Covering priorities for a worry-free pilgrimage

Every year thousands of Muslims travel to holy lands for Hajj, Umrah, and Ziarat. What worries many pilgrims are emergencies which may happen in a foreign land, and this is valid stress because so much can go wrong during travelling. From losing passports and important documents to medical emergencies, any type of crisis or unforeseen mishap can happen, so it makes sense to have a substitute plan in place. A pilgrim’s spiritual journey should be stress-free from all worldly affairs.

As the times and needs are changing, companies are working aggressively to develop new policies and products to ease the concerns of pilgrims. It is recommended that all the pilgrims take necessary precautions while travelling for their religious expeditions, as the crowds there are huge, and it is common for health emergencies to occur.

Regarding the importance of having comprehensive cover during the pilgrimage, we spoke to Mr. Akif Zia Malik, HOD Corporate Business Solutions, TPL Insurance, about their insurance policy, he said, “While we are in Pakistan, we have family members, friends, or relatives to help us financially in case of any mishaps or unforeseen circumstances but travelling can quickly become challenging in this regard. TPL Insurance focuses on making travel insurance easy and accessible, so our customers are covered, be it for hospitalization, loss of baggage, loss of passport or other travel-related issues. It costs minimal compared to the total cost of the trip but gives 100% peace of mind.”

Travel insurance policies typically provide coverage such as the financial security of the policyholder, whether their trip is 15, 30, or 45 days long. Since this is a specialized product, it not only secures the loss of cash and checked-in baggage but also ensures emergency medical expenses and hospitalization, covering travellers in different types of unfortunate circumstances such as the pilgrim being critically injured or in the event of their death. Shariah Compliant coverages are also available with Takaful options. The premiums can be as low as PKR 200 for 15 days of worry-free travel.

Are you planning your holy expedition? Secure yourself with a cover that suits you and experience a worry-free pilgrimage.

To get more information on Travel Insurance and Takaful, click the attached link https://tplinsurance.com/products/travel-direct

Emirates statement on operations at London Heathrow

Emirates values our partnerships with airport stakeholders across our network with whom we engage continuously, and collaboratively, to secure our flight operations and ensure minimal customer disruption, particularly over the peak travel months.

It is therefore highly regrettable that LHR last evening gave us 36 hours to comply with capacity cuts, of a figure that appears to be plucked from thin air. Their communications not only dictated the specific flights on which we should throw out paying passengers, but also threatened legal action for non-compliance.

This is entirely unreasonable and unacceptable, and we reject these demands.

At London Heathrow airport (LHR), our ground handling and catering – run by dnata, part of the Emirates Group – are fully ready and capable of handling our flights. So the crux of the issue lies with the central services and systems which are the responsibility of the airport operator.

Emirates is a key and steadfast operator at LHR, having reinstated 6 daily A380 flights since October 2021. From our past 10 months of regularly high seat loads, our operational requirements cannot be a surprise to the airport.

Now, with blatant disregard for consumers, they wish to force Emirates to deny seats to tens of thousands of travellers who have paid for, and booked months ahead, their long-awaited package holidays or trips to see their loved ones. And this, during the super peak period with the upcoming UK holidays, and at a time when many people are desperate to travel after 2 years of pandemic restrictions.

Emirates believes in doing the right thing by our customers. However, re-booking the sheer numbers of potentially impacted passengers is impossible with all flights running full for the next weeks, including at other London airports and on other airlines. Adding to the complexity, 70% of our customers from LHR are headed beyond Dubai to see loved ones in far flung destinations, and it will be impossible to find them new onward connections at short notice.

Moving some of our passenger operations to other UK airports at such short notice is also not realistic. Ensuring ground readiness to handle and turnaround a widebody long-haul aircraft with 500 passengers onboard is not as simple as finding a parking spot at a mall.

The bottomline is, the LHR management team are cavalier about travellers and their airline customers. All the signals of a strong travel rebound were there, and for months, Emirates has been publicly vocal about the matter. We planned ahead to get to a state of readiness to serve customers and travel demand, including rehiring and training 1,000 A380 pilots in the past year.

LHR chose not to act, not to plan, not to invest. Now faced with an “airmageddon” situation due to their incompetence and non-action, they are pushing the entire burden – of costs and the scramble to sort the mess – to airlines and travellers.

The shareholders of London Heathrow should scrutinise the decisions of the LHR management team.

Given the tremendous value that the aviation community generates for the UK economy and communities, we welcome the action taken by the UK Department for Transport and Civil Aviation Authority to seek information from LHR on their response plans, systems resilience, and to explain the seemingly arbitrary cap of 100,000 daily passengers. Considering LHR handled 80.9 million passengers annually in 2019, or a daily average of 219,000, the cap represents greater than a 50% cut at a time when LHR claims to have 70% of ground handling resources in place.

Until further notice, Emirates plans to operate as scheduled to and from LHR.

Gerry’s dnata recognised for high safety standards in Pakistan

Karachi – Gerry’s dnata, Pakistan’s leading ground services provider, continues to be recognised for achieving the highest safety standards. The company obtained IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) Station Accreditation at Islamabad International Airport (ISB), following the successful completion of a comprehensive audit of its ground handling operations at the airport.

Syed Haris Raza, Vice President of Gerry’s dnata, said: “Safety continues to be at the heart of everything we do. The achievement of the ISAGO accreditation demonstrates our team’s commitment and ability to consistently deliver excellence in safety. I thank my colleagues for their hard work and dedication.”

Gerry’s dnata has also successfully renewed its ISAGO Registration in Karachi (KHI). In 2019, Gerry’s dnata became the first ground services provider to be awarded the prestigious ISAGO Registration in Pakistan.

ISAGO is an audit program for ground-handling companies serving airlines at airports covering the areas of organization and management, load control, passenger and baggage handling, aircraft handling and loading and aircraft ground movement. It offers benefits to airlines, ground handlers, regulatory as well as airport authorities. These include safer ground operations, fewer accidents and injuries, elimination of redundant audits, reduced costs, less damage and fewer audits, a uniform audit process and harmonized standards, improved safety oversight, harmonized auditor training and qualifications, improved quality standards, and enhanced understanding of high-risk areas within ground operations.

In recent years, Gerry’s dnata has significantly enhanced its operations and services to deliver the highest level of quality and safety and help airline customers safely transport passengers and precious cargo to and from Pakistan. It made significant investments in infrastructure, technology and equipment, including the opening of a new, state-of-the-art cargo facility in Lahore which doubled the company’s cargo handling capacity at the airport.

In addition, Gerry’s dnata obtained Maintenance Organization Approval from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority to provide aircraft line maintenance services to airline customers, and now offers a one-stop-shop of ground handling, cargo and technical services at the airports of Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad.

Gerry’s dnata serves more than 20 airline customers at seven Pakistani airports. The company’s team consists of over 2,500 dedicated aviation professionals who assist more than seven million passengers and handle 150,000 tons of cargo annually.

Pakistan High Tech Companies vow to strengthen national defense

Karachi: “Pakistan High tech sector is committed to upholding the highest level of defense preparedness”, was stated by Dr. Haroon Qureshi, President of Pakistan Aerospace Council in his speech at a dinner hosted in honour of Air Marshal Shahid Hamid (Retd) and Air Marshal Arshad Malik (Retd) for their lifetime achievements and services to Pakistan Aerospace & Defence Sector.

Air Marshal Muhammad Mughees Afzal, Chairman Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Air Marshal Ahmed Hassan Marwat, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Engineering) and Executives from 25 member companies of Pakistan Aerospace Council also attended the event.

Mr. Imtiaz Rastgar, Convener PAeC in his welcome speech, paid rich tributes to Air Marshal Shahid Hamid (Retd) and Air Marshal Arshad Malik (Retd) for their life time achievements and services rendered to Pakistan and Pakistan Aerospace & Defence Sector. He pointed out that collaboration between Pakistan Aerospace & Defence Sector and the private tech industry could lead to indigenization and save a huge amount of foreign reserves.

Dr. Haroon Javed Qureshi, President PAeC in his speech highlighted the depth, potential, know-how, skills and manufacturing capabilities of PAeC member High Tech companies. Expressing PAeCs gratitude for the two national heroes, he said, we need more Shahid Hamids and Arshad Maliks for a potent and self-reliant Pakistan.

Executives of PAeC member companies comingled with the former and current PAF leadership and discussed with them the potential, manufacturing capabilities and processes their companies possess.

The current and former PAF leadership was impressed to learn about the manufacturing skills of PAeC member companies and reiterated that their skills and services could be further utilized to meet the challenges faced by Pakistan Aerospace & Defence Sector. Chairman Pakistan Aeronautical Complex invited PAeC member companies to visit PAC, Kamra for further collaboration. Mr Imtiaz Rastgar suggested having a joint seminar, in this regard, at Islamabad in near future.

State-of-the-art Airbus A320 simulator for pilot training installed in Pakistan

Emirates does it again, scaling up and circling around the Burj Khalifa to put Expo 2020 Dubai on top of the world’s travel agenda

Keeping with Dubai’s ‘nothing is impossible’ spirit, Emirates is soaring up and around the Burj Khalifa for another edition of its viral ad campaign, this time taking it one spectacular step further with the masterful addition of the iconic Expo 2020 Dubai A380. Emirates hit the global headlines and social media feeds of millions in August 2021 when it took its brand message to new heights atop the Burj Khalifa.

This time, the brave stuntwoman is standing at the pinnacle of the Burj Khalifa by Emaar once again, holding up message boards with an invitation to visit the world’s greatest show, Expo 2020 Dubai, on the iconic Emirates A380. She then gestures to her ‘friend’, the eye- catching Emirates A380 wearing the Expo 2020 Dubai livery, which gracefully soars in the background as she stands firmly on the spire of the world’s tallest building. The ad also features dynamic aerial views of Dubai and its iconic skyline, and culminates in a flypast over the impressive Al Wasl dome at the Expo 2020 Dubai site. Click here to watch the behind the scenes video and what went into making the ad.

Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “Now at the halfway mark of its six-month run, the excitement and momentum around Expo 2020 Dubai remain strong. Our latest campaign boldly carries the Expo message and invites people to come and experience what is truly the world’s greatest show. There is nowhere else right now that offers the raft of attractions, top-class entertainment and music, riveting sports, vibrant country and themed pavilions, a thriving culinary scene and much more – all in one place. Dubai and the Expo are already top attractions and our aim is to give global travellers even more reasons to choose Emirates and Dubai for their upcoming winter and spring holidays.”

While the ad looked like it was shot effortlessly, the whole project involved in-depth planning and meticulous execution involving stakeholders across Dubai’s aviation eco-system, with a strong focus on safety at every juncture when conducting the low flying maneuvers.

The carefully choreographed flypast involved the A380 flying at a low altitude of only 2,700 feet, the exact height of Burj Khalifa by Emaar. The aircraft also flew at a very low speed of 145 knots. To put that into perspective, the average cruising speed of an A380 is around 480 knots. The low speed ensured the aircraft could efficiently and continuously circle around the Burj Khalifa and achieve a tight radius without drifting away. In total, the Emirates A380 circled the Burj Khalifa 11 times to get a right selection of shots for the ad.

The aircraft also appeared as if it was flying very close to the stuntwoman as she was standing on the Burj, when in fact it was over a half a mile away.

The new global multi-channel campaign will run in 12 languages, debuting across 19 countries covering TV, cinema, digital and social media platforms. The ad is part of a wider USD $20 million commitment Emirates has made to help create awareness, generate excitement and ultimately drive more visits to Dubai and Expo 2020 Dubai.

Since Dubai reopened for business and tourism in July 2020, the airline has run close to 15 major global and regional brand and tactical campaigns across 25 countries, starting with its ‘Dubai is Open’ campaign; its partnership with celebrity powerhouse Chris Hemsworth promoting Expo 2020 Dubai’s endless possibilities ahead of the event’s opening date; both its “Emirates crew on Burj Khalifa” ads and its latest winter campaign highlighting the plethora of activities Dubai has to offer for travellers seeking to escape the cold. The airline has also promoted Expo 2020 Dubai through a number of global tactical campaigns, including complimentary day passes for every ticket booked, earning Skywards Miles for time spent in Dubai during the Expo period, early bird discounts, family and SME offers, amongst other special promotions.

Running until 31 March 2022, Expo 2020 Dubai brings the world together, hosting spectacular events that have encouraged repeat visitation, as it provides a platform for collaboration, showcasing human advances and the latest in technology, culture, art music, gastronomy, sports and much more, in addition to over 190 country pavilions to see and experience.

Gerry’s dnata expands offering; launches line maintenance services in Pakistan

Gerry’s dnata, Pakistan’s leading ground services provider, has expanded its offering. The company obtained Maintenance Organization Approval from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority to provide aircraft line maintenance services to airline customers, and now offers a one-stop-shop of ground handling, cargo and technical services at the airports of Karachi (KHI), Lahore (LHE) and Islamabad (ISB).

Gerry’s dnata’s team of professionals can provide full line maintenance support and are trained on customers’ company procedures, providing a seamless service to both passenger and cargo airlines.

The launch customer is flydubai, which Gerry’s dnata already serves at four airports in Pakistan providing a range of ramp and passenger handling services to the airline and its customers.

Syed Haris Raza, Vice President of Gerry’s dnata, said: “As Pakistan’s leading ground handler, we constantly enhance our offering to best meet the needs of our customers. We are confident that our airline partners will welcome the expansion of our portfolio and take advantage of getting quality and safe ground handling and technical services from a single provider. Our team of highly trained, seasoned professionals will deliver world-class quality and safety for our valued customers.”

Mick Hills, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Maintenance at flydubai, said: “We are looking forward to expanding our relationship with Gerry’s dnata to include line maintenance services in Pakistan. Having a single, local provider to oversee our line maintenance, as well as ground handling, will add more efficiencies to our fleet management and ensure a quicker turnaround of our aircraft.”

Gerry’s dnata have the capability to handle the following aircraft types for scheduled, unscheduled and AOG services:

Aircraft Types

· Airbus A319/A320/A321 NEO (CFM LEAP-1A)

· Airbus A318/319/320/321 (CFM56)

· Airbus A319/320/321 (IAE V2500)

· Airbus A330 (RR RB 211 Trent 700)

· Airbus A330 (GE CF6)

· Boeing B737-600/700/800/900 (CFM56)

Over the past year, Gerry’s dnata has continued to enhance its operations and services to deliver the highest level of quality and safety and help airline customers safely transport passengers and precious cargo to and from Pakistan. It made significant investments in infrastructure, technology and equipment, including the opening of a new, state-of- the-art cargo facility in Lahore which doubled the company’s cargo handling capacity at the airport.

Gerry’s dnata’s quality of service helped it win or retain over 20 contracts with key accounts across its network. The company also achieved prestigious industry certifications, including GDP and IATA’s ISAGO accreditation, which validate its capabilities and place the business in a market leading position.

Explore the world in 2022 with Emirates’ new special fares

Get closer to long-awaited family reunions and much-needed holidays, with special fares on flights booked between 3 and 17 January 2022

Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, has launched a new campaign to bring passengers even closer to more unforgettable travel experiences in 2022. Emirates customers can benefit from special fares* to a variety of popular destinations including Dubai, starting from USD 275 in Economy Class and USD 1,030 in Business Class.

Market	Sale start date	Currency	Destination	Economy Class Fare	Business Class Fare
Pakistan	03-Jan-22	USD	Dubai	275	1,030
			London	650	1,950
			Istanbul	470	1,550
			Toronto	960	2,890
			New York	950	2,790

Customers participating in this unmissable offer will also have guaranteed access to flexible ticket options and COVID-19 medical travel insurance for added peace of mind.

Emirates passengers can take advantage of the promotion by booking their flight on Emirates.com or via participating travel agents from 3 to 17 January 2022, for travel dates throughout 2022 in Economy Class and Business Class.

In addition to these new special fares, customers travelling to Dubai or considering a stopover at the holiday hotspot, can enjoy even more value-add offers from Emirates:

Free Emirates Expo Day Pass: Emirates customers visiting and travelling through Dubai anytime during the Expo 2020 mega event, will be eligible to receive a free Emirates Expo Day Pass for every flight ticket booked with the airline. For more information on this promotion, please visit the dedicated offer page.

My Emirates Pass – Expo Edition: Customers travelling to or via Dubai anytime until March 31 2022, get to explore the city for less with My Emirates Pass Expo 2020 Dubai, through which they enjoy exclusive discounts and benefits at over 500 retail, dining, and recreational attractions by simply showing their Emirates boarding pass.

Earn a Mile a Minute in Dubai: Emirates customers can earn 1 Skywards Mile for every 1 minute spent in Dubai until March 31 2022. Existing and new Emirates Skywards members who sign up for the program before March 31 2022, can avail the offer Mile A Minute, and will earn up to 5,000 Miles. The offer is applicable on all Emirates flight tickets purchased between August 1 2021 and March 31 2022, for travel during Expo 2020 Dubai. Emirates marketed, flydubai operated flights with an Emirates (EK) flight number are also included in the offer.

Travelling with Emirates

Keeping the health and wellbeing of its passengers as top priority, Emirates has introduced a comprehensive set of safety measures at every step of the customer journey. The airline has also been building on its contactless technology offering and has scaled up its digital verification capabilities to provide its customers even more opportunities to utilise the IATA Travel Pass.

Emirates continues to lead the industry with innovative products and services that address traveller needs during a dynamic time. The airline has taken its customer care initiatives further with even more generous and flexible booking policies, COVID-19 medical travel insurance, and helping loyal customers retain their miles and tier status.

Customers are encouraged to check their latest government travel guidelines and ensure they meet the travel requirements of their final destination. For more information on entry requirements for international visitors and residents returning to Dubai visit:

https://www.emirates.com/pk/english/help/covid-19/dubai-travel-requirements/

Emirates SkyCargo transports 600 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines

Emirates SkyCargo has announced that it has crossed a major milestone in the global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines with 600 million doses flown on its flights. Since October 2020, the carrier has transported more than 2.8 million kilograms (2800 tonnes) of COVID-19 vaccines from 35 origins to over 80 destinations. Emirates SkyCargo operates to/from 5 cities in Pakistan and has transported more the 35 million vaccines to the country.

“Emirates SkyCargo remains committed to the rapid distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to vulnerable communities around the world. When we formulated our COVID-19 distribution strategy in 2020, Emirates SkyCargo prioritized the movement of COVID-19 vaccines through our Dubai hub to developing countries. I’m happy to announce that nearly two thirds of the total vaccines we transported were headed to destinations in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. With our extensive reach across six continents, our wide-body capacity and expertise in cool chain logistics, Emirates SkyCargo will continue to be a reliable partner for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the months to come,” said Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, and Cargo.

With the increasing roll-out of vaccination and booster campaigns across global markets, Emirates SkyCargo witnessed a steady increase in the demand for transportation of COVID-19 vaccines in the second half of 2021. In October and November 2021 alone, Emirates SkyCargo moved more than 200 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, almost one third of the total COVID-19 vaccines transported by the carrier since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emirates SkyCargo has been a key global player in the air distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and other relief materials and essential commodities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The air cargo carrier offers sophisticated cool chain solutions for pharmaceutical cargo with Emirates Pharma- a specialised three-tiered air transportation product designed for temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals and backed by Emirates’ state of the art GDP certified pharma infrastructure at its cargo hub in Dubai. In June 2021, Emirates SkyCargo expanded its pharma cool chain infrastructure at Dubai International Airport, allowing it to store an additional estimated 60-90 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Emirates SkyCargo offers cargo capacity on more than 2,800 weekly flights connecting more than 140 destinations across six continents.

Emirates Skywards is offering five lucky members a chance to become Skywards millionaires this Dubai Shopping Festival.

Emirates Skywards, the award-winning loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai, is offering five lucky members a chance to become Skywards millionaires this Dubai Shopping Festival. For a chance to take home one million Skywards Miles every week – shop at more than 1,300 retail stores, dine at more than 200 restaurants, enjoy unique attractions at The Dubai Mall, or spend with more than 1,300 Skywards Everyday partners– an app that let’s members earn Miles on everyday spend.

Become a Skywards millionaire this Dubai Shopping Festival

To enter the weekly draw, customers will need to spend AED 100 or more at The Dubai Mall or Skywards Everyday partners.* Members can also double their chances of winning by simply spending with Skywards Everyday partners at The Dubai Mall.

Every AED 100 spent will qualify as one entry into the draw. The offer is valid on all spends made between 15 December 2021 and 30 January 2022. One winner will be announced every week, starting 3rd January 2022.

Emirates Skywards Credit Card holders can also earn additional Skywards Miles with every purchase made, and 1 Tier Mile for every 4 Skywards Miles earned. The offer is applicable on all participating bank partners across the UAE, Kuwait, KSA and US.* Members can also earn even more bonus Skywards Miles on tax refunds via the utu Tax Free app.*

Visit Dubai

Dubai remains one of the most popular holiday hotspots and a dream shopping destination. From world-class shopping malls, fine dining experiences, and eclectic landmarks – the city has something for everyone. Travellers will have even more reason to visit the vibrant city this year with the mega-event, Expo 2020 Dubai, taking place until March 2022.

Shop, win and be entertained as Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) returns from 15 December 2021 to 30 January 2022 with incredible deals, innovative events, world-class entertainment and life-changing prizes. As the longest running event of its kind, DSF has grown over the last 27 years into a signature celebration for citizens, residents and visitors alike. Featuring the ultimate retail therapy from a wide range of home-grown and global brands as well as live concerts, nightly shows, outdoors markets, pop-up dining and more, this year’s DSF experience is not to be missed.

Offering more than 28 million members exclusive rewards

Emirates Skywards continues to offer its 28 million members worldwide unmatched rewards and privileges. Members can earn and spend Miles on an extensive range of rewards, including flight tickets on partner airlines, flight upgrades, hospitality at sporting and cultural events, and money-can’t-buy experiences.

The loyalty programme recently launched an online subscription platform, “Skywards+”, to offer members easy access to customized rewards. Registered members also have a chance to earn a mile a minute, for up to 5,000 Miles, during a stopover or holiday stay in Dubai – applicable on all Emirates and flydubai tickets purchased from 1 August 2021 until 31 March, 2022.*

For more information, visit emirates.com/skywards.

*Terms and conditions apply