RIYADH: nasair, which is currently celebrating its third anniversary, has started operating a new service between Riyadh and Mumbai, with a four flight a week frequency at promotional prices starting from SR250. Bandar Al Mohnna, deputy CEO, National Air Services, said the carrier had plans to expand its routes by operating to three more destinations in India — Delhi, Kozhikode and Kochi — in the next tree months. The airline will also introduce services to new destinations in Sudan, Turkey and Syria before the year-end. These will increase its number of destinations to 30 and flights to 400.
DOHA: Qatar Airways has embarked on the second leg of its 2010 expansion program with the launch of flights to Denmark and further strengthening its operations in Scandinavia. With four-flights-a-week on the route, the airline offers an alternative gateway to Scandinavia, as well as connections via Doha to an exciting range of business and leisure destinations across the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and South Asia. The new launch, together with the recent introduction of additional capacity on the Doha-Stockholm route, reinforces the carrier’s claim as the only Gulf carrier currently flying to Scandinavia.
JEDDAH: Malaysia Airlines has announced the introduction of twice weekly flights to Dammam via Dubai from May 5. The operations will be on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Malaysia Airlines Managing Director and CEO Azmil Zahruddin said: “In many ways, Dammam has evolved as the link between Saudi Arabia and the outside world, exporting the Kingdom’s products and importing its needs and thriving on the interaction between Saudi Arabia and other countries.” The airline currently operates flights into Jeddah, Dubai, Istanbul and Beirut. It also serves Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait and Muscat via code share partners Etihad, Gulf Air, Qatar Airlines and Egypt Air.
JEDDAH: Lufthansa has achieved its aim and defied a market-related revenue decline of 2.56 billion euros by posting an operating profit of 130 million euros for 2009. The group thus earned about 1.2 billion euros less than during the previous year. The past year’s figures were burdened by economy related weaker demand and the disproportionate decline in average yields in the passenger business segment that accompanied it, both consequences of the financial and economic crisis. In view of these circumstances, the executive board will be proposing not to distribute a dividend to shareholders for the 2009 financial year at the annual general meeting.
