Airline News Page 177

Etihad Airways and Air Europa celebrate inaugural flight milestone
Etihad Airways and Air Europa have celebrated a historic milestone as Air Europa operates its inaugural wet-lease flight from Abu Dhabi to Madrid, marking the Spanish carrier's first-ever aircraft operation from the Middle East.

Jet2.com and Kyte sign Distribution Agreement
Jet2.com and airline technology company Kyte, today - [24 June 2025] - announce a distribution partnership in a new move from Jet2.com to connect to more travel sellers including TMCs and Corporate Booking Tools. Seats with Jet2.com, the UK’s third largest airline, will now be available on the Kyte platform, with all ancillaries also available.

Riyadh Air announces an order with Rolls-Royce for 100 Trent XWB-97 engines
Riyadh Air, the new national carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, recently signed a deal at the 55th Edition of Paris Air Show at Le Bourget with Rolls-Royce for 100 Trent XWB-97 engines to power its fleet of up to 50 Airbus A350-1000 an order that was announced yesterday. The agreement was signed by Adam Boukadida, Chief Financial Officer of Riyadh Air and Ewen McDonald, Chief Customer Officer at Rolls Royce in the presence of Tony Douglas, Riyadh Air’s Chief Executive Officer and Rob Watson, President of Civil Aerospace at Rolls-Royce.

Aer Lingus proudly partners with Dr Norah Patten ahead of her historic space mission
Aer Lingus is proud to announce its partnership with Dr Norah Patten as she prepares for her groundbreaking mission to become the first Irish person in space. With a shared commitment to building new connections and inspiring exploration, Aer Lingus will partner with Norah as she prepares for her first ever research spaceflight.

Lufthansa Group and Airbus collaborate for business travel with SAF
The Lufthansa Group has been working on sustainable transformation in aviation for many years and offers companies a wide range of customized options for more sustainable flying. Now, the Lufthansa Group is entering into an agreement with Airbus in the field of more sustainable business travel. Since June 1, the “Sustainable Corporate Value Fare“ has been used by Airbus for all Lufthansa flights taken by its employees within Germany. This Lufthansa Group business fare enables offsetting of parts of the calculated CO2 emissions through the subsequent use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel in future flight operations.

Qatar Airways Announces Reinstatement of Flights as Airspace Reopens in the State of Qatar
Qatar Airways can confirm the reinstatement of flights following the reopening of airspace in the State of Qatar. Our focus at this time is to help our passengers return home or reach their onward journey safely and smoothly. We are working tirelessly with government stakeholders and the relevant authorities to restore operations as quickly as possible.

ForsaTEK 2025 offers platform for high-impact, scalable innovation
The Emirates Group’s annual flagship innovation and technology forum, ForsaTEK, is once again bringing cutting-edge technology partnerships, dynamic start-ups, thought-provoking discussions, and emerging talent developing game-changing concepts to the fore.

flynas connects Baku and Trabzon to Medina with direct flights as of July 4
flynas, the leading low-cost airline in the world and the best LCC in the Middle East, announced connecting Trabzon in Turkey, and Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan to Medina with weekly direct flights, within 2025 summer destinations. In collaboration with Taibah Airports Company, starting July 4, flynas will be operating two weekly flights to the Turkish city of Trabzon, a popular destination for Saudi travelers seeking stunning natural scenery and a temperate climate. A weekly direct flight to the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, will also be launched starting July 6, reflecting flynas' commitment to connecting Medina with multiple international destinations and offering diverse, direct travel options to key global tourist destinations.

Ethiopian to Enhance Regional Operations with Two Twin Otter 300-G Aircraft Orders from De Havilland
Ethiopian Airlines, the largest fleet operating carrier in Africa, plans to enhance its domestic operations with the latest evolution of the renowned Twin Otter family, The Twin Otter Classic 300-G aircraft. Solidifying the vision, Ethiopian signed a purchase agreement for two new Twin Otter Classic 300-G aircraft with De Havilland Canada. This new arrangement enables Ethiopian to enhance its domestic and regional operations.

Emirates boosts services to Barcelona with a third daily flight
Emirates has announced it will ramp up operations to Barcelona with the addition of a third daily flight starting from 26 October 2025. The added service will meet market demand and offer customers greater connectivity to/from the coastal city as well as access to popular destinations across Emirates’ network including Maldives, Bangkok, Bali, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Technology is making travel even easier this summer
Technology is making travel on American Airlines easier and more reliable this summer. From planning a trip to getting to your destination, technology is at the center of customers’ travel experiences. “User-friendly technology is part of our daily life and should extend into what our customers experience when they travel on American,” said Ganesh Jayaram, American’s Chief Digital and Information Officer. “With our renewed focus on the customer experience, we’ve ramped up our digital capabilities throughout the travel journey so our customers can focus on what matters most: getting to their destination.”

Qatar Airways Partners with Panasonic Avionics to Power a Smarter, More Connected Cabin Experience
Qatar Airways, named World’s Best Airline 2025 for a record ninth time by Skytrax, is continuing to set new standards in passenger experience with the launch of its next-generation in-flight entertainment system, powered by Panasonic Avionics’ new Converix platform on its Boeing 777-9 fleet, during the 55th International Paris Air Show. The announcement marks an important step in advancing the airline’s vision for a digitally-enabled, personalised and smart onboard journey.