Emirates ups capacity to Copenhagen
Emirates has reintroduced its A380 to its Copenhagen route, offering 43% more seats.
The Emirates A380 serving Copenhagen offers travellers a two-class configuration, with 58 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 557 spacious seats in Economy Class.
The daily flight, EK151 departs Dubai at 08h30 and arrives in Copenhagen at 12h30. The return flight EK150 departs Copenhagen at 14h45 and arrives in Dubai at 00h10, the following day.
Colombo
On January 2, Emirates introduced an additional scheduled service between Colombo and Dubai, increasing seat capacity on the route by 30%.
Flight EK654/655 will accommodate up to 360 passengers in a three-class configuration: eight First Class suites, 42 in Business Class and 310 in Economy.
The extra Colombo service will operate six times a week until March 31, departing Dubai at 10h05 (every day except Wednesdays) and arriving at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo at 16h00. The return flight will leave Colombo at 22h05 and arrive in Dubai at 01h05 the following day.
From April 1, a seventh weekly flight on Wednesdays will operate with an adjusted departure time of 22h05, arriving in Dubai at 00h55 the next day. The return flight will depart Dubai at 13h20 and arrive in Colombo at 19h15.
A350 for Kuwait and Bahrain
The carrier is also accelerating the deployment of its Airbus A350s to Kuwait and Bahrain, starting January 8.
The A350 will be the second and third destinations for the airline’s newest wide-body aircraft after its debut in London earlier in 2024.
Kuwait
The A350 will operate on flights EK853/854. EK853 departs Dubai at 01h25, arriving in Kuwait at 02h15. EK854 returns from Kuwait at 03h40, landing in Dubai at 06h25.
Emirates has served Kuwait since 1989 and currently operates 29 weekly flights to the destination.
Bahrain
The A350 will operate two of Emirates’ three daily services to Bahrain.
Flight EK837 departs Dubai at 08h20, arriving in Bahrain at 08h40. The return flight, EK838, departs Bahrain at 10h00, arriving in Dubai at 12h15.
Flight EK839, also operated by the A350, takes off at 16h00, arriving in Bahrain at 16h20. Flight EK840 leaves Bahrain at 17h45, arriving in Dubai at 20h00.
Emirates currently operates 22 weekly flights to Bahrain, which will now be serviced by a mix of A350 and Boeing 777 aircraft.
The A350 features 312 seats across three cabin classes, with 32 next-generation business class lie-flat seats, 21 in premium economy and 259 in economy class.
Emirates to become world’s first Autism Certified Airline
Emirates has started its journey to become the world’s first ‘Autism Certified Airline’, inviting customers with autism and sensory sensitivities to experience its services.
The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) will formally award the inaugural designation in the coming months after more than 30 000 Emirates cabin crew and ground staff have completed the initial training.
The certification process includes ensuring at least 80% of customer-facing staff complete the dedicated training, alongside a commitment to ongoing training and improvements.
Emirates also plans to roll out new standards and services that will improve the on-ground and inflight travel experience for customers on the autism spectrum and their families and companions, to be announced later in the year.
For many members of the global autism community, international air travel is a highly challenging experience, or something to be avoided completely, due to the high level of sensory stimuli that can be involved.
A survey on AutismTravel.com revealed that 78% of families were hesitant to travel or visit new locations and that 94% of respondents would take more vacations if they had access to places where staff were autism-trained and certified.
Qatar resumes flights to several destinations
Qatar Airways has landed its first resumption flight at Abha International Airport (AHB) in Saudi Arabia on January 2.
The airline will operate two weekly flights to Abha every Thursday and Saturday on the following schedule:
Malta
From July 2, Qatar Airways will resume four weekly flights to Malta.
On Wednesdays and Fridays, flight QR381 will depart Doha at 02h05 and arrive in Malta at 06h45. The return flight QR382 will depart Malta at 10h15 and arrive back in Doha at 16h20.
On Mondays and Saturdays, flight QR383 will depart Doha at 08h45 and arrive in Malta at 13h25. The return flight QR384 will depart Malta at 17h05 and arrive back in Doha at 23h10.
Canberra
Qatar Airways will resume daily flights to Canberra from December 1, 2025.
The daily flights from Doha via Melbourne will be operated by Qatar’s Boeing 777, fitted with a Q-suite business-class cabin and complimentary high-speed Starlink WiFi for all passengers.
Flight QR988 departs Doha at 08h30 and arrives in Canberra at 08h50 the following day. The return flight QR989 departs Canberra at 13h10 and arrives in Doha at 22h30 the next day.
Turkish resumes flights to Benghazi
On January 14, Turkish Airlines resumed its three-weekly flights to Benghazi, Libya, following a 10-year hiatus.
On Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays, flight TK641 departs Istanbul at 09h15 and arrives in Benghazi at 10h50. On the same days, the return flight TK642 departs Benghazi at 12h50 and arrives back in Istanbul at 16h10.
Delta announces major profit for 2024
Delta Air Lines has reported its financial results for the full year 2024, with the airline posting an operating revenue of US$61,6bn (R1,1trn).