Although the business seats do not have the space of a larger aircraft, it was still very comfortable and has the same excellent service offered in the premium cabin.

The flight to Vienna from Doha was over night so I did not take full advantage of the available service on this leg but I was, of course, able to sleep well and arrived in Vienna fresh and ready for the start of the day!

The return flight, however, is in the afternoon, so I was able to enjoy the business class service. The choice of meal was lamb or a pasta dish – I chose the latter which arrived bubbling hot!

Although this aircraft is not equipped with video on demand, a current movie does play on the main screen. Alternatively customers can request a portable DVD player.

First and business class passengers in transit have access to the Premium Terminal, while silver and gold Privilege Club members travelling economy can use the silver and gold business class lounges in the main terminal.

In the Premium Terminal, guests can enjoy fine dining, rejuvenate themselves with a spa treatment or a session in the jacuzzi, or even book a room for a proper sleep for those really long lay-overs. 

The spa and beds are booked on a first-come, first-served basis.

Those travelling with children can make use of a safe play area for young children, and there is a nanny standing by to take care of the youngsters while parents enjoy the adult facilities!

For teenagers, there is a games room with Sony Playstations and portable PSPs.

The terminal has wireless internet access, a business centre manned for 24 hours plus meeting rooms.

A concierge service is also available to help guide customers with hotel bookings or any other travel requirements.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable experience and for overnight, or very early morning flights, a great way to spend the time.

by Kim Thomson

The arrival of the maiden flight into the Holy City took the number of destinations Gulf Air serves in Iraq to two and the airline’s total route network to 44 airports in 29 countries. 

The packed Gulf Air flight, operated by an Airbus 320 aircraft, carried a delegation of senior officials from Gulf Air as well as government, business, religious, diplomatic and media representatives and a number of guests.

Najaf is a historic city which has great religious significance in the Muslim world and also lies less than 30 km from the ancient city of Babylon, with close proximity to other important holy cities including Kufa and Kerbala. 

Gulf Air CEO Samer Majali said: “We have identified Iraq as a niche destination to which, building on our previous experience and knowledge of operating to the country, we can provide a trusted and important link to our customers and be their first choice when flying to the country based on excellent connectivity, value for money, and friendly service.”

Majali added that the business potential is enormous and as such Gulf Air planned to increase the service, which flew four times a week at its launch, to daily as part of the 2009/2010 winter schedule from October 26, by which time the airline would have received two of the 15 brand new A320 aircraft on order.

The airport handled a total of 3,729,879 passengers in August 2009 compared to 3,368,260 during the corresponding month last year. The monthly passenger throughput exceeded the 3.7-million mark for the second time this year, following the record-breaking 3.76 million passengers recorded in July.

Consistent growth during the first eight months of 2009 has seen the year-to-date passenger traffic reach 26,878,331, as compared to 25,182,526 for the corresponding period in 2008, an increase of 6.7 per cent. This contrasts dramatically with the seven per cent contraction seen in international passengers worldwide year-to-date as reported by Airports Council International (ACI).

Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports CEO, said Dubai International’s sustained growth supports projections for a record-breaking year for the region’s leading airport.

“The end of the summer also marks the beginning of high-season for tourists which puts Dubai International on track to set a new record of 40.5 million passengers by year end,” said Griffiths.

Dubai Airports recently released a traffic forecast which projects an 8.3 per cent increase in passenger numbers in 2009 and a 13.6 per cent rise in 2010.

“Dubai International is the only airport among the top ten airports in terms of international passenger traffic to still record positive growth,” said Griffiths.

“Aviation here has defied the global trend and this is testament to the attractiveness of Dubai not just as a transit hub but also as an international destination for both business and tourism. This pays dividends not only to the 125 airlines that operate into Dubai International but to the travel, tourism, logistics and hospitality sectors in the local economy.”

Airbus, with the EADS group (European Auronautic Defence and Space Co), will join hall sponsor Emirates Airline, along with Lufthansa Technik, TAP Maintenance & Engineering, Air France Industries KLM E&M, Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), Dubai Airports and Dubai World Central - Aviation City, among others.

Running from November 15 to 19 at the Dubai Airport Expo, the biennial airshow is the fastest growing air event in the world.

Alison Weller, director of airshow organiser F&E Aerospace, said: “The aerospace industry has undoubtedly been affected by the economic downturn. However, with the ambitious orders made at the Paris Air Show, primarily by top aviation players in the Middle East, I believe the global aerospace industry can look to this region for future indications of recovery.

“We look forward to welcoming all our exhibitors, both to the new Emirates Hall and our existing exhibition halls.”

The Emirates Hall will cover 7,025 sq m, with 5,000 sq m for exhibition stands and 1,200sq m for the new press centre, bringing the total airshow area to 325,513 sq m, including the static park.

Exhibitors and visitors can gain access to the temporary structure through its own entrance which leads into the registration area.

Dubai Airshow 2009, the 11th running of the event, is also offering exhibitors an additional 13 double-storey hospitality chalets and has increased the floor space of all double-storey chalets by 40 sq m (20 sq m on each floor).

Speaking on the final day of the congress, Adel Ali told more than 100 senior executives from low-cost and traditional carriers that the continued geographic expansion of LCCs based in the Middle East  and North Africa (Mena) heralded the coming of age of this vital sector.

“As low-cost carriers continue to grow their fleets and geographic footprints,  it is clear that we are now competing on a global platform,” said Ali.

He pointed out that such ‘regional champions’ are now increasingly recognised as global brands.

“Despite the extremely challenging conditions facing the aviation sector worldwide, LCCs in the Mena region, with their revived focus on commercial sustainability, are seizing the opportunity to grow their global market share,” he added.

“Importantly, this is happening at a time of increased regional competition  and rapid deregulation of our skies.” 

Following its initial public offering in 2007, Air Arabia became the first airline in the Arab world to go public, focusing on self-financing its growth plans and fleet expansion.

The twice daily flights, are the first direct service between Dubai and Qatar to be operated by a low cost airline.

Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of flydubai, said: “flydubai was established by the government of Dubai in March 2008 in order to provide a quality service at a reasonable price and thereby make safe, efficient and comfortable flights available to many more people in this region. The importance of low cost intra-GCC flights cannot be underestimated. Our communities are close in many ways and these new flights from flydubai will help to bring us closer in terms of both business and leisure.

“flydubai has worked closely with the Qatari authorities to bring about this announcement and I would like to thank them, and especially Abdul Aziz Mohd Al-Noaimi, chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority, for their hard work and support.”

Abdul Aziz said: “flydubai will be a great addition to the existing flight schedule between Doha and Dubai as it will give so many more people another option when travelling.”

Both flights will target peak travel times on one of the busiest routes in the GCC. FZ001 will leave Dubai at 7.30 am, with the evening flight FZ007 leaving at 8.20 pm. The flight time to Doha is one hour. Return flights FZ002 and FZ008 will leave Doha at 8.30 am and 9.20 pm respectively, arriving in Dubai at 10.30 am and 11.20 pm local time.

The airline has also just announced the launch of flights to Khartoum in Sudan.

The new flights operate via the airline’s current daily Airbus A330 service to South Africa’s commercial capital Johannesburg.

Cape Town is Etihad’s second destination in South Africa and its fifth on the African continent, joining Khartoum, Cairo and Casablanca.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive, said: “South Africa is a leading global destination of choice for tourism and commerce and we are thrilled to launch a daily service to Cape Town, our second city in the country.

“In addition to the strong demand for flights from expatriate South African nationals, business and leisure travellers, many thousands of football fans are expected to travel there next year when South Africa hosts the 2010 FIFA World Cup.”

The new Cape Town service is expected to be welcomed by the South African expatriate community living in the UAE which now stands at approximately 40,000 people.

Many more South African nationals live across the Middle East region and also will be able to connect quickly and easily to home via Abu Dhabi.

Horizon claims it is the first and only academy to conduct the higher diploma for pilots in the Middle East.

The diploma is open to pilots of all nationalities holding a licence, who are keen to support their flying credentials with professional qualifications or to individuals in the airline industry who want to move from flying to management later during their career.

Academy general manager, Mohammed Humaidan Al Zaabi, said: “We are proud to be the only academy in the Middle East region to offer the higher diploma to active and non-active pilots who want a long-term career in a field as exciting as aviation.

“The entire aviation industry too benefits.

“This diploma will help develop better rounded individuals who can later move from flying to ground work while also helping them sustain their careers in this field.”

The course includes a comprehensive mix of business and aviation subjects covering three semesters and the students are expected to graduate in January 2011.

Horizon Academy has recently celebrated the graduation of the second batch of Eithad cadet pilots who completed their Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) training.