Tim Clark travel tips

On the second day of the Dubai Airshow, it got quieter than opening day. Day 1 brought more than 200 aircraft orders, and a steady stream continued to be announced. They mostly went to Boeing again. 

Dubai, situated in one of the world’s driest regions, was hit with a second bout of heavy rains and strong winds this week — just two weeks after the desert metropolis was covered in a year’s worth of rain in the span of 12 hours. 

Air India’s new flagship has made its debut on the international stage. On Wednesday night, Flight AI995 departed Delhi for Dubai, operated by an Airbus A350-900 for the first time. 

Following days of chaos at Dubai International Airport, the head of Emirates Airline has published an open letter, offering his “most sincere apologies to every customer who has had their travel plans disrupted”.

The United Arab Emirates is used to oppressive heat but the Dubai International Airport, one of the busiest in the world, was not prepared for the unprecedented amount of rainfall this past week.

Dubai’s flagship carrier Emirates has had to cancel nearly 400 flights and delay many more in the 3 days following Tuesday’s thunderstorm, Emirates President Tim Clark wrote in an open letter to customers on Saturday.

Two of Dubai’s most prominent real estate developers are being merged and rolled into the personal portfolio of the emirate’s ruler.

Emirates will begin flying to Bogota, Colombia, the airline said Wednesday.

Emirates today announced an order for 15 additional Airbus A350-900s during the fourth day of the Dubai Airshow 2023, taking the Emirates’ total A350 order book to 65 units.

Emirates President Tim Clark said Tuesday he is sticking with Boeing despite long-running delays and that he needed to see much better performance from Rolls Royce engines before going with Airbus’ A350. He didn’t mince words, referring to the Rolls Royce engine as “defective.” 

Emirates has announced that its first flights operating with sustainable aviation fuel in the Emirates have taken place, with Emirates’ flight EK 412 bound for Sydney departing Dubai International Airport on 24 October. 

Emirates has developed a reputation of being one of the best airlines in the world, repeatedly winning awards for outstanding service, extremely comfortable cabins and an upscale traveler experience. How do they do it? The airline devotes both time and money to its fleet and staff. Last year, Emirates announced that it will be investing over $2 billion to enhance its in-flight customer experience, including a massive program to retrofit over 120 aircraft with the latest interiors.

Event organizers in Abu Dhabi will no longer be required to pay tourism tax. Hosting an event in Abu Dhabi had incurred a 10 percent tax per ticket sold. “For further support to the investment environment in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, it has been decided to exempt event organizers from the tourism fee of 10 percent on tickets sold,” a circular from the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi stated recently. The circular also said it is mandatory for event organizers to obtain event licenses in accordance with the regulations specified for this purpose. Event organizers are also required to declare the revenues generated from these events, submit supporting financial statements, and cooperate with revenue auditors or individuals designated by the department of culture and tourism to validate the accuracy of their declarations.

Emirates airline said on Thursday it had committed $200 million to a research fund focusing on reducing the impact of fossil fuels in commercial aviation, because hitting net zero emissions targets would not be possible with currently available options.

Emirates Airline President Tim Clark said on Tuesday that new Saudi airlines and the expansion of regional competitors will not affect the Dubai-based carrier, adding that he sees resilient demand, especially for leisure travel.

First class travel is not going anywhere despite recent moves by several airlines to cut the posh seats from planes that fly long, intercontinental routes.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, June 8. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.