Oman Air has launched a new service between Muscat and Zurich, Switzerland. The national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman – nominated as the Middle East’s Leading Airline earlier this year by the World Travel Awards - now offers four flights a week between the two destinations.

The World Green Tourism conference opened in Abu Dhabi earlier with a declaration that a new kind of sustainable tourism can help protect the cultural heritage of the United Arab Emirates. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, secretary general of the Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi, told an audience of travel trade professionals the tourism sector has a crucial role to play in reducing footprint carbon footprints and combating climate change.

Flight D7536 has touched down at Kansai International Airport as AirAsia X launches a new service to Osaka. The third largest city by population after Tokyo and Yokohama, Osaka serves as a gateway to the popular historical city of Kyoto and Kobe, both of which are accessible in less than 30 minutes by the highly efficient local rail network.

Qatar and the Republic of Korea have agreed to closely cooperate to make the next major UN Climate Change Conference at the end of 2012 a success. Very much the rising star of the Middle East, Qatar was also recently selected to host the annual World Travel Awards Grand Final.

London Gatwick Airport has seen strong passenger growth during the six months from April and September, with an 8.5 per cent increase in traffic. Growth was driven by existing carriers – including easyJet, British Airways and Norwegian expanding operations and adding new routes.

Abdul Wahab Teffaha, secretary general of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation, has criticised airlines in Europe and the United States for a perceived return to protectionism during the organisation’s 2011 annual general meeting in Abu Dhabi. Governments around the world were accused of seeking to “restrain of the growth” of airlines which have extracted new opportunities from the economic crisis.