Emirates is extending warm wishes of “Ramadan Mubarak” to its customers worldwide and marking the Holy Month with a series of thoughtful initiatives that reflect the values of compassion, generosity, and community togetherness.

Throughout Ramadan, the airline will distribute thousands of iftar boxes for fasting customers at boarding gates and onboard, offer complimentary prayer mats, feature dedicated religious and family programming on its ice inflight entertainment system, and serve traditional Ramadan dishes in its lounges.

To support customers who are fasting, Emirates will provide complimentary iftar boxes at select boarding gates during iftar time, each containing water, laban, dates, and a banana, allowing passengers to break their fast comfortably before or after boarding. Onboard, customers across all cabin classes on select routes will be offered specially curated, nutritionally balanced Ramadan meal boxes presented in bespoke packaging inspired by traditional Islamic geometric art.

These boxes include dates, light cold mezze such as hummus, moutabel or muhammara with Arabic bread, a hearty chicken mosakhan or herbed chicken sandwich, sweet items like chocolate-coated almonds and assorted baklawa, and laban, served in addition to the regular hot meal service.

To ensure that religious timings are observed accurately inflight, Emirates uses a dedicated system that calculates precise imsak and iftar times based on the aircraft’s location, altitude, and the corresponding sunrise and sunset. Once the sun has set along the flight path, the captain will make an announcement to inform fasting customers that it is time to break their fast. Passengers may also request special keepsake prayer mats, which are available on all flights.

Across the seven Emirates Lounges at Dubai International Airport (DXB), customers will be able to enjoy a wide range of traditional Ramadan refreshments including Arabic sweets, dates, and coffee.

First and Business Class lounges will feature classic regional dishes such as hot and cold Arabic mezze, lentil soup, Arabic mixed grill with tahina, lamb kabsa, chicken machboos with cucumber yoghurt, lamb ouzi with hashweh rice and dakous, followed by desserts like pistachio kunafa, katayef, saffron basbousa, cheesecake, cheese kunafa, walnut katayef, and specialty ice creams including Arabic coffee and dates or baklawa flavours.

Guests can also enjoy traditional beverages such as jallab and laban, while Emirates lounges in Cairo and Jeddah will similarly offer a selection of Ramadan-inspired dishes. All Emirates Lounges are equipped with dedicated prayer rooms and ablution facilities to provide a calm environment for worship.

During the Holy Month, Emirates’ award-winning ice entertainment system will highlight a curated selection of Islamic and Ramadan-focused content, including Arabic programmes such as “Kheir Qodwa,” “Qalb Al Mo’men,” “Wa Yatoub Allah Alaykom,” “Al Huqooq Al Sharaeya,” and “Nafhat,” as well as Urdu titles like “Ramadan Mah e Rehmat” and “Hoshyarian.”

Popular Arabic series and dramas including “Ma Taraho Laysa Kama Yabdo,” “Febrayer Al Aswad,” “Al Mtwassf,” and “Hazza” will also be available, alongside an extensive library of more than 6,500 channels of on-demand entertainment, including up to 450 Arabic movie and TV channels and around 400 Arabic music and podcast channels.

To extend the Ramadan ambiance into customers’ homes, Emirates has launched a new collection of Bukhoor fragrances through the Emirates Official Store.

The range features the bestselling Oud Rose, blending raspberry, rose, geranium, oud, patchouli, and vanilla, along with two new scents: Dreamy Nights, with sweet green citrus, balsam, jasmine, amber, cedar, and spicy vanilla, and Sacred Ember, combining saffron, lavender, bergamot, musk, tobacco, and cedar. Each 70g pot, priced at USD 52, is presented in an elegant white-and-gold design bearing Emirates’ signature Ghaf tree motif, making it an ideal Ramadan gift.

Emirates is also enhancing the travel experience for customers performing Umrah during Ramadan. Umrah groups travelling to Jeddah and Medina will be served Ramadan meal boxes inflight, while each customer is entitled to check in one bottle of Zamzam holy water of up to five litres from Dubai International Airport and various airports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In line with its commitment to cultural awareness and service excellence, Emirates has introduced Ramadan awareness training for cabin crew and ground staff across its network. The training provides teams with guidance on the religious and cultural significance of Ramadan and familiarises them with common practices during the Holy Month, ensuring they can better anticipate the needs of fasting customers and deliver a considerate and respectful travel experience.

Malaysia Aviation Group, the parent company of Malaysia Airlines, is considering whether to introduce a green tax on passengers to help cover the rising cost of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), potentially adding to airfares.

Group chief Capt. Nasaruddin A. Bakar said Monday that the company was examining different options as airlines worldwide seek to reduce carbon emissions while facing high SAF prices and limited supplies.

“We are looking at all options,” Nasaruddin told The Associated Press on the sidelines of an aviation sustainability conference. He stressed that both passengers and airlines needed to be able to afford the transition to cleaner fuel.

Singapore, Malaysia’s neighbour, has already announced a government-mandated green aviation levy set to take effect in January 2027. Charges will vary according to destination and cabin class, making Singapore the first country to announce such a measure.

The aviation sector faces growing pressure to address its environmental impact as global air travel demand increases. The International Energy Agency estimates that aviation accounts for about 2.5% of annual global carbon emissions, while the UN-backed International Civil Aviation Organization has established a goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

According to the aviation organisation, sustainable aviation fuel could reduce the industry's emissions by around 65%.

SAF is typically made from renewable materials, including used cooking oil, waste fats and agricultural residues. It can be blended with conventional jet fuel and used in existing aircraft without requiring changes to their engines.

However, its widespread adoption remains constrained by higher production costs, limited manufacturing capacity and restricted access to sustainable raw materials.

The International Air Transport Association estimates that SAF currently represents less than 1% of global jet fuel consumption, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing airlines as they work towards their emissions targets.

Source: Associated Press

SalamAir has entered into a distribution agreement with travel technology company Amadeus as the Omani low-cost airline steps up efforts to expand its international presence and reach new customer segments.

Under the agreement, travel sellers connected to the Amadeus Travel Platform will gain access to SalamAir's fares and services, allowing the airline to expand its distribution network and improve the availability of its products across global markets.

Steven Allen, chief commercial officer of SalamAir, said the partnership would support the airline's growth ambitions by strengthening its international market presence and making its services more accessible to travellers seeking affordable air travel.

The agreement forms part of SalamAir's broader strategy to diversify its sales channels, increase its global visibility and respond to rising travel demand across its expanding network.

Maher Koubaa, executive vice-president of the Travel Unit and managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Amadeus, said the partnership reflected the company's commitment to supporting the low-cost airline sector. He added that Amadeus' technology solutions were designed to help low-cost carriers expand and compete in international markets.

Source: Oman Daily Observer

Emirates is expanding its Dubai-Durban schedule with 14 additional flights during the 2026-27 festive season, offering travellers more options during one of the busiest periods of the year.

The additional services will operate as a second daily flight between December 17 and 23, 2026, and January 2 and 8, 2027. The airline will deploy a three-class Boeing 777 on the route.

Flight EK2535 will depart Dubai at 04:00 and arrive in Durban at 10:30. The return service, EK2536, will leave Durban at 12:15 and land in Dubai at 22:30.

Emirates' existing daily flights, EK775 and EK776, will continue to operate according to their regular schedules.

The airline is also providing flexible booking options to help passengers manage changes to their travel plans. Customers booking flights to Dubai can change their travel dates an unlimited number of times without fees across all cabin classes. For tickets to other destinations, passengers are entitled to one complimentary date change.

Emirates' Hold My Fare service allows customers to reserve a ticket price for 24 hours at no additional cost. The airline has also reduced its refund fees.

Source: TradeArabia

Lufthansa has increased fuel loading on flights bound for Frankfurt Airport as a precautionary measure amid tighter jet fuel supplies caused by reduced pipeline capacity.

The airline said on Thursday that the move was intended to manage potential supply constraints at Germany’s largest aviation hub. Airport operator Fraport confirmed that routine maintenance was under way on a pipeline supplying jet fuel to the airport.

Fraport said the maintenance had been factored into its operational planning and was not expected to cause a fuel supply bottleneck. Alternative supply routes and sufficient storage capacity were helping to mitigate potential disruption.

“The airport's operational capability is therefore not affected,” Fraport said.

Lufthansa said it was not currently anticipating any flight cancellations as a result of the situation.

German newspaper Bild first reported the additional fuelling measures, citing internal instructions reportedly issued to Lufthansa pilots on selected routes. The practice, known as “tankering”, involves carrying more fuel than required for a flight so that an aircraft needs less or no refuelling at its destination.

According to Bild, the additional fuel carried by Airbus A320-family aircraft is limited to eight tonnes to ensure the planes can still be towed on the ground. The measures primarily affect short-haul services, although some long-haul flights are increasingly being included.

The precautionary steps are intended to give Lufthansa greater flexibility in managing its fuel requirements while pipeline maintenance continues at Frankfurt Airport.

Source: Reuters

Turkish Airlines has signed a strategic agreement with CFM International to strengthen engine maintenance capabilities and support the expansion of its Boeing 737 MAX fleet.

The long-term services agreement will cover the airline group's entire LEAP-1B engine fleet, including engines already ordered and delivered, spare engines, units installed on leased aircraft and potential future options. The combined total exceeds 600 engines operated by Turkish Airlines and its subsidiary, AJet.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed during a ceremony in Istanbul by Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Prof. Murat Şeker; Turkish Technic CEO and Board Member, Mikail Akbulut; and Safran CEO Olivier Andriès. Safran is one of the two parent companies of CFM International.

The agreement also includes a material services arrangement to support the development of an engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Türkiye.

Şeker said the partnership would help Turkish Airlines accommodate fleet and network growth while improving operational efficiency. He added that the expanded services agreement would provide the technical expertise and long-term support required to develop LEAP engine maintenance capabilities.

Akbulut said the agreement would enable Turkish Technic to undertake comprehensive LEAP engine maintenance. He also reaffirmed the company's commitment to investing in engine services alongside its existing aircraft and component maintenance operations.

Andriès described the MoU as another milestone in a relationship with Turkish Airlines that has lasted nearly four decades. He said the agreement reflected both companies' ambitions to support the airline's growth and fleet expansion, while promoting an open MRO ecosystem offering flexible, competitive services to improve operational performance and control costs.

GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp Jr. also welcomed the agreement, highlighting Turkish Airlines' extensive international network and its confidence in CFM engines. He said the partnership would build on the companies' established relationship as the airline expands its Istanbul operations and engine maintenance capabilities.

Turkish Airlines currently operates 96 Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft powered by CFM56-7B engines and 79 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft equipped with LEAP-1B engines.

CFM said it had delivered more than 10,000 LEAP engines during the 10 years since the engine entered service, with the fleet accumulating over 100 million flight hours. The manufacturer continues to introduce upgrades, including a high-pressure turbine durability kit designed to extend time on wing and a reverse bleed system (RBS).

The agreement is expected to strengthen Turkish Airlines' long-standing relationship with CFM International and support the integration of newly ordered Boeing 737 MAX aircraft into its expanding fleet. The planned engine MRO facility will also enhance Turkish Technic's ability to provide comprehensive maintenance services.

Source: Turkish Airlines