCC. Adel Ali, Group CEO, Air Arabia, said: “These encouraging results are a demonstration of Air Arabia’s superior service and value-for-money offerings, further reinforcing the carrier’s ability to continuously deliver sustained growth. Based on strong business fundamentals, Air Arabia has embarked upon a phase of organic growth and we remain committed to providing affordable low-cost alternative to travel in the wider region.” Air Arabia began operations from its third hub in Alexandria, Egypt in June and announced a fourth hub in Jordan in collaboration with Tantash Group, an Amman-based investment company.
Rosewood Corniche is attractive to all
JEDDAH: Rosewood Corniche says it is attracting all types of tourists, from business travelers to holidaymakers, honeymooners and pilgrims. Rosewood Corniche, recently named Saudi Arabia’s Leading Hotel and Leading Business Hotel, offers its guests “world-class” service and facilities. The hotel’s continuous efforts to meet and exceed international standards were recently rewarded when the Saudi Commission of Tourism and Antiquities classified the property as one of Jeddah’s few five star hotels. The hotel offers the city’s business population and travelers a comprehensive range of corporate packages. With six meeting rooms and three Majlis designed to receive up to 24 people, the hotel offers state-of-the-art meeting facilities and invites its business guests to enjoy all-day use of Rosewood Corniche’s modern amenities, flawless service and world-class catering at special corporate rates. “In recent years, Jeddah has been positioned as a lucrative business destination,” said Hans-Peter Leitzke, MD, Rosewood Corniche. “Jeddah is also the Kingdom’s favorite leisure destination for holidaymakers and honeymooners from across the GCC and the Middle East,” Leitzke added.
NAS Group appoints new CEO for nasair
RIYADH: Sulaiman bin Abdullah Al-Hamdan, group CEO of National Air Services (NAS), the mother company for nasair, has appointed Simon Stewart as nasair’s CEO. The appointment is part of an extensive process including appointing number of senior staff to take responsibility for leading and executing nasair’s expansion plan. Stewart has broad experience of safety management systems with specialization in Fatigue Risk Management, together with proven communication, negotiation and strategic thinking abilities and a distinguished career in the aviation industry where he held the post of director of safety management at easy jet company and a line Captain on Boeing 737. He was also with easy jet Flight Operation Quality and Safety management and, before that, an army air Corps pilot and military flight instructor. Stewart said: “It’s time for nasair after three years of operation to open widely into the global perspectives and work to diversify revenue sources to increase profitability, and match its concept as the smart airline, especially now that nasair has the qualified manpower and the technical capacity to implement its expansion plan.”
Emirates to go daily from Madinah
Emirates will increase services from Madinah to seven flights per week from Oct. 31, underscoring the important economic and cultural ties between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The airline remains committed to the Kingdom with a total of 25 flights per week operating through its four gateways. These three new services will bring the number to 28 flights per week as well as increasing additional capacity to the Kingdom by 15 percent. “Emirates has been operating services to Saudi Arabia since 1989, providing travelers in the country with convenient access to Dubai and the 104 destinations that we serve. This new daily service to Madinah underscores our commitment to offering our passengers the best possible schedules in addition to superior service on the ground and in the air,” said Adil Al Ghaith, Emirates’ vice president for Saudi Arabia. Emirates’ first flight from Madinah took off on July 2, 2010. The service remains on a temporary schedule until March 26, 2011. It is operated by an Airbus A330-200 aircraft, with a configuration of 12, 42 and 183 seats in First, Business and Economy classes.
— Compiled by K.S. Ramkumar
