JEDDAH: In the coming summer flight schedules, Lufthansa is serving an almost unchanged number of destinations with virtually the same number of flights as in the previous year. Seating capacity will be slightly higher. On average, Lufthansa will be operating 12,853 flights weekly in the summer schedules compared with 12,860 last time round. Despite a smaller fleet, available seating capacity is higher than the year-earlier level following successive fleet renewal and the replacement of older aircraft by larger types. The summer timetable is valid from March 28 to Oct. 30.
JEDDAH: Effective March 31, nas air is introducing weekly four flights from Riyadh to India’s western city of Mumbai, the price starting from SR250 one way excluding airport taxes. Riyadh-Mumbai flights are on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Return flights from Mumbai to Riyadh are on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sunday. “Mumbai is nas air’s new destination at best price, the carrier that has the youngest fleet in the region,” Jamal Siddiqui, key account manager for the Western Province, said.
SHARJAH: Sharjah’s stand at the International Tourism Bourse (ITB), which was held in Berlin from March 10 to 14, has been a center of attention for numerous VIPs and senior diplomats, and a hive of business activity. Among the stand’s many visitors was Mohammed Ahmed Al Mahmoud, UAE Ambassador to Germany, who was received by Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmad Al-Qassimi, chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). According to Al-Qassimi, the number of German tourists visiting Sharjah has increased by 119 percent over the last five years, with over 134,000 German tourists visiting the emirate in 2009, compared to just 61,000 in 2005, and 59 percent up from the 84,000 in 2008. He added that Sharjah’s touristic appeal has resulted in German tour operators looking to send more German tourist groups to the emirate, which is home to a number of cultural and heritage attractions. The German travel and tourism trade is one of the most significant markets for Sharjah, with tens of thousands of Germans visiting the emirate annually. It is ranked among the top sources of European tourists to Sharjah.
BAHRAIN: Gulf Air customers traveling from Bahrain to Larnaca in Cyprus were introduced to a new dimension in the Gulf Air travel experience as they flew on the inaugural flight of the airline’s new Embraer E-170 AR aircraft recently. At a special ceremony held at Bahrain International airport prior to the departure of the inaugural flight, Gulf Air CEO Samer Majali welcomed passengers and officials from Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Bahrain Airport Services and Gulf Air.
