Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is launching summer flights to Greek holiday hotspots Rhodes, Mykonos and Crete with fares from Dh179. Johnny Chen / Unsplash
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is launching summer flights to Greek holiday hotspots Rhodes, Mykonos and Crete with fares from Dh179. Johnny Chen / Unsplash
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is launching summer flights to Greek holiday hotspots Rhodes, Mykonos and Crete with fares from Dh179. Johnny Chen / Unsplash
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is launching summer flights to Greek holiday hotspots Rhodes, Mykonos and Crete with fares from Dh179. Johnny Chen / Unsplash

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi adds low-cost flights to Greek holiday hot spots Mykonos, Rhodes and Crete


Hayley Skirka
  • English
  • Arabic

Travellers considering a summer holiday to Greece now have another option for low-cost flights to some of the country's most popular islands.

That is because Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is set to launch new routes to Greek holiday hot spots Mykonos, Rhodes and Crete.

Famed for its buzzing energy, Mykonos will join the airline's network from Wednesday, July 7. Non-stop flights will operate from the UAE capital twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, with one-way fares from Dh179 ($48).

Three new Greek destinations offer travellers myriad experiences including secluded beaches, crystal clear waters and a wealth of historical sites. Antonio Magri / Unsplash
Three new Greek destinations offer travellers myriad experiences including secluded beaches, crystal clear waters and a wealth of historical sites. Antonio Magri / Unsplash

The largest island in Greece will also be easily reachable for UAE travellers on a budget. Crete will join the Wizz Air Abu Dhabi network with flights commencing on Friday, July 9.

Services will operate on Mondays and Fridays, and one-way fares are on sale for less than Dh200, including fees but excluding luggage.

Travellers keen to visit Rhodes, the most popular of Greece's Dodecanese Islands, can also get there from Monday, July 12. Fares to the island, which is famed for its beaches and history-steeped landscapes, start at Dh179.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is adding summer flights to the Greek islands. Egor Myznik / Unsplash
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is adding summer flights to the Greek islands. Egor Myznik / Unsplash

Last month, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi announced flights to another Greek island, picture-perfect Santorini, one of the country's most coveted holiday destinations.

Travelling to Greece is open for holidaymakers from the UAE. Anyone who is unvaccinated can fly to the country so long as they have a negative PCR test result taken no more than 72 hours before arriving. Children 5 years of age and younger are exempt. All travellers flying to Greece must also complete a Passenger Locator Form.

Quarantine-free travel to Greece

Greece and the UAE are also part of a vaccine corridor, meaning that travellers who are fully inoculated will face no quarantine on either end of their holiday.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi adds Rhodes, Crete and Mykonos to its summer schedule, with fares from the capital starting at Dh179, one way. Courtesy Wizz Air Abu Dhabi
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi adds Rhodes, Crete and Mykonos to its summer schedule, with fares from the capital starting at Dh179, one way. Courtesy Wizz Air Abu Dhabi

Vaccinated travellers must have completed the second dose of their inoculation at least 14 days prior to arriving in Greece.

When returning to Abu Dhabi, UAE residents and citizens who have been vaccinated for at least 28 days, and have received a vaccine report on the Al Hosn app, will be exempt from quarantine restrictions.

All passengers returning to Abu Dhabi must take a PCR test 72 hours before departure, and another free-of-charge test on arrival at Abu Dhabi airport.

Those travelling through the vaccine corridor must take a final test on day six after arriving, with children 12 years of age and younger exempt.

Tickets for flights to Mykonos, Rhodes and Crete are now on sale on the Wizz Air Abu Dhabi website and app. The new additions to the network mean that the UAE's newest airline is now operating to 29 destinations from the capital.

Etihad Airways also announced new services to the Greek islands on Monday. The national airline of the UAE is launching summer routes to Mykonos and Santorini, with flights starting this week.

Asia Cup Qualifier

Venue: Kuala Lumpur

Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September

Fixtures:

Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore

Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman

Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal

Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore

Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong

Thu Sep 6: Final

 

Asia Cup

Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Schedule: Sep 15-28

Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Company%20profile
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yallacompare profile

Date of launch: 2014

Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer

Based: Media City, Dubai 

Sector: Financial services

Size: 120 employees

Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)

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How has net migration to UK changed?

The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.

It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.

The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.

The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.

India squads

Test squad against Afghanistan: Rahane (c), Dhawan, Vijay, Rahul, Pujara, Karun, Saha, Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Umesh, Shami, Pandya, Ishant, Thakur.

T20 squad against Ireland and England: Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Raina, Pandey, Dhoni, Karthik, Chahal, Kuldeep, Sundar, Bhuvneshwar, Bumrah, Pandya, Kaul, Umesh.

ODI squad against England: Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Shreyas, Rayudu, Dhoni, Karthik, Chahal, Kuldeep, Sundar, Bhuvneshwar, Bumrah, Pandya, Kaul, Umesh

The specs: 2018 Maserati Ghibli

Price, base / as tested: Dh269,000 / Dh369,000

Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 355hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 500Nm @ 4,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 8.9L / 100km

RESULTS

6.30pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
7.05pm: Meydan Sprint – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner: Equilateral, Andrea Atzeni, Charles Hills
7.40pm: Curlin Stakes – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (D) 2,200m
Winner: New Trails, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
8.15pm: UAE Oaks – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Mnasek, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
8.50pm: Zabeel Mile – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: D’bai, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Balanchine – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Summer Romance, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
10pm: Al Shindagha Sprint – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Al Tariq, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

IPL 2018 FINAL

Sunrisers Hyderabad 178-6 (20 ovs)
Chennai Super Kings 181-2 (18.3 ovs)

Chennai win by eight wickets

THE SPECS

Engine: 3.6-litre V6

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 285bhp

Torque: 353Nm

Price: TBA

On sale: Q2, 2020

TOURNAMENT INFO

Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia

UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri