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2 years ago
Dubai-based carrier Emirates has announced the first destinations to receive its newly refurbished Boeing 777 aircraft with revamped cabins. The airline will introduce the upgraded 777s on services to Geneva from August 11, Tokyo Haneda from September 1 and Brussels from September 11. This offers passengers more opportunities to experience Emirates’ signature Premium Economy product on the type. The aircraft will also debut the airline’s new 1-2-1 configured Business Class seats for the first time. “With the addition of the newly retrofitted Boeing 777s to our fleet, we’re capturing the opportunity to introduce our highly acclaimed products like Premium Economy to more cities already served by this aircraft type in our network, in addition to more seating variety in four classes,” Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates, said. Emirates has earmarked $3 billion for the largest known retrofit programme in the industry. By February 2025, it aims to serve over 36 cities with Premium Economy across its A380 and Boeing 777 fleets as well as future A350 aircraft. Starting from July 1, the first 777 will spend approximately two weeks undergoing transformation including First Class, 38 new Business Class seats, 24 Premium Economy seats and 256 Economy seats. “Borrowing inspiration […]
2 years ago
A new Esports and Game Design Academy is set to launch in September 2024, aiming to nurture the next generation of esports talent across all GEMS schools in the UAE. This centrally managed academy, where all schools will converge, will offer a scholarship prize fund, providing students with opportunities in the rapidly growing fields of competitive gaming and game design while ensuring their holistic development. This initiative aligns with the broader UAE strategy to establish the country as a global gaming and esports hub. The Dubai Future Foundation is leading the charge with a $1 billion ecosystem to create 30,000 jobs by 2033. The UAE’s largest school group reaffirmed its commitment to harnessing the educational potential of esports, ensuring that students not only excel in gaming but also acquire essential personal and professional skills in this rapidly expanding industry, which is already larger than both the music and movie sectors combined. Critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership skills Sunny Varkey, Group Chairman of GEMS Global and Founder of the Varkey Foundation and GEMS Education, said, “We believe in the power of innovation to transform lives. The launch of our Esports and Game Design Academy is a testament to our commitment to […]
2 years ago
Dubai’s Metro service is set to expand by providing more stations for commuters over the coming few years after a development plan was approved on Sunday by the emirate’s Executive Council. The expansion aims at increasing the currently operating 64 stations over 84 square kilometres to 96 stations over 140 square kilometres by 2030. It aims to cover 140 stations over 228 square kilometres by 2040. This plan comes under the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum. Some of the key goals include increasing the share of public transport to 45 per cent, reducing carbon emissions to 16 tonnes per capita, improving the quality of public spaces to encourage walking and increasing shaded areas. These are aimed at developing areas around Metro stations with the aim of enriching economic opportunities, interconnecting modes of public transport, and improving efficiency and convenience of sustainable transport. It will also provide incentives for developers, offer services that will support the ’20-minute city’ concept and increase the number of commuters. Foreign Direct Investment Plan In addition to the Metro development plan, the council approved the Foreign Direct Investment Development Programme, which aims to attract Dh650 billion […]
2 years ago
Etihad Airways is planning to double its fleet by 2030, but while it might be able to get hold of the aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, it does not presently have all the pilots it needs to put them into service. To remedy that, the Middle Eastern full-service carrier is embarking on an international quest to recruit hundreds of pilots, beginning in eight European cities in the coming months. What is the Etihad plan? Yesterday, Etihad Airways (Etihad) announced it is on a global recruitment drive to attract hundreds of pilots and their families to Abu Dhabi. The airline will be running a series of pilot recruitment roadshows globally, starting in Europe with events in Cyprus, Bulgaria, Albania, Romania, Hungary, Poland and Lithuania in the coming months. Etihad is as much about education as recruitment, as it has called for pilots who may wish to join or learn more about the airline and its opportunities. The airline also said that pilots who do not yet fulfill the Etihad criteria but may wish to join Etihad in the future are also encouraged to attend a roadshow or register their interest online. There are around 100 aircraft in Etihad’s fleet, and it wants to […]
2 years ago
Dubai Customs has announced 1,273 drug seizures at land, sea and air border ports across the emirate. As part of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, Dubai Customs highlighted successful seizures in the past year. Top drug busts included 234.68kg of hashish and assisting an Asian country in seizing 700kg of meth. Dubai Customs drug busts The successful drug busts included seizures of Dubai Customs is making further efforts to combat all forms of smuggling, especially narcotics, through its customs ports, to protect the community and the national economy from its negative effects by countering smuggling attempts. Mansoor Al Malik, executive director for policies and legislation Division at Dubai Customs, confirmed that: “the department has prioritised protecting the community from narcotics and contraband, and its five-year plan 2021-2026 has included a major strategic goal to lead safe customs worldwide. “This mission has been given tremendous priority given the increasing threats, in commitment to its national duty, and its belief in the great harm of drugs to the security and health of individuals and society”. #DubaiCustoms strategically aims for Safe Customs Worldwide .. #Invest_in_Prevention#DrugAbuseDay #Safe_Nation #LegitimateTrade #BorderSecurity pic.twitter.com/nDbCnHmtRQ — جمارك دبي | Dubai Customs (@DubaiCustoms) June 26, 2024 He […]
2 years ago
The Sharjah Airport Authority (SAA) and Air Arabia announced the addition of the Greek capital, Athens, to the latest direct travel destinations for passengers through Sharjah Airport. The first of these air routes was launched during the current week from Sharjah to Athens International Airport. The new route will allow travel and tourism enthusiasts to have four flights weekly, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, with plans to increase the number of flights in the future. The inaugural flight ceremony was attended by Ali Salim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Airport Authority, Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, and Antonis Alexandridis, Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to the UAE, along with several officials from SAA and Air Arabia. Sharjah to Athens flightsAli Salim Al Midfa, Chairman of SAA, stated, “The launch of the new air route to the Hellenic Republic is a significant addition to the strategic development and expansion plan of Sharjah Airport. It involves providing more of passengers preferred global destinations and diversifying options for them, in line with the growing demand in the travel and cargo sectors between the UAE and the Hellenic Republic. “It aligns with the strength and diversity of […]
2 years ago
In an email sent out to its employees, Emirates Group announced a four per cent increase basic salary for their employees. The news comes after the group awarded its employees a bonus worth 20 weeks of their salary following their record-breaking financial performance. There will be a four per cent increase in transport allowance and UAE national retention allowance. For flight deck and cabin crew, there will also be a four per cent increase in flying and productivity pay. Additionally, all employees will receive a 10-15% increase in housing allowance, depending on their grade within the company. The details of the new basic salary and fixed allowances will be reflected in the contractual adjustment letter which will be distributed on July 22, according to the email that was sent out on Friday, June 28. The salary increment will not be given to employees who are on a final warning or those who are subject to disciplinary proceedings that may result in dismissal. Those who have not completed probation as of July 1, 2024 and those who are serving notice will also not receive this hike. The changes in the salary come following the 2024 Pay and Benefits Review approved by the group’s […]
2 years ago
A fire broke out in a residential tower on Jamal Abdul Nasir Street in Sharjah on Sunday afternoon. The entire building was quickly evacuated as several civil defence, ambulance, and police teams arrived to control the fire. The evacuated residents anxiously waited and watched from the safety of nearby buildings as authorities fought to control the blaze, which started at 1pm local time. According to residents, the fire began on the 11th floor of the 13-storey building. “When alarm bells started ringing, there was quite a lot of noise in the building. Someone banged on our apartment door. When I came out, a woman shouted, asking us to ‘run’. Only then did we realise that a fire broke out in our building,” said AN, a resident of the building (who did not wish to disclose his identity). AN continued, “Smoke was rapidly spreading and engulfing the apartments, so people panicked. Some residents who were taking showers came out running in towels. I could only grab my mobile phone and came out running. We could see everybody running out and leaving their doors open.” Another resident, MZ, said, “I was at work when my family informed me about the fire. I […]
2 years ago
Delivery riders in Abu Dhabi will now be provided covered rest areas at the malls. This follows an initiative by the Joint Traffic Safety Committee, under the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT), represented by the Integrated Transport Centre, the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters and the Department of Health, to address the concerns of the bike delivery riders during summer. The DMT represented by Abu Dhabi Mobility encouraged shopping mall administrations in the emirate to improve the delivery drivers’ working conditions during the scorching summer months. Mall administrations have also been urged to provide seating, water coolers and mobile phone charging stations and ensure that these rest areas are easily accessible to delivery workers by placing them near common pick-up and drop-off points. The initiatives by the Joint Committee build upon efforts to issue parking permits for four buses that have been designated as temporary rest stops for drivers in Khalifa City, Shamkhah, Al Wathbah, and Al Ain City. In addition, permanent rest areas are being set up at four carefully select locations in Abu Dhabi Island, Khalifa City and Shakhbout City. The Joint Traffic Safety Committee works to reduce traffic accidents and injuries through various measures, including implementing […]
2 years ago
The Dubai Court has sentenced two Pakistani workers to three months in prison, followed by deportation, for assaulting a fellow worker. According to court documents, the incident occurred around 1am in a shared room in labour accommodation on February 3, 2024. Both defendants, who resided in the same room as the victim, conspired to commit the assault. The first accused brandished a knife to threaten the victim into compliance and under the duress of this threat, the second accused carried out the sexual assault. A fellow resident who was awakened by the victim’s cries for help intervened, leading to the arrest of the accused. Prosecutors presented compelling evidence to court including eyewitness testimony and forensic analysis reports linking the second accused to the crime. In their first appearance at the Dubai Criminal Court on April 22, both defendants denied charges of threatening and sexually assaulting the victim. However, the court found the testimonies of the witnesses and the forensic evidence credible and consistent. Judges noted the coordinated effort and the use of a weapon in the crime, underscoring the severity of the assault. In its ruling, the court sentenced both defendants to three months in prison, effective from May 13, […]
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