RIYADH: Air Arabia, described as the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC), has announced the start of its direct services from Alexandria, Egypt, its latest hub, to Abu Dhabi. Roundtrip flights to Air Arabia’s fifth destination from its Egyptian hub operate four times per week between Burj Al Arab International Airport, Alexandria, and Abu Dhabi International Airport (ADIA). “We are glad to announce the start of our services to the UAE Capital and one of the regions fastest growing cities,” said Adel Ali, Group CEO, Air Arabia. “Abu Dhabi represents Air Arabia’s fifth destination from our month-old hub in Alexandria and we are confident of the strong demand for air travel between the two countries.” Air Arabia is the Middle East and North Africa’s leading low-cost carrier that operates over 65 routes from three hubs in Sharjah, Casablanca, Morocco and now Alexandria. The airline recently announced plans to launch its fourth hub in Amman, and currently offers its services to Khartoum, Kuwait, Beirut and Amman from Alexandria.
JEDDAH: Singapore Airlines (SIA) passengers who check in online and travel without check-in baggage can now look forward to a streamlined check-in experience, with the airline partnering Singapore’s Changi Airport Group to introduce the Passenger Reconciliation System (PRS) for its flights at Terminals 2 and 3. The system started on June 1. Currently, customers with self-printed boarding passes are required to present their travel documents at the check-in counters for verification and endorsement. This is the case even for those who travel without check-in baggage. Only after all documents are verified, can customers then proceed to the immigration access point. With PRS, passengers departing Changi Airport without check-in baggage can proceed directly to the immigration access point, where security officers with 2D barcode scanners will verify their self-printed boarding passes. Those who have visa or credit card verification requirements will, however, still need to present their documents at the check-in counters first. These customers should proceed to the designated self-service counters at Row 9 in Terminal 2 and Row 4 in Terminal 3.
MANAMA: Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain and the region’s largest network carrier, is introducing services to Aden in Yemen and is re-launching its flights to Colombo in Sri Lanka. Gulf Air will begin services to Aden via Sanaa from Sept. 22 with four weekly services while those for Colombo will begin from Oct. 5 with five flights per week. The routes are expected to attract business from visiting family and relatives, the business and diplomatic service communities and the tourism industry. The A319 and A320 aircraft will serve the services to the new destinations respectively. The carrier aims to establish a leadership position as the first Gulf carrier to connect Aden to the region. As the commercial capital of Yemen, Aden presents enormous opportunity for Gulf Air to establish itself in this new market. The city has recently been included in the Yemen government’s development priorities with major plans to support the city’s trade zone, port, airport and private sector, and by attracting promising investments. The re-commencement of service to Colombo is targeted at the large Sri Lankan community in Bahrain to catch a direct and nonstop service to their country.
RIYADH: nasair has announced a “tempting” offer for travelers from and to Riyadh to fly on its fleet from SR179 upward during the upcoming Ramadan season. The offer is limited to those who make their bookings through its website flynas.com. According to Turki Al-Jawini, nasair sales director, the offer is valid from Aug. 11 to 31 on bookings made up to Aug. 10. “The offer is aimed at encouraging international travelers from and to the capital city during this period of the year,” he said. nasair has other “surprising” promotional offers that will be announced from time to time. He said the carrier, which has the youngest fleet and offers “smart and efficient” services, has come up with highly competitive fares. Riyadh-based nasair, described as the first Saudi low-cost carrier, started its domestic flights on Feb. 25, 2007. It is a subsidiary of Saudi National Air Services. Today, it operates to various domestic and international destinations. Its hubs are at the international airports in Riyadh and Jeddah. Its fleet consists of 12 aircraft. Since its inception, it has carried over three million passengers.
