Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the UAE, last night touched down in Kolkata as the airline made its much-anticipated return to the city. With a total of seven weekly nonstop services, the airline will once again connect India’s financial capital, Kolkata, with the world through Abu Dhabi.

Etihad will increase frequency to twice daily between Abu Dhabi and New York-JFK starting in April 2023.(Opens in a new browser tab)

The first flight on the new service, EY256, departed Abu Dhabi with a full load of passengers at 1:50pm local time on 26 March and touched down at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport last night at 8:10pm local time. Upon arrival in Kolkata, passengers were welcomed with a cake-cutting ceremony and a celebration attended by Etihad and Kolkata Airport Executives.

The return flight, EY257, departed Kolkata at 9:05 pm local time on 26 March, landing in Abu Dhabi shortly after midnight. The flights will be operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft, offering Etihad’s award-winning service to guests in 8 seats in Business Class and 150 in Economy, convenient flight timings to the UAE’s capital city and seamless connections to destinations across the airline’s growing global network of 67 destinations.

Etihad Airways adds flights to Shanghai to its route network(Opens in a new browser tab)

Etihad passengers flying from Kolkata to the United States can benefit from the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility in Abu Dhabi International Airport, the only US immigration preclearance service in the region that allows passengers to clear US immigration while they are still in Abu Dhabi, meaning travellers can get home quicker and easier.

Flight schedule for Abu Dhabi – Kolkata service, effective 26 March 2023:

Etihad Airways is launching an Early Summer sale with exclusive offers to help guests plan a quick escape before the summer. guests can book their flights at special sale fares to select Etihad destinations until 31 March 2023, and travel between 1 May and 15 June 2023.

Etihad Airways adds flights to Shanghai to its route network(Opens in a new browser tab)

Guests can choose from select Etihad sale destinations with fares starting from AED 995 for a return fare.

• Head to Cairo from AED 1,195 and take in the ancient sites and one of the seven Wonders of the World, the Great Pyramid of Khufu at the Pyramids of Giza. While in Egypt, take a cruise on the Nile, the world’s longest river, or visit the Red Sea, home to colorful reefs and beautiful marine life.
• Explore the history, architecture and art in one of the world’s most popular cities when you fly to Paris for AED 2,595. Visit the Eiffel Tower, take a cruise along the Seine, or check out the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s original counterpart Louvre Paris and see the famed Mona Lisa. Watch the Parisiens go by as you relax with un café at the bustling pavement cafes and enjoy the city’s famed gastronomy at a lovely French Bistrot.
• Visit the UK’s bustling capital, London from AED 2,795 to take in the parks, museums, and historical sites, or shop until you drop in the beautiful streets of the majestic city. Take advantage of the nightlife in the famous ‘West End theatre district or dine in cosy eateries or Michelin-starred restaurants
• If you’re looking for tropical beaches, surfing spots, or scuba diving adventures then try the Philippines. Fly to Manila from AED 2,395 and explore the food, art scene and the world’s oldest Chinatown in the city known as the ‘Pearl of the Orient’, or venture further to visit the islands’ beaches and indulge in breathtaking landscapes and turquoise waters.
• Fly to the beautiful Garden City of Singapore from AED 2,495 and dine on top of the Marina Bay Sands, take in the botanical gardens or the Gardens by the Bay. Visit the famed Raffles Hotel and marvel at the iconic architecture all around the city.
• Starting tomorrow, Etihad will also relaunch daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Kolkata, providing a total of seven non-stop services per week to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. To celebrate the relaunch, sale fares to Kolkata start at just AED 995 in Economy. Uniquely cosmopolitan, Kolkata – often referred to as the cultural capital of India – is home to exceptional architecture and dynamic markets.

EasyJet has announced a new route to Istanbul in Turkey from Manchester which will take off this summer. This will be the first time the airline will operate to the Istanbul Airport in Turkey’s largest city, which becomes the 156th destination on easyJet’s extensive short-haul network spanning Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Seats are on sale now at easyJet.com and via the mobile app, with fares from £51.99.*
IndiGo announces 32 new connecting flights to enhance connectivity between India and Europe(Opens in a new browser tab)

Departing for the first time on 9th June, flights will operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays, providing a direct connection for customers from the North-West to this unique and iconic city, in addition to existing popular services from Manchester to Antalya and Dalaman.

Istanbul joins other destinations Bodrum, Antalya, Dalaman and Izmir on easyJet’s Turkey network and promises to offer customers something uniquely different.  Straddling two continents, and famously known as the city where East meets West, easyJet’s newest destination boasts a rich history and will offer customers a variety of experiences; from the old city which reflects cultural influences of many historic empires, to world-famous landmarks like the Blue Mosque, while bargain hunters can stroll the iconic Grand Bazaar.
Singapore Airlines will expand its Airbus A380 service to Australia while concentrating on its Asian network.(Opens in a new browser tab)

What’s more, the new route means that brand new package holidays have gone on sale with Europe’s fastest-growing tour operator, easyJet holidays. Holidaymakers can make the most of city break packages starting at just £437 per person, including hotel, flights and 23kg luggage. The holiday provider has 13 hotels to choose from, including the 5* CVK Park Bosphorus Hotel Istanbul in the New City, the 5* Eresin hotels Topkapi in the Old City, and the 5* Wanda Vista Istanbul in Marmara.

EasyJet serves 21 UK airports, offering 482 routes to 125 destinations from the UK across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. To discover more about easyJet’s UK network and to book, visit easyJet.com

EasyJet 2070: The Future Travel Report highlights include:

The airport journey and air travel experience will be revolutionized by technological advances:

• Heartbeat and biometric passports will replace the traditional passport, for passengers to breeze through their airport. Much like fingerprints and the retina, every person’s cardiac signature is unique. Passengers’ heartbeat signatures and biometric details will be logged on a global system in the same way fingerprint scanning technology works today.

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• Ergonomic and biomimetic sensory plane seats will become the norm, with smart materials adapting to passengers’ body shape, height, weight, and temperature, providing the ultimate tailored comfort flying experience

• Inflight entertainment will be beamed directly in front of passenger’s eyes, via optoelectronic devices, replacing the need for onboard screens or downloading movies before you fly

• e-VTOL air taxis will do away with the airport car park shuttle – the journey to the airport will be quicker and more convenient than ever before with 85% of passengers arriving by e-VTOLs from their homes to the terminal.

As technology advances, it will see significant advances in the accommodation experience abroad:

• 3D printed hotel buffet food will allow holidaymakers to 3D print whatever they want to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, while reducing food waste.

• Subterranean hotels built into the fabric of the earth that are super energy efficient and at one with the environment

• All hotel rooms will be smart rooms with beds already pre-made to exactly desired firmness, ambient temperatures and favourite music playing based upon preferences you select in advance of booking the holiday

• A holographic personal holiday concierge will accompany holidaymakers to provide up to date destination information and assistance throughout their stay

• 3D printed, recyclable holiday clothes on arrival at the hotel will remove the need for suitcases and fast holiday fashion as travellers can print the clothes required in their hotel rooms, tailored to their perfect fit and style, and recycle the materials for the next guest to enjoy.

• Human powered hotels which harvest energy from its guests’ footsteps in order to generate power

Four of the expert predictions have been brought to life in incredibly detailed renders, showcasing how travel could look in 2070.

The impressive visuals depict travellers using their unique heartbeats to get through security at the airport, as well as a new way of flying as aircraft are fitted with adaptable, biomimetic seats, with entertainment beamed directly into their eyes. Other images show holidaymakers viewing a true-to-life Colossus of Rhodes wearing haptic suits, and selecting delicious 3D-printed food, personalised to their tastes. Three-quarters (75%) of Brits say that these technological advances would make them more likely to go on holiday in the future.

The survey of 2,000 British adults revealed that biometric heartbeat passports and time-travelling holiday experiences are the advancements in travel that the nation would most like to see happen by 2070.

The first ever Airbus 321neo has been introduced by Air India, a Tata Group company. On Saturday, the VT-RTD-registered aircraft departed from Hamburg, Germany towards Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

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#FlyAI: We're thrilled to welcome our Airbus A321 Neo (VT-RTD).

We look forward to welcoming you onboard! #TheAIFleet #A321Neo #TravelExperience pic.twitter.com/P4aWm4mTzF

— Air India (@airindiain) March 26, 2023

Air India wrote on Twitter, “The Airbus A321 Neo, the newest member of our AI Family, is ready to be welcomed (VT-RTD). We are eagerly awaiting her arrival after it took off from Hamburg. The first A321 Neo (equipped with CFM LEAP 1A Engines) kind of aircraft to be accepted by AI is this one.”

#FlyAI: All set to welcome the newest entrant to our AI Family- Airbus A321 Neo (VT-RTD). It’s taken off from Hamburg & we can’t wait to see her land here!
This is the 1st A321 Neo (fitted with CFM LEAP 1A Engines) type of aircraft to be inducted by AI.

Pic 3 by @flightradar24 pic.twitter.com/a23l4iPOAi

— Air India (@airindiain) March 25, 2023

The plane touched down at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL). Since being acquired by Tata Group last year in January 2022, this is the first narrowbody aircraft that Air India has received.

The Airbus A320, A320neo, and A321neo, all from the European aircraft manufacturer, will be joined by the narrow-body aircraft on the domestic routes by which they will be used. An agreement between Air India and Airbus was just completed, and it calls for the purchase of 250 aircraft. Both Airbus narrow-body and wide-body aircraft will be added to Air India.

Vistara Welcomes India’s 1st Airbus A321LR To Its Fleet(Opens in a new browser tab)

“Airbus and Air India are experiencing a historic time. According to Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International at Airbus, “India is on the verge of a revolution in international air travel, and we are honored that our partnership with the Tatas and our aircraft solutions will write that new chapter for the country’s air-connectivity.”

The A321neo is the single-aisle Airbus model with the longest fuselage, comfortably seating 180 to 220 passengers in a conventional two-class configuration and up to 244 in a higher-density configuration.

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Qantas will resume direct flights between Melbourne and Tokyo for the first time in more than three years, creating more options for Australians traveling to Japan.

The new service is the first non-stop flight between Melbourne and Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport by any airline, saving passengers nearly two hours of travel to downtown Tokyo compared with Narita Airport, which the flight operated to before the pandemic.

Qantas Takes off again between Brisbane and Tokyo(Opens in a new browser tab)

The year-round flights will operate four days per week with an Airbus A330 aircraft and add to Qantas’ existing flights from Sydney and Brisbane to Haneda Airport. Together, these flights offer customers more than 420,000 seats between Australia and Japan annually and the choice of double daily flights to Tokyo.

Qantas has this week announced a multi-million dollar investment in new menus, larger meals and premium produce across all cabins in its regional, domestic and international network, including flights to Tokyo. The new menu changes will roll out on 29 March and will feature seasonal ingredients, including plant-based options, coinciding with Autumn. Seasonal grilled chicken, steamed rice, miso soup with Japanese pickles, and pork ramen with pickled shiitake mushroom, shallot and nor, are some of the items which feature on the menu for Qantas’ flights between Australia and Tokyo.

Qantas Launches Indonesia Route And Puts International Seats On Sale(Opens in a new browser tab)

The Melbourne-Tokyo (Haneda) route launch will be soon followed by the national carrier’s new Melbourne-Jakarta service which is set to commence in mid-April.

The Qantas Group operates up to 35 return flights per week from Australia to Japan. This includes Qantas’ flights from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney to Haneda and Jetstar’s flights from Cairns to Narita and Osaka, and Gold Coast to Narita.

The most well-known Middle Eastern airlines are providing special Ramadan meals to its customers. Emirates, Qatar, and Etihad have developed distinctive food in response to the holy month of Ramadan.

Emirates

Emirates is preparing thousands of Ramadan meal boxes for fasting passengers both onboard and Iftar boxes at boarding gates, an array of religious content and Ramadan series on ice, and traditional Ramadan refreshments and meals in the lounges.

The Ramadan meal boxes will include light dishes and starters such as hummus and spinach bil zeit, Greek salad and cauliflower bil tahini, falafel sandwiches, pasta salad and fried aubergine with mint, zaatar chicken salad and cauliflower bil tahini, chicken musakhan sandwiches with Arabic bread, as well as staples like traditional dates and refreshing laban. A smaller Iftar box will also be served at boarding gates at Iftar time including all the essentials to comfortably break the fast.

United Brings Back Kids’ Meals Onboard(Opens in a new browser tab)

Emirates’ Ramadan and Iftar boxes will be served to complement the regular hot meal service and menu’s will be refreshed on a weekly basis to ensure a best-in-class dining experience during the Holy Month. The boxes will be served on flights to select destinations during times that coincide with iftar, on flights to and from the Gulf region, as well as flights catering to Umrah groups traveling to Jeddah and Medina during the month of Ramadan.

Qatar Airways

It offer a bespoke Iftar to passengers on board and at Al Safwa, Al Mourjan and Global Premium Lounges. Special Ramadan offerings will be available on flights to the GCC, Middle East, and some Indian Sub-continent, African and Asian destinations.

Similarly, Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge and Al Mourjan Business Lounge will announce the prayer call; in readiness for passengers to utilize the prayer rooms.

Travelers can choose from a selection of traditional Ramadan favorites for a fulfilling dining experience in addition to the Qatar Airways customary dining experience served alongside Qatar Airways’ signature Ramadan-themed lantern.

Etihad Airways