DOHA: Qatar Airways will begin daily flights to Brazil and Argentina from June 24, marking the airline’s first online operations to South America. With the airline’s acquisition of two new Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft in the last three months, these will be deployed on the two South American routes — to the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo and Argentine capital Buenos Aires this summer.
The date announcement comes just weeks after the airline revealed plans to serve South America, and spread its wings to yet another Continent. The flights will offer convenient connections from key markets across Asia and the Gulf to South America. Flights to Sao Paulo will be operated daily non-stop from the airline’s hub in Doha. The aircraft will then continue onto Buenos Aires. The airline’s state-of-the-art Boeing 777-200 Long Range aircraft featuring business class seats that convert into 180 degree fully flat horizontal beds, will be deployed on the South American flights.
BAHRAIN: Gulf Air passengers 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, VIP guests from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), senior officials from CAA, Bahrain Airport Services, Gulf Air and members of the media. Gulf Air took delivery of two E170 regional jets from Embraer last Thursday on a three-year lease agreement with the option to extend for a further five years.
“The delivery of these Embraer 170s to Gulf Air is a significant milestone for Embraer, as this renowned airline certainly strengthens the presence of the E-Jets family in the Middle East,” said Mauro Kern, Embraer Executive Vice-president, Airline Market.
JEDDAH: SriLankan Holidays, the leisure arm of SriLankan Airlines, has planned four special tours of the island state to enable travelers experience the country’s rich and colorful diversity. The tours have been specially crafted to bring you the best of Colombo, the bustling capital, Kandy the ancient hill capital, the gorgeous beaches on the southern coast and the cool climes of the verdant hill country and cultural hot spots.
Operative out of nine cities in the Middle East — Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait and Muscat — the packages offer four to thirteen nights, with flexibility for extending the stay by more nights. These special tours include economy return airfare to Sri Lanka, hotel accommodation on bed and breakfast twin-sharing basis, and, airport and internal transfers.
The island state offers a visa on arrival, a free SIM card from Sri Lanka’s leading mobile operator Dialog Telekom and the SriLankan Holidays shop-over voucher booklet. The booklet contains discount vouchers from over a dozen popular establishments in Colombo, a cosmopolitan city with a unique historical charm.
Kandy is a World Heritage Site and the country’s ancient hill capital. Nuwara Eliya, higher up in altitude, boasts of an invigorating and balmy mountain climate and salubrious scenery, and is Sri Lanka’s most popular hill resort. Among Dambulla’s attractions is the largest and best preserved cave temple complex of Sri Lanka. The 5th century Sigiriya rock fortress is yet another World Heritage Site and was built by the parricide King Kashyapa (477-495 AD). The island is rich in beaches, especially on its southern coast.
