News From CIS and The Middle East

Richard Maslen May 19, 2011

EMIRATES BOOSTS LINKS TO CAIRO

United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based carrier Emirates Airline has boosted links to Cairo this month to meet strengthening demand on its route from Dubai. From May 1, it has been flying an additional three weekly flights offering 12 rotations, with flights operating twice a day, on five days of the week. "The increase in flights is reflective of the level of traffic at Cairo International Airport returning to normal,” said Jean Luc Grillet, Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations for Africa, Emirates Airline. “Cairo has consistently been one of the busiest routes for Emirates, and we are committed to enhancing our presence here." Earlier this month, in a move to support the Tunisian tourism industry and to provide passengers with more flexible travel options, Emirates also launched an additional weekly flight between Dubai and Tunis. It is now offering four flights per week on the route.

NASAIR TO ADD FLIGHTS TO PAKISTAN

Saudi Arabian low-cost carrier Nasair is to introduce flights to the Pakistani city of Karachi from both Jeddah and Riyadh on June 18. The carrier will offer a daily schedule on each route to support a growth in demand from Pakistani expats living and working in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, with the Hajj season rapidly approaching, this route expansion will also help accommodate some of the nearly 200,000 pilgrims who fly to Saudi Arabia from Pakistan every year. In the past year an estimated 2.2 million O&D passengers travelled between the two countries. Both routes are already served by Pakistan International Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines. Nasair will certainly look to compete on price to attract price sensitive passengers from the existing operators, while further stimulating the market.

AIR ASTANA HIGHLIGHTS FUTURE MARKETS

Air Astana is currently studying a range of new markets across the world as it prepares to take delivery of more short- and long-haul aircraft. The Kazakhstan carrier, a joint venture between BAE Systems and the Kazakh Government, expects to operate more than 50 aircraft by 2020 and its President, Peter Foster, has recently revealed just some of the markets it intends to serve. Last year the carrier introduced ten new destinations and this month has boosted frequencies on a number of existing international routes from Almaty (Dushambe, St Petersburg and Tashkent) and Astana (Ekaterinburg, and Novosibirsk). According to Peter Foster, the Central Asian airline plans to add flights to Hong Kong, is evaluating links to Singapore and Shanghai, is increasing its presence in India, and may add its first flights into Sri Lanka. In the longer-term it is considering serving additional European markets like Milan, Paris, Prague and Munich as well as destinations in Japan and China.

AIR ARABIA INCREASES CAPACITY TO ISTANBUL

Air Arabia is to increase the frequency of its flights between its primary hub, Sharjah, and Sabiha Gökçen International Airport in Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul. The airline currently offers four flights per week between the two cities, but from June 10 will increase this to a daily operation. It will offer a split schedule on the route with five flights departing the UAE in the evening and returning overnight and two operating during daylight hours. "We are extremely pleased to announce the expansion of service between Sharjah and Istanbul, which will further enhance the air travel options for the residents of both States," said AK Nizar, Head of Commercial Department, Air Arabia. "In 2010, Air Arabia carried over 43,000 passengers on this route; this number reflects the ever growing appeal for Air Arabia flights between the two cities and we look forward to offering our customers with the best value for money travel options." According to IATA data, an estimated 376,000 O&D passengers travelled between UAE and Turkey in the past year, up 17.8 per cent on the previous 12 month period. The busiest routes are Emirates Airline and Turkish Airlines’ links between Dubai and Istanbul Ataturk, although Air Arabia holds a 6 per cent share of the total traffic on its own flight. Notably, average fares on Air Arabia’s flights are less than half those charged by its rivals, providing a good alternative link between the two countries for price sensitive travellers.

FLYDUBAI ADDS SECOND LINK TO INDIA

United Arab Emirates (UAE) low-cost carrier flydubai is to launch flights to Hyderabad, its second destination in India. The budget operator will offer a three times weekly schedule to the destination, one of the fastest growing cities in the world, from June 11. The route will mainly target the 1.4 million-strong Indian expat community in the UAE, providing a low-cost connection to the south of India during the peak summer holiday season. “There is a huge Indian community in the UAE and one of the reasons flydubai was established was to provide low cost, quality links to places the expat community in the UAE wish to travel to,” said Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive officer, flydubai. “While our Lucknow route provides a gateway to North and Central lndia; our Hyderabad route will be a low-cost connection to South India, benefiting not only the Indian expat population in the UAE but also bringing increased tourism and business opportunities to this historic city.” Known as the ‘City of Pearls’, thanks to a 200-year old trade in pearls once patronised by the Nizams or Mughal rulers, Hyderabad today is fast gaining currency as an IT hub, housing global players like Google and Microsoft, as well as home-grown brands Wipro and TCS. Also, as the centre of Mughlai cuisine, Hyderabad is responsible for introducing the famous Hyderabadi Biriyani to the world. An estimated 6.4 million O&D passengers travelled between India and UAE in the past year. With just the one route, flydubai accounted for less than 0.5 per cent share of this traffic; a market a dominated by its parent company, Emirates Airline with a 29.1 per cent share.