Category Archives: Aviation

Qatar Airways acquires 25% stake in SA’s regional carrier Airlilnk

Qatar Airways Group has acquired a 25 per cent stake in Southern Africa’s (SA) independent regional carrier, Airlink.

The announcement is a continuation of the airline’s ambition to further develop its operations across the African continent.

The investment in Airlink – which flies to more than 45 destinations in 15 African countries – will enhance a code-sharing partnership between the two airlines. The deal will bolster Qatar Airways’ Africa growth strategy and cement its role as a key driver to the continent’s economic success.

On the announcement, Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Group CEO, Qatar Airways, said, “Our investment in Airlink further demonstrates how integral we see Africa being to our business’ future. This partnership not only demonstrates our confidence in Airlink, as a company that is resilient, agile, financially robust and governed on sound principles, but also in Africa as a whole, showing huge potential that I am delighted we are able to help start realising.”

Rodger Foster, Chief Executive, Airlink, added, “Having Qatar Airways as an equity partner is a powerful endorsement of Airlink and echoes our faith in the markets we currently serve and plan to add to our network. This transaction will unlock growth by providing efficiencies of scale, increasing our capacity and expanding our marketing reach. By bolstering Airlink and its business, this investment will strengthen all of the existing airline partnerships Airlink has nurtured over the years.”

The partnership between Qatar Airways and Airlink seeks to align both carriers’ loyalty programmes – Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Airlink Skybucks.

Qatar Airways currently flies to 29 destinations in Africa, and there’s been strong growth in the market with new destinations added to its network on the continent since December 2020.

Air India unveils wireless inflight entertainment ‘Vista’

Air India has launched its wireless inflight entertainment (IFE) service, Vista, across the existing wide-body fleet to provide customers with uninterrupted entertainment until the retrofit. Following this, Vista will also be available on narrow-body aircraft.

Powered by Bluebox, an award-winning digital services provider, Vista is being deployed on Bluebox’s Blueview digital services platform and delivered to customers via the Bluebox Wow wireless network system.

Vista enables customers to seamlessly stream content on their personal electronic devices. From Bollywood blockbusters to Hollywood premieres, global music icons to captivating documentaries, the world’s best content will now be at the fingertips of Air India customers. Additionally, Vista features a live map display for flight tracking. Available on iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS devices, Vista ensures travellers can easily access and engage with new in-flight entertainment content.

“At Air India, we are continuously striving to anticipate and meet the evolving needs of our modern travellers. We are pleased to introduce Vista, a new feature for our customers. It allows seamless integration of personal devices, enhancing the overall travel experience for our customers.”, said Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience Officer, Air India.

“We are excited to partner with Air India. Together, we aim to set new standards for a customised customer experience and uninterrupted enjoyment that reflects both Air India’s commitment to excellence and our commitment to engaging and entertaining customers on board,” said Kevin Birchmore, VP Global Sales, Bluebox.
Air India’s meticulously curated content library featuring over 950+ hours of entertainment across formats and genres includes classic melodies, timeless favourites, BAFTA and Oscar-winning/nominated titles, short films, acclaimed series, and specially curated content for children, a diverse range of options customised periodically.

SabreSonic Airlines now have easy access to BAGTAG platform

BAGTAG, an in innovative baggage solutions provider has entered into a strategic partnership with Sabre Corporation.

This collaboration introduces an innovative digital baggage tag solution for SabreSonic Airline customers, marking a transformative shift in how passengers and crew manage their baggage check-ins.

Through this partnership, SabreSonic Airline customers now have the option to easily implement BAGTAG’s electronic bag tag solution, effectively eliminating the need for traditional paper label check-in processes at airports.
This significantly improves traveller experience by enabling faster bag drop-offs and reducing congestion at check-in counters by empowering travellers to tag their own bags off-airport.

“This partnership with Sabre signifies another pivotal moment for BAGTAG and corroborates our multi-vendor approach. By integrating Sabre’s extensive industry expertise and airline network with BAGTAG’s pioneering technology, we are looking at an even brighter future for checked-in baggage,” said Jasper Quak, Managing Director, BAGTAG.

On its mission to simplify and speed up processes for passengers choosing to travel with checked baggage, BAGTAG developed a multi-vendor solution and works with its hardware partners to provide airlines and their passengers a range of connected products to elevate their baggage experience. Now working with 15 airlines worldwide, BAGTAG’s solutions are increasingly finding adoption with carriers to digitalise and optimise their crew baggage operations.

“As Sabre continues to drive innovation and collaboration within the global travel industry, our partnership with BAGTAG exemplifies our commitment to solving the most complex challenges in travel for our customers and, ultimately, their passengers. We all know from our own travel experiences that long check-in lines can be major sources of frustration. By combining Sabre and BAGTAG’s technologies, we can provide our airline partners with an innovative solution to reduce hassle and simplify the travel journey for travellers worldwide,” added ike Reyes, SVP Product Management. Sabre.

 

SIA to increase frequencies across key cities for March-Oct 2025

Singapore Airlines (SIA) will increase flight frequencies and boost passenger capacity across its network in the 2025 Northern Summer operating season (March 30, 2025 to October 25, 2025), supporting the higher demand for air travel to several popular destinations.

From March 2025, SIA will have a daily service to London (Gatwick), up from the current five-times weekly services. Together with its four-times daily flights to London (Heathrow), this will give the Airline five daily services to the United Kingdom’s capital.

Services to Rome will increase to five times a week between 26 June 2025 and 28 August 2025, up from the current four weekly flights.

SIA will delink its three-times weekly Singapore-Milan-Barcelona flights from 24 June 2025 to 7 September 2025, and operate more direct flights between Singapore and the two European cities. The Airline will mount five-times weekly direct flights to Barcelona during this period, up from the current two weekly flights. Milan will have a daily service, up from four-times weekly currently.

Flights to Adelaide will go up to 10 a week across the Northern Winter 2024 and Northern Summer 2025 seasons, up from the current seven-times weekly services. Frequencies to Ho Chi Minh City will rise to thrice daily, up from 19-times weekly, and services to Siem Reap will go to twice daily, up from a daily service.

A three-times weekly service will be mounted to Johannesburg from 11 December 2024 to 10 January 2025, and from 2 April 2025 to 24 October 2025, bringing the total number of flights to the city to 10 times a week, up from the current daily services, during these periods.

The Airbus A380 will return to Tokyo (Narita) between 30 March 2025 and 31 May 2025 on one of its two daily services, replacing the Boeing 787-10. The A380 will stop operating to Mumbai from 28 July 2025 to 31 August 2025, and Delhi from 23 June 2025 to 27 July 2025, and will be replaced by the Boeing 777-300ER.

In line with its capacity adjustments, SIA will suspend services to Houston via Manchester from 1 April 2025. However, SIA will maintain five-times weekly services between Singapore and Manchester via SQ302 and SQ301.

Dai Haoyu, Acting Senior Vice President Marketing Planning, Singapore Airlines, said, “Singapore Airlines regularly reviews our network and routes to align our capacity with demand. These adjustments, ahead of next summer, cater to the higher demand to several destinations, particularly during the traditional mid-year peak travel season, enabling our customers to confidently make their 2025 travel plans. We look forward to connecting our customers to the world with SIA’s extensive network, and delivering an unparalleled travel experience.”

Kenya’s aviation workers to strike over proposed airport deal with Adani Holdings

Kenya’s aviation union said it was calling a strike from early next week to demand the scrapping of a proposed deal with India’s Adani Airport Holdings to develop the east African country’s main airport.

Any walkout could cause significant disruption to national carrier Kenya Airways and to operations at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), a key regional travel hub.

The Kenya Aviation Workers Union said the proposed deal would lead to job losses and bring in non-Kenyan workers. It also described it an “unlawful intended sale of JKIA to Adani Airport Holdings of India” in its seven-day strike notice issued on Monday.

The government has said the airport is not for sale and that no agreement has been reached on what it has described as a proposed public-private partnership to upgrade the airport.

“We shall reconsider our intention to engage in industrial action … only if the Adani Airport Holdings Limited’s deal is abandoned in its entirety,” Moss Ndiema, the union’s secretary general, said.

The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) has said Adani would add a second runway at JKIA and upgrade the passenger terminal.

The authority confirmed on Monday that it had received a strike notice. “We are hopeful that a resolution can be reached through negotiation,” spokesperson Elijah Miano said.

Allan Kilavuka, Chief Executive, Kenya Airways, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A nationwide youth-led protest movement that emerged in June over proposed tax hikes has also criticised what it says is a lack of transparency over the proposed Adani deal.

Last month police blocked protesters from accessing JKIA, which they had aimed to shut down.

The government said in a statement on the Adani proposal last month that JKIA was stretched beyond its capacity of 7.5 million passengers a year and in urgent need of improvements, citing incidents like leaking roofs which it said had caused “international embarrassment”.

The statement said modernising JKIA could cost USD 2 billion, which the government was “constrained to fund due to the current tight fiscal situation”.

It said Adani’s offer was currently being reviewed. If a deal is agreed, the government said there would be safeguards to ensure Kenya’s national interests are protected.

 

Ethiopian to build new airport with 110mn passenger capacity

Ethiopian Airlines, in partnership with Dar Al-Handasah Consultants and Zaha Hadid Architects, is embarking on a revolutionary Mega Airport City project in Abusera, Bishoftu.

Located 40 km from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, this new airport aims to transform Ethiopian air travel, accommodating 110 million passengers annually—quadrupling the capacity of the current Bole International Airport.
Ethiopian Airlines’ Group CEO, Mesfin Tasew, underscored the project’s importance in establishing Ethiopia as a global aviation hub. He emphasized the initiative’s potential to enhance connectivity, drive economic growth, and prioritize environmental sustainability, reflecting the airline’s commitment to innovation.

Dar’s Director of Operations in Ethiopia, Tariq Al-Qanni, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, highlighting its role in enhancing Ethiopia’s global air connectivity and solidifying Ethiopian Airlines as a leading African aviation group.

The first phase, expected to be completed by 2029, will position Ethiopia as a premier gateway to Africa, handling 60 million passengers. Ultimately, the airport will serve 110 million passengers per year.

The Mega Airport City will feature a 1.1 million sqm terminal with state-of-the-art amenities, extensive airline support facilities, and a substantial cargo and airport support area. The strategic location at a lower elevation than Addis Ababa will address operational challenges faced by the current hub. The architectural design will integrate Ethiopian heritage, focusing on sustainability, resilience, and future readiness. Ethiopian Airlines aims to enhance the customer experience, ensuring each journey reflects excellence and innovation.