The International Air Transport Association (IATA) plans to launch its IATA Travel Pass in March 2021, as announced by Muhammad Albakri, IATA's Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East. He added that the association is currently testing the mobile app in cooperation with Etihad Airways, Emirates Airlines and Qatar Airways, indicating that after the launch of the first version, another one including more updates will be introduced in April. The move will support the re-opening of borders and safe resumption of the aviation sector's operations, especially as the app is based on information security, ease of use and verification of information, Albakri said. The app includes documented health information about passengers, such aschecks and vaccinations, which supports and accelerates the resumption of operations at the aviation sector. The Middle East airlines recorded the biggest decline of 72.9% in travel demand, due to reliance on long-term international routes wh...

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation announced that its deal with Aerolease Aviation for the Spacejet has been cancelled and the two sides agreed to “revisit” a possible contract when Mitsubishi restarts development of the regional jet. Aerolease Aviation has been a customer since 2016 when it signed for 10 firm orders and 10 options for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), the predecessor of the Spacejet that Mitsubishi has been developing for years.  Aerolease’s cancellation, the total number of firm orders for the SpaceJet now stands at 153, the majority of them to Japanese carriers. Mitsubishi Aircraft also has 114 options for the type. This is a major setback for Mitsubushi Aircraft. Aerolease has been a strong advocate of Mitsubishi Aircraft’s efforts to produce a latest generation regional jet with the SpaceJet. It has been a pleasure working with the Mitsubishi Aircraft team over the past five years,” said Jep Thornton, managing partner of Aerolease Aviation. “It is clear to us th...

  The first ever passenger flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel landed near Tel Aviv on Monday, October 19, a month after the countries signed an agreement normalizing ties. Etihad Airways flight EY 9607 from Abu Dhabi landed at Ben Gurion Airport early in the morning with only crew on board.The plane picked up Israeli tourism professionals, who would be flying to the UAE for a two-day visit. In a statement to mark the historical flight, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the inaugural flight "a great thing, we are making historic changes here". Etihad planes had landed at Ben Gurion with medical supplies in May and June to help the Palestinians tackle the coronavirus pandemic. In August, Israel and the UAE announced that they had reached a US-brokered deal to normalize ties, following years of discreet economic and security cooperation. The UAE and Israel authorities will sign an agreement authorizing 28 weekly commercial flights between the countries...

  The return of Boeing 737 Max aircraft back into commercial operations might be sooner rather than later as Europe’s top aviation regulator said he’s satisfied that changes to Boeing 737 Max have made the plane safe enough to return to the region’s skies before 2020 is out, even as a further upgrade his agency demanded won’t be ready for up to two years. After test flights conducted in September, EASA is performing final document reviews ahead of a draft airworthiness directive it expects to issue next month, said Patrick Ky, executive director of the EASA. That will be followed by four weeks of public comment, while the development of a so-called synthetic sensor to add redundancy will take 20 to 24 months, he said. The software-based solution will be required on the larger Max 10 variant before its debut targeted for 2022, and retrofitted onto other versions. “Our analysis is showing that this is safe, and the level of safety reached is high enough for us,” Ky said in an intervi...

Etihad Aviation Training (EAT), part of  Etihad Aviation Group, has launched new training programmes for pilots at its world-class training facility.The first Aviation Training Organisation (ATO) in the world to secure regulatory approval. Cadets who complete MPL training on the Phenom 100 jet can now transition directly to the most efficient and advanced wide-body aircraft in the market, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. First airline in the world to implement a Boeing 787 Dreamliner multi-crew pilots licence. Paolo La Cava, Vice President Etihad Aviation Training, said: “Etihad, along with a number of other airlines around the world, traditionally place cadets into narrow-body aircraft once they’ve completed their training. Due to higher market demand, EAT would rather place some cadets onto the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. With this new approval, requirements will be met and will also give pilots the opportunity to fly to destinations that are not catered with narrow-body aircraft”. To achie...

  Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, will offer PCR tests included in all air tickets booked by customers in the UAE for flights departing from Abu Dhabi International Airport, with the exception of services to China. This new policy will last until 31st December, 2020. The airline is collaborating with Life Medical Diagnostic Center (Life Dx) to offer convenient testing between 48 to 96 hours prior to departure, at its network of collection facilities in the UAE. Travellers flying First or Business will also have the option of selecting tests at their home. The quick and easy process can be booked directly with Life Dx. Etihad strongly advises all travellers to visit  www.etihad.com/destinationguide for detailed information on country-specific PCR testing requirements, lists of applicable medical testing facilities, and entry regulations.  Travellers flying to China from Abu Dhabi are subject to specific testing protocols and can only use SEHA testing faci...

Qatar Airways has extended its flexible booking policy. Customers can now avail flexible booking options for all tickets issued before December 31. For passengers who need to change their travel plans, they can hold their ticket value for two years; benefit from unlimited date changes, or exchange their ticket for a future travel voucher with 10% extra value. Qatar Airways latest re-booking options will provide passengers an unrivaled peace of mind. The national carrier of the State of Qatar now operates over 650 weekly flights to more than 90 destinations, providing more flexible travel options to more global destinations than any other airline. This flexibility is certainly a welcome development especially the uncertainties in global air travel due to the covid-19 pandemic.