8 I Upfront
TWO OF the world’s largest airlines
have joined calls for a “significant cut”
in the UK’s Air Passenger Duty, ahead
of the November Budget. Emirates and
American Airlines have joined the ‘A
Fair Tax on Flying’ campaign, which is
backed by ABTA, the Airport Operator’s
Association, Airlines UK, and the Board
of Airline Representatives in the UK (BAR
UK). Emirates’ President Sir Tim Clarksaid that cutting the tax would “benefit
consumers, stimulate more leisure and
business travel, and send a strong signal
that the UK is serious about building ever
stronger international air and trade links,
particularly in the post-Brexit world”.- Emirates will add three flights a week
to Stockholm from December 8 on three-
class B777-300ERs (Fridays, Saturdays and
Sundays), complementing its daily services.
Ping your KLM boarding pass on Whatsapp
WHATSAPP AND KLM Royal Dutch Airlines have begun testing a new service where
passengers receive booking confirmations, check-in notifications, boarding passes,
flight status updates and information in 10 different languages through the WhatsApp
Business application. KLM is one of the first companies and first airline worldwide with
a verified WhatsApp business account.Lufthansa to drop Doha
Emirates boss calls for APD cut
AIR BALTIC will launch a new route
between Riga and Abu Dhabi from
October 29, operated by the carrier’s
new Bombardier CS300 aircraft. The
four times weekly service will depart
Riga on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday
and Friday at 2335, landing into Abu
Dhabi at 0725 the following day, and
the return leg will leave the UAE
capital at 0945, landing back into
Riga at 1400. Prices for the six-hour
flight start from ¤129 one-way, and
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways will
codeshare on the route.GERMAN AIRLINE Lufthansa will end its
Frankfurt-Doha service, which it launched
24 years ago, from October 28 after
struggling to make the route commercially
viable. Last year it linked Kuwait to try
and raise loads and yields (this leg will
continue, according to routesonline.com).
Passengers with affected bookings have
been informed and rebooked.TESLA TAXIS TURN INTO DUBAI
DUBAI HAS added 50 Tesla electric vehicles
to the limo fleet of the Dubai Taxi Corporation.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)
recently took delivery of the cars as part of a
deal for 200 Tesla vehicles signed in February
on the sidelines of the World Government
Summit 2017. “Accordingly, 75 vehicles will
be supplied in 2018, and 75 others are to
be delivered in 2019,” said Mattar Al Tayer,
director general and chairman of the RTA.Qantas switches to Singapore
THE KANGAROO tailfin will soon be skipping Dubai’s skies as Qantas plans to change its current A380 Sydney-Dubai-London
service via Singapore from next March, as part of an extended partnership with Emirates (subject to re-authorisation from
regulators). Additionally London-Perth-Melbourne services will replace London-Dubai-Melbourne flights, meaning Qantas will
no longer offer any services to Dubai on its own metal. Emirates and Qantas have been working together on flights between
Europe and Australia for the last five years, and said that the changes “will see the airlines better leveraging each other’s networks,
by providing three options to Australia from Europe – via Dubai and Singapore, and direct to Perth”.
Turn to page 26 to read more on airline joint venturesAir Baltic boosts
Latvian links