Tag Archives: Abu Dhabi

Alitalia maps out its new strategy, will include a new look and it must be profitable again by 2017

Alitalia (3rd) (Rome) today issued new strategy with its new partner Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi). The new strategy will also include a new brand and livery for 2015.

The company issued this statement:

The strategy for the new Alitalia was unveiled today, with an unequivocal commitment by the new executive team and strategic investors to reinvent the airline.

Alitalia will introduce new routes, new product and service standards, a new cost management strategy and new branding, as the foundations to build a premium global airline representing the best of Italy.

The new Alitalia commenced operations on January 1, 2015, following the completion of equity investments by Etihad Airways and Alitalia’s existing shareholders. The new company’s Board meeting yesterday ratified the business strategy, which was outlined today by Luca di Montezemolo, Chairman of Alitalia, Silvano Cassano, Chief Executive Officer of Alitalia, and James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group and Vice Chairman of Alitalia.

Luca di Montezemolo said: “The energies, passion and expertise I have experienced at Alitalia in recent weeks do not leave any doubt that the airline we’re unveiling today will become once again a premium Italian airline recognised worldwide. This is why I believe the people in Alitalia are a pillar of the history we’re about to write.

“Our priority is to put the customer at the centre of everything we do. And to do that, we will change many things, starting with the way we work. We need to work as one united team to achieve this great common goal.

“The revitalized Alitalia we envision and have started building, will be an asset to this country, and a driver to support the growth of our tourism and our business.”

James Hogan said Alitalia’s future will rely on major change throughout the organization.

“In a market still beset by the continuing Eurozone crisis, anything other than rapid, decisive change is simply not an option.

“This is the right strategy, with the right management team to lead it.

“But there should be no doubts at all: we have made a commercial investment that must deliver a commercial return.

“We’ve invested in the new Alitalia because we believe it can flourish again. It will only succeed if there is 100 per cent support from everyone. The coming months and next few years will not be easy, but if everyone pulls together as one team, Alitalia can grow again.”

Mr Hogan said that Alitalia’s major investors had set a clear deadline for the airline to deliver profitability by 2017.

Outlining the airline’s new strategy, Silvano Cassano said: “The new Alitalia strategy is serious, it is exciting and it is commercial. It is a strategy for success – if everybody delivers.

“It is serious because it has been developed over months by an executive team and a set of partners that share extensive and in-depth industry expertise.

“It is exciting because of the vision and ambition that we have for the brand and for the business. This is the chance to create a new Alitalia, one which Italy can truly feel proud of.

“And it is commercial because that is the only way this can work. Every single employee at Alitalia has to get into a commercial mindset, one in which the basis of every decision is: Does this add value to our customer? Does it add value to our company? And does it help us to deliver a financial return?

“We need to create a performance-based, customer-focused culture which results in a sustainably profitable airline, one which can grow over the long term.

“The investment we have received from our shareholders gives us the opportunity to do that.”

Mr Cassano added: “A successful Alitalia means jobs, it means trade and it means tourism. It means a major impact on the Italian economy.”

The key elements of the new business strategy include:

Network

A new three-hub strategy in Italy. Milan Malpensa will increase long-haul services, while Milan Linate will increase connectivity with partner airline hubs. Rome Fiumicino will grow long-haul flying and continue to expand short and medium haul flying to maintain relevance to the Italian market.

Schedules across the network will be optimized to allow better connectivity, as well as increased codesharing with existing and new partners.

New routes from Rome include Berlin, Dusseldorf, San Francisco, Mexico City, Santiago (Chile), Beijing and Seoul, with increased flights to New York, Chicago, Rio de Janeiro and Abu Dhabi.

Alitalia will also add 13 weekly flights from Milan Malpensa, with daily services to Abu Dhabi, four flights a week to Shanghai, and additional flights to Tokyo.

There will also be increased connectivity with Etihad Airways’ hub in Abu Dhabi, with daily services from Venice, Milan, Bologna and Catania, as well as additional flights from Rome, all allowing onward connections to the Middle East, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, China and Australia.

Venice will be the only Italian airport, in addition to Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa, from which Alitalia will operate services to Abu Dhabi with long-haul aircraft.

Cooperation

While exploring further opportunities to deepen the relationships with Skyteam members and in particular Air France/KLM and Delta, there will be a major new partnership with Airberlin and Niki, as well as increased connectivity with Etihad Airways. There are also plans to work more deeply with Air Serbia and Etihad Regional. These partnerships will increase customer choice across many markets.

Fleet

Alitalia and Etihad Airways and its partners are exploring opportunities to improve jointly fleet efficiency. For example, Alitalia is in the process of relocating 14 Airbus A320s to Airberlin, and looking into options with Etihad Airways to acquire additional wide-body aircraft for Alitalia. Alitalia will also have opportunities to receive aircraft from Etihad Airways’ existing fleet orderbook.

Guest Services

A new customer-first culture, with new product and service standards across the airline. A new Customer Excellence Training Academy will deliver skills to all customer-facing staff, while customers will experience traditional Italian hospitality, new food service options, new-look lounges in Rome, Milan Malpensa and Milan Linate.

Brand

Alitalia will launch a new brand and visual identity, covering aircraft, uniforms and all other customer touch-points. While the name will remain unchanged, the new branding will seek to capture and embody the essence of Italy.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. The updated version (in 2006) of the basic 1969 livery will soon be history as Alitalia replaces it with a new Italian theme and look. Alitalia is also going to receive new aircraft types for its long-range routes from partner Etihad Airways. Boeing 777-243 ER EI-ISD (msn 32860) arrives in Los Angeles.

Alitalia aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-1/Airlines-Europe-1/Alitalia-2nd

Video: Join Luca di Montezemolo, Chairman of Alitalia, Silvano Cassano, Chief Executive Officer of Alitalia, and James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group and Vice Chairman of Alitalia, as they outlining the strategy for a new Alitalia.

KLM to introduce the first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on October 26

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam) is planning to introduce the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the Amsterdam-Abu Dhabi-Bahrain route on October 26 per Luchvaart News.

Air France-KLM Group has 25 787-9s on order.

Image: Boeing.

KLM aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-2/Airlines-Europe-2/KLM-Royal-Dutch-Airlines

Etihad Airways to fly to Tanzania

Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) on December 1, 2015 will start the Abu Dhabi – Dar es Salaam route. The daily will be operated with Airbus A320 aircraft per Airline Route.

Copyright Photo: Gerd Beilfuss/AirlinersGallery.com. The pictured Airbus A320-232 D-AXAN 9msn 5821) became A6-EIU on the handover.

Etihad Airways aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Asia-1/Airlines-Asia1-AE/Etihad-Airways

Etihad Airways apologizes for the major weather disruptions and delays in Abu Dhabi this past weekend

Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) issued this statement about major flight disruptions over the weekend in Abu Dhabi. One flight to San Francisco was delayed for a reported 12 hours on the ground in Abu Dhabi.

Read the report by Yahoo! News: CLICK HERE

The airline issued this statement:

Etihad Airways expects to operate a normal flight schedule by tomorrow (Tuesday, January 6, 2015), as operations are restored following the major disruptions caused by severe weather over the weekend.

It is also operating four additional relief flights, Jakarta and Jeddah today (Monday, January 5), and Bangkok and Phuket tomorrow (Tuesday, January 6) which will assist passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted.

It is expected that more than 95 percent of passengers delayed by the severe fog, which caused the closure of Abu Dhabi International Airport, will have departed Abu Dhabi by tomorrow morning, with the remainder having departed by the end of the day.

Efforts have been helped by passengers originally scheduled to travel today and tomorrow (January 5 and 6), who took advantage of Etihad Airways’ offer of free flight changes, to shift travel plans to later in January.

Etihad Airways mobilized more than 500 additional staff at the airport and city locations over the weekend, to assist guests stuck in Abu Dhabi as a result of the fog. The airline served more than 15,000 meals to guests at the airport, and provided more than 2,000 hotel rooms across the city.

The airline has announced it is to review its policies on the length of time aircraft can remain on the ground, with passengers aboard, while waiting for a take-off slot.

Whilst the departure of passengers to their onward destinations was a priority over the weekend, it has acknowledged customer concerns and has committed to a review of its procedures as soon as is feasible.

Abu Dhabi International Airport had to suspend operations for a period on January 3, 2015, as visibility fell below General Civil Aviation Authority-mandated safety limits.

Etihad Airways apologises to its guests for any inconvenience caused as a result of this airport closure, for mandated safety reasons, and thanks them for their patience during these extremely challenging few days.

Etihad Airways aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Asia-1/Airlines-Asia1-AE/Etihad-Airways

Etihad Airways puts its first Airbus A380 into revenue service between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow

Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) this morning (December 27) inaugurated Airbus A380 service between Abu Dhabi and London (Heathrow) (LHR) and return. The first flight departed Abu Dhabi at 0235 and arrived at LHR at 0635. The return flight has now departed LHR (above) for the first time.

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A380-861 A6-APA (msn 106) departs today from LHR on its first revenue flight back to Abu Dhabi. The Super Jumbo features “The Residence by Etihad” luxury suites as previously reported.

Etihad Airways aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Asia-1/Airlines-Asia1-AE/Etihad-Airways

South African Airways to add a new route to Etihad Airway’s Abu Dhabi home

South African Airways (Johannesburg) is moving closer to potential equity partner Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) with an expanded codeshare relationship as previously reported. SAA will launch a new daily route to Abu Dhabi from Johannesburg on March 29, 2015 with Airbus A330-200s.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A330-243 ZS-SXV (msn 1249) arrives at the Johannesburg base.

South African aircraft slide show:

DFW welcomes Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) is now flying to Dallas/Fort Worth. DFW issued this statement:

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport yesterday (December 3) welcomed Etihad Airways and its new service from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) with DFW’s traditional “shower of affection” water cannon salute from the Airport’s Department of Public Safety. Etihad Airways now offers direct service between Abu Dhabi and DFW with Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft operating three days per week on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with daily service scheduled to start on April 16, 2015. The flight is estimated to bring in an additional $90 million to the North Texas economy with three times a week service, and about $200 million per year once daily service begins.

The new service continues DFW’s recent wave of international expansion, as the airport has added 18 new international destinations in the past four years. With the addition of the new Etihad service, DFW now hosts 23 airlines and 55 direct international destinations and continues to be only one of seven airports in the world with over 200 direct destinations.

Unique about the service from Abu Dhabi to DFW is that arriving passengers can be pre-screened by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) before boarding their flight in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi is one of only a few airports outside of the United States to offer an onsite U.S. CBP facility. Once cleared by CBP in Abu Dhabi, travelers check their baggage to their final U.S. destination. Upon landing at DFW, passengers can proceed directly to their next connection or destination without having to process through DFW’s Customs and Immigration Hall, because they were pre-cleared in Abu Dhabi.

Copyright Photo: James Helbock/AirlinersGallery.com. Leased from Air India, Boeing 777-237 LR (Longer Range) A6-LRB (msn 36301) arrives in Los Angeles.

Etihad Airways aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Asia-1/Airlines-Asia1-AE/Etihad-Airways

Alitalia to launch new Abu Dhabi routes on March 29, 2015 from Milan Malpensa and Venice

Alitalia (2nd) (Rome) on March 29, 2015 will launch new routes from Milan (Malpensa) and Venice to Abu Dhabi, tripling its frequency to the Capital of the United Arab Emirates with a total of 42 round-trip flights between Italy and Abu Dhabi.

The new Alitalia flights from Milan and Venice – in addition to Alitalia’s Rome (Fiumicino) – Abu Dhabi flight, which began on December 1, 2012 – will be in codeshare with Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) (subject to the necessary government approvals), already providing service from Abu Dhabi to Rome and Milan.

The codeshare agreement between Alitalia and Etihad Airways provides 46 code-shared flights operated by the two companies worldwide. Alitalia and Etihad Airways respective flights between Rome, Milan and Venice (as of March 29, 2015) to Abu Dhabi are code-shared, as well as a number of routes departing from Abu Dhabi and from Rome Fiumicino.

Alitalia (2nd) aircraft slide show:

Airberlin equips its first two Airbus A320s with Wi-Fi

Airberlin Group (Airberlin and Niki) (Berlin) has issued this statement:

The Airberlin Group has equipped the first two aircraft in its fleet with the new ‘airberlin connect’ Wi-Fi service. The two Airbus A320s, registered D-ABNJ and OE-LEL, now boast a Wi-Fi system from Panasonic Avionics Corporation, so passengers can access the internet with their own smartphone, tablet or laptop during the flight.
In addition, passengers on short and medium-haul flights will enjoy an entertainment offering with TV series, movies and music available for streaming to their own device with the new Wi-Fi service. Passengers will be able to choose their own personal entertainment from more than 180 hours of media. On long-haul routes, passengers will continue to enjoy the RAVE in-seat entertainment system.

The first two aircraft equipped with Airberlin connect will service the new Stuttgart-Abu Dhabi and Vienna-Abu Dhabi routes. The first flight from Stuttgart to Abu Dhabi takes off on December 1, 2014, bringing in-flight internet to passengers on this route for the first time. On the new Vienna-Abu Dhabi connection from Austrian subsidiary Niki, passengers will be able to use the new on-board Wi-Fi service as early as November 24, 2014.

Airberlin offers various time and data packages for airberlin connect: for just 4.90 euros, passengers get online above the clouds for 30 minutes, including 20 MB of data.

An hour of internet access, including 50 MB of data, costs 8.90 euros. The price includes use of the entertainment selection, which is available for the entire duration of the flight at no additional cost, even after the package time or data limits are used up. Passengers who wish to be online during an entire medium-haul flight can select the 13.90 euro package, which includes 90 MB of data, while the Full Flight Package for long-haul flights costs 18.90 euros, and includes 120 MB of data. Packages can be conveniently paid by credit card via the web browser on passengers’ own mobile device or laptop.

On the new Stuttgart-Abu Dhabi and Vienna-Abu Dhabi connections, passengers can enjoy the entertainment offered by Airberlin connect free of charge. Internet access during the entire flight to or from Abu Dhabi on these routes costs just 13.90 euros, including 90 MB of data.

Airberlin plans to complete equipping its fleet within three years.

Copyright Photo: Andi Hiltl/AirlinersGallery.com. Niki’s Airbus A320-214 OE-LEL (msn 2668) wears the former colors of OLT Express at Zurich.

Airberlin aircraft slide show:

Niki aircraft slide show:

Airberlin celebrates 25 years of the fall of the Berlin Wall with special flights over Berlin on November 8, will cut another 200 jobs

Airberlin (airberlin.com) (Berlin-Tegel) is planning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with three Bombarider Q400 special flights over the city of Berlin on November 8:

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Airberlin is offering three sightseeing flights over Berlin during the evening of November 8, tracing the course of the former Wall. The flights are being conducted using a Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) with a seating capacity of 76 and will operate between 5.30 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. from Berlin-Tegel Airport. They are accorded flight numbers AB 1989, AB 1990 and AB 1991, thus evoking the year of the fall of the Wall, the year of reunification, and the year of the relaunch of Airberlin as a German airline following the watershed events. From the particularly low flying altitude of approximately 1,000 meters (3,000 feet), the special flight passengers will be able to view the 15-kilometer-long ‘illuminated border’ made up of 8,000 luminous balloons stretching from Bornholmer Strasse to the Oberbaum Bridge. The light installation will illuminate a section of the former course of the Wall from November 7-9. An experienced city guide will accompany the special flights and narrate the history of the divided city of Berlin.

On the ground, too, Airberlin is represented within a section of the ‘illuminated border’ at the East Side Gallery. In keeping with the airline’s anniversary, 35 balloon sponsorships were raffled via its social media channels, on its website, via international media and among staff. The sponsors will be present in person along this stretch during the evening of November 9 to release their helium-filled balloon from its mooring and, thus, to gradually give wings to the ‘illuminated border’.

A further highlight on the afternoon of November 9 is to be the painting of two original sections of the Wall for Airberlin by the well-known French artist Thierry Noir. As early as in 1990, the artist designed sections of the East Side Gallery, nowadays considered protected monuments. Thierry Noir will complete work on the 3.6-meter-tall T-shaped sections live on the spot. The sections of the Wall will then be exhibited at the Berlin-Tegel Airport for a period of six months.

The fall of the Wall is synonymous with a specific milestone in the 35-year history of Airberlin: while Germany was divided, only airlines of Allied nations were permitted to fly to West Berlin. Thus Airberlin, founded as an American charter airline named Air Berlin USA, was able to offer flights from West Berlin from 1979. Upon German reunification, the situation changed radically and Airberlin lost its air traffic rights. Only upon relaunch as a German airline in 1991 were the foundations laid for continued development to the status of the second largest German airline.

Tickets for the special flights are available online at airberlin.com/fallofthewall at a price of 99 euros per person and can also be reserved around the clock via the company’s Service Center by calling +49 (0)30/3434 3434 (local rates apply).

In other news, on October 26 Airberlin started flying to Milan’s downtown Linate Airport as previously reported. Airberlin issued this statement:

Since Sunday, October 26, 2014 all Airberlin Group flights have been taking off and landing at Milan Linate airport. The crew of flight AB 8406 from Dusseldorf, Alitalia employees and Airberlin ground crew greeted the first flights with an official “Benvenuto Linate”. The codeshare agreement between the Airberlin Group and Alitalia allows the airlines to offer their passengers a total of all the 412 nonstop flights of Airberlin, Niki and Alitalia between Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy under a joint flight number.

Additionally Airberlin increased service on the Berlin-Abu Dhabi route:

Airberlin now operates two flights a day between the German capital and Abu Dhabi. On Sunday, October 26, Captain Christoph Runge and his crew manned the first of these doubled-frequency flights. At 11:30 o’clock, the Airbus A330-200 took off from Berlin-Tegel Airport with 226 passengers and 10 crew members on board with destination of Abu Dhabi.

Finally in other news, Airberlin plans to cut another 200 administrative and ground staff in 2015. As previously mentioned Airberlin will continue to phase out its Boeing 737s and go to an All Airbus fleet.

Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Operated by LGW, Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) D-ABQH (msn 4256) arrives at Zurich.

Airberlin (Germany) Aircraft Slide Show:

Air Berlin USA Slide Show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Air-Berlin-USA