Qatar awards $420 million tender within New Doha International Airport construction project

The New Doha International Airport (NDIA) Steering Committee on Sunday signed an agreement with a consortium of four companies formally awarding them the dredging and reclamation works contract for Qatar’s new airport project.

The consortium is made up of Qatar Dredging Company, Dredging International of Belgium, Great Lakes Dredging & Dock Cy of the US and Boskalis Westminster of the Netherlands. According to The Peninsula, they will work on the project to create the 22 sq km platform for the New Doha International Airport.

Qatar Dredging Company is a Qatari-Belgian joint venture between the Belgian firm Dredging International, private Qatari partner UDC and the Government of Qatar.

In January 2004, the Doha International Airport Steering Committee awarded a contract to the US engineering firm Bechtel to design, construct and project-manage the $5.5 billion new airport. Bechtel’s plan calls for the overall project to be split into some 20 parts, each of which will be tendered to local and international companies.

The dredging and reclamation package is the fourth and latest package to be tendered and awarded – and is by far the largest.

The latest contract involves the placing of over 60 milion cubic metres of sand and rock fill over a 24-month period to create the platform and shore protection.

The contract value hits some $420 million. In order to carry out the work, the consortium will require the mobilisation of several heavy-duty cutter suction dredgers and trailing suction hopper dredgers. A total of 11 major dredging vessels will be used to ensure completion of the work within the contractual time limit.

Daily Flights to Mumbai to Start in March 2005

Sharjah, UAE - Committed to addressing the region's travel needs, Air Arabia LLC - one of the UAE's national airlines and the first low-cost airline of its kind in the Middle East & North Africa region - today announced that it has been granted flight rights to fly daily to Mumbai, India from the middle of March 2005. This latest destination in Air Arabia's constantly expanding network grows the airline's reach to 12 countries and 16 destinations within the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian Subcontinent. Flight schedules and fares for India will be announced later this month.


"We are delighted with this addition to our growing network," said Air Arabia's Chairman, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Moh'd Al-Thani. "This is part of our commitment to provide our passengers with the best value and the highest quality of service. By connecting India to our existing routes, we can now offer Indian nationals the opportunity to travel at lower fares throughout the Gulf region and Gulf residents to travel to India at the best possible fares, allowing families to meet more frequently and tourists to enjoy even more destinations," he added.


"India has always been part of Air Arabia's expansion plans and we look forward to addressing more of the region's travel needs with this new destination," said Adel Ali, Air Arabia's CEO. "This is a fantastic opportunity for Air Arabia to assist in increasing tourism within India with the movement of traffic from the Gulf region, as well as offering numerous travel opportunities to the Indian public, whether for business or leisure," he added.


With the recent addition of its fifth Airbus A320, Air Arabia will be offering travellers to and from India the very best in customer comfort with an aircraft combining the widest and most spacious cabins in its class and the largest seat pitch in the market - that of 34 inches - in comparison to 29 and at the most 31 inches offered on most regional airlines. The A320 is the preferred choice in the single-aisle market, known not only for its wide seats, aisles and increased cabin storage, but also for the technological innovation that brings enhanced performance and reliability. In addition, Air Arabia offers an in-flight entertainment system with both video and audio choices to passengers on short and long haul routes.


Adel Ali continued: "I would like to thank the Indian government and aviation authorities for their role in facilitating our operations and their invaluable cooperation in making this possible. We look forward to enabling residents and tourists that have not been able to afford air travel in the past to start travelling and those who do travel to do so more frequently."

Maiden flights to Baghdad from UAE

A Dubai-based airline has decided to operate two flights per week to Baghdad, restoring the civilian airlinks between United Arab Emirates and Iraq for the first time in more than a decade.

Air Horizon will start the maiden flight to Baghdad from Sharjah from February 10.

"We are getting encouraging response from the people. We have got more than 20 enquiries in two hours this morning," an Air Horizon official told 'Evening Post'.

"We are flying McDonnell Douglas aircraft, which can seat 105 passengers. We plan to fly every Thursday and Sunday to Baghdad and return Wednesday and Saturday." People belonging to certain nationalities, such as Philippines and China are not allowed to travel to Iraq because of the tense security situation there.

"The airport tax is high possibily because of the security situation in Baghdad and insurance is high but still we have received some 25 bookings," a Horizon official said.

Royal Jordanian and Iraq Airways are among three airlines now operating passenger flights to Iraq.

The resumption of civilian flights to Baghdad after more than a decade of sanctions will be a boon particularly for Iraqi expatriates who can now do away with the arduous eight-hours road journey from Amman to Baghdad.

Lebanese Air Traffic Controllers Call Strike

Lebanon's air traffic controllers announced a six hour strike on Monday after talks about their demand for a pay rise broke down.

Beirut Airport's air traffic control committee said in a statement it would suspend services for six hours from 2 pm (1200 GMT) to 8 pm to demand a 50 percent pay rise and overtime payments.

An open strike planned for February 13 would be postponed, but go ahead on February 22 if the government did not meet the air traffic controllers' demands, the statement said.

Talks between airport officials and Transport Minister Yassin Jaber late on Sunday failed to break the impasse, airport sources said.

Civil aviation officials had no immediate comment.

KING ABDUL AZIZ INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT EXPANSION, SAUDI ARABIA
The King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was awarded SAR 2 billion ($530 million) for expansion and modernisation works in 2000. Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz is investing in the project because he believes that the airport's income will gradually pay for the work being carried out. The project was due to start in the first quarter of 2001 after negotiations with the relevant contractors were completed.

MARKET RATIONALE

The project is intended to increase the comfort, satisfaction and service levels provided to travellers in the airport, as well as enabling the airport to be able to cope with increased traffic. The existing southern terminal will need to serve about 21 million passengers per year over the next 20 years to meet growing demand at the airport. Prince Sultan noted that the project would use the highest technology available to bring the airport utilities in line with the latest developments.

King Abdul Aziz Airport is the gateway to Saudi Arabia for a large number of pilgrims. The airport is close to the cities of Mecca and Modina, two of the holiest sites in Islam. During the 2000 Hajj (pilgrimage) season it received 2.6 million travellers and around 1 million pilgrims. The airport has to provide the facilities required for the service of pilgrims and those who visit the country to perform Umrah.

PROJECT TIMESCALE

The project was announced during September 2000 and the designs should be ready within ten months of the date that the successful bidder is nominated. The project will then be implemented. The project's estimated date of completion has not yet been announced.

AIRPORT EXPANSION
The expansion is expected to cost around SAR 2 billion (more than $530 million) and will include: construction of 32 bridges and movable gates that can be attached to airplanes; improvements to the efficiency of current travel terminals; construction of international and domestic travel terminals; and construction of new car parks.

There is no intention of changing the actual site of the airport, as the state has invested a large amount of money in the surrounding infrastructure.

NACO
A design services contract has been signed by the Netherlands Airport Consultants (NACO), a Dutch consultant company specialising in airports. NACO will carry out designs for the complete renovation of the existing station hall, two new passenger terminals for domestic and international arrivals, and a docking pier with 32 passenger gangways linking the terminals with aircraft. The contract also includes some ground water studies and financial appraisal.

RADAR SYSTEM
Prince Sultan, the Second Deputy Premier, the Defence and Aviation Minister and the Inspector General also signed a contract worth SAR 45 million ($12 million) with an international company for the installation of an integrated radar system at the airport. The radar system includes the most sophisticated technology to facilitate air navigation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and at its airports.

BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT EXPANSION, LEBANON
Beirut International Airport (BIA) is a vital facility that plays a major role in linking Lebanon with the outside world, benefiting the country’s business and tourism sectors. BIA is located in the Khaldeh suburb south of the capital and around 8km from downtown Beirut. The airport was opened in 1954, renovated in 1977 and the present runways were rehabilitated between 1982 and 1984.

The execution of the first phase of the new airport started in 1994 and was inaugurated in 1998. The second phase was completed by June 2000. Combined, these projects cost around $450 million, funded by the European Bank for Investment and the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development. Payments for completed projects were taken from a special fund made up of airport taxes and fees, based on the assumption that airport revenues should increase with the development of air travel and increases of passenger numbers. The new airport should be capable of hosting 6 million passengers a year, and in the longer term, this figure may well grow (on the back of new projects) to 16 million by 2035.

PHASE 1 – THE KARAGULLA CONTRACT
The first contract, awarded to the Fahmi Karagulla Contracting Group, included the construction of a new eastern runway and was worked on from 1994 until 1997 with a cost of $60 million. The runway is 3,800m long and 45m wide with two asphalt sides of 7.5m width each. Designed so that planes do not have to stop and turn before leaving the landing zone, the runway can accommodate a touch-down every three minutes, twice as fast as the airport’s other runways. Work on this phase of the project included the diversion of Al Ghadir river and the building of installations on the Al Qassis Canal, used for draining rain water from Southern Suburb. Water channels were installed to divert two rivers away from the airport, and coastal land along the Khalde highway was developed to accommodate further expansion projects. A service road on the eastern side of the airport was also opened, connecting the new runway to the air plane parking zone.

PHASE 2 – THE HOKTEF AND CCC CONTRACT
The German - Lebanese Group, Hoktef and CCC was awarded the largest contract, worth around $390 million, for the redevelopment of the terminal building. Before commencement of the planned work, a preparatory period extending over a number of months saw the construction of a centre for representatives of the consultants, officials from the Civil Aviation Directorate and the Council for Development and Reconstruction, as well as the preparation of Ouzai port to store the necessary demolishing material and equipment. The project also required the appropriations of around 800,000m costing $160 million.

Phase 2 further included the rehabilitation of a number of buildings, including the structures hosting electric generation and air-conditioning, the aviation safety centre, the civil aviation workshop and garage, the fire fighting training centre, as well as the customs, freight and catering buildings. On top of this, new construction projects were sanctioned for a private aviation building, a VIP building, a building with a parking capacity for 2,200 cars and a building for sorting mail. New buildings combined to bring up the total area for the terminal to 150,000m².

CUTE SYSTEM INTEGRATION
In 1998, Beirut International Airport selected SITA to install the CUTE (Common Use Terminal Equipment) system to automate its passenger processing operations. The system is designed to improve the efficiency and speed with which passengers can be checked in, particularly in an environment where passenger numbers at the airport are increasing year after year. CUTE works as a passenger management system and enables airlines or their handling agents to access their own applications in real-time across a shared network and shared set of terminal equipment.

TEHRAN AIRPORT CONSTRUCTION, IRAN
A new airport opened in Tehran, Iran, in February 2001. Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA) is equipped with advanced aviation technology and is estimated to have cost almost $1 billion. Associated investment projects, carried out by either private or public enterprises, include aircraft hangars, in-flight catering, hotel, duty-free shops, fuel supply and passenger and cargo handling facilities.

MARKET RATIONALE
This new airport will take over all domestic and international flights from the Mehrabad Airport (Tehran's other international airport). Studies carried out by the Civil Aviation Organisation (CAO) of Iran recognised that the present airport could not be upgraded and expanded to meet the expected growth levels.

Imam Khomeini International Airport is located in a 15 hectare area located some 30km to the south of Tehran on the Tehran-Qom highway. Work on the project began before the Islamic Revolution during the 1970s but was halted due to political circumstances. Overall responsibility for the project rests with the ministry for roads and transportation.

PROJECT TIMESCALE AND SIZE
Work on the airport started in 1994 and is due to progress in various phases. The first phase, completed by February 2001, initially gives a capacity of 12 million passengers and 200,000t of cargo a year. Depending on demand, the design allows for further expansion to 20 million passengers and 375,000t of cargo, with a final phase scheduled capacity of 40 million passengers and 700,000t of cargo.

RUNWAY
Phase 1 included construction of a single runway of 4,200m by 45m, with 10.5m-wide shoulders. A total of 12.8km of taxiway area connects runways with passenger and cargo terminals, hangars and a 30m-wide engine test pad. The apron area is more than 450,000m² wide to accommodate a total of 24 aircraft.

CONTROL TOWER
The 56.9m-high control tower has an area of 1,100m². The four-storey, glass-fronted technical block spans 6,800m². Navigation aids include the 755 DVOR (Doppler, very-high frequency, omni-directional radio range) supplied by the UK company Fernau, the 2020 DME (distance measuring equipment) and the Normarc ILS NM 7000 instrument landing system, providing the airport with CAT III approach and landing capability.

TERMINAL BUILDING
The passenger terminal building of 78,357m² is a three-level structure comprising a basement, departure and arrival halls at ground level, as well as a mezzanine arrivals floor. 14 air bridges link the aircraft, piers and gate lounges. 1,800 car parking spaces in a two-storey car park can be reached via footbridges. Two-level access roads separate arrivals and departures. Supporting structures include administration, services, maintenance, airport police and security guard buildings, and nearly 100 residential buildings on a 10,000m² complex.

UTILITIES
The remote location of IKIA has placed considerable demands on the supply of utilities. A branch line was laid from the main gas trunk line to the east of the Qum highway, while wells were drilled for water supply. This is only sufficient for a few years of operations and the eventual aim is to transfer and treat water from Tehran's reservoirs. Tehran refinery is establishing a fuel supply through a new 250mm-diameter pipeline, 33km long. Distribution of utilities around the airport will be facilitated via a 2,850m concrete tunnel. Telecommunications contracts have been awarded and work is in progress to link the new airport to Mehrabad with around 400 communication lines, increasing to 2,000 lines in the future.

LEAD CONTRACTORS
Aeroports de Paris (ADP) was responsible for the master plan and preliminary design, and is undertaking supervision of procurement, installation, commissioning and testing of airport equipment and systems, as well as co-ordination and integration. The main contractors are two Iranian companies, Dey and Melli Sakhteman. Fernau (UK) is one of the international contractors working on for the project.

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DUBAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT EXPANSION PHASE 2, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
The Dubai government has committed to a major expansion plan of the Dubai International Airport and its affiliated divisions. The new expansion programme of the Dubai International Airport (Phase 2) is due to cost $2.5 billion and was begun by the Department of Civil Aviation in 2002. It includes the construction of Terminal 3, concourse 2 and concourse 3, and a Mega Cargo Terminal. Construction work for Terminal 3, concourse 2 and concourse 3 is scheduled for completion by 2006. The Cargo Mega Terminal will be constructed in phases and is due to be completed by 2018. By 2006, Dubai International Airport will have the ability to cater for nearly 60 million passengers a year; its present capacity is 22 million.

The expansion program has been divided into five major elements. The first element is the expansion of passenger facilities, including Terminal 3, Concourse 2 and Concourse 3. The second element incorporates the expansion of cargo facilities, including the Mega Terminal, and the third element is the expansion of airfield facilities, such as new aprons, taxiways, roads, tunnels, runway extension, etc.

DUBAI AIRPORT TERMINAL 3
Located beneath the taxiway area and directly linked with Concourse 2, Terminal 3 incorporates an innovative design that promotes simplified, easy passenger flow (inbound and outbound) and decreases walking distances. This is the stark difference between the existing Terminal 1, which is linked to the concourse (Sheikh Rashid Terminal) via a tunnel, and Terminal 3.

Terminal 3's features include a multi-level underground structure measuring 300m x 350m wide, first class lounges and dedicated counters, restaurants, 180 check-in counters, as well as 2,600 underground parking spaces.

Terminal 3's departure and arrival halls will be located 10m below the apron and taxiways. By sustaining visual contact with the landside through a fully glazed facade at one end and the brightly naturally lit atrium of Concourse 2 at the other end, passenger orientation will be heightened.

The Terminal incorporates two levels of vehicle parking that is planned within a landscaped area, enabling uninterrupted views of Terminal 3 and Concourse 2 from the Airport road. A commercial centre will be built around a roof-lit central atrium in the parking area.

CONCOURSE 2
Directly connected to Terminal 3, Concourse 2 is dedicated exclusively to Emirates. The building will include a multi-level structure for departures and arrivals at Dubai Airport incorporating 27 contact gates and 59 passenger-loading bridges. Additionally, there will be a direct connection to Sheikh Rashid Terminal located at the control tower structure. There is also a 300-room hotel and health club that will include both five and three star rooms. A further 10,000m² of commercial space will be home to Dubai Duty Free and restaurants.

Concourse 2 will include five aerobridges capable of handling the new Airbus A380 Super Jumbo. The two concourse buildings will be linked via this airbus, enabling transiting passengers to move freely between the two buildings.

CONCOURSE 3
The third concourse has been included in the expansion programme to accommodate the increased number of passengers at Dubai Airport from the new A380 Super Jumbo.

Concourse 3 will be a scaled-down version of Concourse 3, incorporating climate-controlled lounges. It will have 27 contact gates; 12 gates will be for the A380. The two concourses will be connected via electric buses.

CARGO MEGA TERMINAL
Current growth forecasts predict that by early 2004 additional major cargo handling facilities will be needed in order to satisfy demands. Subsequently, plans are in progress to construct the first stage of the Cargo Mega Terminal, which eventually by the year 2018 will have the ability to handle three million tonnes of freight.

Phase 1 of the Cargo Mega Terminal will be executed through a cargo handling equipment specialist and an international building contractor due to the highly specialised nature of its operation, installed equipment and systems. The construction of the facility is due to be completed by the end of 2004.

FLOWER CENTRE
Scheduled for completion in summer of 2004, the innovative and avant-garde flower centre is to be constructed in three phases. It will offer an enhanced level of automation over a five to seven year period for processing flower products. It will incorporate a semi-automated system with manual sortation plus a fully automated facility.

The centre when completed and functioning will have a floor area of approximately 100,000m² including export chambers and offices (aside from product break down and build-up stations, and automated sorting areas). The handling capacity of the centre is expected to be more than 300,000t of product throughput per annum. The entire facility (with the exception of the offices) will be maintained at an ambient temperature of just 2-4°C.

APRONS AND TAXIWAYS
Due to be completed in 2003, the apron area around the new Concourse 2 will provide for 27 wide-bodied aircraft stands. Out of these five stands will accommodate the A380 Super Jumbo.

The new aprons will be constructed with taxiways and taxi-lanes capable of accommodating the new A380 super jumbo aircraft. A few existing taxiways will be expanded in order to complete the work associated with the newly commissioned second runway. The existing apron that currently serves Terminal 2 will additionally be extended to provide extra remote parking stands.

CONTRACTORS

The Department of Civil Aviation in the Dubai government is completing the new expansion programme of the Dubai International Airport (Phase 2).

Aeroports De Paris International has been drafted in as project design consultant for Terminal 3.

Design group Dar Al-Handasah Consultants will design Concourse 3.

Messrs Al Naboodah Engineering Services, in collaboration with the sister M & E contracting company, Messrs Trans Gulf Electro Mechanical, is contracted for the expansion of storm water facilities, and has again turned to Blackburn Starling for the supply of the pump station motor control equipment.

Siemens was awarded the contract for the complete airfield lighting and airfield lighting control system for the expansion project. This includes approximately 4,200 light fittings for the runway, the taxiway, the guidance signs and the control system with BRITE® that covers 4,200 units.

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Emirates Airlines to fly Incheon-Dubai route

(Korea Herald)
16 March 2005
Emirates Airlines, one of the world's fastest-growing carriers, will start daily nonstop flights between Dubai and Incheon beginning May 1.
The price-competitive airline's entry to the Korean market is expected to create new demand for tourism and business exchanges, Emirates officials said at a news conference yesterday, also announcing the opening of the airline's new office in Seoul.

"With the launch of our Incheon-Dubai route, we'll stimulate exchanges of tourism and business between the two cities, which both serve as regional hubs for trade and communications," said Ghaith Saeed Khalaf Al Ghaith, Emirates vice president.

At present, Korean Airlines Co., the nation's largest carrier, has a monopoly on the Incheon-Dubai route, offering two nonstop flights each week during the regular season and three flights during the summer peak season.

Asked whether the airline will introduce cheaper fares to take a firm root in the Korean market, Ghaith said, "We didn't come here to undercut local competitors. Instead of a low-price policy, we will offer competitive prices and quality services to Korean customers."

The Dubai-based airline flies to 79 destinations in 56 countries and is fast expanding its operations since its inauguration in 1985. Later this year, it will add Beijing and Geneva to its list of destinations.

Entirely owned by the UAE government, Emirates reported a record net profit of $236 million in the six months ending Sep. 30 last year, a 40 percent increase from the same period a year earlier.

To propel its rapid growth further, Emirates announced this year that it will purchase 45 A380 jets over the next few years, the world's largest 555-seat passenger plane made by Airbus SAS.

Emirates, which has 5,500 cabin crew working worldwide including 220 Koreans, said it will increase the number of Korean flight attendants to cater to a potentially growing number of Korean travelers to Dubai.

Emirates Airlines Pushes for More Flights Into Australia

CANBERRA, March 16 Asia Pulse - Dubai-based carrier Emirates Airlines is pushing Australia to open up the nation's skies to more flights from the Middle East.

United Arab Emirates Transportation Minister Sultan Bin Saeed Al-Mansouri today held discussions on the issue with his Australian counterpart John Anderson.

Emirates already has access to Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, but wants better access, particularly into the growing tourist destination of Brisbane.

Sultan Al-Mansouri said there was strong demand from the UAE for flights into Australia.

"The number one carrier now for passengers from Dubai and the region to Australia," he told reporters.

"There is a continuous demand for the number of flights that is needed for the different destinations in Australia and beyond."

Fast-track underground metro rail line may link Dubai-Jebel Ali airports

A new fast-track underground metro line is likely to link Dubai International Airport and the proposed new airport in Jebel Ali, an official said.

“The growth in air traffic is forcing us to look at new options we can use to provide fast, efficient and safe transit [between the airports],” Mohammad Ahli, director of the Department of Civil Aviation, told Gulf News yesterday.

The non-stop service, currently under study, will transfer passengers between the two airports in less than five minutes.

Service would commence once Jebel Ali Airport begins to receive passenger aircraft. The airport, which is to become operational by the end of 2006, will primarily cater to cargo and general aviation services.

“We will need to fast-track the transfer of passengers between the two airports once the new airport in Jebel Ali begins receiving passenger aircraft,” Ahli said.

Passenger services will be progressively introduced to the Jebel Ali Airport once traffic at Dubai International Airport reaches the projected saturation point of about 60 million passengers in annual traffic.

Dubai International Airport served 21.7 million passengers last year, and has reported more than 20 per cent growth year-on-year over the last three years.

The Dubai aerospace exhibition will be shifted to the Jebel Ali Airport site, where full logistics support for the exhibition
will also be developed, Ahli said.

“Dubai 2005 will be the last airshow to be held at the existing Dubai Airport Expo. The next expo, to be held in 2007, will take place at a new facility in Jebel Ali,” Ahli said.

Ahli heads a technical team working on the expansion of the airport facilities. “The distance between the two runways at Dubai International Airport is 360 metres - well below the required 750 metres.

"This does not allow for simultaneous take-off and landing, thus limiting potential air traffic growth,” he said.

“All these have been considered before finalising the Jebel Ali airport plan,” Ahli said. “The new airport will have six runways, with 1,000 metres of distance separating each runway from its neighbours. The site is being cleared and prepared for construction.”

Dubai International Airport, with its planned $4.1 billion expansion (Dh15.04 billion), will cater to 60 million passengers
per year.

With the new airport in Jebel Ali, Dubai’s capacity in handling passenger traffic will rise to 120 million annually.

Published: 14/3/2005, 08:13 (UAE)
Gulf Air poised to break even
By Stanley Carvalho, Staff Reporter

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Berlin: Gulf Air is on course to break even and wipe out its net loss of 20 million dinars when the airline announces its 2004 financial results next week, a spokesman said.

However, he said, 2005 will be more challenging as competition from new airlines intensifies and fuel costs show no signs of retreating.

"We are extremely optimistic of breaking even as 2004 results come out around March 20. Our cash flow is good at the moment and the debt which the airline inherited will be off our books," Hisham Ali Abu Al Fateh, public relations manager, told Gulf News.

"Except for the high fuel costs, the airline did very well and it is well on the road to recovery.

"But this year is a challenge in flying passengers as we face competiton from new airlines in this region," he said.

"When we launched Project Falcon as part of the three-year recovery plan, we did not take into account new airlines coming in nor could we foretell the shocking hike in fuel costs. We want to maintain our position and that is our challenge in 2005," he added.

Gulf Air carried 7.5 million passengers in 2004 with the same number of aircraft that carried six million passengers in 2003.

The airline has a fleet of 35 aircraft. Plans are on tap to expand the fleet but commercial feasibility will be the overriding factor.

"In 2005 there will be no addition to our fleet. But between now and 2009 there are plans to take the fleet to 50 aircraft and this will largely depend on commercial feasibility," said Al Fateh on the sidelines of the ITB here where Gulf Air has a stand under the Bahrain umbrella.

The airline stopped flying to Colombo and Casablanca due to non-profitability. There are no current plans to add new destinations to its network. The airline faces strong competition from low-cost airlines on key profit-making routes such as the Middle East and the sub-continent, a fact that Al Fateh acknowledges.

Gulf Traveller, the all-economy airline of Gulf Air, continues to be the cash cow, helping the airline with high revenues.

"Gulf Traveller saw a high 70 to 75 per cent passenger load factor throughout 2004 and it continues to see a high load factor this year. We expect it to maintain its growth levels," said the spokesman of Gulf Air.

Iran purchases six passenger flights
11 February 2005
BBC

Text of report in English by Iranian Mehr news agency in English

TEHRAN, 11 February: Three Iranian airliners Iran Air, Caspian, and Chabahar have purchased six Airbus, Fokker 100, and Tupolev planes valued at 200m dollars in total that will join the local fleet by year-end (March 21, 2005), said the head of the Civil Aviation Organization (CVO).

The aeroplanes hold all the international standards and can fly at high altitudes, added Nurollah Reza'i-Niaraki. Iran currently has 92 passenger aeroplanes of which 83 are owned by the domestic companies and the rest are on lease.

He noted that a modern satellite system would be applied in the air industry in Iran which will improve the security of flights. Next year will be the year of replacing the existing systems with the satellite ones.

Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority joins Dubai eGovernment’s AskDubai platform
Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority (DAFZA) has joined Dubai eGovernment’s AskDubai call centre, 7000 40000, to provide callers round-the-clock information on its various services including related issues to Commercial Operations, Lease & Licensing, Sales and IT Services. DAFZA joins an increasing number of government agencies opting to use a centralized response service to handle queries from business and public callers through multiple channels.

Following the agreement with Dubai eGovernment, DAFZA will be able to provide information on several issues in the first phase, including Employment Visas, Requests for NOC Letters, Visit & Transit visas, Collection of Passports, Visas Cancellation, etc.

“With a growing number of registered companies, Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority is flooded with a large number of calls pertaining to our services and procedures,” said Adel Kalantar, IT Manager, DAFZA. “As a result, it was becoming increasingly difficult to handle these calls through in-house inquiry service.”

“As a government department we provided our customer support from 7:30-14:30, but now Dubai eGovernment’s AskDubai provided us with the right solution because it offered advanced interactive response systems,” added Kalantar. “The AskDubai platform incorporates state-of-the-art CRM systems, allowing interactive 24-hour response mechanisms through a combination of agents and electronic systems to deliver customer satisfaction. We have ensured that agents are fully trained to provide accurate and updated information to our valued callers.”

Mahmood Al Bastaki, Acting Director of eServices, Dubai eGovernment, said: “Key government agencies like DAFZA need to move to the next level of caller response technology. As the expense involved in acquiring hi-tech call centre equipment is very high, Dubai eGovernment thought of creating a unified call centre that could be utlilised by all government departments. AskDubai is finding increasing acceptance among various agencies because it provides the ideal solution through multiple channels such as the Internet, Fax, Voice Mail, SMS and Agents.”

Describing the advantages of an integrated and shared call centre for government departments, Al Bastaki said AskDubai served as a single point of contact to government departments in Dubai, and it is accessible round the clock, provides bilingual support through multiple channels and unified inquiries, complaints and feedback.

Since its launch in June 2003, AskDubai has been adopted by several government departments, including Dubai Police, Dubai Development Board, Dubai Land Department, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Civil Defence, DOHMS and Dubai Economic Department.

Customers can contact AskDubai on phone line 7000 40000 or submit their queries to help@dubai.ae available on the portal www.dubai.ae or send a fax on 04 330 3399. Those wishing to post comments can go to “Feedback.” There is a facility to chat online with one of the agents. Users can also go to the “Schedule a Callback” link to be called back at a designated time. They can choose “Chat and Talk” link if they want a representative to call them back on the telephone while they are still chatting online.

Dubai Logistics City will start operations in 2007

Staff Report

Dubai: Dubai Logistics City, which will begin operating in 2007, will encompass a 25 square kilometre area, officials said.


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“This major initiative will allow Dubai International Airport to focus on the development of passenger traffic without suffering from congestion or bottlenecks caused by freight and logistics operations,” said Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman of Emirates Group.

Dubai Logistics City (DLC) was launched following an 18-month feasibility and business realisation study by ADI Services FZE.

ADI Services is a division of global logistics consultants ADI Consulting GmbH of Switzerland, Shaikh Ahmad said.

Dubai Logistics City will be adjacent to Jebel Ali International Airport.

This airport will also start operations in 2007 and is designed to eventually handle more than 12 million tonnes of air cargo annually through up to 16 air cargo terminals, project representatives said.

All the terminals will be designed to handle the new generation Airbus A380-800F freighter version of the giant airliner, project representatives said.

DLC and Jebel Ali Airport are being built next to the Jebel Ali Free Zone and Port, which is being extended to handle 15 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent unit) per annum.

“DLC will have its own unique, dedicated, modern road system which will separate professional logistics from public traffic,” said Dr Roland Zibell, DLC project director. “It will offer the full scope of professional logistics services and access to speedy airfreight services.

“All DLC customers will have direct access to Jebel Ali Port and Jebel Ali Airport without having to leave the free zone.

"An ocean container can be transferred from the port’s container terminal to the airport’s cargo terminal without customs clearance and without any delay. This will maximise the freedom to do business,” Dr Zibell said.

Trade and industry customers can opt to build their own facilities, including distribution centres and regional headquarters, on serviced sites with long-term leases or lease space in advanced business units with offices and warehouses provided by DLC.

“Alternatively, companies can outsource operations to contract logistics service providers,” Dr Zibell said. “Hundreds of local and global service providers already operate in Dubai,” he said.

“Depending upon their market position, integrators may either want to be clients of DLC terminal facilities, erect their own sorting and handling facilities on special airside leased plots or even choose DLC as a key regional hub for global operations adding multi-modal, logistics and supply chain services,” Dr Zibell said.

Abu Dhabi, Canada to sign civil aviation pact
BY A STAFF REPORTER

20 March 2005

ABU DHABI — Abu Dhabi and Canada are at an advanced stage of negotiating a pact in the area of civil aviation which will help establish a much needed airlink.


It was stated by William David Hutton, Ambassador of Canada at the launch of the Canadian Business Council (CBC) in Abu Dhabi yesterday.

Ambassador said that the bilateral trade has doubled to $500 million in the year 2004 comparing with $280 million two years ago, showing the enormous potential that exists between the UAE and Canada.

He said that Canadian firms are quite active in the UAE economy and has taken stakes in the health sector, urging the UAE businessmen to take advantage of huge investment opportunities available in Canada.

Earlier, Mohammed Omar Abdullah, Director General of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI) hoped that the CBC would bring the business communities of two countries closer, strengthening trade and commerce.

He said that ADCCI is seeking to strengthen business relations between the businessmen of various countries with their counterparts in Abu Dhabi. The ADCCI board of directors supports the formation of the CBC to act as a bridge between Canadian businessmen residing in the country and their counterparts from the UAE and also with the representatives of the trade and economic institutions in Canada.

The Chairman of the Canadian Business Council, Muwaffaq Ghazi said that the step was of significant importance in triggering partnership between businessmen in the two countries especially as it represents a significant number of Canadian businesses. CBC is deemed an addition to other business councils representing other friendly countries.

He said that CBC has over 100 active members with interests in all areas of economy.

Air Arabia takes off for India
17 March 2005
Middle East Company News

Air Arabia LLC, one of the UAE's national airlines and the first low-cost airline of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa region, today announced the commencement of their daily flights to Mumbai from Saturday 26 March 2005.

Air Arabia's fare structure is based on supply and demand and fares increase as more seats are booked on a particular flight. Fares will be at least 15-20% lower than other airlines. Flights will depart Sharjah International Airport daily at 16:40 and arrive in Mumbai at 21:00 local time. From Mumbai, flights will depart every day at 21:45 and arrive in Sharjah at 23:25 local time. This latest destination in Air Arabia's constantly expanding network grows the airline's reach to 12 countries and 16 destinations within the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian Subcontinent.

'I would like to thank the Indian government and civil aviation authorities for their role in facilitating our operations and their invaluable cooperation in making this possible,' said Adel Ali, Air Arabia's CEO.

With the addition of its fifth Airbus A320 earlier this year, Air Arabia will be offering travellers to and from India the very best in customer comfort with brand new aircraft combining the widest and most spacious seats in its class and the largest seat pitch in the market - that of 34 inches - in comparison to 29 and at the most 31 inches offered on most regional airlines. In addition, Air Arabia offers an in-flight entertainment system with both video and audio choices to passengers on short and long haul routes.

Added Ali: 'By connecting India to our existing routes, we can now offer Indian nationals in the region the opportunity to travel more often at lower fares to India for business or leisure. We look forward to enabling Gulf residents and tourists that have not been able to afford air travel in the past to start travelling and those who do travel to do so more frequently.'

Air Arabia is a Sharjah government owned airline currently flying from Sharjah ten times a week to Alexandria; daily to Bahrain, Beirut, Colombo, Doha and Muscat; five days a week to Damascus and Kuwait; four days a week to Dammam; three days a week to Khartoum and Aleppo; and two days a week to Assiut, Jeddah, Riyadh and Sana'a.

Committed to enabling customers who have not been able to afford air travel in the past to start travelling throughout the region and those who do travel to travel more frequently, Air Arabia offers tremendous opportunities to travellers who are looking for competitive fares. It aims to make air travel more convenient and frequent, while providing the lowest fares in the market without sacrificing the standards of safety, quality or service offered.

Bookings can be made through Air Arabia's call centre in Sharjah on (+971 6) 558 0000, the website, Air Arabia Travel Shops, appointed travel agents and Emirates Post offices.

About Air Arabia LLC:

Air Arabia LLC was established as a fully fledged commercial airline of the United Arab Emirates on 3rd February 2003 by an Ameeri decree issued by His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohamed Al Qassimi, the Ruler of Sharjah and Member of the Supreme Council of the UAE. The Air Arabia fleet consists of five modern A320 aircraft flying directly to destinations in: Bahrain, Egypt, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Gulf Air Launches Refurbished Airbus A330

MUSCAT, March 29 Asia Pulse - Gulf Air launched completely new seating, furnishing and service in its first and business class cabins at a ceremony held at Seeb International Airport Monday under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah al Harthy, Minister of Transport and Communications and Gulf Air Board Chairman.

The Minister and other attendees were taken on a tour on board the first refurbished Airbus A330s, one of six aircraft of the same model, that has entered service on the Abu Dhabi-London route. The five others will be upgraded by next July.

The Minister said the countries owning Gulf Air adopted in 2002 the Falcon restructuring plan for the company. The three year plan was designed to restructure Gulf Air both financially and technically to regain profitability by 2004.

The Minister said initial figures of unapproved audited accounts indicated that the company managed to realize profits last year for the first time since 1990.

He said the technical upgrading of the company included changing the logo and the aircraft configuration besides the new seating and services and hoped that these improvements would allow Gulf Air to restore its prominent status as the national carrier of the Sultanate, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.

The Minister said the Gulf Air recovery plan helped increase flights. He explained that last year the company transported 1.25 million passengers from Seeb International Airport from a total of 3.416 million travellers.

On new destinations, he said the company had recently operated a direct route to London that proved very much successful and encouraged the company to consider launching new direct flights linking Muscat to major European capitals which he said would be disclosed later on.

On Seeb International Airport capacity to accommodate the increasing passenger traffic, the Minister said as a result of the pressure on current facilities at the airport, it has been decided to make some provisional changes in the current terminal by expanding departure and arrival halls and adding four other gates until the new terminal is built. He expected construction to start next year and said the terminal in its first phase will have the capacity to handle 12 million passengers annually.

He said building a new 3 million passengers per annum terminal at Salalah Airport is being mulled at present.

(ONA)

Emirates Airlines To Build $353M Civil Aviation Center
3 April 2005

DUBAI (AP)--Emirates Airlines is building one of the world's largest civil aviation engineering centers, a US$353 million facility that will occupy 55 hectares, the company said Sunday.

The new center, north of Dubai International Airport, will cater to the airline's 74 aircraft fleet that is expected to double in the coming seven years. Emirates airlines has 99 aircraft on order, including 45 A380 superjumbos.

Consisting of eight hangars - which alone cover the area of 17 soccer fields - the center will be one of the world's largest civil aviation maintenance facilities and the airline's single largest facility investment, an airline statement said.

Emirates' chairman, Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said the project will support the airline's growth by providing in-house maintenance and generate revenue through third-party servicing contracts.

The center is expected to be completed by the beginning of 2006. Its main consultants are France's Aeroports de Paris and the Dubai-based Fraser Nag Partnership.

Dubai's Emirates airlines, one of the fastest growing in the world, and bustling airport cater to the city's aggressive campaign to serve as a regional business and tourism hub.

This is kind of an off-topic (er, thread) question, but, it's within the general context of most of these articles. I'm trying to grasp something ...

Population wise, how big is Dubai? And, the United Arab Emirates ?

Any info would be helpful. I'm having trouble finding correct figures.

Emirates Favors Luxury in an Era of Cuts
By Joe Sharkey
The New York Times

SEATTLE, March 25 -- Why is this man smiling? He runs an airline, for Pete's sake.

In fact, Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, the chairman of the Dubai-based Emirates Group, which owns Emirates airline, has reason to be feeling optimistic, unlike his colleagues in the United States at least, where some major airlines are starting to see themselves as dinosaurs lurching toward the tar pits.

Emirates, which began its first service in the United States last June with flights between New York and Dubai, makes money. For the 2004 fiscal year, the airline reported a 73.5 percent increase in profit, to $429 million, on $3.6 billion in revenue. For the 2005 fiscal year ending this month, the airline has said it anticipates about a 25 percent increase in profit, despite soaring oil prices.

Emirates, which says it is not subsidized by its owner, the government of Dubai, is also on a $28 billion buying binge for big airplanes. While airlines in the United States have desperately retired big planes to the aviation boneyards in the deserts of the Southwest, Emirates has gobbled up new long-range airliners from both of the major manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, and brought them home to the desert of Dubai. As quickly as they can be delivered, the planes are being put into service on a network that now encompasses 77 destinations in 54 countries.

Sheik Ahmed came to Seattle, Boeing's headquarters, to buy another couple of new planes: two 777-300ER's, the first of 10 of that long-range model due for delivery to Emirates this year, and the initial installment of a total of 30 to be delivered by 2007.

Emirates, which began operations with two planes in 1985 and which expects to take delivery of one new long-range jet each month for the next six years, is also a major customer for Airbus's A340 aircraft, and it was the initial customer for the ultra-long-range A340-500 aircraft in late 2003. It has the biggest order by far -- 45 planes -- for the superjumbo 450-to-850-seat Airbus A380 double-decker aircraft, which is still in development and will start joining its fleet next year.

International air travel demand is expected to increase robustly for the foreseeable future, and more American business travelers than ever are finding themselves contemplating longer trips to more faraway places. Increasingly, major airlines -- including financially struggling domestic giants like AMR's American, UAL's United and Northwest -- are having to compete with well-heeled international carriers like Emirates. As competition grows, so does the length of some flights. Last summer, Singapore Airlines started the world's longest nonstop, 181/2 hours between Singapore and New York.

For Emirates, as for its top-level competitors like Singapore, Cathay Pacific, British Airways and others, the real race in long-haul travel is largely a competition for onboard service, whatever the marginal differences in fares.

Since its inception, Emirates has deliberately marketed itself to travelers who like to fly in comfort, wherever they are sitting.

''We are very much focused on the high-yield passenger,'' Sheik Ahmed said during an interview at a downtown hotel after a ceremony at Boeing for the delivery of the new planes. Still, like its top-niche foreign competitors, and unlike most airlines in the United States, Emirates has spent money on roomier coach cabins with premium amenities like in-seat video monitors.

''We are not ignoring the back of the aircraft because that is one part of the business that is not affected by any crisis,'' Sheik Ahmed said. ''Even though they pay less, those people are very determined to travel. Whenever there's a crisis, the first things you will see hit are first class and business class travel. So that's why we try to focus on providing good service in all three classes, including economy. It costs us more, but we win loyalty.''

Emirates planned to start nonstop service to San Francisco and Houston this year, but that has been delayed because of the turmoil in oil prices. This year, he said, the airline will concentrate more on its service between New York and Dubai, probably adding a second daily flight.

As international competition grows and more foreign airlines join the fray, long-haul carriers are locked in escalating battles that often turn on service. It never ends, said Sheik Ahmed, who said that he believed that the demand for the most expensive seats -- like the current walk-up round-trip fare of $9,828 for a first-class seat between New York and Dubai -- continues to grow strongly.

Not many years ago, British Airways shook up premium service when it introduced seats that folded down flat into beds. Competitors quickly matched the move. Next came in-flight entertainment systems that now routinely offer hundreds of on-demand choices on personal monitors.

''It's always something,'' said Sheik Ahmed. On the New York-to-Dubai route, for example, Emirates now offers private cabins in first class. With doors.

''You can have complete isolation,'' Sheik Ahmed said. ''When you want to have a meal, you have room service. You pick up your phone and order whatever you want on the menu.''

What about the A380, with a huge capacity that conjures up the probability that at least some airlines will turn them into cattle cars? Emirates is already committed to the configuration and design for its initial batch of A380s, which will carry fewer than 500 passengers in three classes.

The major first-class innovation will be a cabin with a shower. ''A full shower, with space for dressing,'' Sheik Ahmed said.

Are any competitors planning to top that?

''Not so far,'' he said.

Emirates to launch flights from Dubai to Alexandria

DUBAI, April 10 (AFP) - Dubai's Emirates airline said Sunday it will launch a daily service to the Egyptian city of Alexandria next month, marking the flagship carrier's 79th route.

"Emirates has carefully scheduled services to enable tourists and business executives from the UAE and the (Gulf) to connect quickly to Egypt, slashing transit times significantly," it said in a statement.

The flights will begin from May 15.

Government-owned Emirates, whose net profit jumped more than 40 percent to 236 million dollars in the first six months of the financial year to March, is a symbol of Dubai's ambition to become the Gulf's leading transport and tourist hub.

This is kind of an off-topic (er, thread) question, but, it's within the general context of most of these articles. I'm trying to grasp something ...

Population wise, how big is Dubai? And, the United Arab Emirates ?

Any info would be helpful. I'm having trouble finding correct figures.

about 1mil and UAE abt 2mil.. as in other gulf nations, there is sizable expats (Indians, Pakistanis, etc..) pops. DXB serves as transit point.. mostly. DXB also hosts large multinationals based there (esp in Jebel Ali FTZ).. but all these mentioned, large aircraft will no doubt by pass the airport in the near future..

UAE has a population of 4,200,000, UAE nationals is 1,000,000 others are expats.

Gulf Air back in black with $4 mln 2004 net profit

MANAMA, April 25 (Reuters) - Gulf Air said on Monday it made a $4 million net profit in 2004 compared with a net loss of $52.8 million the previous year.

The Bahrain-based airline said at a news conference that revenue in 2004 was $1.3 billion, up from $1.02 billion in 2003.

The airline last year said it hoped to break even in 2004 and return to profitability by 2005, after years of losses.

Gulf Air : Upgrade aims to regain glory days
The carrier is coming back with a comprehensive revamp of services and equipment to regain its title as king of the skies
25 April 2005
South China Morning Post

GULF AIR IS carrying out a US$10 million upgrade of its cabins and services to regain its position as the airline of choice, as it was in its trendsetting heyday in the 1970s and '80s.

The first aircraft to be refurbished with state-of-the-art first-class and business-class sky beds took to the skies on March 25, and the upgrade will eventually be extended to the entire fleet.

The upgraded first-class cabin has only eight seats, each able to recline 180 degrees into what the airline claims to be the longest and widest beds in the sky.

The seats, upholstered in New Zealand wool and leather, are enhanced by adding cotton fitted bed sheets, duvets, pyjamas, silk cushions, fluffy pillows and sleeping comfort packs. Partitions provide full privacy.

The seats also feature extra-large side stowage areas, mood lights, lumbar support, adjustable headrests and folding lateral armrests. There are 15-inch monitors for in-flight entertainment with noise- cancelling headphones, PC points, and Sky phones.

The 24 seats in business class, in two-two-two configuration, are ergonomically designed using a lounge-bed profile and can recline within a pod to a pitch of 63 inches. They come with privacy screens, advanced swivel-type tray tables, retractable lateral armrests and extra space to accommodate laptops and storage for personal items.

In-flight dining is also enhanced with first class and business class offering contemporary modern European and classical Middle Eastern gourmet choices, which are served on request.

There is an additional touch in first class - the food is freshly prepared by in-flight chefs trained at five-star hotels.

"In September 2002, we introduced our five-star chefs in the first-class cabin along with dine on demand options and superior menus," Gulf Air president James Hogan said.

"In line with the customer centric basis of Project Falcon [Gulf Air's three-year restructuring programme], we have enhanced our products and services across the airline both on the ground and in the air."

A selection of vintage wines from Gulf Air's Sky Cellar as well as spirits, soft drinks, speciality teas and coffee are available in both first and business class.

One unique service Gulf Air introduced in November 2003 is Sky Nannies - flight attendants who double as nannies to help passengers look after their children. "This service is available on all long-haul flights to assist parents and ensure that they have a more relaxed travel experience," Mr Hogan said.

On the ground Gulf Air operates "two exceptional first- and business-class lounges" at Bahrain International Airport and Terminal Three at London's Heathrow.

"The contemporary Arabic setting provides a relaxing but sumptuous ambience as part of the greater travel experience. Both have been recognised for two successive years with prestigious Skytrax awards," Mr Hogan said.

The latest technology has been used to provide better service. Examples include the e-kiosks, SMS (systems management server) global traveller notification and the establishment of a worldwide contact centre in Oman, which provides a central contact point for customers, handling everything from reservations, mileage scheme redemptions and package holiday bookings.

Monday April 25, 8:51 PM
Saudi Arabia Orders 15 Embraer Jets

AP - Saudi Arabian Airlines has placed a $400 million order for 15 mid-sized jetliners made by Brazil's Embraer in the biggest purchase for the state-owned airline in a decade, the companies said Monday.

Embraer, the world's fourth-largest commercial jet maker, said the contract for the purchase will be signed in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh on Wednesday.

While the companies used the list price of the jetliners for announcing the deal's value, most airlines negotiate big discounts on major orders.

But the order is the largest for the airline since 1995, when it announced a $6 billion deal for much larger Boeing and McDonnell Douglas jetliners.

The Embraer 170 jets will be used for domestic and short-haul regional flights in the Middle East. While the planes can carry up to 78 passengers, the version for the Saudi carrier will be configured for 66 passengers to include a six-passenger first class section.

"Embraer's new jet will provide Saudi Arabian Airlines with the possibility to expand our domestic and regional aviation activity," said H.E. Dr. Khaled A. Ben-Bakr, the airline's director general. "By right-sizing our fleet with the Embraer 170, we are aiming at better serving our domestic and regional markets."

The carrier will use the planes to set up regional hubs in northern and southern cities in Saudi Arabia, Ben-Bakr said.

The sale is the first to a Middle Eastern airline for Embraer, whose full name is Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA. Delivery of the first Embraer 170 to the carrier is scheduled for December.

Embraer, which competes with Canada's Bombardier Inc. in the regional jetliner market, expects to deliver 145 aircraft in 2005. The company delivered 148 aircraft in 2004, surpassing its forecast by three jets, and currently has a backlog of orders totaling nearly $10 billion.

Analysts said the order was good news, but is not likely to translate into a significant uptick in business for the company.

"For the long term, I think the impact is limited," said airline analyst Carlos Albano of Unibanco. "This doesn't prompt any change in Embraer's long-term expectations."

In trading Monday, U.S.-traded Embraer's shares fell 11 cents to close at $29.89 on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock has traded in a 52-week range of $23.20 to $35.47.

Emirates airline group reports 49-percent jump in net profits

DUBAI, April 27 (AFP) - Dubai's airline Emirates Group made record net profits of 2.6 billion dirhams (708 million dollars) for the financial year to March 31, a whopping 49-percent rise on the previous year despite high oil prices.

"We've had yet another successful year for the company, and the 17th consecutive profitable one for the airline," Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum said in a statement.

The cash balance of the group, which comprises Emirates Airline, Dnata and associated companies, stood at 8.2 billion dirhams (2.2 billion dollars), up 12 percent on the previous year.

The ownership will be paid a dividend of 368 million dirhams (100 million dollars).

Emirates Airline, which alone recorded profits of 2.3 billion dirhams (626 million dollars), carried 12.5 million passengers in the last financial year.

Emirates SkyCargo carried nearly 840,000 tonnes of freight, 27 percent more than in 2003-2004. The division's revenue rose 43 percent to 3.4 billion dirhams (926 million dollars), contributing up to 21 percent of the airline's transport turnover.

Dnata profits were recorded at 260 million dirhams (71 million dollars).

"We are gratified by the strong financial results of the Group. The rapid-growth Emirates business model requires a high rate of return to sustain our enormous investments in people, advanced equipment and facilities, as well as in IT and other support services," said Sheikh Ahmed.

The net profit figure for the group in 2003-2004 was 1.75 billion dirhams (476 million dollars).

"Since we started the airline in 1985, our competitors seem to find it incomprehensible that we can make profits by having a skilful team which works hard, is a market leader and invests heavily in new equipment - surely the criteria for any successful company?" Sheikh Ahmed said.

Emirates has been bucking the world trend. Earlier this month the main industry association warned that major airlines face greater losses than last year because of the surge in oil prices.

"The high price of fuel is robbing our profitability," Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said in a statement.

Total losses in the airline industry reached 4.8 billion dollars in 2004 as the fuel bill rose, according to IATA.

But Emirates has expanded its fleet by nine aircraft to 75 during the latest financial year, including 70 passenger aircraft and six freighters.

Serving 79 cities in 55 countries, the government-owned airline has on order 45 Airbus A380-800s, 28 more Boeing 777-300ERs, two Airbus A340-500s, three A310-300 freighters and 20 Airbus A340-600 Higher Gross Weight aircraft, totalling some 30 billion dollars.

The arrival of the first two of 30 Boeing 777-300ERs last month "heralded the start of a new expansion cycle in the airline's huge order programme, which will see another 97 wide-body aircraft being delivered at an average rate of one per month for the next eight years," the statement said.

Embraer sees Middle East demand for 150 planes

RIYADH, April 27 (Reuters) - Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer (ERJ.N) (EMBR4.SA) sees demand for around 150 planes of up to 120-seat capacity from airlines in the Middle East over the next decade, a company executive said on Wednesday.

"It's a strong market and it's a growing one," executive vice president of civil aircraft Frederico Curado told Reuters after the manufacturer signed a deal to sell 15 Embraer 170 planes to Saudi Arabian Airlines.

State-owned Saudia said last week it is the first airline in the Middle East to buy the 66-seat Embraer 170 aircraft.

Curado declined to say which other Middle East airlines may buy Embraer planes but said there were "discussions in the region". Airlines had also shown interest in the Embraer 195, which can carry 118 passengers, he said.

Curado said the Saudi planes will be delivered between December 2005 and the first quarter of 2007, at a rate of about one plane a month. The deal is worth $400 million at list price and includes setting up a maintenance centre and simulator.

The 66-seat planes are powered by General Electric (GE.N) engines.

Curado said the heat and sand in Saudi Arabia, combined with humidity at coastal airports and high altitude of some southern cities, will test the plane's performance and maintenance.

"It will be a very challenging and demanding support because of the harsh environment," he said.

April 28, 2005
Emirates eyes Australia-US route
It is also planning to compete with carriers like SIA by adding new flights in the region

By Goh Chin Lian

DUBAI - AN EMERGING competitor to Singapore Airlines (SIA) is strengthening its position in Asia over the next 12 months, by adding the new destinations of Seoul and Beijing.

Dubai-based Emirates also plans to add extra flights to Sydney through Bangkok, as well as to Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong.

Its future game plan even includes the prized Australia-US route that SIA is keen to secure.

'When we see there is business, we would increase our services,' said Emirates' senior vice-president of commercial operations in East Asia and Australasia, Mr Richard Vaughan.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a press conference yesterday on the airline's annual results.

The region contributed 28 per cent of revenue last year, up from just 5 per cent in 2003, he said.

The biggest demand in the region now comes from Australia, where Emirates operates daily or twice-a-day flights to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

The Dubai-Australia route also reaps the most revenue because of the longer distance covered.

Australia could become an intermediate point for the airline's future plans for round-the-world flights. But Mr Vaughan could not say how long it would take the authorities to secure air rights for the leg between Australia and the United States.

Referring to the talks between Singapore and Australia for air rights on the same leg for its competitor, SIA, he said: 'Let's see what happens there... It could be a long, hard fight.'

Emirates will fly to Seoul from Sunday. The same day it will also increase its flights from Dubai to Sydney through Bangkok, from three times a week to daily. It already has non-stop daily services between Dubai and Sydney.

It also plans, from September, to add six more services a week to Kuala Lumpur from seven currently and five more flights a week to Hong Kong from the 12 currently from October.

On Feb 1 next year, it is due to start passenger services to Beijing, besides Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Emirates is looking at a fourth destination in China for passenger services, but has no specific plans yet, Mr Vaughan said.

Beyond the region, the airline sees a 'big market' in North America, where it currently flies only to New York, said group chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum.

But it is more likely to increase services to New York for now, rather than expand to San Francisco, Chicago and other areas.

Despite surging fuel costs that have hit airlines worldwide, the 20-year-old carrier reported its 17th consecutive profit of US$637 million (S$1.06 billion) in the past financial year, a 49 per cent increase over the previous year.

It carried 12.5 million passengers last year, up 20 per cent, and 838,400 tonnes of cargo, up 27 per cent.

As a group, Emirates recorded US$708 million in profit, a 49 per cent increase.

Mr Al-Maktoum, who is also president of the Department of Civil Aviation overseeing Dubai Airport, denied suggestions that Emirates relied on government aid or fuel subsidies for its growth.

The increase in jet fuel prices will be the most formidable challenge to the airline, he said.

Its fuel costs rose from 14 per cent of what it spends on its operations to 21 per cent in the previous year. Increases in fuel surcharges retrieved about 42 per cent of the extra costs, while a programme to manage jet fuel risks brought costs down by US$126 million.

Copyright © 2005 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Link with Germany widens reach of Qatar Airways
27 April 2005
Lloyd's List

QATAR Airways has decided to introduce a freighter service linking Doha with Munich, initially on a three-times-a-week basis.

This is the carrier’s third specialised cargo servic alongside Chennai and Amsterdam and will employ a dedicated freighter, an Airbus A300-600F.

Talks between Qatar and Germany earlier this year resulted in Qatar Airways being allowed to operate dedicated freighter flights to any point in Germany from the start of the summer season. Frequency can increase to seven services a week from the winter of 2006.

Consignments flown to Doha will connect with Qatar Airways’ network of scheduled passenger flights to other points in the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, the Far East and South Africa.

Chief executive Akbar Al Baker says: “Qatar Airways is extremely delighted to be spreading its wings in the cargo market, thanks largely to the successful round of discussions between the governments of Germany and Qatar. Freight traffic to and from Germany is enjoying unprecedented growth and we are pleased to be able to improve our service and accommodate the needs of our customers.”

Qatar Airways says it plans to introduce more freighters to its fleet of 39 Airbuses and create a global network.

Emirates goads Qantas to step outside and fight
Steve Creedy
29 April 2005
The Australian

Open skies will benefit all, Flanagan tells Steve Creedy

EMIRATES vice-chairman and group president Maurice Flanagan has challenged Qantas boss Geoff Dixon to "come out from behind the barricades" and take on the Dubai-based carrier in an open market.

While he says he can understand the Australian carrier's desire to protect its dominance on the Pacific market, Mr Flanagan believes Qantas is overstating the negative effect of further liberalising Australia's skies and even argues it may benefit from the move.

"It's time they stopped claiming to be a street fighter," Flanagan told The Australian this week.

"Street fighters don't hide behind the barricades, behind the Government, they come out into the street and fight."

The Emirates executive's jab at the flying kangaroo comes as a high-level delegation heads to Canberra in mid-June to put Dubai's case for increased access to the Australian market and to raise the longer-term prospect of flying across the Pacific.

Australia has proven a good market for Emirates and the airline will argue its presence has opened up trade with the Middle East as well as access to a wide range of destinations beyond Dubai.

Leisure traffic to and from Australia has also grown strongly enough to prompt the airline to establish its hotel on the eastern seaboard.

Emirates is also moving to set up a global network and it sees the trans-Pacific route as a logical expansion of its services to Australia and New Zealand.

The approach is part of a breathtaking growth strategy by the emirate of Dubai and its airline that has seen billions of dollars being poured into new planes and airline infrastructure as Dubai establishes itself as a major global air transport nexus.

Just two decades old, Emirates has already established itself as one of the world's five most profitable carriers and is ranked 15th in terms of revenue
passenger kilometres.

Officials remain confident they can grow the airline into a major global player that will eclipse many of the existing aviation heavyweights.

So far it seems to be succeeding: Emirates grew its capacity in the financial year ending March 31 by 30 per cent and now has a fleet of 76 aircraft, including six freighters.

Surprisingly, it grew while boosting its load factor -- the percentage of seats filled on its aircraft by paying passengers -- by more than one point to 74.6
per cent.

Emirates has the advantage of a young fleet with a mix of Airbus A320-200s, A340-300s and A340-500s, as well as Boeing 777-300s, 777-300ERs and 777-200s recording an average age of 55 months.

A $US19 billion ($24 billion) aircraft order will see its fleet top 150 aircraft -- including 45 of the new A380s, which will make it the world's biggest operator
of the super jumbo -- as new deliveries arrive at the rate of one a month for the next eight years.

Emirates this week also announced its 17th consecutive profit with a new record for the group of $US708 million for the year ending March 31, and revealed it had $US2.2 billion in cash.

That was a 49 per cent increase on the previous year and headlined a slew of double-digit increases ranging from a 36 per cent rise in group revenue to a 27 per cent increase in freight tonnage.

The airline received 240,000 job applications last financial year as it boosted staff levels from 22,500 to 25,000.

Its employees come from 124 counties with more than 100 nationalities represented among 56,000 cabin crew and 60 among its 1135 flight crew.

It is spending $US353 million to build the world's biggest A380 maintenance facility and one of the biggest aviation maintenance facilities in the world.

The new centre will include seven fully airconditioned hangars and a paint shop, each more than twice the size of a soccer field and capable of accommodating the A380's 80m wingspan and giant vertical stabiliser.

All this is backed by a dramatic multi-billion-dollar airport expansion plan and an even more grandiose long-term design to build a six-runway "airport city"
at Jebel Ali, 40km from the existing airport, with a capacity for more than 100 million passengers.

Dubai International Airport recorded 21.7 million passengers in 2004, making it the 12th busiest in the world and left it struggling to keep pace with growth for the year of more than 20 per cent.

It is now home to 107 airlines connecting to 260 destinations.

With government projections predicting 60 million passengers by 2010, the expansion will more than triple capacity to 70 million passengers and includes 23 gates for A380s.

Flanagan does not believe the projections are over-optimistic.

"It's linked to the sort of place Dubai is," he says.

Passenger traffic is growing at 17 per cent a year because of Dubai's ability to attract business and tourism traffic. "We don't see that changing."

The massive investment flowing from Dubai's determination to establish itself as a major aircraft hub and the fact that Emirates chairman Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum also runs the Civil Aviation Department help fuel the claims by competitors such as Qantas that the airline is reaping the benefits of unfair government support.

The Dubai carrier vehemently denies this, with the officials pointing out that its accounts are independently audited according to international practices.

Flanagan says Sheik Ahmed has already warned the carrier that it would pay for the new work being done at the airport.

Emirates gets no break on handling fees or other airport costs, he says. "There's no subsidy of any sort. Since the airline started, the owner, the Government, has put in over the 20 years somewhere about $US80 million. We've paid back just about $US300 million in dividends.

"How much has been put into Qantas over the past 20 years by the Government?"

The veteran airline executive says complaints by competitors are a sour grapes story.

"We're just quite smart at running an airline and we don't do it the way anybody else does," he says. "And maybe they should, instead of saying what advantage we have, look at the way they do business and see why they're screwing it up and we're not."

Flanagan does concede one advantage that flows from Emirates's ownership structure. It has, he says, the chemistry of a family business which allows decisions to me made quickly.

But he says it also comes down to keeping things simple and only flying routes which make money.

"We don't employ anybody we don't absolutely need to and we keep looking at management structure all the time -- the way it works, looking for overlaps between jobs, all the boring stuff that you have to do if you want to have a business model that's simple and efficient."

Like all airlines, Emirates is watching fuel prices closely and Sheik Ahmed warned in his annual results presentation that the airline's 2005-06 outlook was clouded by the risk of sustained high fuel prices. However, neither he nor Flanagan believes it will stop the prodigious growth.

Emirates says its fuel is not subsidised, and it has joined other carriers in imposing fuel charges. Flanagan says a fuel management strategy that saved it $US170 million failed to stop fuel costs jumping from about 14 per cent of the total to about 29 per cent now. But he says the effect on traffic of the fuel surcharge is minimal, and takes solace in the reaction to the oil price spikes of the 198Os: "It went up to $US50 a barrel in 1980 prices, that was way above in real terms what fuel is costing now."

Steve Creedy travelled to Dubai courtesy of Emirates.

EMIRATES' FIRST FLIGHT TO SEOUL RECEIVES ROUSING WELCOME

MAY 1, 2005

The first of Emirates Airline’s daily flights between Dubai and Seoul landed at Inchon Airport in South Korea today, to the rousing welcome of traditional drums from a Korean dance troupe performing the Samulnori dance on the tarmac.

Sporting the FIFA World Cup logo on the aircraft livery, Emirates flight EK323 arrived at Inchon International Airport at 15:55hours local time, after flying eight and a half hours from Dubai International Airport.

Onboard were Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirates Executive Vice President Commercial Operations Worldwide; Richard Vaughan, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Far East and Australasia; and Emirates’ Ambassador for Sport and Social Activities, football icon Franz Beckenbauer, holding the FIFA World Cup trophy.

They were met by a VIP delegation led by His Excellency Ibrahim Al Monsuri, UAE Ambassador to Korea and GeuHae Park, Vice President of Inchon Airport.

Addressing Korean media representatives at the airport, Mr. Al Ghaith said: “Emirates is delighted to launch our new daily nonstop service between Dubai and Seoul. On behalf of Emirates, I would like to thank the Korean authorities and Inchon airport officials for the tremendous welcome and for making Emirates’ service to Seoul possible.

He added: “We look forward to serving Korean travelers with our award-winning service, and providing them with more travel options to Dubai and the many other exciting destinations served by our airline. Emirates will work with our travel industry partners to promote Korea and bring travelers from Dubai and other cities across the world to visit Korea.”

Mr. Al Ghaith also said he is confident of the success of Emirates’ new Dubai-Seoul route, which will support greater trade and tourism exchange between the two cities by providing a speedy daily air link for both travelers and cargo.

Korea is among Dubai’s top 10 trading partners. In 2003, non-oil trade between Dubai and Seoul was AED 4.7 billion (US$1.3 billion). Dubai’s main Korean imports include textiles, automobiles and appliances, while main non-oil exports to Korea include base metals, plastics and animal products.

Emirates operates an Airbus 340-300 aircraft in three-class configuration on the Dubai-Seoul route offering a capacity of 267 passengers and 13 tonnes of bellyhold space for cargo.

Customers flying on Emirates’ Dubai-Seoul service can look forward to international gourmet cuisine with options tailored to Korean palates, a wide selection of the latest inflight movies including some of the most popular Korean shows, and top-class service from the airline’s award-winning cabin crew, which includes over 220 Korean nationals.

To celebrate its new daily service, from now until 30th June, Emirates is offering passengers flying First or Business class to Seoul with complimentary hotel stays in Korea.

Emirates airline eyes IPO, no decision yet-report

DUBAI, May 3 (Reuters) - Dubai's Emirates airline is considering an initial public offering to help its rapid expansion but the government is yet to make a decision, the company's chairman said in published remarks.

"We have one new aircraft coming every month for the next five to six years and that takes a lot of financing," Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, chairman of state-owned Emirates Group, told the Arabian Business magazine.

"Whether we do an IPO is a decision for the government (of Dubai). We are always thinking about it, but we haven't taken a firm decision.

"It's something we have looked at, but I am waiting for the owner to make any final decision," Sheikh Ahmed added.

Emirates reported a 48.7 percent rise to 2.34 billion dirhams ($637 million) in net profits in its fiscal year to end-March. It is owned by the government of Dubai, a regional tourism and trade hub which is part of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates.

The airline is in the midst of an expansion drive, adding nine aircraft in 2004-2005, taking the fleet to 75 at the end of the year. Officials say that figure could double by 2012.

Emirates SkyCargo reaffirmed Best Cargo Carrier Middle East
2 May 2005
Middle East Company News

Close on the heels of winning a clutch of awards in the UK and declaring record financial results, Emirates SkyCargo has won the 'Best Cargo Carrier Middle East' accolade at the 19th Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards (AFSCA) for the third consecutive year.

The awards ceremony and gala dinner took place at the Intercontinental Hotel in Hong Kong recently and was attended by over 400 senior figures from the travel, transport and logistics industry.

The AFSCAs are widely regarded as the most authoritative and prestigious awards for the industry in Asia and one of the highlights of the Asian freight industry calendar.

The honour comes as Emirates SkyCargo continues its rapid expansion worldwide offering excellent service, innovation and flexibility to its customers.

On receiving the award, Peter Sedgley, Emirates' Vice President Cargo Commercial Operations said: "Emirates SkyCargo is delighted to win this AFSCA award, which is highly respected in the cargo industry. We are flattered to be recognised by the readers of Cargonews Asia, who have voted us as the best cargo carrier in the region. Through our cargo hub in Dubai, we continue to enhance our services to offer customers an ever-increasing choice and convenient access to markets in Asia Pacific, Indian Sub-continent, Africa, Europe and North America."

Emirates SkyCargo now serves a global network of 77 destinations in 54 countries, including 22 destinations with its six freighter aircraft. It has launched belly-hold services to nine routes since January 2004, including Seychelles in January and Seoul on 1st May this year. The cargo division will commence new belly-hold services to Alexandria and Hamburg later this year; and to Beijing in February 2006.

From Hong Kong, Emirates SkyCargo currently offers nine dedicated Boeing 747-400 freighter services each week to Dubai, in addition to belly-hold services in the airline's 12 weekly passenger services. To the existing two weekly direct services, Emirates will add three more in September, increasing it to a direct daily service from 1st October, taking its total number of services between Hong Kong and Dubai to 17 per week.

The AFSCAs awards are organised by Cargonews Asia, the leading trade publication newspaper in the region, with its readers invited to vote for their favourite companies in each category. The awards recognize excellence among companies from Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia, reflecting the global nature of the cargo industry serving Asia's shippers.

The AFSCA award come fast on the heels of Emirates SkyCargo's triumph at the annual awards presented by Air Cargo News, UK, where it won 'Best cargo airline to the Middle East' for an unprecedented 17 consecutive years; 'Best cargo airline to the Indian Subcontinent' for the eighth time and 'Best cargo airline to the Far East' for the second time.

About Emirates SkyCargo:

Emirates' 76-strong fleet, which includes 70 wide-bodied passenger jets and six freighters (four 747-400Fs and two 747-200Fs) is one of the youngest in the skies. Emirates SkyCargo now serves 77 destinations in 54 countries in Europe, North America, Middle East, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and the Far East.

It moved 838,400 tonnes of freight in 2004-05 - an increase of 27 per cent over the previous year - while the division's revenue grew by 42 per cent to Dhs 3.4 billion (US $940 million), accounting for a record 21 per cent of the airline's operating revenue.

In 2005 it has won a clutch of awards: 'Best Air Cargo Carrier - Middle East' from Cargo News Asia for the third consecutive year; 'Best Cargo Airline to the Middle East' (17th year running), 'Best Cargo Airline to the Indian subcontinent' (8th year) and 'Best cargo airline to the Far East' for the second time from Air Cargo News. In 2004 it was declared 'Air Cargo Carrier of the Year' by IFW, UK; and 'Logistics Service Provider Award 2003' by STMicroelectronics, the global semiconductor company.

Emirates SkyCargo's Priority Service assures on-time delivery throughout the world, while the extensive trucking and off-line partner networks ensure comprehensive coverage where customers need it most. SkyChain, the one-stop web shop with many value-added features, enables customers to obtain information as well as transact business online.

Air Arabia adds three destinations
03 May 2005
Gulf News

Air Arabia, the Middle East's only low-cost airline, said it was adding three new destinations Kabul, Sharm Al Shaikh and Luxor as it aims to expand its market share.

Kabul will provide a vital link for the carrier in Afghanistan, while Sharm Al Shaikh and Luxor will raise the number of its destinations in Egypt to four.

The new routes highlight Air Arabia's aggressive expansion plans and further demonstrate market demand for affordable travel, the airline said in a statement.

Air Arabia CEO Adel Ali said: "The popularity of resorts in and around Sharm Al Shaikh and Luxor will allow holiday makers the opportunity to take advantage of the value offered by Air Arabia." Ali said the airline will offer more savings to customers by launching Air Arabia Hotels.

A one-way ticket from Sharjah to Kabul starts at Dh450, the statement said. It will begin at Dh250 to Sharm Al Shaikh and Dh300 to Luxor, it said.

Etihad will begin flights to Frankfurt
04 May 2005
Gulf News

Etihad Airways yesterday announced it would begin flights from Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt on June 1.

The airline also said it is introducing a second regional freighter, an Airbus A310-300F, to expand its cargo services.

Frankfurt will be the airline's second destination in Germany after Munich.

"The addition of the Frankfurt route to Etihad's expanding global network demonstrates our commitment to providing guests with greater access between Europe and the UAE," said Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saif Al Nahyan, chairman of Etihad Airways.

"Frankfurt, Germany's business and financial centre, is an important addition to Etihad's growing network and builds on the airline's strategy to connect Abu Dhabi with the world's major hubs.

"The Frankfurt route will also enable us to build stronger links between East and West, which is one of our major goals."

Etihad Airways currently flies to 16 destinations in the Middle East, Europe and Asia and has drawn up an ambitious strategy to increase this number to 70 by 2010.

The addition of the new route to Frankfurt is an important step in moving forward with this plan and expanding the airline's rapidly growing international network.

"The second regional freighter will enhance our capacity for charter services, responding directly to our customers' needs. "Abu Dhabi is an ideal geo-strategic hub connecting East and West, for both passenger and freighter services.

"This expansion of Crystal Cargo services supports and reinforces Etihad's strategy to position Abu Dhabi as the regional link for cargo and passenger services between the Middle East, Asia, Europe and North America," said Shaikh Ahmad.

In January, Etihad Crystal Cargo took delivery of its first Airbus A300-600 regional freighter, and is now further extending operations by upgrading its services with the addition of this new freighter.

Emirates Traffic Grows To New York, Plans A380 Service
Steven Lott
Aviation Daily
May 3, 2005

Emirates is eager to add a second flight between Dubai and New York Kennedy thanks to strong traffic and loads on its existing daily flight now in operation for 11 months, but the timing hinges on aircraft availability and fuel prices.

Emirates said it was daunting and challenging to launch the nonstop flight, which started June 1, 2004, in a large market such as New York. "There are so many airlines and so many advertisers in New York," said Nigel Page, senior VP-commercial operations for The Americas. "However, the flight has done incredibly well, with traffic growing very quickly." The flights are operated with long-range Airbus A340-500s and hit an 80% load factor after only three months in operation, Page reported.

The load factor spiked to 90% at times in January and February, Page told The DAILY in New York. In March, the flight had a 77% load factor and as recently as last week, it was 75.7% filled. There is some origin-and-destination traffic between New York and Dubai, but Emirates has been slowly convincing travelers that Dubai is a convenient hub to connect with services to Asia/Pacific markets.

Page reported that the new flight has been profitable in six of the last 11 months, and the only reason it was in the red is record high fuel prices. "We've been spot on with our budget, except for fuel," he said. On long-haul routes with flying times of 12 hours of more, "fuel expenses are a major cost component of the operation." Despite the high fuel prices, Page is convinced there enough demand and traffic on the route to launch a second daily flight.

A lot hinges on the fuel cost and aircraft availability, as the carrier's last two A340-500s on firm order will arrive in August and September, and they have been allocated to other routes. The carrier recently took delivery of its first Boeing 777-300ER, and Page said the range performance has "been better than Boeing projected." Because the 777s do not have a lie-flat crew rest area, Emirates can't use them to serve the U.S. The carrier is looking at the 777 long-range models as well as 787s and A350s, and speculates that a new order could come at the Paris Air Show in June.

Emirates already has tentative plans to launch its A380 service in March 2007 to New York when it adds one its first long-range A380 models. The aircraft would have roughly 490 seats, Page said. Assuming traffic holds up for the next two years, the A380 flight would be in addition to the existing A340 service. Beyond New York, the carrier last year had plans to launch flights to San Francisco and Houston, but the additional flights were shelved in January because of fuel costs.

Page believes there are as many as eight "viable" markets in North and South America for Emirates, and the airline is eager to build its network to the region. While growth may not come this year, the airline has 97 widebody aircraft being delivered at an average rate of one per month for the next eight years, so it won't be too long, Page said.

Emirates says no decision yet on Airbus A350

Monday • May 9, 2005

Dubai-based airline Emirates denied a British press report that it had decided to make a six billion dollar (4.6 billion euro) order for 50 Airbus A-350s.

"No decision has been made," said spokesman John Tome.

Apart from the A350, Emirates is also still looking at Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, 777-300ER and 777-200LR "to see if we would need any of them, and if so, how many", he said.

Emirates has already received three of an order for 20 of the 777-300ER, but has not excluded additional orders, the spokesman said.

"We don't have anything to announce now and we don't know when we will have anything to announce," Tome said of the Sunday Times report that the airline was preparing to unveil the new Airbus mega-order at the Bourget air show in France in June.

Emirates is already the largest future client of giant Airbus A380, the largest airliner in the world and due for commercial service next year, with 43 aircraft ordered.

An order for 50 A-350s would have taken the Toulouse, France-based manufacturer over its initial sales target of 50 aircraft orders by June, following the 10 bought by Spanish airline Air Europa.

The A350 project has become a crucial battlefield in the fierce competition with Boeing. The twin-engine, long-haul plane is aimed at competing with Boeing's planned fuel-efficient 787 Dreamliner, which the US company hopes will help it regain the top spot in global commercial aviation.

The latest member of the Airbus family was approved in December 2004 by Airbus shareholders European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, which owns 80 percent, and BAE Systems of Britain, with a 20 percent stake.

The United States has bitterly opposed European Union plans to subsidize the A350 and has threatened to seek arbitration by the World Trade Organization if the EU allows aid to the project before the end of bilateral negotiations. — AFP

Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

Business Times - 09 May 2005

Abu Dhabi airport to get 21b dirham boost

(DUBAI) The United Arab Emirates is planning a 21 billion dirham (S$9.5 billion) expansion of Abu Dhabi airport in an effort to revamp the city's profile and attract millions of tourists. The project includes a new terminal building and second runway, raising handling capacity to 20 million passengers a year when the first phase is completed in 2010, Abu Dhabi officials told an Arab travel fair last week.

Private US firm Parsons Corp will manage the construction work on a design by New York architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, chairman of the expansion project Khalifa Al Mazrouei told reporters. He cited a total cost of 21 billion dirhams, but gave no more details.

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the seven-member UAE federation, last year launched its own airline Etihad which has placed orders with Airbus and Boeing . The plans signal a desire by Abu Dhabi, where most the UAE's vast oil wealth is located, to follow in the footsteps of the emirate Dubai, whose economy grew a record 16.7 per cent in 2004.

Dubai has become the region's business and tourism centre by attracting expatriates with business-friendly policies and a relatively liberal atmosphere in the conservative Gulf. Green and leafy Abu Dhabi is more quiet, traditional and Arab.

Patrick Macdonald, consultant to the new Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, said the emirate wants to attract over three million tourists a year by 2015, compared to 830,000 in 2003. Abu Dhabi has even tried to match Dubai's famed Burj Al Arab hotel - with its distinctive sail shape - with its own Emirates Palace, where some suites cost US$16,000 per night.

Built by Abu Dhabi government for an undisclosed sum, the recently opened complex on the city's beachfront features 114 domes and a vast atrium decked in gold leaf and marble. 'It's important as a symbol and icon on which we can hang the promotion of Abu Dhabi,' Mr Macdonald said. 'It's going to open the door for Abu Dhabi to become one of the world's leading conference and exhibition centres.'

The emirate, benefiting from current high world oil prices, will target west European tourists, Mr Macdonald said. Unlike Dubai, Abu Dhabi has a hinterland of mountains and oases, as well as islands inhabited since ancient times. - Reuters

Copyright © 2005 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

Doha - Abu Dhabi Flights Increased From Three To Four Daily
8 May 2005
Corporate Press Release

DOHA, Qatar – Award-winning Qatar Airways has increased frequency between Doha and Abu Dhabi with an extra daily flight to offer UAE residents with convenient morning connections to the airline’s global network of services over Qatar.

The new 0755 early morning departure from Abu Dhabi provides business and leisure passengers with a wave of suitable connections in Doha to Qatar Airways’ extensive network of services covering the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Indian subcontinent and the Far East.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said the additional frequency strengthened its position as an airline of choice, giving passengers greater flexibility.

“Abu Dhabi is a key neighbouring market for Qatar Airways with plenty of passengers travelling from the Emirate to Doha to do business in Qatar or to catch onward connections to rest of the world,” he said.

“We are extremely pleased to be providing passengers with additional travel benefits and look forward to increasing capacity even further as and when demand permits and extra aircraft capacity is available.”

The additional Abu Dhabi frequency is Qatar Airways’ last arriving flight into Abu Dhabi from Doha at 0140 each day and is the first morning departure from the Emirate to the Qatari capital at 0755.

In addition to Abu Dhabi, Qatar Airways operates seven flights a day between Doha and Dubai in the UAE.

Qatar Airways operates a fleet of 40 modern all-Airbus aircraft to 62 destinations across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Indian subcontinent and Far East from its operational hub of Doha, capital of the State of Qatar.

The airline added Tunis and Algiers to its route network on May 2, with services to the Greek capital Athens due to start on June 15.

useless move, the passengers between abu dhabi and doha number only between 15-20 per flight. they could just have one flight per day.

Oman Air Adds New Destinations

MUSCAT, May 13 Asia Pulse - Oman Air has recently obtained approval from aviation authorities to operate direct flights to Delhi and Hydrabad and obtain addition seats on its current flights to other destinations in India. The company will start its flights to the new destinations at the start of June 2005.

Following negotiations held with the Indian side, Oman Air seats to India were increased from 3,700 to 5,275 per week.

Oman Air will operate 7 flights to Cairo per week during the upcoming period after Gulf Air conceded its flights on the Muscat Cairo route to it.

The company transported 317,747 passengers during the first four months of this year, compared to 302,970 during the same period last year.

Dubai meet to examine 'impact of A380" on Mideast

DUBAI, May 22 (AFP) - An aviation conference is to be held in Dubai in September to examine the impact of the Airbus A380, the world's biggest passenger airliner, on the Middle East, organizers said Sunday.

The September 18-19 Middle East Aviation Conference will be held under the theme "The impact of the A380 on the Middle East" and bring together world leaders in aviation technology, airport development, tourism and travel, a statement said.

"The Middle East region underpins the A380 order book to date. (Dubai's) Emirates airline has placed the biggest order, with commitments from Qatar (Airways) and (Abu Dhabi's) Etihad Airways also secure," the statement said.

The mammoth long-haul airliner, which can carry between 550 and 840 passengers, is due to enter commercial service in 2006, debuting with Singapore Airlines.

Emirates is the largest future client of the A380, with 43 aircraft ordered.

Airbus Industrie deputy commercial director Christian Scherer said in Toulouse, France last week that it was "possible, even probable" that deliveries of the first of the superjumbos to top clients would be delayed.

But he said the deliveries would start in 2006.

Airbus has already delayed the delivery of the first aircraft to Singapore Airlines from the first half of 2006 to the second half.

The conference, organized by Britain's Jane's Information Group and the Dubai Consultancy Research and Media Center (DCRMC), is expected to be attended by industry experts from the United States, Europe, Asia as well as the Middle East.

Emirates says 7-yr dlr Sukuk bond is worth $550 mln

DUBAI, May 21 (Reuters) - Emirates airline [EMAIR.UL] said on Saturday that a seven-year dollar-denominated Islamic bond, or Sukuk, it plans to issue will have a value of around $550 million.

Banks managing the deal said this week that roadshows for the deal will take place in Dubai on May 22, Abu Dhabi on May 23, Kuwait on May 24 and Bahrain on May 25.

The first coupon would be payable after 12 months and thereafter semi-annually, issue price will be at par. Saturday's statement said the Sukuk benchmarked at around $550 million will be issued in June, listed initially on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and offered to institutional investors in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Europe and Asia.

Dubai Islamic Bank, HSBC and Standard Chartered will act as joint bookrunners for the deal with UBS, Gulf International Bank and National Bank of Abu Dhabi as joint lead managers, the Emirates statement confirmed.

"The money raised from the bond will be used to finance the new Emirates Engineering Centre and its new headquarters building, both currently under construction," it quoted Riyaz Peermohamed, senior vice-president Corporate Treasury, as saying.

Islamic bonds comply with Sharia law, which forbids interest payments. Instead, investors receive regular payments based on profits from approved investments.

Saudi group aims to set up first private domestic airline

RIYADH, June 3 (AFP) - A travel group in Saudi Arabia aims to set up the first private airline to operate internal flights in the vast kingdom, breaking the monopoly of national carrier Saudi Arabian Airlines in the domestic sector.

"We have asked the civil aviation authority to license us to operate internal flights," said Nasser al-Tayyar, deputy board chairman and managing director of Al-Tayyar Travel Group Share Company.

"The authority has still not published the specifications required to operate such flights, but it is expected to do so anytime now, and we will certainly meet the conditions," which are common everywhere, he told AFP.

Air transport and airport services are among the vital fields the Saudi government has opened to the private sector as part of an ambitious privatization drive.

In June 2003, it decided to break a decades-old monopoly of Saudi Arabian Airlines by opening the domestic aviation sector to local competition.

But Tayyar said the proposed airline would "complement, rather than compete with, Saudi Arabian Airlines," although it would offer lower fares.

"This is a government-owned company which we cannot rival. We would help fill the gaps by serving regions they don't cover and alleviate (their load)," he said.

Tayyar said the Saudi air transport market was huge, as evidenced by the six to seven million passengers Saudi Arabian Airlines carries on internal flights every year, and there is room for another carrier in the kingdom, which is about four times the size of France with an area of 2,240,350 square kilometers (865,000 square miles).

Tayyar said his company has negotiated the purchase and lease of aircraft with manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus, but he would not say which choices it would eventually make.

The decision "will depend on what regions the government will allow us to serve," he said.

The company has requested permission to cover all regions, but its purchase and leasing strategy hinges on the government's response and whether it will be allowed to fly to major cities such as the capital Riyadh, the Red Sea city of Jeddah, and Dammam in the oil-rich Eastern Province, Tayyar explained.

Saudi Arabia has around 25 airports, including three international airports: King Khaled in Riyadh, King Abdul Aziz in Jeddah, and King Fahd in Dammam.

Tayyar's group, which is headquartered in Riyadh and has 130 offices across the Gulf country, recently turned from a limited liability company into a shareholding company as part of its plans to set up a local airline.

The company has a capital of 50 million dollars and 27 shareholders, including Saudis and nationals of other Gulf Arab states.

The group provides all kinds of travel services, including pilgrimage trips to Islam's holiest sites in Mecca and Medina in the west of the country.

Tayyar did not rule out naming the proposed airline after his company and family. "Tayyar" means pilot in Arabic.

Qatar Airways expected to order some 60 planes at Paris Air Show

DUBAI, June 8 (AFP) - Qatar Airways, the fast growing Gulf airline, is expected to order some 60 new planes during the Paris Air Show which opens June 13, an aviation industry source said Wednesday.

The airline, which surprised the last air show in 2003 at Le Bourget, near Paris, with an order for 32 new Airbus planes, is negotiating with the European aerospace giant and its US rival, Boeing, a "new order of some 60 aeroplanes", the Doha-based source said.

"The deal will comprise either the new Boeing 787 or Airbus's A350, or both," depending on the final outcome of the negotiations, he told AFP, requesting anonimity.

"Negotiations with Boeing and Airbus have reached an advanced stage," he said.

Qatar Airways lays claim to be one of the world's fastest-growing airlines, operating a fleet of 40 aircraft from its Doha hub. Founded in 1994, it is owned equally by Qatar's government and private investors.

Middle East set to dominate Paris air show orders
By Michael Smith

LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) - Middle Eastern airlines are set to dominate orders at the Paris air show next week as rapid development in the oil-rich region prompts more multi-billion dollar deals for new planes, analysts said.

Two of the world's fastest-growing airlines, Emirates and Qatar Airways are both considering a new mid-sized model from Europe's Airbus, while Boeing could also win fresh orders for wide-bodied aircraft.

Doha-based Qatar Airways, a likely buyer for Airbus' new mid-size A350 aircraft, is seen most likely to announce a major purchase next week, with a source and analysts saying the carrier was in the market for 60 planes.

No decision had been made on whether to choose the A350 or Boeing's rival 787 model but an announcement was possible in Paris, a source close to the airline told Reuters.

Qatar plans to double its all-Airbus fleet of 40 planes in the next few years following its $5.1 billion order of 18 Airbus planes and 16 options at Paris two years ago.

Dubai-based Emirates, which said last month it hoped to announce orders at the show, is also expected to buy up to 50 A350 aircraft, although it is unclear whether the order will come by next week.

"Such an order would be worth $6 million based on list prices. We believe the chances of an Airbus order are high," JP Morgan analysts told clients this week.

The airline has also said it is considering Boeing's rival 787 model, although analysts say an Airbus order is more likely.

Emirates was also looking at buying the Boeing wide-bodied 777 aircraft, with a deal for over 30 planes seen as possible, analysts said.

Middle Eastern airlines, benefiting from massive development programmes and a push to woo tourists to the region, are key in the battle for customers between the two biggest plane makers.

Emirates stole the last Paris show two years ago with a whopping $19 billion in total orders, including a surprise move to double its existing order for Airbus A380 double-decker jets.

It plans to take delivery of a plane a month for the next seven years to cater for massive growth in tourism to Dubai and funnel through traffic between Europe and the Middle East.

DELIVERY DELAYS

Emirates is also the biggest customer for Airbus's double-decker A380 superjumbo, with 43 of the massive planes on order. However, it now faces delays on deliveries of the Airbus jet which may also impact the manufacturer's A350 plans.

Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi, also an A380 customer, and Gulf Air in Bahrain have also been big buyers in recent years.

Middle East carriers have reported staggering growth compared to rivals in the United States and Europe which were hit far harder by a slowdown in growth after 2001.

Emirates is key in plans to transform the emirate into a top tourist destination that is no longer dependent on dwindling oil reserves.

Massive airport developments, new luxury hotels and Palm Jumeirah -- a web of interlocking artificial offshore islands in the shape of a giant palm frond -- are part of the boom.

International traffic being directed through Dubai and Doha, as well as access to India's fast-growing economy are also boosting passenger numbers.

"They have certainly got quite a few orders coming. It is very easy to buy airplanes but the challenge is to continue to deploy them profitably," said Chris Tarry, aviation analyst at London-based industry consultancy Ctaira.

JP Morgan says the Middle East represents 7 percent of thee total backlog in aircraft orders

"We estimate that Middle Eastern airlines currently have 164 aircraft on order with Boeing or Airbus, or almost 31 percent of the region's total installed base (of aircraft)," JP Morgan said. (additional reporting by Odai Sirri in Doha)

Monday June 13, 7:18 PM
Qatar Airways Plans Boeing, Airbus Orders

AP - Qatar Airways said it planned to order at least 20 Boeing 777s and up to 60 Airbus A350s as the Paris Air Show opened Monday, with the battle between the trans-Atlantic rival plane makers taking center stage.

The Qatar order, which is still being finalized, is a boost for Airbus at a time when it was struggling to launch the A350 with only 10 nonbinding orders to date _ and a disappointment for Boeing, whose rival 787 "Dreamliner" has so far won 266 orders and commitments.

Banks to arrange Etihad's aircraft financing

ABU DHABI, June 14 (Reuters) - National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Calyon Corporate and Investment Bank will lead arrange over $1.5 billion of financing for Etihad Airways to acquire 12 Airbus planes, a senior banker said on Tuesday.

He told Reuters the Abu Dhabi-based carrier had mandated the two banks to lead arrange the financing.

The daily Gulf News said state-owned Etihad will take delivery of the 12 aircraft comprising four A340-500s, four A340-600s and four A380-800s between April 2006 and June 2008.

In July, Etihad signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus to acquire up to 36 planes worth as much as $7 billion.

Earlier this year, Etihad signed an agreement with National Bank of Abu Dhabi to syndicate the financing of the $1.09 billion purchase of five Boeing 777-300ER planes, to be delivered in 2005.

Eithad Airways, launched in 2003, is one of several fast-growing airlines in the Gulf, where big state budgets and a desire to boost tourism to the region have led to a surge in demand for new aircraft.

Emirates Boosts UK Connections for Shanghai Services

SHANGHAI, June 21 Asia Pulse - Emirates has launched a second daily direct flight from Dubai to Birmingham, providing a route for passengers from Shanghai to Europe via the Middle East.

The new flight takes off from Dubai at 13:45 p.m. local time daily and lands at Birmingham at 20:45 p.m. local time on the same day, according to sources from the airline's office in Shanghai.

And the return flight No. EK038 takes off from Birmingham at 21:55 p.m. local time and arrives at Dubai at 7:45 a.m. local time next day.

Emirates opened its first air route to Birmingham in December 2000. Its daily flight No. EK039 leaves Dubai at 7:50 a.m. local time and lands at Birmingham at 12:20 midday.

At present, Emirates' Shanghai-Dubai daily flight No. EK303 takes off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 23:55 midnight Beijing time everyday and lands at Dubai at 5:25 a.m. local time next day. Passengers from Shanghai can therefore take the flights to Birmingham daily.

Engine fire forces Saudi plane to land in Cairo

CAIRO, June 25 (Reuters) - A fire in one of the engines of a Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 on Saturday forced its pilot to return to Cairo airport where the passenger plane made a safe landing, Egyptian airport officials said. The plane bound for Jeddah had taken off from Cairo 15 minutes earlier. It was carrying a crew of 22 but no passengers.

The pilot was able to bring the fire under control using the engine's built-in fire extinguishers.

First Saudi woman pilot to fly as driving debate rages on

RIYADH, July 10 (AFP) - While the debate over whether Saudi women should be allowed to drive rages on, Captain Hanadi Hindi will soon become the first woman to fly a plane with the private fleet of a prince.

Hindi, 27, is preparing to take to the skies at a time when supporters and opponents of lifting the ban on women's driving in the conservative kingdom are still fighting it out in the local press.

"I never meant to be a pioneer. When I started learning to become a pilot, I did so for my father, who himself had aspired to be a pilot. I then got attached to flying," Hindi said by telephone from her home in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.

Prince Al-Walid bin Talal's decision to make Hindi part of his private crew has drawn criticism from some conservative Muslim scholars, who object to any easing of constraints that bar Saudi women from mixing with men other than relatives or traveling without the authorization of a male guardian.

But Hindi said the billionaire entrepreneur's Kingdom Holding Company had also hired her father, Zakariya Hindi, as a legal consultant.

He will accompany her on all her trips "so that no one will say that I am traveling without a male relative."

Hindi said she is heading to London in about three weeks for a three-month training course before she takes up her job as a pilot for Prince Al-Walid.

Kingdom Holding hired Hindi even before she clinched her Commercial Pilot's Licence and an Instrument Rating (CPL and IR) from the Mideast Aviation Academy in Jordan last month.

The company, which runs a worldwide business empire, had offered Hindi a scholarship to carry her through her last year at the Jordanian academy, and Prince Al-Walid took out doublespread advertisements in the press to congratulate her on taking her CPL.

"I thank God that Prince Al-Walid has given me the opportunity to serve my country and serve his highness, bearing in mind that he is a member of the royal family," Hindi said.

Hindi said that before the prince offered her a 10-year contract, she feared she might not find a job in Saudi Arabia.

Her apprehensions were well-grounded, given that women in the Muslim country are still excluded from many professions that would appear less controversial than piloting a plane and are the only women in the world banned from driving a car.

The appointed Shura (consultative) Council in May shelved the suggestion of Mohammad Al Zalfa, who cited a host of economic reasons to end the ban, such as the fact that the prohibition has led to the presence of around a million foreign drivers who cost the country 12 billion riyals (3.2 billion dollars) a year.

Advocates of an end to the ban also cite the prohibitive cost of hiring drivers for families of limited means.

They also defend their case on social grounds to counter the religious-based arguments of opponents, pointing out that by having to rely on drivers, Saudi women end up spending much time alone with male strangers.

Hindi said she was "not against" allowing women to drive because some women either cannot afford to employ drivers, which forces them to rely on public transport, or have no able-bodied men in their families to take them around.

It would be good if women could get behind the wheel "with certain restrictions," such as granting that right only to women of middle age or more, she said.

But despite having blazed a trail by becoming the first Saudi woman pilot, Hindi diplomatically shifted the issue away from ideological grounds.

Being a pioneer "is a very big responsibility... I hope I will be a good example for Saudi women," she said.

Gulf Air workers stage protest after union chief sacked

MANAMA, July 13 (AFP) - Gulf Air workers staged a protest outside the airline's head office in Manama Wednesday after the man they chose to head their union was sacked for taking up his post.

"They informed me that they insisted that I resign as head of the syndicate in return for keeping my job," Mohamad Salem told AFP as he took part in the protest.

"I informed the management that this violates trade union law. I have informed the ministry of labour and the general union of Bahraini workers ... who tried their best, but management insisted on its position," he added.

A Gulf Air official who did not wish to be named told AFP that management had wanted to fire Salem a few months ago for an unspecified reason, but had given him a second chance "for humanitarian reasons".

"He had then signed an agreement in which he pledged not to speak to the media or present himself at the employees' syndicate elections," he said.

"It is clear that he has broken his promises," he added.

Abdel Ghaffar Hussein, president of the general union of Bahraini workers, told AFP that such an agreement was "in violation of labour laws".

Salem was elected head of the syndicate of Gulf Air employees in June.

Labour syndicates have been authorized in Bahrain since 2002.

Gulf Air, launched in 1950, is owned by the governments of Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Oman.

Baghdad paralyzed by choking sandstorms
14 July 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Flights were canceled and traffic slowed to a crawl in Baghdad and much of Iraq on Thursday as choking sandstorms swept through a wide area of the country.

Royal Jordanian Airlines and Iraqi Airways canceled all flights to and from Baghdad, the companies said. The U.S. military does not comment on its flight operations, but the routine hum of low-flying helicopters disappeared from the capital.

Visibility was so limited in Baghdad that traffic was sharply reduced -- even from levels normal on most holidays. July 14 is a national holiday marking the overthrow of the Iraqi monarchy in 1958.

Officials at Baghdad International Airport said the forecast for Friday is for only a slight improvement in the storms, which are uncommon this time of year.

I reckon Emirates are going to have to seel tickets dirt cheap to fill all those A380s they ordered. That will put pressure on others in the region too. I sometimes think Dubai builds more capcity than it has the means to fill - the same with scrapers as airlines. All said and done it's a small place with a small population.

Qatar is stepping up its India service
By ROGER BRAY
14 July 2005
Financial Times

Fares to and from India look certain to come under more downward pressure following a significant increase in flights there from the Gulf. Qatar Airways is almost doubling the number of seats it operates to India from its Doha base.

Today it is scheduled to launch a new service to Delhi, flying seven round trips a week. From tomorrow it will offer seven round trips a week to Mumbai, adding a new Friday night flight from Doha. And from Monday and Thursday respectively it will expand its Cochin service from three to five flights a week, and increase weekly flights to Hyderabad from three to four.

The moves are the latest result of India's progressive liberalisation of its international bilateral air agreements, which has seen a large expansion of services, including to and from the UK.

First private Saudi airline prompts protest from would-be rival

RIYADH, July 14 (AFP) - A Saudi company has been licensed to operate internal flights, prompting a protest Thursday from another firm which had aimed to become the first private operator of domestic trips in Saudi Arabia.

National Air Services (NAS) will from Saturday operate four scheduled VIP flights from the capital Riyadh to the Red Sea city of Jeddah every weekday, newspapers reported.

The service, called Al-Khayala, will also provide chartered flights to tourist destinations throughout the week.

It is meant to cater for VIPs, businessmen and corporate or banking leaders whose business requires them to travel frequently between Riyadh and Jeddah, commercial capital of the oil-rich kingdom.

The English-language Arab News said it would cost 3,000 riyals (800 dollars) for a roundtrip aboard one of the airline's Airbus A319 aircraft, in which only 44 luxurious seats have been installed although they can be configured with up to 170 seats.

A senior executive of a travel group which had aimed to set up the first private airline in Saudi Arabia said he was "surprised" that the civil aviation authority had licensed the Al-Khayala service before publishing the specifications required to operate such flights.

"We have been waiting for the civil aviation authority to publish the specifications, and we were surprised to hear that another company has been granted a commercial aviation license before they are out," said Nasser al-Tayyar, deputy board chairman and managing director of Al-Tayyar Travel Group Share Company.

"A commercial license is the same whether you plan to operate luxury or ordinary flights," he told AFP.

Tayyar's group announced earlier this year that it had applied for the license to operate internal flights, and that it planned to offer lower fares than national carrier Saudi Arabian Airlines.

Air transport and airport services are among the vital fields the Saudi government has opened to the private sector as part of an ambitious privatization drive.

In June 2003, it decided to break a decades-old monopoly of Saudi Arabian Airlines by opening the domestic aviation sector to local competition.

Tayyar's group has requested permission to cover all regions of the vast Gulf country, which is about four times the size of France with an area of 2,240,350 square kilometers (865,000 square miles).

Gulf Air to begin Dublin-Bahrain route from Dec 1

DUBLIN, July 15 (Reuters) - Gulf Air [GULF.UL] said on Friday it would begin a thrice-weekly service from Dublin to Bahrain starting on Dec. 1.

The service is Dublin airport's first scheduled long-haul route to a destination outside North America. The arrival of Gulf Air brings to 48 the number of scheduled airlines operating from Dublin airport to 116 destinations worldwide.

High Fuel Prices To Widen Kuwait Air's Loss
July 18, 2005

Losses at Kuwait Airways for the year ended March 2006 may rise to 40 million dinars (USD$137 million) if jet fuel prices remain high, its chairman said.

"Kuwait Airways is one of the firms most impacted by the high jet fuel prices as it is the main purchaser of jet fuel from the Kuwait Aviation Fuelling Company (KAFCO)," Kuwait Airways Chairman Sheikh Talal al-Mubarak al-Sabah said in remarks published by local newspapers on Monday.

KAFCO is the sole provider of jet fuel in OPEC member Kuwait, which controls nearly a tenth of global oil reserves.

These added expenses "will boost Kuwait Airways losses for fiscal 2005-2006, estimated at 28 million dinars, and they are expected to increase to 40 million dinars," Sheikh Talal added.

Kuwait Airways' expected loss for fiscal 2004-2005 is 32 million dinars.

The airline's 2005-2006 budget was drawn up with a jet fuel bill at 39 million dinars and a litre priced at 85 fils, compared with 136 fils per litre currently, causing the bill to rise by 60 percent. There are 1,000 fils per Kuwaiti dinar.

Kuwait Airways is heavily in debt as it is still paying for a new fleet, purchased after the 1991 Gulf War, which includes 15 Airbus and two Boeing 777 jets. The carrier lost nearly 85 percent of its assets during the seven month Iraqi occupation that was ended by US-led forces in 1991.

In September, Sheikh Talal said he would continue a cost-cutting drive aimed at returning the carrier to break-even or a small profit after three years. The last time it made money was in fiscal 2000, when it logged a USD$77 million profit -- partly from compensation for Iraq war losses.

The state-run airline will soon face competition from the country's first private airline, no-frills carrier Jazeera Airways.

(Reuters)

Qatar Airways aims for profits by 2010, eyes IPO
July 18, 2005
Reuters

Loss-making but fast-growing Qatar Airways hopes to be profitable by 2010 and could list its shares on the stock market by 2012, its chief executive said on Monday.

The state-controlled airline last month ordered $15 billion-worth of aircraft from Airbus and Boeing to add up to 80 planes to its existing fleet of 40 by 2015.

Its aim is to capitalise on a boom in development and tourism in the oil-rich Middle East.

"We hope to be profitable by 2009 or 2010," Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker told a news conference.

"As soon as we are profitable for two consecutive years we will go public."

The airline, which also operates the Doha Airport and owns ground handling and airline catering firms, was launched in 1994 and is expanding rapidly as its state link gives it access to cheap funding.

Its latest order was for a mix of Airbus A350-800 and A350-900 planes as well as Boeing 777-200LR and 777-300ER aircraft.

Al Baker also said Qatar Airways wanted eventually to join a global airline alliance, such as the Lufthansa-led Star Alliance, or Oneworld, which is headed by American Airlines and British Airways .

But, he said; "It is still too early for that".

Royal Jordanian posts first-quarter profit
July 19, 2005

Royal Jordanian Airlines said it posted a profit of 4.3 million dinars ($6.1 million) for the first quarter of 2005, beating company projections of a loss of JOD1.4 million.Revenues reached JOD91.3 million, up 21.6% compared to JOD75.1 million in the prior-year period. Passenger boardings for the January-May period rose 3.5% to 643,700.

"The results of the first quarter of 2005 are satisfactory; however, Royal Jordanian has been facing several challenges that resulted in a decline in the net profit, most significant being the surge in fuel prices," said President and CEO Samer Majali. The increase is expected to add JOD10 million to the fuel budget. The carrier has added a surcharge to help to offset the higher fuel costs.

Separately, Royal Jordanian said revenues for the first half rose 13.1% to JOD145.5 million and six-month passenger boardings climbed 4.2% to 766,000. It carried 154,858 passengers in June, up 7.5% over the year-ago period. June load factor rose 3 points to 72.9%. Cargo grew 5.1% to 5,436 tons.

El Al CEO allays workers' fears
20 July 2005

In an extraordinary move, El Al CEO Haim Romano yesterday issued a written statement to calm workers who fear the company will be harmed by the involvement of its owners, brothers Izzy and Dedi Borovich, in the collapse of the Clubmarket chain.

"Lately we have all been exposed to information regarding what is happening at Clubmarket, information that prompts fears and questions regarding the significance of these events and their impact on us," wrote Romano.

"We reject out of hand any attempts to link Clubmarket's difficulties with El Al's operations. El Al operates as an independent company. The company is publicly traded, and is obligated by law to report all its activities to the authorities, as well as to the public and its workers. El Al's management is a professional and responsible management that will work tirelessly, along with you, to promote the company and make it prosper.

"El Al has always met its obligations to its customers, suppliers and workers, and continues to operate in accordance with its strategic plans," continued Romano. "The company has excellent relations with the banking system in Israel and around the world."

Etihad Launches Cargo Flights on Delhi-Abu-Dhabi Route

NEW DELHI, July 21 Asia Pulse - UAE carrier Etihad Crystal Cargo today launched its weekly freighter services from Delhi, after connecting Mumbai and Chennai earlier this year.

Crystal Cargo, which is the cargo division of Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, would add 39 tonnes of cargo payload every week in addition to the 15 tonnes carried on three weekly passenger flights between Delhi and the Gulf nation.

The freighter service would operate once a week between Abu Dhabi and Delhi, the airline said in a statement.

Observing that its Mumbai and Chennai routes have shown "very high payloads", Etihad's Area Manager (India & Nepal) Dougie Douglas said the Indian subcontinent was a "very dynamic market" for cargo services.

Etihad Crystal Cargo launched its Mumbai services in February this year and from Chennai in June. (PTI)

Lockheed in pact to upgrade Turkish Air Force aircraft
20 July 2005

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Lockheed Martin Corp. said Wednesday that it has received a $67.7 million contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop a major systems upgrade of F-16 aircraft for the Turkish Air Force. The total contract is valued at about $800 million and is expected to be issued in mid-2006. The upgrade program will focus on Turkey's F-16 Block 40 and Block 50 aircraft, as well as a modest modification to Block 30 aircraft. The Turkish Air Force expects to have initial operational capability with the modifications in 2011.

Kurdish airline takes flight as northern Iraqi airport opens

ARBIL, Iraq, July 21 (AFP) - The first flight of a Kurdish-owned airline landed in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil on Thursday, linking one of the main cities in the heart of Kurdistan to Dubai.

The sole airplane belonging to the nascent Kurdistan Airlines, a Boeing 737, landed at 10:30 am (0630 GMT) carrying 46 Iraqi and Kurdish businessmen.

The Arbil airport was officially inaugurated on April 15. Another airport equipped for passenger planes in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah opened for business on Wednesday.

The recently-created Kurdistan Airlines is entirely owned by the autonomous Kurdish regional government, said Rachad Omar, the region's "vice-minister" of transport and communications.

"It has full support from the civil aviation directorate," a branch of the Iraqi ministry of transportation, Omar told AFP.

"It is an Iraqi-owned company just like (government-owned) Iraqi Airways," said Omar, adding that the company plans to hire more passenger airplanes for flights to Europe.

Currently both Iraqi Airlines and a Lebanese airline, Flying Carpet, offer flights between Baghdad and Arbil.

"It is an historic day because it is the first time there is a direct flight linking a foreign country to Arbil airport," said Haidar Faili, the autonomous Kurdish region's minister for transportation and communication.

On Wednesday Iraqi President Jalal Talbani, who is also the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), inaugurated Sulaimaniyah airport, located some 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Arbil.

An Iraqi Airways plane landed at the airport bringing home an official Iraqi delegation from a visit to Jordan that included Planning Minister Barham Saleh.

There are two passenger airports in the autonomous Kurdish region because of the rivalry between the two main Kurdish parties.

Emirates secures $119 mln Airbus plane financing

DUBAI, July 25 (Reuters) - Dubai's Emirates airline [EMAIR.UL] said on Monday it signed a $119 million financing agreement with China Construction Bank Corporation [CCB.UL] for a new Airbus A340-500 aircraft.

The financing, the first for the fast-growing airline from a Chinese bank, is a 12-year operating lease carrying a margin of 0.78 percent over six-month sterling LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate), Emirates said in a statement.

The A340-500, scheduled to be delivered next month, will be the airline's ninth out of 10 on order.

"This is the first time an Emirates aircraft has been financed by a Chinese bank... This will help us diversify our funding resources further," said Riyaz Peermohamed, Emirates senior vice president, corporate treasury.

China Construction Bank is one of the country's largest commercial banks. The deal was arranged by its Hong Kong branch.

Plane Rolls Into Ditch at Jordan Airport
26 July 2005

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - A Russian-made cargo plane parked at a Jordanian airport rolled into a ditch Tuesday, causing minor damage and no injuries, Jordan's civil aviation chief said Tuesday.

The plane sat wedged Tuesday evening in a watery ditch at the airport in Aqaba with its tail sticking slightly up.

"The plane did not crash; it was a minor accident, the aircraft was neither airborne, nor taking off or landing," Civil Aviation Authority Chief Capt. Suleiman Obeidat told The Associated Press.

He said the Antonov An-12 was parked on the tarmac at King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba, near the Israeli border, when it suddenly rolled onto nearby unpaved ground.

Obeidat and Neal Kawar, a cargo expediter for Heston Aviation, the Jordanian firm which handled the aircraft's ground operation, said there apparently were no blocks under the wheels to hold the plane in place.

Aqaba is a 210 miles south of the Jordanian capital Amman, at the southern tip of Jordan on the Red Sea, next to the Israeli resort of Eilat.

Etihad Airways to fly to Brussels
27 July 2005

ABU DHABI — Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, and SN Brussels Airways announced yesterday the start of operations from Abu Dhabi to Brussels, Belgium, at a joint Press conference held in the Belgian capital.

Etihad will operate three direct weekly flights from Abu Dhabi to Brussels starting from October this year. With the opening of its new route to Brussels, Etihad will enter its first global code share agreement with SN Brussels Airways.

For the first time the code share will open a number of important destinations in Europe. Both airlines expressed their optimism for the new route that is expected to significantly enhance the link between the UAE and Europe, as well as provide even more opportunities for business and tourism.

Jordan Aviation still flies to Egyptian destinations after cancelling Sharm flights
27/07/2005

AMMAN (Petra) — Jordan Aviation, a private airline, still flies to Alexandria and other Egyptian cities despite the cancellation of its flights to Sharm El Sheikh, Mohammad Khashman, the airline's board chairman, said Tuesday. The company stopped flying to the Egyptian Red Sea resort following Saturday's terror attacks which killed 88 people.

Moldovan plane rolls into ditch at Aqaba airport
27 July 2005

AMMAN (Agencies) — A Russian-made cargo plane parked on the tarmac of the airport in Aqaba rolled into a ditch Tuesday, causing minor damage and no injuries, the Kingdom's civil aviation chief said Tuesday.

The plane sat wedged in a watery ditch with its tail sticking slightly up Tuesday evening while airport officials investigated what caused the aircraft to move.

“The plane did not crash; it was a minor accident, the aircraft was neither airborne, nor taking off or landing,” Civil Aviation Authority Chief Suleiman Obeidat told the Associated Press.

He said the Antonov An-12 was parked on the tarmac at King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba when it suddenly rolled onto nearby unpaved ground. “It stopped when the front wheel fell in a ditch, or waterway dug in the sand near the tarmac,” Obeidat said.

“Preliminary information suggests there was no block to hold the plane in its parking spot,” he said.

An official at Aqaba's airport said authorities believe the “safety parking brakes had apparently not been activated.”

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because there was an investigation under way, said the plane rolled hours after it landed, and declined to say where it flew in from.

Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority President Nader Dahabi told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that no one was near the plane which landed at 10:30am.

“After the unloading process, its crew left the area to have some rest at a nearby Aqaba hotel,” Dahabi said, adding the plane rolled for 200 metres before falling into the ditch.

Obeidat said the incident happened at around 5:00pm.

There were no casualties since the crew had long before cleared the aircraft, and there was no one else nearby, Obeidat and the official said.

Obeidat said the aircraft was registered in the Eastern European nation of Moldova and leased to a privately-owned Jordanian cargo firm.

HRH Prince Ali the Regent, visited the airport and inspected the plane, Petra reported.

Qatar Airways celebrates non-stop flight to Singapore
The Peninsula - 28/07/2005

Doha: Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker presented his vision of the airline as a force to be reckoned with over the next few years, during a media briefing held in Singapore.

Celebrating the launch of daily non-stop flights to the island state using the state-of-the-art Airbus A330 aircraft, Akbar hosted leading Singapore media figures over lunch at the city's Four Seasons Hotel, during which he spoke of Qatar Airways' meteoric growth since its re-launch in 1997 to become one of the fastest growing airlines in the world. He outlined the company's vision to become a key player in global aviation. Only last month, Qatar Airways, which operates a fleet of 40 all-Airbus aircraft, announced plans at the Paris Air Show to acquire up to 80 planes, comprising 60 of the new generation A350s and 20 Boeing 777s worth a total $15.2bn.

The CEO said the airline would almost triple its fleet size by the year 2015, which he stressed was unprecedented expansion that was being admired with envy by rest of the aviation industry. He described how Qatar Airways had made significant inroads in the industry to become an award-winning airline in just a short few years. As part of the airline's growth strategy, Al Baker said Qatar Airways was introducing new destinations and increasing frequency on existing routes to offer passengers with a greater choice of flights and convenient connection opportunities over Doha.

The Singapore route, he said, had just been upgraded from an Airbus A300 aircraft to the larger A330 offering the latest in in-flight comfort and amenities. The route is being operated non-stop on all daily flights, cutting out the indirect service via Kuala Lumpur to provide a faster flight time. The new daily non-stop service operated with the A330-200 aircraft features a fully interactive in-flight entertainment system in every seat. The A330 is the backbone of Qatar Airways' long-haul fleet to destinations as far as Europe, South Africa and Far East.

Akbar said Singapore had been a highly successful route for the airline since the service was launched in November 2003 and it was only a matter of time before it was upgraded to a bigger capacity aircraft flying non-stop. With Qatar Airways being a key sponsor of the Asian Games in Doha next year, he said, said the airline will spend the next 18 months focusing much of its efforts in Asia to promote the event. He explained that Qatar Airways planned to fly to further destinations in the Far East over the next 18 months.

Al Baker also briefed the media on the current state of the US$5.5 billion New Doha International Airport, of which construction began in January 2005 and was on schedule for phase one to be completed by 2009. Most of the dredging work from the sea has been completed with 60 per cent of the new airport built on reclaimed land, he said.

He described how the new airport would be an architectural marvel, and the first in the world to be designed and built specifically for Airbus's new A380-800 double-decker 'super jumbo' — the largest passenger aircraft ever built. The A380 will be capable of carrying more than 550 passengers, with Qatar Airways a launch customer taking delivery of the first of its four A380s in 2009, the year the new airport opens.

Uzbekistan Terminates US Air Base Agreement
Jul 30, 2005

WASHINGTON - Uzbek officials have formally terminated an agreement allowing the United States to use an air base in southeastern Uzbekistan, ending a nearly four-year-old deal under which the United States was able to provide support for U.S. operations in Afghanistan. The termination follows criticism from the United States and other countries of Uzbek President Islam Karimov over the reported killing of hundreds of civilians by Uzbek security forces in May.

A State Department spokesman said Saturday that its embassy in Tashkent received a diplomatic note late last week from the Uzbek government, terminating the agreement to use the so-called K2 airfield. The Washington Post newspaper reports the military has 180 days to leave the Karshi-Khanabad airbase, but U.S. officials have not confirmed a timetable.

An estimated 800 personnel now work at the K2 airbase, which since October 2001 has been a hub for military and humanitarian supplies that are flown or trucked overland into Afghanistan.

In a news conference earlier this month, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Richard Myers said the base in Uzbekistan and one near Kyrgyzstan's capital city play an important role in regional security.

"Central Asia is important to the United States for several reasons, not just for operations in Afghanistan," said Mr. Myers. "It's important to us for lots of reasons. Security and stability in Central Asia is an important concept and those that can bring security and stability ought to be welcome in Central Asia."

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld traveled to Central Asia this week and won assurances from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan that U.S. forces would continue to have access to facilities in their countries.

Mr. Rumsfeld did not meet with Uzbek officials, but he said the military is prepared if Uzbekistan bars use of the K2 air base.

Uzbek officials have tightened restrictions on the K2 base in recent months, barring night flights and limiting the use of some heavy transport aircraft.

The moves followed strong criticism from the United States and other Western nations of President Karimov and calls for a formal inquiry into deadly clashes between Uzbek security forces and civilians in the city of Andijan in May. The United Nations has called the incident a mass killing.

"The trigger was Uzbek anger at U.S. criticism of the Uzbek government for the Uzbek government's failure to agree to an independent international inquiry into what happened in Andijan," said Martha Brill Olcott, a central Asian expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "To say that the U.S. leadership and the Uzbek leadership don't see eye to eye with one another today is an understatement. It's probably the tensest point in U.S.-Uzbek relations any time since the existence of an independent Uzbekistan. I don't know that the Uzbek regime would have wanted the base removed if Andijan had not occurred."

On Friday, the United Nations said some 440 Uzbek refugees who had fled to Kyrgyzstan following the Andijan violence had been flown to Romania. Uzbekistan says the refugees are criminals who should be repatriated.

Turkish airline buys 10 Canadian Bombardier planes
7/30/2005

ISTANBUL - Turkey's Izmir Airlines has signed a 275 million dollar contract with Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier for 10 planes, its president told the Anatolia news agency Saturday.

Five of the CRJ900 and Q400 planes would be delivered next year, Ekrem Demirtas, head of the private airline, said.

He said the company was also negotiating with the American firm Boeing and European planemaker Airbus over the purchase of other aircraft.

Founded in June 2005 by a group of 100 businessmen from Izmir in western Turkey, the company aims to begin flying in spring 2006 between several European capitals and Turkey's main cities

Iraqi Air To Launch Flights To Turkey
July 28, 2005

Iraqi Airways will begin passenger flights to neighboring Turkey for the first time in 15 years, its sales representative in Istanbul said on Thursday.

The national carrier grounded its planes in the early 1990s due to UN sanctions, and much of the carrier's fleet and assets were destroyed during the 2003 US-led war and in post-war looting.

It resumed international flights last year. It has since begun rebuilding its fleet, purchasing a 1983 Boeing 737 and leasing another plane of the same type, as well as a Boeing 727 and Boeing 767. It launched flights to Amman and Damascus earlier this year.

"As part of its reconstruction, Iraq has picked up where it left off in air transportation due to long-term sanctions and the war," its Turkey-based representative Fly Service said in a statement.

The flagship carrier will on August 3 begin flights between Baghdad and Istanbul on Mondays and Thursdays. It will also offer cargo flights three times a month, the statement said.

"Iraqi Airways will securely carry both Turkish businessmen involved in Iraqi commerce and their cargo. These flights will help commercial relations between Iraq and Turkey as well as bilateral relations," the statement said.

(Reuters)

One killed as Yemen military plane crash lands

SANAA, Aug 9 (AFP) - One crew member was killed and 28 people were injured Tuesday when an Antonov military transport plane made an emergency landing in the southeastern Yemeni province of Hadramout, an opposition website reported.

Quoting military and medical sources, the website of the Islah Party said the plane, with 49 people on board, was on an internal flight from a border area to Al-Rayyan airport in the city of Al-Mukalla when it made the emergency landing some 30 kilometers (20 miles) east of the airport.

The plane had reportedly run out of fuel.

One of the pilots, Ahmad Abdullah Grandi, was killed while chief pilot Abdullah Saif Ahmad was among seven people seriously injured, it said.

A total of 28 people were wounded in the incident, which occurred around 5:00 pm (1400 GMT), according to the sources.

Baghdad's airport reopens after one-day closure over pay

BAGHDAD, Sept 10 (AFP) - Baghdad International Airport reopened Saturday after a one-day closure over a pay dispute between the government and a London-based firm which provides airport security, an Iraqi official said.

The company, meanwhile, said it had accepted payment of half of its dues.

"We have reopened the airport ... No one has the authority to shut down the airport," said Issmat Amer, the chief advisor to Transport Minister Salam al-Maliki.

The guards of the security firm "are back at work", he told AFP, adding that flights had resumed.

Global Security, whose contract was awarded by the US State Department in 2004, said Friday that "normal airport operations (were) suspended until further notice" because of "unresolved commercial issues" with the transport ministry.

In a press statement, the company had said it had not been paid for its services since March and therefore decided to cease operations as of 06:00 am (0200 GMT) on Friday, effectively closing the airport to commercial traffic.

"The problem was caused by the (security) firm, which has done so unjustly, and in contradiction with all conventions," Amer said.

He insisted "there are no unresolved matters" with Global Security.

A company spokesman in London, Giles Morgan, told AFP its personnel were back in position as the Iraqi government had "agreed to pay 50 percent of the total money owed for the past seven months".

The company was hoping to receive the payment within the next few days.

But "the government refused to pay the remaining 50 percent" of the outstanding bills, the spokesman said, adding that Global had "accepted what was on offer".

Global's contract to provide security in the airport was awarded by the previous Coalition Provisional Authority. It runs through until the end of March 2006.

Morgan said there were no discussions about terminating the contract early.

A two-day shutdown occurred in June for similar reasons, leading to a backlog of flights and a severe disruption for passengers.

The airport, which currently runs over 50 flights a day, is the only viable means of entry into Iraq for most international travellers due to the country's precarious security situation.

Qatar signs 60-jet order for Airbus A350s

PARIS, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Qatar Airways signed on Friday a letter of intent to buy 60 Airbus A350 jets, sealing a deal provisionally announced in June.

The letter of intent crowns months of negotiations on the $10.6 billion deal and was signed when Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin met Qatar's First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thanion Friday.

Qatar Airways said in June it was close to signing a deal to buy up to 60 of Airbus's future A350 jets worth $10.6 billion and would also buy at least 20 of Boeing Co.'s larger 777 planes for around $4.6 billion.

The deal comes as the airline industry waits for the official launch of the A350 project which was delayed in June because of initial lack of interest in the aircraft compared with rival Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

Airbus parent firm EADS co-Chairman Noel Forgeard told reporters on the margins of Friday's signing ceremony that he still expected to launch the A350 at the end of September.

"When the EADS board decided to postpone until the end of September, give or take a few days, the launch of the A350, it was not linked to uncertainties over the commercial viability of the project. We had what we needed; the planned purchase by Qatar Airways was already known," he said.

"It was linked to a study that the board asked us for and the resources needed to carry out this major development, and so this study is being finished and everything should happen by the deadlines that have been set," he added.

BAE Systems Plc owns a 20 percent stake in Airbus.

The launch of the A350 has been potentially caught up in a huge trade dispute between Europe and the United States, which accuses Airbus of receiving illegal subsidies. Airbus says it will apply for reimbursable government loans to help build the plane but denies these are a form of subsidy.

Dubai's Emirates begins direct flights to Libya

DUBAI, Sept 23 (AFP) - The Dubai government-owned Emirates airlines is to begin five weekly direct flights to Libya, the official news agency WAM reported Friday.

The airline has been offering three weekly trips to Libya since March 2001 but with a stopover in Malta, layovers that will now be done away with.

does anybody noe whether the airport improvements at Jiddah airport sheduled to commence in 2005 is actually occuring? that airport is so overcrowded now its impossible to breathe

Gulf Air CEO: To Begin Scheduled China Flights in 2H 06
21 October 2005
By Bruce Stanley
Of The Wall Street Journal Asia

HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--Gulf Air is charting a course for the booming China market, but meanwhile the airline, which only recently returned to profitability, expects to lose money this year due to higher fuel prices.

In an interview, President and Chief Executive James Hogan said the Persian Gulf-based regional carrier plans to begin scheduled flights to at least one major city in China-Beijing, Shanghai or both-during the second half of 2006. The airline hopes eventually to increase the frequency of its China flights to one a day from four a week.

One of the markets the 55-year-old carrier hopes to serve is the growing number of construction workers and other Chinese traveling to jobs in the Middle East.

Gulf Air, which has 34 aircraft, is owned by the governments of Bahrain, Oman and Abu Dhabi. After losing money for six consecutive years, it restructured its operations, reduced its debts and posted a profit in 2004 of BHD1.5 million.

However, the relentless rise in jet fuel prices will make it "pretty tough" for Gulf Air to earn a profit for 2005, Hogan said. Although the airline has imposed fuel surcharges, it has not hedged enough of its fuel requirements to absorb the higher prices, he said. Costlier fuel and the likelihood of an annual loss is also forcing Gulf Air to delay consideration of raising fresh capital through a private placement, a strategic investment or a share offering.

"If you're going to go to the market, now is the wrong time," Hogan said.

Founded in 1950, Gulf Air has been overshadowed in recent years by faster-growing regional rivals Emirates Airline (EA.YY), Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways (ETAIR.YY). While Gulf Air's fleet has stagnated, the other three are adding large numbers of new planes. Emirates alone has ordered 45 super-jumbo Airbus A380s.

Gulf Air is making "a major review" of its own future aircraft needs and plans to re-equip its fleet with planes from a single supplier, either Chicago-based Boeing Co. (BA) or Airbus (ABI.YY) of Toulouse, France.

Gulf Air's current fleet is a mix of Boeing 767s and three Airbus models. Unlike Emirates, it has no ambition to become a global airline and is content to serve Asia, North Africa and the Middle East with a fleet of no more than 40 aircraft.

Gulf Air plans to decide by the end of December whether to buy Boeing 787s and 737s or Airbus A320s and A350s, Hogan said. By acquiring all new planes from a single supplier, it expects to achieve better economies of scale and save money on maintenance and spare parts.

Emirates Airlines to offer non-stop Kuala Lumpur-Dubai service - report
20 October 2005

KUALA LUMPUR (XFN-ASIA) - Emirates Airlines will be operating a non-stop service between Kuala Lumpur and Dubai by the end of this month to take advantage of the strong demand on the route, the Star newspaper reported, quoting the airline's country manager Alban Lee.

Lee said the airline will use Boeing 777-300 aircraft for this service, calling directly at Dubai from Kuala Lumpur eight times weekly.

He added that at present, the airline operates seven flights weekly to Dubai from KL with stops at either Dhaka or Jakarta.

He also said that the airliner is increasing services to allow Emirates to take advantage of the higher arrivals of Middle Eastern passengers in Kuala Lumpur and the increase in the Middle East-bound tourists from Malaysia.

"With additional flights, we expect an increase of 25 pct in passenger capacity," he added.

Lee said growth will be achieved on the back on a load factor of about 70 pct and would generate an 11 pct growth in revenue for the year to March 2006.

Gulf Air seeks to triple flights to Philippines
Sun Oct 23,12:57 PM ET

MANILA (AFP) - Bahrain-based Gulf Air is to begin talks with Philippine negotiators Monday to discuss its proposal to triple its flights to the Southeast Asian country.

"We are looking forward to expand our business, our flight frequencies here in Manila since most of our passengers are Filipinos," Gulf Air president and chief executive James Hogan told reporters late Saturday.

The carrier now flies three times a week to Manila from Bahrain, Dublin, and Johannesburg. The Philippines is a major exporter of skilled workers to the Middle East and elsewhere.

Airline officials would meet officials of the transportation and foreign departments as well as the Civil Aeronautics Board to discuss its request, said Gulf Air country manager Roberto Hukom.

He said the airline wants six more flights a week.

"We hope that we would be able to persuade them given the huge market that is available now," he added.

"We are expanding our office here to be able to meet the huge demand," he said.

Gulf Air is owned by Bahrain, Oman, and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Iraqi Airways Plane Lands In Lebanon
1st Time In 24 Years
24 October 2005

BEIRUT (AP)--An Iraqi Airways plane landed in Beirut on Monday, making the first flight between Iraq and Lebanon in 24 years.

The Boeing 737-200 arrived at Rafik Hariri International Airport carrying an official delegation headed by Iraq's Transport Minister Salam al-Maliki and 50 journalists representing various Iraqi media outlets.

Al-Maliki held talks with his Lebanese counterpart Mohammed al-Safadi and, at a joint conference, spoke of the importance of resuming flights between both countries.

"We will seek to open channels with all neighboring countries so that Iraq can return to its Arab, Islamic and international fold," said al-Safadi, who added there were several projects between Lebanon and Iraq that the two government were working on achieving.

The ministers, however, did not say when Lebanon's flag carrier, Middle East Airlines, would resume flights to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

After about an hour at the airport in Beirut, the Iraqi Airways plane returned to Baghdad with 16 Iraqi and Lebanese passengers as well as nine Iraqi deportees who had illegally entered Lebanon.

Emirates celebrates 20 years
October 26

Dubai-based Emirates Airline marks its 20th anniversary of successful operations.
Emirates' Chairman HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said, "There's a sense that the airline has 'come of age', and with its solid grounding is ready to take on even bigger challenges as a leading player in global air transport."
Carrying some 12.5 million passengers and 838,000 tons of cargo last year, Emirates is the world's second most profitable and one of the 20 largest international carriers*. The airline has come a long way since 1985 when it had just three flights from Dubai - to Karachi, Mumbai and Delhi - operated by two leased aircraft.
Today, Emirates operates close to 200 scheduled flights per day around its network which covers 77 cities in 54 countries - an average of one flight taking off or landing every eight minutes.
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Sheikh Ahmed said, "The springboard for our success has been the vision and ambition of HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum. Since its inception, Emirates has experienced tremendous and consistent growth averaging over 20 per cent per year. In the past 20 years, we have flown more than 80 million passengers to their destinations, carried over 4.6 million tons of cargo, and as a group, contributed some $25 billion in both direct and indirect expenditure to the UAE economy.
"From the outset, our vision was to develop an international airline that maximized Dubai's geo-strategic location to connect people and cargo to their destinations quickly and conveniently. We are proud to have lived up to that goal, and we will continue to play our part in developing Dubai as a hub for air transport, tourism and commerce."
Financially self-sustained and unprotected, Emirates has consistently bucked industry trends to post record profits for the past 17 years. It is also investing in future growth with firm orders for 92 new wide-bodied aircraft including 45 super-jumbo Airbus A380s.
Sheikh Ahmed credited the airline's performance to having a strong customer focus; a solid long-term strategy supported by a steady management team; talented staff recruited from over 100 countries around the world; and a dynamic corporate culture that encourages innovation.
He added, "Our success is also intrinsically linked with Dubai. We are lucky to be based here, where a visionary government is investing billions of dollars to develop the city into a major center for commerce and tourism. Dubai grows at around 17 per cent annually, and by 2010 it expects to have five million residents and some 15 million visitors. Emirates needs to be ready to support and tap into this growth, and that is why we are investing heavily in our fleet, in technology and support infrastructure, as well as in recruiting and training the right people."
By 2012, Emirates expects to carry 33 million passengers annually on some 150 aircraft. To support its fast-expanding fleet, which increases by one new aircraft per month on average, Emirates is constructing a $353 million engineering center and a new jet engine testing facility. When completed next year, Emirates' engineering center will be one of the biggest civil aviation maintenance facilities in the world with eight hangars fully equipped to handle heavy and light maintenance for the airline's entire fleet including the soon-to-be-delivered A380.
Sheikh Ahmed said, "The future looks bright for Emirates, with opportunities brought about by Dubai's development as well as the steady growth in demand for air travel globally. We will continue to focus on innovation, quality and customer service; expand and strengthen our network to provide more air connections that will facilitate trade and tourism flows; and invest in advanced aircraft which are not only efficient to operate but will also allow our passengers to travel further, in greater comfort."
Being based in Dubai, where over 110 airlines compete freely in an open skies regime, Emirates has honed its skills and abilities to stay at the cutting-edge of customer service. It also challenges the airline to keep finding new ways of operating more efficiently while delivering a superior experience to its customers.
An industry trailblazer from its early days, the airline has already marked several "firsts" in its relatively short history including - the first to introduce personal in-seat television screens in all classes across its entire fleet in 1992; first to operate the ultra-long haul A340-500 aircraft in 2003; first to offer "live" BBC news headlines on board; and first to introduce the concept of privacy suites in its luxurious First Class service.
The airline currently employs 15,800 staff, and operates services to 77 cities in 54 countries via its fleet of 81 wide-bodied jets. Between the beginning of last year and early next year Emirates will have launched services to a dozen new cities and increased frequencies to more than 30 existing destinations. New destinations to be introduced in coming months include Hamburg and Beijing.

*The World Airline Rankings - Airline Business August 2005

Kuwait's first private airline to launch maiden flight

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 29 (AFP) - Kuwait's first private, low-fare airline -- Jazeera Airways -- will make its maiden commercial flight on Sunday, the company's vice president for operations Adel al-Barges said Saturday.

"The first flight will be to Dubai on Sunday evening and will be followed by regular flights immediately afterwards," to Bahrain, Damascus, Amman and Beirut, Barges told AFP.

The airline's operation includes daily flights from Kuwait City to Dubai, Beirut, Damascus and Manama, and three flights a week to Amman. It also plans to operate to Egypt, India and southeast Asia at a later stage.

Jazeera initially planned to start operations in February using two leased planes, but the airline later decided to delay its launch until it receives its own aircraft.

The company on Monday took delivery of one of four Airbus A320s it has ordered. The second plane is due to arrive next week while the remaining two are scheduled for delivery next June.

Jazeera was established in May 2004 as a shareholding company with a capital of 34 million dollars, 30 percent of which is owned by a group of core founders while the rest was offered to the public on May 26.

The airline was founded by Boodai Group, a leading Kuwaiti business group which has key investments in the media, transport and aviation sectors.

The Kuwaiti government in November 2003 opened up the domestic aviation sector to competition by allowing the private sector to establish low-fare passenger and cargo airlines to compete with the state-owned loss-making Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC).

A second private aviation company for cargo is being established.

The decision came after the Gulf Arab emirates of Sharjah and Abu Dhabi in 2003 began operating their own airlines, with Sharjah's Air Arabia billed as the first no frills carrier in the Middle East.

Jazeera is offering fares for as little as 40 percent of the normal rate in the emirate. Travellers in Kuwait can fly to Manama one way for 34 dollars.

KAC reacted to Jazeera's launch by offering a 50 percent discount to the new airline's five destinations for a period of one month starting November 5.

The move was seen by local observers as a price war against the new company but Barges told AFP that the market is open for various operators.

KAC has incurred a loss almost every year in the past decade and its total accumulated deficits have reached hundreds of millions of dollars.

IFC Studies plan to privatize Royal Jordananian Airlines

WASHINGTON, Nov 4 (Reuters) - The World Bank's private-sector lending arm on Friday said it has been appointed by the Jordanian government to study the viability of privatizing Royal Jordanian Airlines.

"Royal Jordanian has made progress, but there is a strong role for the private sector to play in helping it compete in the international aviation sector and improve service to travelers," said Moh'd Abu Hammour, chairman of Jordan's executive privatization committee.

The airline, which began operations in 1963, now serves more than 50 cities in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, North America and Asia, with a fleet of 17 Airbus jets and 10 more on order.

The study will be undertaken by the IFC's technical assistance facility that supports private sector development in the Middle East and North Africa (PEP-MENA)

"The development of Royal Jordanian Airlines will provide a solid foundation for Jordan to compete in the global market," said Jesper Kjaer, the IFC's general manager for PEP-MENA.

Separately, the IFC said it has been appointed by the Algerian government as lead advisor to assist in mobilizing private sector participation in operations of the Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers.

Emirates and Korean Air Partner Seoul Route
November 1st

From October 30, the two-way codeshare will offer passengers of both airlines greater schedule flexibility and choice, with Korean Air's passengers now able to travel on Emirates' daily non-stop flights between Dubai and Seoul. Similarly, Emirates' passengers between the two cities have the choice of traveling by Korean Air on its scheduled thrice-weekly non-stop services. Both airlines will book passengers under its own code and flight number, deploying their own sales channels, including agents and global distribution systems.
The agreement also forms the basis for members of both airlines' frequent flyer programs to earn Miles, traveling on either airline, on the Dubai-Seoul route. The partnership also provides members the opportunity to use their Miles to redeem free flights on either airline's network.
Richard Vaughan, Senior Vice President Commercial Operations East Asia and Australasia said, "The new codeshare agreement with Korean Air exemplifies Emirates' philosophy of forging strategic partnerships on key routes. It paves the way to offer our passengers, wanting to travel to South Korea, with greater choice and flexibility.
"Emirates' non-stop Dubai-Seoul service, which was launched in May this year, has proved extremely popular, with above-average seat loads that have exceeded our expectations. We are very pleased with this codeshare agreement and are confident that the Emirates-Korean partnership will be extremely successful in the coming months."
Jong Hee Lee, President and COO of Korean Air said, "We are delighted to partner with Emirates on the Seoul-Dubai route. Tourism, travel and trade are on the upswing between the two countries and the codeshare agreement will increase our frequency spread on the route to 10 weekly flights. Both Korean Air and Emirates look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship."
This codeshare agreement comes fast on the heels of Emirates SkyCargo's agreement with Korean Air Cargo to share cargo capacity on the latter's weekly Boeing 747 freighter flights from Mumbai and Delhi.
Over the years, South Korea and the UAE have consolidated their relationship by signing several official agreements for political and economic cooperation. Trade between the two countries have flourished in the last couple of years, standing at more than $10 billion in 2004, with the UAE being the second-largest oil provider to Korea and the largest export market in the Middle East.
The major Korean export items to the UAE include automobiles; mechanical, steel and chemical products; communication and electronic goods; and household items and ready-made garments. The UAE exports oil, oil-related products and aluminum to Korea.

Flight Details
Emirates launched daily non-stop flights between Dubai and Seoul on May 1 with flight EK322 operated by its wide-bodied Airbus A340-300 offering a total of 267 seats - 12 First, 42 Business and 213 Economy Class seats. The flight departs at 3:00 a.m. and arrives in Incheon International Airport at 4:25 p.m.; turns around at 12:30 a.m. the next day and arrives in Dubai at 5:50 a.m. All time local.
Korean Air serves Dubai with an Airbus A330-200 every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Flight KE951 departs at 9:15 p.m. from Incheon International Airport and reaches Dubai at 3:25 a.m. the next day. Flight KE952 departs from Dubai at 4:00 p.m. and arrives in Seoul at 5:50 a.m. the next day. All times local.

01st Nov 2005
Emirates Gives Away 100 FIFA World Cup Tickets to Skywards Members
Corporate Press Release

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Emirates is introducing the distinctive logo of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ on all its aircraft.

Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, is giving away 50 pairs of 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ tickets to Skywards members to see their favourite team play in the first round matches.

The tickets will be given to 50 members* who earn the most tier miles when they fly on Emirates from now until 15th December 2005.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, Executive Vice President Commercial Operations Worldwide, said: “Emirates is the first-ever airline to become an official partner of the FIFA World Cup. We believe that sponsoring such high-profile sporting events connects the airline with our customers and lets us share their passion.

“Therefore, we are very pleased to offer our most frequent flyers the chance to see their teams play in one of the world’s biggest sporting events for free.”

Skywards members earn tier miles on an annual basis whenever they fly with Emirates or SriLankan Airlines. Tier miles help members progress through the membership tiers from Blue to Silver and Gold and are earned at a rate of one tier mile per mile flown in Economy Class, one and a half tier miles per mile flown in Business and two tier miles per mile flown in First Class.

Less than a year away, the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ is eagerly awaited by football fans who follow the sport in 123 countries around the world, and who will be cheering on their home teams in action-packed matches across Germany.

Baghdad-Tehran flights halted

TEHRAN, Nov 14 (AFP) - A new passenger jet link between Baghdad and Tehran has been halted until further notice just over a week after an historic opening flight, officials said Monday.

Iraqi Airways had been supposed to fly into the Iranian capital twice a week but a spokesman for Iran's state aviation organisation, Reza Jafarzadeh, told AFP that "they faxed us and told us that the route has been postponed."

Jafarzadeh said the problem was not from the Iranian side, even though Iran was waiting for a response from Iraqi aviation officials to start flights to Baghdad.

The inaugural Iraqi Airways flight to Tehran took place on November 6, the first since the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war in 1980.

Thursday November 17, 9:33 PM
Dubai hosts airshow despite industry woes, terror threats

DUBAI (AFP) - Dubai will host a major air exhibition amid relentless competition by the world's jet makers for a slice of a booming regional market that has defied surging fuel prices and terror threats.

Authorities in the booming city state boasted Wednesday that the ninth edition of the Dubai Air Show, which was last held in 2003, will be 25 percent bigger this year, with nearly 10,000 square meters more (108,000 square feet) exhibition space.

The four-day event will open Sunday at a sprawling expo centre next to the airport bringing together 726 exhibitors from 46 countries, organisers say.

It is also attracting more players and officials from the defence and military aviation industries than previous years.

"This ... justifies our claim that it is the fastest-growing airshow in the fastest-growing aviation region," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, head of Dubai's civil aviation department and chairman of flagship carrier Emirates.

Nearly 7.5 billion dollars (6.4 billion euros) in deals were inked at the last show, including three billion dollars (2.5 billion euros) in orders for Airbus jets by Qatar, another rich Gulf emirate flush with cash from growing natural gas sales.

The already fierce competition between Europe's Airbus Industries and Boeing of the United States is expected to be taken to another level this year given the area's growth prospects.

Dubai, Qatar and even Abu Dhabi -- the richest of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates and owner of fast-growing Etihad Airways -- have ambitions to become regional hubs linking Europe to Asia, Australia and Africa.

Global passenger traffic grew by 8.3 percent in the first nine months of 2005, while the Middle East registered growth of 15.3 percent, according to the International Air Transport Association.

The biggest passenger and freight growth over the next five years will be seen on the Middle East to Asia route, and Qatar will rank in the top five countries for international traffic, IATA said.

Airlines in the oil-rich region have been unfazed by the near doubling of oil prices this year, which drove two US carriers into bankruptcy protection in September.

Emirates, which is owned by Dubai, posted net profit of 251 million dollars (216 million euros) for the first six months of 2005, a gain of seven percent on a year earlier, thanks to a cheap-to-use modern airport and low operating costs in the form of cheap labour and a tax free economy.

Sheikh Ahmed bristles at the suggestion that the airline weathered the high fuel costs because of state subsidies.

"I think everybody is in the same boat and it depends on the airline," he said.

Betting on the region's potential, the company has ordered 45 new Airbus A380 super jumbos capable of carrying 555 passengers.

Airbus will also promote its future long-haul A350, which has already secured a 60-unit order from Qatar Airways.

Not to be outdone, Boeing will showcase its 777-200LR, which set a record by completing a 23-hour nonstop flight from Hong Kong to London on November 10.

"The Middle East is very important to Boeing," said Todd Hullin, a senior spokesman for the company, which has named a new president in Saudi Arabia and opened a regional office in Dubai.

Growth in the region's countries, which are enjoying a record windfall from soaring fuel prices, has also been unaffected by the war raging in Iraq and the threat from terror groups like Al-Qaeda.

Officials in Dubai said they have beefed up security for the show in the aftermath of last week's suicide bombings in Amman which killed 58 people.

"We are prepared for every contingency," said Major General Mohammed Sweidan, who is in charge of security for the show.

Emirates fully painted A380
19th of November 2005

The city’s residents and the international visitors for the Dubai 2005 – 9th International Aerospace Exhibition are in for a colossal treat this year as the Airbus A380 super-jumbo, resplendent in Emirates’ full livery, will for the very first time fly over the city and its iconic beachfront at low altitudes, between 09:00 and 11:00 hours on 19th November. This will also mark the first time the A380 sports any airline’s full livery.
Emirates, the world’s largest customer for the aircraft and Airbus, the manufacturer of the world’s largest commercial airliner the A380-800, have teamed up to bring the massive 600+ seater specifically for the Dubai Air Show.
Set to become a familiar sight in Dubai’s skies from 2007, when Emirates begins to receive the first of its 45 A380s on order, the aircraft will mark its debut appearance in the entire region of the Middle East, Africa and the Indian subcontinent, which have a combined population of more than two billion people.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Emirates’ Chairman said: “The A380’s test flight to Dubai is historic and significant for the entire region. It underpins the impressive profile Emirates and Dubai have created in the international arena. Dubai’s residents and visitors will now have a fantastic preview of the future of long-haul air travel as the massive A380 takes to the skies".

Pics thanks to airliners.net
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DUBAI, 20 November 2005 — Dubai’s flagship carrier Emirates is expected to announce a major order worth up to $6 billion (5.17 billion euros) for Boeing’s new long-haul 777 aircraft, industry sources said yesterday.

“They will announce a substantial order tomorrow (Sunday),” one source told AFP. “I cannot give an exact figure, but there has been a lot of speculation and I heard talk of around six billion dollars,” said the source.

The deal comes on the eve of a major air show opening in Dubai amid relentless competition by the world’s passengers jet makers for a slice of a booming regional market that has defied surging fuel prices and terror threats. Early yesterday, Boeing’s competitor, Europe’s Airbus Industries, promoted its A380 superjumbo, the world’s biggest passenger jet, with a maiden Middle East flight landing in Dubai.

Emirates will begin to receive the first of its 45 A380s on order in 2007.

Kuwait Airways turns small H1 operating profit

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KUWAIT, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Debt-ridden state carrier Kuwait Airways Corp. [KA.UL] posted operating earnings of 3 million dinars ($10.3 million) for the six months to September 30, its chairman Sheikh Talal Mubarak al-Sabah said on Sunday.

"The corporation would have achieved operating profits of up to 12.2 million dinars in the first six months if it wasn't for the rise in fuel expenses, which hit 30 million dinars due to the fuel price hike," said Sheikh Talal.

No comparative figures were given for year-ago earnings.

He also told state news agency KUNA total revenues rose to 128.8 million dinars in the first half of the fiscal year, which ends in March 2006, from 113.4 million dinars a year ago.

He attributed the increase to a rise in passenger revenues, rising profitability of subsidiaries and lower interest payments on loans.

Sheikh Talal said expenses rose 9.4 percent year-on-year to 152.6 million dinars, partly due to higher fuel costs.

In July, he had said losses for the year to March 2006 may rise to 40 million dinars from a previous estimate of 28 million if fuel prices remain high.

Kuwait Airways is heavily in debt as it is still paying for a new fleet, purchased after the 1991 Gulf War, which includes 15 Airbus and two Boeing 777s. The carrier lost nearly 85 percent of its assets during the seven-month Iraqi occupation that was ended by U.S.-led forces.

The last year Kuwait Airways made money was fiscal 2000, when it logged a $77 million profit -- partly from compensation for Gulf War losses.

Kuwait's Low-Fare Jazeera Airways Orders 6 Airbus A320s
20 November 2005

DUBAI (Dow Jones)--Kuwait's Jazeera Airways Sunday said it agreed to buy six Airbus (ABI.YY) A320s, bringing the total number of that aircraft type in its fleet to 10.

Chief Executive Marwan Boodai said in a statement that each plane would carry 165 people in a single-class layout.

The no-frills carrier expects to take receipt of the new planes sometime between 2007 and 2010. No value for the order was given.

Jazeera, the region's first privately-held airline, said its long-term strategy was to only operate the A320 on its largely regional routes.

The carrier, which began operating flights in October, plans to double its services to its current destinations Damascus, Beirut, Dubai and Bahrain. The low-cost carrier hopes to start services to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Indian subcontinent in the future, but has not given precise dates for when these routes will open.

- By Simeon Kerr, Dow Jones Newswires

Saudi private airline orders 10 Airbus business jets

DUBAI, Nov 20 (AFP) - A Saudi private airline specialising in executive transport said it has ordered 10 Airbus A318 Elite business jets, on the sidelines of the Dubai Air Show which opened Sunday.

Jeddah-based National Air Services (NAS) said in a statement it has made a firm commitment to purchase five A318 Elites and has taken an option for five additional aircraft.

NAS plans to use the aircraft, which can seat between 14 and 18 people, for VIP customers throughout the Middle East, including routes from Saudi Arabia to Europe, it said.

NAS is the largest private operator of business jets in the Middle East with 28 aircraft in its fleet today.

Airbus introduced the A318 Elite, which has a range of up to 4,000 nautical miles, earlier this month.

Qatar Airways Announces Hong Kong As New Route
15 November 2005
Corporate Press Release

World Travel Market, LONDON – Qatar Airways has announced plans to launch scheduled flights to Hong Kong at the beginning of the Summer 2006 season.

The daily flights will operate non-stop from the airline’s hub of Doha, capital of State of Qatar, from March 26 next year.

Hong Kong is one of the world’s most glamorous destinations offering breathtaking views and exciting attractions such as the recently-opened Disneyland. Tourism authorities have designated 2006 as Discover Hong Kong Year, adding more impetus to Qatar Airways’ decision to launch flights to the region.

Hong Kong will become Qatar Airways’ 12th Far East destination that already covers Osaka, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, Manila, Cebu, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Yangon and Jakarta.

In the year that Qatar celebrates being host country of the 15th Asian Games in Doha in December 2006, Qatar Airways is targeting Asia as a growth area for new routes and increased capacity on existing services. Qatar Airways is also the official airline of the Games.

Announcing the new Hong Kong route during a press conference at World Travel Market in London, Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said the special administrative region of China was a buoyant market that appealed strongly to both leisure and business travellers.

“Hong Kong is a key financial, business and leisure centre which is a must for any airline to serve – and Qatar Airways is no exception,” he said, addressing a press conference in the British capital.

“We are delighted to put Hong Kong on our global map from March next year and pleased to announce that it will be our first Asian service to feature our brand new inflight service.

“Passengers will experience the best levels of inflight comfort and service seen anywhere in the aviation industry. This new service ethos that has already been introduced on the London Heathrow – Doha route will be gradually rolled out on other routes over the next few months.”

Once home to fishermen and farmers, today’s Hong Kong is a city bustling with nightlife, and is a commercial, financial, and vibrant metropolis that merges Chinese and Western influences.

The former British colony became a special administrative region of China in 1997 when Britain’s 99-year lease of the New Territories, north of Hong Kong island, expired.

Added Al Baker: “Hong Kong is spending a lot of money and resource during 2006 and we are only too pleased to be able to launch our flights to this wonderful destination during Discover Hong Kong Year. Hong Kong fits nicely into our growth strategy to serve key capital and secondary cities around the world.”

Qatar Airways currently flies to 67 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Indian subcontinent and the Far East. With its codeshare partners, the airline serves more than 80 destinations worldwide. Qatar Airways today launched flights to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, while services to the Spanish capital Madrid start on December 2, followed two weeks later on December 15 with flights starting to the German capital, Berlin.

The Hong Kong route will be operated with the modern Airbus A330-200 in a two–class configuration of Business and Economy. Business Class features up to 24 seats reclining 160 degrees in a 2-2-2 configuration, while Economy has 259 seats.

The Airbus A330-200 features Qatar Airways’ award-winning Audio Video On Demand system, allowing passengers in all three classes to choose from a list of more than 40 international movies, as well as short programmes to view on their individual TV screens.

Passengers can also listen to an extensive list of 250 CDs and 16 audio channels. In addition, there is a choice of 12 video games to play through the interactive TV screens.

Qatar Airways operates a fleet of 42 all-Airbus aircraft which will almost triple in size to 110 jets by 2015. The airline recently signed a letter of intent to acquire up to 60 of the new generation Airbus A350s. And it plans to acquire 20 Boeing 777s with a total value for both orders set to be worth US$15.2 billion.

Qatar Airways is one of a select-few airlines in the world ranked Five Star by Skytrax, the independent aviation industry monitoring agency. Skytrax also named Qatar Airways’ cabin crew as Best in the Middle East for the third year running recently and fifth best in the world following a survey of more than 12 million passengers worldwide.

During the 2004/2005 financial year, Qatar Airways carried 4.6 million passengers, up 35% on the previous 12-month period. Passenger numbers are projected to rise sharply in the 2005/2006 financial period to more than 6 million.

Saudi private jet operator to launch low-cost carrier

DUBAI, Nov 21 (AFP) - A Saudi private airline specialising in executive transport announced Monday plans to launch a low-cost carrier next year to tap the potential of the so-far heavily regulated domestic market.

"We have designed a business plan and we are in the implementation stage of establishing a low-cost carrier," Mohammed al-Zeer, president and chief executive officer of National Air Services (NAS) told reporters at the Dubai Air show.

"This low-cost carrier will mainly serve the Saudi market."

He said the airline will start flying in the summer of 2006 between major cities including Riyadh and the Red Sea port city of Jeddah where NAS is based. It will operate with 16 planes by 2011, he added.

"The Saudi market is a tremendous market which has characteristics that are different from other markets," said Zeer. "It is an ideal environment for a low-cost carrier."

He said the company has already secured five different licenses required to operate scheduled and non-scheduled flights.

Although a royal decree in June 2003 broke a decades-old monopoly by state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) on domestic flights, the launch of other operators in the conservative kingdom has been slow.

Kuwait launched its own budget carrier Jazeera in October and Sharjah, a member of the United Arab Emirates federation, has been operating Air Arabia since 2003. Both focus mainly on flights to Arab capitals.

NAS on Sunday announced an order for 10 Airbus A318 Elite business jets.

The company is the largest private operator of business jets in the Middle East with 28 aircraft in its fleet today.

Turkey's Fly Air To Start Flights To North Iraq - Report
29 November 2005

ISTANBUL (AP)--Turkish low-cost airline Fly Air will begin regular flights to the northern Iraqi cities of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah by mid-December, Fly Air's director general told the Anatolia news agency Tuesday.

Fly Air plans to begin flights from Turkey to Erbil on Dec. 6 and to Sulaymaniyah on Dec. 14, Mehmet Hasancebi said. Both routes are planned to be flown three times a week, he said.

Fly Air began service in 2002 and currently owns nine planes. Hasancebi said the airline planned to buy two Brazilian-made Embraer 145s to be landed on smaller airports inaccessible to large aircraft.

Iraq was one of Turkey's most important trading partners before the first Gulf War in 1991 and the international embargo that followed. The two countries share a border, and Turkish businesses have been active in reconstruction efforts following the latest war.

Jordan's Airline Bans Arabs From Flying To Baghdad
1 December 2005

AMMAN (AP)--Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJA.YY) has banned citizens of Arab nations from flying to Iraq on a request from the Iraqi government, turning away five Arabs Thursday, an airline official said.

The official said it wasn't known how long the ban was in place and gave no reason why Baghdad reqested it.

"Royal Jordanian received a memorandum from Iraq's passport department earlier in the day, demanding that no Arabs be allowed to travel by air to Baghdad unless they have prior clearance from the Iraqi government," the official said.

Royal Jordanian and Iraqi Airways are the only two airlines to make regular passenger flights from Jordan to Iraq. Officials at Iraqi Airways weren't immediately available for comment.

Gulf Air Launches Direct Flights To Dublin, Johannesburg
4 December 2005

DUBAI (AP)--Gulf Air on Sunday launched direct flights from Bahrain to Dublin and reinstated its flights to Johannesburg.

Gulf Air, owned by the governments of Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, said it would fly three times a week to Dublin.

The flights to Johannesburg, which were stopped in 1997 for commercial reasons, resumed with three weekly flights.

"With the growing contact between South Africa and the Gulf region for business and tourism, we felt that the time was right to return to Johannesburg," said Chief Executive James Hogan.

In April, Bahrain-based Gulf Air said it had turned a profit last year for the first time since 1997, overcoming years of management troubles and general airline industry woes.

In December 2002, the owners of the carrier agreed to inject 90 million dinars ($239 million) into the airline. At that time, it had run up an estimated debt of $500 million.

Gulf Air's network stretches from Europe to Asia and covers 46 cities in 30 countries. It has a fleet of 34 aircraft.

In September, the government of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, announced it was withdrawing from Gulf Air. Industry officials said that pullout would be completed in six months.

Etihad's Johannesburg route takes off in style

5 December 2005


ABU DHABI — Etihad Airways has launched its new service to Johannesburg, with flight EY603 taking off from Abu Dhabi International Airport on Thursday.


The latest route follows the airlines' ambitious plans to link Abu Dhabi to the world's most important commercial and cultural centres, and will provide a major service to the 5,000 South African nationals based in the UAE.

"The UAE and South Africa have enjoyed a tremendous bilateral relationship for many years and the new Etihad Johannesburg service will significantly enhance this. Guests will be offered both choice and flexibility with the service, whilst enjoying Etihad's hospitality," said Dr Shaikh Ahmed bin Saif Al Nahyan, the Chairman of Etihad Airways and Chairman of the Civil Aviation Department of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Singapore Airlines to link Dubai and Moscow shortly


Dubai: Singapore Airlines customers in Dubai will benefit from direct flights to Moscow, the Russian Federation's capital, from March 1.

Originating from Singapore three times a week, the Boeing 777-200 services in three classes will depart Dubai early morning on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and land at Domodedovo Airport later in the day.

It will be Singapore Airlines's 62nd destination in 34 countries and will bring to 13 the number of flights a week on the Dubai route.

"This new service will enhance the already extensive business and leisure ties between Russia and the UAE. It will also increase options available to customers when travelling between Eastern Europe, the Gulf, South East Asia and the South West Pacific," a spokesperson said.

Both Russia and the Gulf are benefiting from rising tourist and trade flows and Singapore Airlines services linking Moscow and Dubai will facilitate greater econ-omic, social and cultural exchanges.

Despite the pace of change and redevelopment of the city's infrastructure, Moscow retains its enigmatic character through landmarks such as the fortress of Kremlin, one of the world's most beautiful ensemble of churches, monuments and other architectural attractions.

Emirates Airlines plans to fly to Cambodia
24 December 2005

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - The government has struck an initial deal with Emirates Airlines for flights between the United Arab Emirates and Cambodia, an official said Saturday.

If a final agreement is reached, the Emirates Airlines will become the first Middle Eastern airline company to fly the route.

Officials from Cambodia's civil aviation authority and the Dubai-based airline signed a memorandum of understanding on the service Friday, said Sek Savorn, a government spokesman.

No date has yet been set for the first flight.

Deputy Prime Minister Sok An said the airline could operate up to seven flights per week, using Boeing-777 jets.

"Because Dubai is the central point for air passage between Europe and Asia, I hope the new flight service will bring more tourists to Cambodia," Sok An said in a speech Friday.

There are currently about a dozen foreign-owned airlines flying to and from Cambodia daily. Most of the arrivals are tourists who come to visit the famed Angkor temples in Siem Reap province, 230 kilometers (143 miles) northwest of Phnom Penh.

Cambodia does not have its own flag carrier but has adopted an open sky policy for attracting foreign tourist dollars needed for developing its economy.

Standard Chartered arranges $75 mln Gulf Air loan

MANAMA, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Standard Chartered bank has arranged a $75 million loan for debt-ridden Gulf Air to help finance growth in 2006 after its part-owner, the Gulf emirate of Abu Dhabi, pulled out of the airline.

A Gulf Air statement on Tuesday said the syndicated loan, extended by seven banks, will be repayable after three years.

It will be signed in early January and be used to fund Gulf Air's three-year restructuring programme.

"Abu Dhabi's withdrawal has necessitated a rethink of our strategy," CEO James Hogan said. "This will require changes to our network, routes, fleet, and allocation of resources."

Abu Dhabi announced its intention to withdraw from Gulf Air earlier this year. The Manama-based carrier is now co-owned by Bahrain and Oman. It returned to profitability in 2004 after years of losses during which the owners

pumped in millions of dollars to keep the company afloat.

Austrian Airlines to start regular flights to Iraq

VIENNA, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Austrian Airlines plans to start two weekly flights from Vienna to Arbil in northern Iraq on March 9, making it the first European airline with a regular service to Iraq, the company said on Monday.

The airline, which will expand the schedule to the Kurdish city to three flights in May, said it expected passengers mainly from Europe and North America to fly to Iraq via Vienna.

Partly state-owned Austrian Airlines serves a large network of routes into eastern Europe and the Balkans. It was the first European airline to start services to Sarajevo and Pristina after the civil war in the former Yugoslavia.

Iran to buy jumbo souvenir from Air France

TEHRAN, Jan 29, 2006 (AFP) - Iran is set to buy the Air France Boeing 747 jumbo that flew revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini back to Tehran from exile in 1979, a government newspaper said Sunday.

Sanctions imposed by the United States prevent Iran from buying Western aircraft, but the Iran newspaper said the plane was no longer fit to be used for commercial purposes and that the clerical regime only wanted it as a souvenir.

"After contacts with France, Iran is set to buy the plane that carried the founder of the Islamic republic the February 1, 1979, as the symbol of this magnificent day," the newspaper said.

The report did not say if a deal had already been signed, or how much the Islamic republic would pay.

Although Iran's US-backed shah had already fled the country when Khomeini returned from exile in the small French town of Neauphle-le-Chateau, the 747's landing is seen as the true start of the Islamic revolution.

Archive film of the landing of the 747, specially chartered for Khomeini and greeted in Tehran by millions of people, is still regularly shown on Iranian state television.

Ayatollah Khomeini went on to become Iran's supreme leader, and died in 1989.

Iran's supreme leader orders air transport probe

TEHRAN, Jan 29, 2006 (AFP) - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has set up a special body to probe the condition of the Islamic republic's ageing fleet of civilian and military aircraft, officials said Sunday.

The new investigative council will begin its work by looking into Iran's two most recent air disasters, in which a military transport crashed in downtown Tehran killing 108 people and a small jet carrying top army brass went down in the northwest.

"Their brief goes beyond the recent crashes," a member of the Iranian parliament's security commission, Reza Talaienik, told AFP.

"The council has been set up to provide more coordination in order to upgrade the aviation fleet and improve security and safety," he said, adding that it was headed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and includes top military commanders and two government ministers.

Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran has been subject to tough US sanctions that hinder the purchase of critical spare parts for nearly all the planes in its air force, civilian flag carrier Iran Air and domestic airlines.

On January 9, several top brass in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards were among 11 people killed in the crash of a Falcon jet in the mountainous northwest. The crash was blamed on landing gear failure.

That disaster came barely a month after a decrepit Lockheed C-130 transport plane -- bought from the US before the revolution and starved of spares -- crashed after take-off from Tehran and killed 108 people. Engine failure was cited as the cause.

Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi on Friday blamed Iran's foreign "enemies" for the two crashes, saying that "my appraisal is that even the crash of the C-130 and Falcon was planned by the enemy and was done electronically."

But that claim has not been backed up by other officials, who openly acknowledge the poor state of Iranian aircraft.

"The capability of the enemies to use modern electronic equipment and disturb navigation systems is no secret, but we have not reached such a conclusion for the crash of the C-130," deputy armed forces chief Alireza Afshar told the ISNA news agency.

MP Esmail Gerami-Moghadam meanwhile told ISNA that the new probe ordered by Khamenei also put an end to moves by some deputies to impeach the country's defence minister, Mostafa Mohammed Najjar, over the December crash.

Emirates to start Addis Ababa flights from March 27

DUBAI, Jan 29, 2006 (AFP) - The Dubai-owned carrier Emirates is to start three-times-a-week flights to Addis Ababa from March 27, the company announced Sunday.

The service forms part of the airline's efforts to expand its network in Africa, said Emirates, which already flies to 78 destinations. Two-way trade between Dubai and Ethiopia reached 76 million dollars in 2004.

Emirates announced net profits of 251 million dollars for the first six months of the 2005-2006 financial year.

Iran Seeks US Landing Rights, Will Reciprocate - Report
30 January 2006

TEHRAN (Dow Jones)--Iran will grant landing rights to U.S. airlines if its request for such rights in New York and Los Angeles receives a positive response from Washington, a state-controlled daily newspaperquoted the head of the country's Civil Aviation Organization, or CAO, as saying Monday.

In a letter to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, last week, the CAO asked permission to establish direct round-trip flights from Tehran to the two U.S. cities.

"If the U.S. gives Iran a positive answer on the request for the flights, their flights will also get landing permits at Iran's airports," said CAO director Reza Niaraki.

He said the CAO had asked the FAA for a quick answer but no response has yet been received. The request by Iran for resumption of direct flights comes more than 25 years after diplomatic relations and air links between the two countries were severed.

The U.S. government is currently making efforts to have Iran referred to the U.N. Security Council for punitive measures for its efforts to develop nuclear weapons manufacturing capability. According to the CAO, the idea of resuming direct flights was proposed by Iranians living in the U.S. to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he New York in September.

-By Hashem Kalantari, Dow Jones Newswires

Gulf Air to replace 9 aging Boeings at $900 mln

MUSCAT, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Gulf Air [GULF.UL] announced on Monday plans to spend $900 million to replace 9 aging Boeing 767s but did not name the aircraft it intended to buy.

James Hogan, chief executive officer of Gulf Air, told reporters the airline would seek a long-term loan to finance the purchase once approved by the airline owners, the governments of Bahrain and Oman.

Gulf Air, which returned to profitability in 2004 after years of losses, carries a debt of about $500 million.

"Our idea is to change the type of aircraft to two within ten years from four now," he said after a board meeting in Muscat, which will become the airline's other hub in March.

Hogan said the Manama-based Gulf Air, which operates a fleet of 34 aircraft, would start placing orders by May. He said the airline also plans to refurbish its fleet but did not give further details.

Abu Dhabi, which launched its own airline in 2004, has announced its intention to withdraw from Gulf Air. Abu Dhabi and other former co-owner Qatar have injected millions of dollars to keep the airline afloat in its red years.

World experts aim to boost air security in Arab world

ABU DHABI, Feb 7, 2006 (AFP) - World aviation experts on Tuesday opened a conference in Abu Dhabi to discuss ways to boost the security of air travel in the Arab world.

Delegates at the first conference of its kind in the Middle East will examine "the future of air transport in the region ... because of the new dangers facing civil aviation", including terrorism, said Abdullah Rahimi, president of the Arab civil aviation commission.

The air transport "industry cannot develop if we do not boost aviation security", he said at the opening of the conference.

The three-day event was being attended by aviation officials and experts from across the Arab world as well as from Europe, the United States, Australia and Asia.

Participants hope to draw up a protocol on international cooperation in civil aviation in the Arab world, according to Jalal Haidar, director of the Middle East and North Africa region at the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

In September 2004, the heads of airport security in the six Gulf Arab states met to coordinate positions following terrorist threats.

The Arab region has been the target of increasing terrorist attacks, mostly attributed to the Al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden who claimed the September 11, 2001 suicide plane hijackings in the United States.

Iran Seeks US Landing Rights, Will Reciprocate - Report
30 January 2006

TEHRAN (Dow Jones)--Iran will grant landing rights to U.S. airlines if its request for such rights in New York and Los Angeles receives a positive response from Washington, a state-controlled daily newspaperquoted the head of the country's Civil Aviation Organization, or CAO, as saying Monday.

In a letter to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, last week, the CAO asked permission to establish direct round-trip flights from Tehran to the two U.S. cities.

"If the U.S. gives Iran a positive answer on the request for the flights, their flights will also get landing permits at Iran's airports," said CAO director Reza Niaraki.

He said the CAO had asked the FAA for a quick answer but no response has yet been received. The request by Iran for resumption of direct flights comes more than 25 years after diplomatic relations and air links between the two countries were severed.

The U.S. government is currently making efforts to have Iran referred to the U.N. Security Council for punitive measures for its efforts to develop nuclear weapons manufacturing capability. According to the CAO, the idea of resuming direct flights was proposed by Iranians living in the U.S. to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad when he New York in September.

-By Hashem Kalantari, Dow Jones Newswires

Is this a political stunt or something? Anyone who is familiar with US visa policies know that Iranians stand little or no chance of ever being granted a US Visa. Visitors from predominantly Muslim countries such as Indonesia are already finding it impossible to get a US visa. Iran is not only a predmoninantly Muslim nation but one that endorses terrorism in the eyes of the US as well. Therefore, the chances of iranians getting a US visa is improbable. Islamaphobia Americans have little or no reason to visit Iran either. Where on earth is the demand for direct flights between US and Iran. I can safely bet that Iranian visitors to the US only consist of government officials making working visits.

Gulf Air says to have funding for new planes by May

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Bahrain-based airline Gulf Air expects in May to have arranged funding for its $900 million plan to replace nine ageing Boeing 767s, Chief Executive James Hogan told reporters on a visit to Malaysia on Thursday.

He also said the airline was headed for a loss in 2005 with its results under pressure from high fuel costs.

Gulf Air returned to profit for the first time since 1997 in its 2004 results. In past years, state owners Bahrain, the emirate of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Oman pumped in millions of dollars to help the carrier recover from losses.

Search under way for civilian plane missing in Iraq

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq, Feb 17, 2006 (AFP) - A small civilian aircraft, en route from Azerbaijan to Iraqi Kurdistan, is missing in mountainous northern Iraq and search teams have been dispatched to look for it, the director of Sulaimaniyah airport told AFP Friday.

"We lost radio contact at 11:14 pm (1914 GMT) with the private plane which was transporting five Azerbaijani businessmen and have not heard from the plane since," Kamaran Ahmad Abdallah said.

Interior ministry troops and Kurdish militiamen have been dispatched to an area near the Iranian border, some 100 kilometres (65 miles) north of the town of Halabja, to search for the missing plane, he said.

The weather was snowy at the time contact was lost with the pilot, he added.

Sulaimaniyah airport, some 330 kilometres (205 miles) north of Baghdad, was recently opened to international flights.

German plane might have crashed in Iran: Iraqi security

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq, Feb 18, 2006 (AFP) - A German business jet, missing in northern Iraq for more than a day, might have crashed across the border in neighbouring Iran, a local Iraqi border force commander suggested Saturday.

"We arrived at the border and saw on the other side Iranians with shovels standing around something we think might be the wreckage of the plane," Colonel Ahmed Ghraib, head of the border force in Iraqi Kurdistan's region, told AFP.

"We have been in touch with the Iranians but have received no answer yet."

A massive hunt was underway Saturday in the mountainous terrain northeast of Sulaimaniyah for the plane that disappeared in snowy conditions Thursday night.

The twin-engine C501 Cessna jet had taken off Tuesday from Munich with five Germans from a Bavarian firm, including the pilot, and an Iraqi, German police said. It stopped in Baku, Azerbaijan, before flying on to northern Iraq.

Six victims of German plane crash found in Iraqi Kurdistan

BUSHEIN, Iraq, Feb 19, 2006 (AFP) - The bodies of the six people on board a German business jet that crashed in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq were found on Sunday, a Kurdish government official said.

"We have found the bodies of the six passengers," Shaho Mohammed Said, a senior official with the Kurdistan administration told AFP.

Said said that wreckage of the business jet that crashed last week was also found near the village of Bushein in Arbat region, some 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the city of Sulaimaniyah.

"We have found two parts of the plane and a bag and our search is continuing in the vicinity of the village of Bushein," he said.

The wreckage and the corpses were discovered by accident by a local shepherd from Bushein as he was tending his flock of sheep in the hilly terrain of the village.

"I was with my animals on a hill-top when I saw parts of the plane and some bodies," a security guard quoted the shepherd Ghaffur Fattah as saying.

At the site of the wreckage, clothes and parts of the plane were scattered around as security guards cordoned off the area.

Iraq had launched a hunt for the German-registered plane in the mountainous terrain of northern Iraq after it went missing Thursday night some 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of Halabja, near the Iranian border.

The twin-engine C501 Cessna jet took off last Tuesday from Munich with five Germans from a Bavarian firm, including the pilot, and an Iraqi, German police said. It stopped in Baku, Azerbaijan, before flying on to northern Iraq.

Sulaimaniyah airport director Kamaran Ahmad Abdallah told AFP on Saturday that the plane's last radio communications with the airport gave no indications of trouble on Thursday night.

Abdallah added US troops were also helping in the search which was badly affected by snowy weather.

Oman Air plans to buy three aircraft by May 2007

MUSCAT, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Oman Air wants to buy three wide-bodied aircraft by May next year and is considering models from both Boeing and Airbus , the airline's chief executive said on Wednesday.

Oman Air is pushing through a five-year modernisation programme as it takes on fierce competition in a region that is home to some of the world's fastest growing airlines.

The airline, in which the sultanate's government has a 33.8 percent stake, wants to renegotiate fuel supply contracts to bring down costs and is looking for bank loans to fund the aircraft purchases, chief executive Ziad al Haremi said.

"Initially, we are looking for three 200 or 220-seater aircraft and are evaluating different options now," al Haremi told reporters. "The ideal plane for our business model will be either Boeing 787s or Airbus 330s or 350s."

The new aircraft are expected to join the fleet by May next year, Al Haremi said, adding that the airline's board had yet to approve the plan.

Oman Air now has a fleet of 10 aircraft serving destinations in the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent.

Oman Air, already facing stiff competition on regional routes from the likes of Dubai-based Emirates [EMIR.UL], also has to share its Muscat hub with regional carrier Gulf Air [GULF.UL].

Oman's government has a stake in Gulf Air as does the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain. Another co-owner, the emirate of Abu Dhabi, announced last year that it was pulling out of the airline, which is now moving more flights to Muscat.

"But this will not affect our operations now. We are a niche carrier and the preferred airline of Oman," said Haremi.

Gulf Air will operate 189 flights a week from Muscat from the end of March against the current 124 flights.

Haremi said Oman Air would be talking to Gulf Air on how the two airlines could cooperate.

"Oman Air expects to improve its net profit during the current year due to cost cutting measures," Haremi said.

"We are looking at renegotiating with our fuel suppliers to bring down aviation fuel costs."

Oman Air's 2005 net profit rose 32.9 percent to 1.1 million rials ($2.86 million).

21st Feb 2006
EMIRATES INTRODUCES SECOND DAILY FLIGHT TO DÜSSELDORF
Corporate Press Release

http://www.emirates.com/NewsImages/MI_Airbus-330-200_tcm133-124823.jpg
Emirates will operate its A330-200 aircraft in a three class configuration on its additional services to Düsseldorf.

Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, is introducing a second daily non-stop service from Dubai to Düsseldorf on May 1st, increasing both seat and cargo capacity on the route.

On the second daily flight the airline will use a 237-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft, configured in three classes with 12 seats in First, 42 in Business and 183 in Economy. The new flight will also increase cargo capacity to Düsseldorf, giving customers of Emirates SkyCargo greater flexibility in their operations.

Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, said: “The launch of Emirates' second daily flight to Düsseldorf is in direct response to the increasing demand for our services and product throughout Germany. All of our routes in Germany are proving to be extremely successful and with the 2006 FIFA World Cup, of which Emirates is an Official Partner, taking place in June we expect to see greatly increased demand for our services into the country and this second daily service should help us to meet that demand.

“We are delighted to offer our customers the convenience of an optional timing from Dubai to Düsseldorf, which will make it easier for them to meet their travel needs whether they are flying Emirates on business or pleasure."

Emirates has seen consistent growth of passengers travelling in both directions on this route and so a second daily service is the logical extension to the airline’s existing flight to the city. Premium passengers will enjoy a host of benefits including access to Emirates lounge in Dubai and complimentary chauffeur drive to and from the airport in both Dubai and Düsseldorf.

Emirates new service, EK 057, will depart Dubai at 14.45hrs, arriving in Düsseldorf at 19.40hrs the same day, the return flight, EK 058, will leave Düsseldorf at 21.05hrs, arriving in Dubai at 05.35hrs the next day.

Emirates currently operates a Boeing 777-300 aircraft on the daily route to Dubai. EK 055 departs Dubai at 08.50hrs and arrives in Düsseldorf at 12.55hrs the same day, with the return service, EK 056, departing Düsseldorf at 14.35hrs, arriving in Dubai at 23.55hrs the same day.

The addition of this second non-stop service offers Emirates’ passengers the flexibility of travelling to the city in the morning or in the afternoon depending on what best suits their requirements. Members of Skywards, Emirates' frequent flyer programme, can earn Skywards Miles when flying in any class between Dubai and Düsseldorf in either direction.

INTERVIEW-Virgin eyes 10-12 pct of market on new Dubai route
By Will Rasmussen

DUBAI, March 1 (Reuters) - Britain's Virgin Atlantic Airways [VA.UL] said on Wednesday it aims to capture a 10-12 percent market share within a year of starting flights between London and Dubai, the Gulf region's tourism and trade hub.

Virgin Atlantic begins flying between the Gulf Arab emirate of Dubai, its first Middle Eastern location, and London on March 28 and will offer daily flights starting June 2.

"We're looking at a 10-12 percent market share in our first year," Andrew Fyfe, Virgin Atlantic's Middle East and India manager told Reuters. "If we are doing very well we would increase our flights from a daily flight to double daily."

Dubai -- one of seven emirates in the United Arab Emirates federation -- is one of the five most popular destinations from Britain's Heathrow Airport, said Fyfe.

Traffic between the two cities could grow by as much as 15 percent in 2006, he said in an interview.

The Dubai government is investing $12.3 billion over the next 15 years on airport development projects, including the expansion of Dubai's main international airport and a new international terminal at Jebel Ali. The emirate said it aims to nearly treble the number of passengers at Dubai airport to 60 million by 2010.

Competition is strong, with Emirates [EMAIR.UL], one of the world's fastest growing airlines and a competitor on the Dubai-London route, ordering $9.7 billion worth of wide-bodied Boeing Co. 777 aircraft last year.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways is also expanding its fleet.

"We haven't come in here expecting to take business from everybody," Fyfe said. "We're coming in and offering the Virgin brand...and we're offering a different experience onboard."

Virgin Atlantic, challenged by overcapacity on its key North Atlantic route, has launched new routes to Australia, China, India, and now the Middle East, which Fyfe said will form a growing portion of Virgin's revenues.

"I think we're (currently) looking at around 25-30 percent of the revenue coming from outside the North Atlantic region."

Virgin's target market, he said, is Dubai's large British expatriate community and Londoners seeking a vacation or second home in the sun-soaked emirate.

About 100,000 tickets per year are sold in Dubai for flights to London, he said.

"It's that market that we obviously have to look at as step one," Fyfe said. "In step two, we're opening to a broader range of communities here, in particular UAE nationals, many of whom like to go to London."

Fyfe also said Virgin Nigeria, which is 49 percent owned by Virgin Atlantic, will launch flights from Lagos to Dubai three times per week in May.

Iran purchases four passenger jets despite sanctions

TEHRAN, March 4, 2006 (AFP) - An Iranian commercial airline has purchased four passenger jets to add to its aging fleet of aircraft which is restricted by US sanctions, an aviation official was quoted as saying in Iranian media Saturday.

"A domestic airline was able to purchase four aircrafts worth 150 million dollars, of which two have been delivered," the chairman of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, Nourollah Rezaii Niaraki, was quoted as saying in the daily Tehran Times.

"But due to sanctions we cannot say what make they are. However what we can say is that each weighs around 300 tons and can carry around 200 passengers," he added.

Niaraki added that by the end of current Iranian year (March 20), there will be 130 planes in Iran's passenger jets fleet, though he did not provide further details and and Iran's current number of jets is unknown.

Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran has been subject to tough US sanctions that hinder the purchase of critical spare parts for nearly all the planes in its air force, civilian flag carrier Iran Air and domestic airlines.

The sanctions cover not only American-made airplanes and spare parts, but also European ones, like Airbus, when they use significant elements of American origin, such as engines.

Washington also wants to see Iran subjected to tough sanctions over its nuclear energy program, viewed as a cover for weapons development.

On January 9, several top brass in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards were among 11 people killed in the crash of a Falcon jet in the mountainous northwest. The crash was blamed on landing gear failure.

That disaster came barely a month after a decrepit Lockheed C-130 transport plane -- bought from the United States before the revolution and starved of spares -- crashed after take-off from Tehran and killed 108 people. Engine failure was cited as the cause.

Iran Air says it hopes to buy US planes, but doesn't explain how embargo can be evaded
By NASSER KARIMI
6 March 2006

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's national airline is seeking to buy American planes despite the long-standing U.S. embargo on selling aircraft or spare parts to the country, Iran Air's spokesman said Monday.

It was not clear how Iran Air believes it can circumvent the range of sanctions that Washington has imposed on Iran since 1979, when relations were cut after Iranian militants stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held 53 people as hostages for more than a year.

"There are different purchase projects, including American planes," spokesman Malek Barzegar Sedigh told The Associated Press.

"I will not give further details because then the Americans could easily thwart the deal," he said. "In the past, the Americans have blocked attempts to purchase their planes in the final hours of the deals."

U.S. sanctions ban almost all trade by U.S. companies with Iran, including specifying the sale of advanced aviation parts. It might be that Iran Air plans to buy second-hand U.S.-made aircraft from a third country.

Iran Air has at least 43 planes in its fleet. Seven are Boeings that were bought before the 1979 Islamic revolution. The others include 28 European Airbus and Fokker planes and seven Russian-made Tupolevs.

The country has long complained about the U.S. embargo that prevents it from even buying spare parts for its ageing American aircraft.

In December, the government blamed the embargo for the crash of U.S.-made C-130 that slammed into the apartment building as it approached Tehran's Mehrabad airport, killing 115 people. The transport aircraft, owned by the Iranian military, had suffered engine shortly after take-off.

Iran has a history of aircraft accidents involving a heavy loss of life. Critics say planes are poorly maintained.

On Jan. 11, a French-made Falcon, carrying a commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards and 10 other officers, crashed while trying to make an emergency landing, killing all aboard.

Sedigh indicated that Iran Air was managing to buy parts for its U.S. planes, but at a price.

"The sanctions cause around 35 percent extra expenditure for Iran Air in comparison to other airlines," he said.

In January, Iran's Civil Aviation Organization proposed direct flights between Iran and the United States to travel easier for the thousands of Iranians who live in America. More than 1 million Iranians live in the United States, mostly in California.

"If the two countries reach an agreement, Iran Air is ready to resume its flights to any point in the United States," Sedigh said.

The U.S. aviation authorities have so far not responded publicly to the proposal.

Traveling by Air an Adventure in Iraq
9 March 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The Iraqi Airways flight north to Sulaimaniyah is scheduled to depart at 4 p.m., and in line with the airline's instructions, I'm at Baghdad International Airport three hours early for the security drill. So far so good.

Except that instead of a security check, I and my fellow passengers are made to hang around the terminal for more than two hours, only to be informed that our flight has been canceled. Instead, we are told, there will be a 4 p.m. flight to Irbil, two hours' drive from Sulaimaniyah.

We decide to go for it. Our bags pass through an X-ray machine, we go through a metal detector and are then informed that passengers booked for Sulaimaniyah can't take the Irbil flight. Confusion reigns and the Iraqi Airways agent promises to call the station manager.

About 20 minutes later the manager appears. He tells us that there will be a flight to Sulaimaniyah after all. When? He's unsure. Maybe at 6 p.m.

Take the chance, or argue my way onto the Irbil flight? It's hard to make choices in Iraq these days.

Sulaimaniyah, like Irbil, is in the Kurdistan part of Iraq. I could drive it in five hours, but bombers, kidnappers and highway robbers lurk along the road, and I've already had a white-knuckle ride to the airport along six miles of highway that U.S. soldiers call "RPG Alley," RPG meaning rocket-propelled grenade.

The airport complex is so well defended that Saddam Hussein and his top lieutenants are imprisoned there. But getting airborne is a different matter. To avoid missiles, pilots have to execute a steep corkscrew takeoff maneuver at the risk of colliding with U.S. helicopters, fighter jets or pilotless spy planes.

Still, having opted for the skies, I decide to wait for the promised 6 p.m. flight.

The Iraqi Airways agent hands me my boarding card. It's blank -- no flight, seat numbers nor destination.

How do I know the flight is going to Sulaimaniyah? "You can tell from the color," the agent explains.

But all the airline's boarding cards are green.

Annoyed, the agent scribbles "Sulaimaniyah" in Arabic and the city's airport code, SHL, on the ticket. Seat number? There are no assigned seats, he snaps.

I pay the airport tax of 1,000 dinars (about 70 U.S. cents) and head to the departure lounge, which is spruced up with new potted plants and green carpet. Under its French-designed arched ceilings there's a duty free shop and a cafeteria.

Scores of tired-looking passengers lounge on soft gray sofas.

Two Iraqi women have been waiting since 7 a.m. for their 10 a.m. flight to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. It's now about 4:15 p.m., night is approaching, and if the Dubai flight is canceled, the women will have to overnight in the terminal. It would be too dangerous to drive back to Baghdad.

The mood in the departure lounge is one of resignation.

At 6 p.m., the flights to Irbil and Dubai are ready to leave. The two women jump to their feet and rush to their gate. The planes depart.

And our 6 p.m. flight to Sulaimaniyah? No airline or airport official is anywhere to be seen. Uniformed men from Global Securities, a private company in charge of airport security, roam around with walkie-talkies but have no answers. All they know is that no flights operate after 6 p.m., and we may have to stay the night in the lounge.

At 7 p.m., an Iraqi Airways official emerges. Passengers swarm around him.

A plane is on its way from Istanbul, he says. It will land at 8:30.

We are skeptical. What time did the plane leave Istanbul? "We don't know."

How long is the flight from Istanbul? "I don't know."

Is there any way he can find out? "We don't have a way to ask."

That's because after 6 p.m., Iraqi civilian controllers hand over the airport to the American military and are cut out of the loop.

So we wait.

At a little after 9 p.m. a Global Security official, a Briton, sheds some light; Iraqi Airways is determined to fly, but the Americans insist the passengers be searched.

But we have already been searched.

No matter, we're told; maybe one of us bought a sharp object like a pair of scissors in an airport shop. And besides, there are no female staff on hand to search me and the other women passengers.

A little while later, the flight from Istanbul lands. We wait to board. And wait, and wait.

"The plane has no fuel and the fuel truck is nowhere to be found," a security guard explains.

The truck driver, an American with Skylink, the firm that manages Baghdad airport, has gone to bed. He is woken up, fuel is delivered, and we start boarding at 9:45, the repeat security checks having been waived after the captain takes full responsibility for the safety of the plane and passengers.

We taxi on a runway lit by blue lights. A female voice over the loudspeaker welcomes us aboard the Iraqi Airways Boeing 737 under the command of Captain Adel Hassan en route to Sulaimaniyah. Flight time is 50 minutes and we will be flying at an altitude of 17,000 feet.

There is no safety demonstration.

Just before takeoff, all lights are doused and even though it's a nonsmoking flight, a cabin attendant tells us not to light so much as a cigarette lighter.

It's pitch black -- and totally silent.

The plane ascends in a spiral, circling four times. After the fourth circle, we head north into thick clouds.

Underneath, the runway lights fade away. A sigh of relief. We are safe.

At 10:20 the lights come on and the mood relaxes. Two female flight attendants pass around cookies in a basket and serve soft drinks. We're mainly relieved just to be airborne, but there's also a sense of leaving Baghdad's troubles behind, heading into autonomous Kurdistan, where business and reconstruction are surging ahead.

Most of the 40 or so passengers are Iraqi Arabs headed there on business. An Oil Ministry official is going to help the Kurds build an oil depot. Four Chinese businessmen are working with Kurds on their telecommunications network.

After 40 minutes the seatbelt sign comes on and we begin our descent to Sulaimaniyah. Then more bad news. Because of bad weather we are diverting eastward to Irbil.

The passengers break into mocking applause.

After a bumpy landing on the wet runway, we file into Irbil's new terminal. It is about midnight, some 11 hours after I got to Baghdad airport. The staff have gone home and only security men are present.

There's no telephone link between Irbil and Sulaimaniyah, which are in separate provinces of Kurdistan, so passengers can't call families and friends to tell them the flight has been diverted.

A sleepy Iraqi Airways station manager arrives. Rather than find hotels for the passengers, he tries to persuade Hassan, the captain, to fly us to Sulaimaniyah. Hassan says he's too tired; he has been flying since 8 a.m. -- from Sulaimaniyah to Baghdad to Istanbul to Baghdad to Irbil. Besides, he says, Sulaimaniyah lies between two mountains and it's hard to land there in poor visibility.

The Iraqi Airways man asks passengers wishing to fly on to Sulaimaniyah to identify themselves; perhaps a show of hands will persuade the pilot. A few hands go up but to no avail, so the official gives in, but only partially. He'll provide a bus to the hotels of the passengers' choosing, but the airline won't pay for the rooms.

By now I'm resigned to staying in Irbil. Anyway I have work to do there as well as in Sulaimaniyah.

Jamila Mohammed, an Iraqi Airways ticket saleswoman, is not surprised at our adventure. "This sort of thing happens every day," she says.

Iraqi Airways planes are chronically overbooked, she says, and once a Baghdad-Amman flight took off with nine seatless passengers standing in the aisle.

"Iraqis are used to all this," Mohammed says. "We got used to suffering. Even if we have to stay at the airport for three days, we can take it."

Hassan joined Iraqi Airways in 1976 but lost his pilot's job following the 1990 Gulf War and the international air embargo imposed on Saddam's Iraq.

He's back in the air these days with Teebah Airlines, an Iraqi-owned carrier that leases its planes and crews to Iraqi Airways.

Flying to and from Baghdad is stressful, he says.

"It's very scary, because normally when you approach an airport you make a gradual descent, but here all aircraft come to the same point before descending. At times you see five planes on top of each other, leaving and landing, all at the same point," he says.

"Last night, I came to Baghdad and was approaching the runway. Three hundred feet before landing, all the runway lights were shut," he says, laughing. "They said it was power failure. I had to overshoot and go to another runway.

"When I get on the ground I laugh, but when airborne I feel tension. It's very dangerous."

I tell Hassan it's the last time I'll fly Iraqi Airways. He laughs and says: "Good decision."

^^^^ I feel sorry for that dude, and I thought having my flight delayed for an hour was a long boring ordeal!! Next time I'll think of this guy whenever I have a flight delayed!!

Jordan carrier to double weekly flights to Arbil

AMMAN, March 13, 2006 (AFP) - Jordan's national carrier Royal Jordanian will increase its weekly flights to the northern Iraqi Kurdish city of Arbil later this month from two to four, a company spokesman told AFP on Monday.

Four weekly round-trip flights to Arbil will begin on March 26, the spokesman said.

The airline also plans to increase weekly flights to the southern port city of Basra in the "near future" from two to three, the spokesman added.

Royal Jordanian also has two daily flights from Amman to Baghdad, which are increased to three according to demand.

The national Jordanian carrier and Iraqi Airways are the only two companies to make regular passenger flights in and out of war-battered Iraq.

But they need clearance from the US-led coalition forces to land or take off from Baghdad international airport, which doubles as a military base.

Baghdad Intl Airport Closed For Two Days
20 March 2006

BAGHDAD (AP)--Baghdad International Airport was ordered closed Monday and Tuesday for security reasons, the Transportation Ministry said.

Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abdul-Wahab said the closure was "to avoid any violence during the commemoration of the 40th and final day of mourning for Imam Hussein."

Millions of Shiite Muslims have assembled in the holy city of Karbala to mark the end of the symbolic mourning period for Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Authorities have closed in the airport in the past citing the need for security during elections.

US warns Americans against commercial flights from Baghdad

WASHINGTON, March 24, 2006 (AFP) - The United States on Friday warned Americans that government employees have been barred from using commercial airlines leaving Baghdad's airport, expanding an earlier public travel warning.

The State Department announced it was advising Americans "of the US Embassy Baghdad's travel restriction on using commercial airlines departing Baghdad International Airport."

The restriction was issued on March 12, the department said, quoting the embassy's message: "As the result of a recent security incident at the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP), the US Embassy is prohibiting outgoing travel by all US government employees on commercial airlines departing BIAP until further notice."

The embassy also encouraged "all private Americans" in Iraq to register their presence.

The State Department said Friday its announcement "supplements" a December 29, 2005 travel warning on Iraq and expires on June 14.

"Travelers should review the Travel Warning on Iraq regarding the dangers of the use of civilian aircraft and road travel within Iraq," the department said.

Armenian Plane Crashes Near Tehran
28 March 2006

TEHRAN (AP)--An Armenian cargo plane crashed outside a city near Tehran on Tuesday, injuring four crew members, Iranian state television reported.

The Antonov plane came down on the outskirts of Karaj shortly after taking off from Payam airport at 1730 local time (1300 GMT), the television newscaster said, quoting the police.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and managed to rescue the crew before the plane exploded in flames, the newscaster said.

Shortly after take-off, the pilot signaled a technical fault and asked to make an emergency landing at Payam, but he crashed before reaching the airport, the television reported.

"Fortunately there were no deaths," the newscaster said.

The newscaster didn't give details about the plane except to say it "belonged to Russia."

Karaj lies about 40 kilometers due west of Tehran. Its Payam airport is used mostly for freight.

Etihad Airways Mulls Stakes In Other Airlines - Report
17 April 2006

CAIRO (Dow Jones)--Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways (ETAIR.YY) is mulling buying stakes in other airlines as it awaits a decision on its bid for a stake in Luxembourg's Cargolux Airlines International S.A. (CLUX.YY), Gulf News newspaper reported Monday.

The Dubai-based daily quoted Robert Strodel, Etihad chief executive, as stating the carrier had been approached with offers from various airlines that were currently being evaluated. Strodel didn't give the names of those airlines.

Last year, Etihad bid for a 33.7% stake in Luxembourg's Cargolux for more than $130 million, the paper said. Etihad is now on a shortlist for the bid with a decision expected to be taken this year, Strodel said.

Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, was established in 2003.

Emirates pushes Perth-US service
Steve Creedy
21 April 2006
The Australian

EMIRATES plans to use its new twice-daily services to Perth to promote travel between the western capital and the US.

The Dubai carrier will add a another three flights to Perth in September to bring the service to double daily and believes routes to the US through Dubai are a viable alternative for Perth travellers.

"By the end of the year we'll have three services a day to New York from Dubai and then we'll start our expansion into the rest of North America," Emirates senior vice-president of commercial operations for East Asia and Australasia, Richard Vaughan, said in Sydney this week.

"We envisage about nine points in North America.

"There are very good connections, certainly for the Perth market, and putting on the double daily into Perth makes it even more flexible."

As well as promoting the US to Perthites, Mr Vaughan said the airline would also be promoting travel to Perth.

"There is definitely a traffic there," he said.

Emirates officials expect to make a formal request to Canberra for extra flights to Australia within the next two months and are expecting a strong lobbying effort from Qantas.

The airline denies allegations by Air New Zealand and Qantas it is dumping capacity on the Tasman and Mr Vaughan said yesterday the airline had still not decided whether to use the A380s on trans-Tasman route.

The airline will introduce A380s to Sydney in September next year and shortly afterwards into Melbourne.

He said he failed to understand why Qantas and Air New Zealand were so agitated over Emirates and Singapore Airlines.

"The supposed ogre that we are, all we're trying to do is take passengers to and from Australia at a competitive price and with a quality product," he said.

The Emirates executive also said there were no plans to establish the long-rumoured hub in Auckland.

"It's possible to do but currently we don't have plans for it," he said.

"But our market moves pretty quickly and we're geared up to move quickly with it."

Traveling by Air an Adventure in Iraq
9 March 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The Iraqi Airways flight north to Sulaimaniyah is scheduled to depart at 4 p.m., and in line with the airline's instructions, I'm at Baghdad International Airport three hours early for the security drill. So far so good.
<snip>

I tell Hassan it's the last time I'll fly Iraqi Airways. He laughs and says: "Good decision."


:lol: That was a great story. I think I might want to try the flight on Iraqi airways. Hopefully by the time I'm there it won't be on a rickety 737-200 that's maintained in Iraq.

Qatar Airways bags award

22 April 2006

DOHA — Qatar’s national carrier has bagged the Middle East Finance Deal of The Year Award for the second time in three years at the Annual New York Air Finance Conference, organised by the London-based Air Finance Journal, published by Euromoney Plc.


The growth of Qatar Airways over the next few years, coupled with rising demand for the latest, state-of-the-art Buyer Furnished Equipment (BFE), means that the airline is investing heavily in new equipment. The award-winning facility will finance over $250 million worth of BFE over a four-year period, in a deal struck last year with BNP Paribas, Citigroup and Qatar National Bank. “The facility was established to finance BFE, comprising items such as galleys, seats and in-flight entertainment bought directly from suppliers, for a fleet of 25 Airbus aircraft”, explains Qatar Airways’ CEO, Akbar Al Baker. “I would like to thank the three banks involved in this deal for their support. We are very pleased to have been working with such a strong group of banks.”

Emirates Air Competing With Other Carriers
By JIM KRANE
25 April 2006

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Emirates was once a money-losing state-run airline. But that phase lasted just one year, 1986, its second year in business.

In each of the 17 years since, Dubai government-owned Emirates has turned a profit, even as it assembled an array of 92 aircraft -- one of the world's youngest fleets -- and a smorgasbord of 83 destinations.

But Emirates' profits, like last fiscal year's whopping 49 percent increase over the previous year, have been overshadowed by its audacious orders for new jets. The airline plans to double in size by 2012, by spending an unheard of $33 billion on 123 new planes, all wide-body jets for long-haul flights, where it will compete with the top European and Asian carriers.

Emirates is an enigma in the airline industry: a government owned Middle Eastern carrier that receives few, if any, government favors. In the Middle East, not usually considered a bastion of bare-knuckle capitalism, Emirates was born and raised in ultra-competitive Dubai, where 110 airlines compete under an "open skies" policy.

"That's how you hone your competitive survival skills. You don't do it by getting all kinds of protection," said Daniel Kasper, an airline consultant in Cambridge, Mass. with consultancy LECG. "That's a feather in their cap to be able to do this in a market that's as open as Dubai."

On Wednesday, Emirates chairman Sheik Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum is to announce earnings results for the fiscal year ending March 31. Sheik Ahmed said it'll be Emirates' 18th straight year in the black.

Analysts, like JP Morgan's Peter Negline, expect smaller profits this year, tamped down by the high price of jet fuel.

"We wouldn't be surprised to see some moderation in earnings growth," said Negline, who is based in Hong Kong. "But then we see few airlines in our region making healthy profits with oil prices at these levels."

Looking into 2006, Sheik Ahmed predicted more of the same.

"We should see very positive growth, especially in our market -- the Middle East and Indian subcontinent."

Americans who haven't heard of Emirates soon may get the chance to fly with them. For now, Emirates operates just two daily flights to New York, but Sheik Ahmed said the carrier will add a third flight this year.

As Emirates' order of 60 long-range Boeing 777s starts arriving, West Coast and Midwest terminals might soon see the carrier's trademark Arabic calligraphy tail logo.

"With the introduction of the 777-LR, we can talk about Houston and Chicago," Sheik Ahmed said. "Over the next six years, we'll be receiving one or two aircraft per month."

Over the past six years, Emirates' capacity and traffic have leaped by more than 25 percent a year as its network spread relentlessly wider.

Now, analysts say Emirates is gearing up to capture traffic from European carriers like Air France, British Airways and Lufthansa, as well as Asian operations like Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways and Cathay Pacific.

A report last year by investment bank UBS said competition from Emirates could spell the end of long-haul flights by less competitive carriers Swiss International, Alitalia and SAS.

Analysts say the airline's growth hinges on political stability, as well as other wild cards such as bird flu outbreaks or slippage in the global economy that would spur messy competition from a growing phallanx of rival Gulf carriers.

"Other airlines have found they've grown faster than they could successfully manage," Kasper said. "When you add that much capacity, you have a lot of risk during market downturns. You can't stop paying bills for new airplanes just because passengers don't show up."

Emirates has used deft management, well-timed purchases, and was poised to take advantage of the energy boom that has turned Dubai into one of the world's fastest growing cities, Negline said.

"There is an element of being in the right place at the right time," Negline said. "But we shouldn't downplay the fact that they had sensible strategies and executed them very well."

Emirates' operating costs are thought to be 40 percent lower than European rivals like KLM, according to UBS. It also benefits from Dubai's investments in infrastructure and zero tax rate, as well as the sheikdom's cheap labor costs. Salaries are kept low by laws that, for now, prohibit unions. Emirates also operates without a less profitable short-haul fleet or legacy costs like pension burdens.

And Emirates looks set to keep its costs down, ironically, by spending around $12 billion for 45 of Airbus' double-decker A380 super-jumbos, the forthcoming long-haul passenger jet with 555 seats in its smallest version. Each A380 is expected to operate around 13 percent more cheaply than a Boeing 747, the UBS report said.

To cope, Dubai is expanding its airport to handle 70 million passengers a year, which could put it behind Atlanta as the world's busiest airport.

Emirates caters to what was until recently an underserved region, with a Persian Gulf airport midway between Europe and Asia. It also consistently brings home awards on its service.

Dubai is a booming destination in its own right -- for Brits, the second most popular beach destination outside Britain -- with guaranteed sunny weather that draws in tourists and delays few flights.

Emirates focused first on Asia. Its debut destination was Karachi. Now, analysts say Asia is one of the industry's few growth markets. Gulf cities rely hugely on expatriate workers from India, Pakistan, Europe, Australia and increasingly, the Far East and North America.

Emirates and other Gulf airlines are cashing in as more workers flow to jobs here, while stealing passengers from European carriers flying to Asia and Australia, and Asian carriers flying to Europe.

Gulf-based carriers led by Emirates are going to form an ever-larger part of the global airline industry, according to research from JP Morgan.

"European carriers have not seen a competitor like this before," adds the UBS report.

AP Business Writer Lauren Villagran in New York contributed to this story.

DXB has a big advantage over the rest of Mid East airports because it is served by strong carriers and it`s the only hub that wins hands down. South-east Asia has many hubs . Singapore, KL, Bangkok, and HKG all competing to dominate the Kangaroo routes

United to offer non-stop flights between Washington, Kuwait City

CHICAGO, May 24, 2006 (AFP) - United Airlines plans to begin offering non-stop flights between Washington and Kuwait City, the Chicago-based airline said Wednesday.

Three weekly flights will be offered beginning in late October, pending approval from the Kuwaiti government. United said it will be the only US airline to offer nonstop service between the United States and Kuwait.

The flights will depart Washington on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings and arrive the following day. Flights will depart Kuwait City shortly after midnight on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays and arrive early that same morning.

United will employ a 253-seat Boeing 777 that is equipped to also transport cargo, with mail expected to represent a significant amount of volume on these flights.

"Launching service to Kuwait further demonstrates our commitment to expanding our global network, bringing our passenger and cargo customers closer to the world's key economic centers," John Tague, United's executive vice president and chief revenue officer, said in a statement.

"Our business and cargo customers will soon have direct access into the Middle East, where there is strong demand from the petroleum, energy and shipping industries," he said.

United Airlines operates more than 3,700 flights a day to more than 210 domestic and international destinations from its hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington and Denver, Colorado.

Kuwaiti national carrier reports 82 million dollar loss

KUWAIT CITY, June 2, 2006 (AFP) - National carrier Kuwait Airways Corp. (KAC) posted 82.2 million dollars in losses in the fiscal year 2005/2006 that ended on March 31, mainly due to high fuel prices, its chairman said Friday.

Revenues for the state-owned airways reached 868 million dollars, up from the previous year's 760 million dollars, Sheikh Talal Mubarak al-Sabah told the official KUNA news agency.

Expenditures rose to 950.2 million dollars in 2005/2006 from 897 million dollars the previous year, due to high fuel prices and increased maintenance costs, he said.

Sheikh Talal said the airline paid about 81 million dollars extra for fuel in the past fiscal year, almost equal to its losses.

KAC has spent 15 of the past 16 years in the red and accommulated losses to the tone of 1.8 billion dollars in the 11 fiscal years to 2003/2004.

Losses are covered by the state.

Last year, the government paid 790 million dollars to the carrier which represented KAC's losses for seven fiscal years. The amount had been held back by MPs over allegations of mismanagement.

The amount represented about 66 percent of the carrier's capital of 1.2 billion dollars.

The only year that the airline was in the black over the last 16 years was in 1999/2000 when it made a profit of 80 million dollars after receiving compensation from Iraq.

KAC has suffered cash flow problems and a debt burden which peaked at 1.4 billion dollars after Iraq's seven-month occupation of Kuwait which began in August 1990.

It borrowed 1.3 billion dollars after the emirate's liberation in the 1991 Gulf War, but has repaid most of it.

Besides increase in fuel cost, Sheikh Talal cited "tough competition" as a cause for losses after the government allowed private airlines to operate.

The first airline Al-Jazeera, a low-cost passenger carrier, started operations in October while two more airliners, one for cargo and the other a full passenger airliner, are still under establishment.

Kuwait Airways operates a fleet of 15 Airbus and two Boeing 777 aircraft, while total net assets at two billion dollars last year. The carrier employs a staff of some 7,000 people.

No-Frills Air Arabia Creates a New Passion for Travel in the Persian Gulf
By KATHERINE ZOEPF
1 June 2006
The New York Times

There was a time, not long ago, when the idea of jet travel in the Persian Gulf countries conjured up images of white-robed sheiks accompanied by cages full of squawking falcons and of European oil executives lounging in first-class luxury of a frequent-flier population more at home with a large entourage than a humble rolling suitcase.

How things have changed. Now, in the domed rotunda of the old-fashioned little airport in Sharjah, you are as likely to come across a family of Egyptians returning from a shopping spree in Dubai or a group of young men from the United Arab Emirates off for a week of partying in Beirut. For the last three years, Air Arabia has been shaking up the world of Persian Gulf air travel with the Middle East's first no-frills low-cost airline. Based in the emirate of Sharjah and founded through royal decree by Sheik Sultan bin Mohammed al-Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah, Air Arabia aims to do for air travel in the Arab world what budget airlines like Ryanair, EasyJet, JetBlue and Southwest have been doing the last decade in some Western countries.

Air Arabia first sprang onto the regional scene in 2003 with a series of light-hearted advertisements featuring cartoon figures with outsized circular heads and stocky bodies, similar in appearance to the characters in "South Park" but dressed in traditional Arab clothing and carrying luggage. Air Arabia's little round men wearing Saudi-style white dishdashas or Levantine sherwal pantaloons and often sporting scruffy cartoon beards danced across billboards and newspaper inserts throughout the Middle East, their startled cartoon eyes popping wide at the news of Air Arabia's cheap fares.

These fares commonly as low as 250 dirhams (about $67 at 3.75 dirhams to the dollar) for a Sharjah-Jaipur, India, flight; or 149 dirhams (about $40 for Sharjah-Luxor, Egypt; or 110 dirhams (about $30) for Sharjah-Tehran caused an immediate sensation, and Air Arabia's little round men are still familiar stock figures. But whether Air Arabia has actually succeeded in changing the way people in the Middle East think about regional travel has been more difficult to calculate.

Air Arabia started with a single Sharjah-Bahrain route. Within six months, it had two new regular routes connecting Sharjah to Khartoum, Sudan, and to Assiut, Egypt. Now, Air Arabia flies to more than 25 destinations, including recent additions like Kochi, India; Almaty, Kazakhstan; and Kabul, Afghanistan, and celebrated the achievement of its two-million-passenger milestone this spring. On Web forums like www.airlinequality.com , customers rave about the amount of leg room.

But taking on a staid cultural mindset can be a formidable challenge. For much of the Arab world, the idea of pleasure travel to other countries in the region is fairly new. Political disputes, wearisome visa application procedures and low disposable incomes have traditionally made regional travel difficult for Arabs, something to be undertaken for work and study, or perhaps to visit relatives, but seldom for the sake of tourism alone.

That situation may be changing, analysts say. After 9/11, wealthy gulf Arabs used to vacationing in Europe or the United States began heading to Lebanese and Egyptian beach resorts instead because of a perception that Western countries were growing less hospitable to visitors from the Middle East. Cities like Beirut and Damascus, with their bars and nightclubs and relatively cooler climates, are gaining reputations as summer destinations for visitors from countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Even in poorer Arab countries like Syria, there is a growing class of people with the money and inclination for pleasure travel. The thousands of South Asians who work in the Persian Gulf countries have leapt at cheap daily flights to the subcontinent to make more frequent visits home.

And though it's often outshone by neighboring Dubai or, worse, referred to in travel literature as a bedroom suburb for workers who can't afford high-price rentals in Dubai, Sharjah has quietly been making a name for itself as a family destination, with water parks, wildlife preserves and pleasant beaches and strict policies against alcohol. According to tourism authorities, hotel occupancy in Sharjah has increased 15 to 20 percent the last year, and government-owned Air Arabia has had a major role in the growth.

David Bender, a graduate student in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University who often travels throughout the Arab world, said that while in Damascus during Ramadan last fall, he had been surprised to see billboards over the Syrian capital's main traffic circles advertising special fares to the United Arab Emirates for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the Islamic fasting month.

"It's been interesting to see advertisements encouraging people to spend the Eid in Dubai, on vacation; this suggests that there must be a middle class who can afford that kind of thing," Mr. Bender said.

Jyotsna Kaur Habibullah, a spokeswoman for Air Arabia, said that it was not only tapping into an infant market, but also expanding it.

"We are changing the way this region thinks about travel," Ms. Habibullah said. "For the last two and a half years, we've heard this from customers. Many people are telling us that they're able to travel for pleasure for the first time. People who couldn't go on holiday before are now taking holidays for the first time, and people who went on holidays once a year are now taking their families on holiday two or three times a year."

Sami Suleiman, 25, who works for an advertising agency in Dubai, said that when he first heard about Air Arabia from friends two years ago, he started making a list of the cities he wanted to visit.

"It seemed so cheap, so I started thinking, 'Here is my chance to go everywhere, to see all the places I want,' " he said. "I went to Iran. It was only 600 dirhams, very cheap. Sometimes you can fly from Damascus to Dubai for only 200 dirhams."

By industry standards, Air Arabia's fleet is tiny. The airline owns five planes and leases a sixth. Yet these planes are moving constantly, hopscotching among dozens of cities. On a recent flight from Sharjah to Beirut, a flight attendant recognized and warmly greeted a passenger she had met on a flight from Jordan to Sharjah several weeks earlier.

Mr. Suleiman said that Air Arabia's cheap fares have become particularly important to citizens of other Arab countries who have jobs in the Persian Gulf region. Because of their strong economies, the gulf countries are a regional employment hub, drawing workers from all over the Middle East. To Sudanese or Jordanians with long-term contracts in the gulf, Mr. Suleiman said, Air Arabia is a great boon.

"For people who work in the gulf, it's the perfect solution. They can go home to visit their countries maybe three times per year now," he said.

And, Mr. Suleiman added, though Air Arabia, like other low-cost airlines, does not provide meals, "if you're only flying for three hours, you don't care that you have to buy your own snacks."

Tehran airports to shut down on Sunday

TEHRAN, June 3 (Reuters) - Tehran's two international airports, Imam Khomeini International and Mehrabad, will be closed to all flights between 0430 GMT and 1030 GMT on Sunday, aviation officials said on Saturday.

Sunday is the anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, spiritual father of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

"On the anniversary of Imam Khomeini's death there will be no domestic or foreign flights between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at Tehran airports," Rajab Mehrjouee, director of Tehran airports, told the official IRNA news agency.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will address pilgrims at Khomeini's gold-domed mausoleum just south of Tehran on Sunday. It lies on the flightpath of both airports.

Some 8,000 police will be on duty at the shrine.

Khamenei's hand was maimed by a bomb attack in 1981, shortly after he had become president.

Kuwaiti airline offers women free flight to elections

KUWAIT CITY, June 17, 2006 (AFP) - A Kuwaiti budget airline said Saturday it is offering free air tickets to all women who wish to travel to Kuwait later this month for the first election in which women can campaign and vote.

"We want to ensure that as many women as possible have the available access to return to Kuwait to vote in these historic elections," Chairman and CEO Marwan Boodai Jazeera Airways, Kuwait's first private airline, said in a statement.

"We are also extending the invitation to women of every nationality to fly Jazeera Airways to Kuwait to observe the historic elections," Boodai said.

Kuwaiti women, who were granted the right to vote last year, are taking part in parliamentary elections for the first time on June 29.

Thirty women candidates are among about 340 hopefuls running for the 50-seat fully-elected parliament.

Women of any nationality can avail of the offer if they travel from one of eight cities from which the low-fare Jazeera Airways operates while seats remain available. The cities include Beirut, Amman, Dubai, Damascus, Aleppo, in addition to Alexandia, Luxor and Bahrain.

The eligible flights depart on June 28 or 29. The offer is valid only for one-way airfare and meals are not provided by the airline.

"We believe its our role to encourage women to come home to vote. Who they vote for is entirely up to them, we just want to make sure that they are given every opportunity to return home, without cost or expense to exercise their democratic right to vote," said Boodai.

The airline, which launched its maiden flight in October, is operating two brand-new Airbus A320s and is expecting delivery of two more within the next two weeks, spokesman Fawaz al-Sirri told AFP.

Jazeera plans to start flying to New Delhi and Mumbai in India from the beginning of next month, he said.

Its tickets to all destinations cost as low as 50 dollars, including taxes, per passenger.

Jazeera was established in May 2004 as a shareholding company with a capital of 34 million dollars, 30 percent of which is owned by a group of core founders while the rest was offered to the public on May 26.

Iran airliner hits debris on landing at Dubai

DUBAI, June 25, 2006 (AFP) - An Iranian airliner with some 91 people on board hit building materials on the runway as it landed at Dubai airport Sunday but all passengers disembarked safely, the civil aviation authority said.

The Kish Airlines flight from Iran's main western city of Tabriz was directed onto a runway that was being upgraded, the authority said.

"Due to a human error," the tyres and a wing of the Russian-designed Tupolev 154M were damaged.

The accident caused fuel to leak from the aircraft but emergency teams were able to prevent a fire breaking out.

Dubai airport, which operates some 550 flights a day, is undergoing an expansion project including the upgrading of one of its two runways.

Forty-three people were killed in March 2004 when a Kish Airlines Fokker 50 went down in an open area between the villas of a crowded residential zone near Sharjah, another emirate in the seven-member United Arab Emirates federation.

The private Iranian airline has a fleet of 11 aircraft, including four Fokker 50s, three Boeing MD-83s, and two Tupolev 154Ms. It operates flights within Iran and across the Gulf to Dubai which hosts a large Iranian community.

Firm headed by former U.S. State Department official lands contract to rebuild Iraqi airport
By JIM KRANE
26 June 2006

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - A security company headed by a former U.S. State Department official will oversee the US$300 million (euro238.83 million) construction of a large international airport in Najaf, Iraq, the company said on Monday.

The World Strategic Initiatives Group is headed by Henry E. Wilkins, 48, who worked for the State Department advising the governments of Afghanistan and Bosnia on police issues, and a former sheriff's investigator in Citrus County, Florida.

The WSI Group, with offices in Dubai, Florida and Washington, will be joined on the project by Iraqi construction firm Sahel al-Jazera Group, known as SAG, said Saeed Abdulla, project manager who works for SAG.

Najaf provincial governor Asad Abu-Kalal entered Monday into a 10-year agreement with WSI Group and SAG that is expected to cost more than US$300 million (euro238.83 million), the companies said.

The WSI Group is a three-year-old firm that handles police training missions in Afghanistan and has landed a contract in Iraq to provide security along the dangerous highway between Baghdad and the Jordan border, the company said.

The now-shuttered Imam Ali Airport at Najaf, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, is being expanded and modernized to serve millions of Shiite Muslim pilgrims and other travelers who now take dangerous bus journeys to Iraq's holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, a prepared release from the company said.

The Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, site of a grueling, weeks' long battle between U.S. Army and Shiite militants in 2004, is the third most visited site in Islam, behind only Mecca and Medina.

Another Iraqi contractor, Fahad al-Basra, had started to rebuild the Najaf airport but abandoned the job without finishing it. Much of the rebuilding work in Iraq has failed in the midst of rebel attacks, power failures and corruption.

"They erected tents and were supposed to get the runway ready. But the tents blew away and nothing ever got done," Wilkins said during a visit to Dubai.

Abdulla said SAG asked the WSI Group to oversee the airport project because the company holds the neccessary qualifications to build an airport that meets international security standards.

The Dubai-based WSI Group is investing as much as US$10 million (euro7.96 million) in the project and will be allowed to recoup its investment, as well as a 10 percent profit, from a US$15 (euro12) surcharge on airline tickets to Najaf and other airport charges, Wilkins said.

After that, the airport will be turned over to Iraqi authorities, said Haider al-Maiali, head of the Najaf construction council.

"As we collect revenue, it will be used toward the building cost," said Wilkins, who lives in Washington.

Plans provide for widening and lengthening the airport runway so it can handle wide-body passenger jets, as well as construction of a passenger terminal that can handle 15 jets at a time. The contract also includes installing modern security and passport control systems, as well as restaurants, lounges, duty free shops and a hotel.

The company's release said more than 1,000 Iraqi construction workers will be hired during the building phase, with the finished airport expected to employ some 3,000 people.

WSI Group was formerly known as World Security Initiatives Group, but Wilkins said he changed the firm's name to reflect its foray into construction work.

Iranian airline launches direct flights to Hungarian capital, starting Thursday
29 June 2006

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) - An Iranian airline on Thursday will launch its first direct flight to the Hungarian capital, an airport spokesman said.

The TU-154M of Iranian Caspian Airlines is scheduled to fly into Budapest from Tehran at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT). The flight will operate weekly.

"Connecting Budapest with a capital in the Middle East offers manifold opportunities to our customers as well as to us," Budapest Ferihegy Airport Zrt. spokesman Domokos Szollar said.

Until now, passengers traveling from Budapest to the Middle East and South Asia could only reach their destination by connecting through junction cities such as Frankfurt, London or Paris, Szollar said.

"Tehran makes an excellent connection to the Middle East and will help link Hungary to a market of 186 million people," he said.

Round-trip tickets from Budapest to Tehran start at 98,700 forints (US$438, euro350).

Kuwait's Jazeera eyes 50 pct market share in Gulf

KUWAIT, July 1 (Reuters) - Kuwait's no-frills Jazeera Airways hopes to capture at least 50 percent of the Gulf Arab region's market share in one year, the airline's chairman said on Saturday.

"When it comes to the Gulf, it's a different ball game because of the huge transit market," Marwan Boodai, who is also the chief executive, told Reuters.

"We will be offering connectivity to passengers, by picking them up from Bahrain and Dubai, bring them to Kuwait and then fly them to international flights in Asia," he said, adding that the airline will be offering this service starting September.

Gulf Arab countries have a large percentage of expatriate workers, especially from the Asian sub-continent. The United Arab Emirates population, for example, is comprised of 85 percent expatriates. Jazeera Airways will start flights to New Delhi and Mumbai on Saturday.

Boodai also said he aimed to capture a 50 percent market share in the rest of the destinations the airline flies to within one year. Jazeera Airways flies to a total of 10 destinations.

Currently, Jazeera Airways has captured 18 percent of market share in Bahrain and 12 percent in Dubai.

Jazeera, Kuwait's first private airline which launched operations in October, hopes to be operating five aircraft and to fly 1 million passengers to 16 destinations by March 2007.

Oman Air parent posts H1 loss on higher fuel cost

MUSCAT, July 30 (Reuters) - Oman Aviation Services posted on Sunday a 663,000 rial ($1.7 million) loss for the first half of 2006, mainly due to soaring fuel costs.

The result compared with a profit of 14,000 rials for the same period last year, a company statement said.

The company, which operates flag carrier Oman Air, said last year's result included a one-time 602,000 rial gain from a sale of investments.

Fuel prices soared 25 percent in the period, adding 1.77 million rials to costs, it said adding that a fuel surcharge recovered less than half of the additional cost.

"But for the fuel price impact, the airline results would have been significantly better compared to the previous year, and the company would have reported profit," the statement said.

The airline carried 601,000 passengers in the period, up 19 percent over the year-ago period.

Plane catches fire on landing in Iran, killing 29
By NASSER KARIMI
1 September 2006

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - A landing Iranian passenger plane skidded off the runway and raked its wing along the ground, sparking a fire that killed 29 of the 148 people on board in the latest deadly crash of a Russian-made aircraft.

Rescue workers in the northeastern city of Mashhad carried survivors of Friday's crash on stretchers out of the gutted craft, which lay in a pool of water near the runway with its middle charred and its roof collapsed. Iranian television footage showed firefighters spraying the engines with water.

"The plane was shaking badly during the landing, then it suddenly lurched to the left," one survivor, Sahar Karimi, told The Associated Press by telephone from a hospital in Mashhad.

"Then it caught fire, and all the passengers rushed to the emergency exit," she said.

State television reported that a tire exploded as the plane landed, but the spokesman for Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, Reza Jafarzadeh, said investigators had not confirmed that and it was still not clear what caused the plane to slide off the runway.

The 11 crew members survived, "and this can help the investigation team to reach its conclusions sooner," he said.

The flight by Iran Airtour, which is affiliated with Iran's national air carrier -- was arriving from Bandar Abbas on Iran's southern coast when the accident occurred.

The plane slid off the runway, "then its left wing hit the ground and caught fire," civil aviation chairman Nourollah Rezai Niaraki said in a television interview.

He said 29 passengers were killed, correcting an earlier television report of 80 dead.

The craft was a Russian-made Tupolev 154. A Tu-154 owned by Russia's Pulkovo Airlines crashed in Ukraine on Aug. 22 while en route from a Russian resort to St. Petersburg, killing all 170 people on board.

In 2002, a Russian-made Tu-154 -- also operated by Iran Airtour -- crashed in the mountains of western Iran, killing all 119 people aboard.

Mashhad, located 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) northeast of Tehran, is visited by some 12 million people a year on pilgrimage to its Shiite Islamic shrines. It was not clear if Friday's flight included pilgrims.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issued condolences to the families of the victims, while state radio read off the names of hospitals where the injured had been taken.

Iran has frequent air accidents, blamed on its aging fleet of aircraft and poor maintenance. In the deadliest recent crash, 110 people were killed in December when a military transport hit a building near Tehran's airport.

The country often blames the accidents on U.S. sanctions barring American companies from selling to Iran. Its airlines have tried to upgrade their fleet by buying European aircraft, but have been turned down amid U.S. pressure on Europe not to sell.

However, it does not have similar difficulty buying parts for its Russian planes. Iranian airlines have bought Russian craft in recent years, but usually secondhand ones to save money.

Western nations have offered to open the door to sales of new planes and spare parts in an incentive package aimed at getting it to roll back its nuclear program. Ahmadinejad has vowed never to give up the program.

Iran's 13 airlines have 120 planes, with an average age of 16. Iran Airtour has 12 Tupolevs.

The country's main carrier, Iran Air, has seven Tupolevs among its 43-plane fleet. It also has seven Boeings bought before the 1979 Islamic revolution and 28 European Airbus and Fokker aircraft.

The workhorse of passenger airlines in the former Soviet Union, the Tu-154 has been in commercial service since 1972. More than 900 have been built and more than 160 exported to airlines around the world, particularly in former Soviet-bloc countries and Iran. Because of noise and pollution regulations, the planes do not fly to Western destinations.

Since they were introduced, 62 of the planes, or about 7 percent, have been damaged in crashes or hard landings -- the deadliest in 1984 when a Tupolev landing at an airport in eastern Siberia smashed into cleaning vehicles left on the runway, killing 174 people.

About 5 percent of the comparable 1,800 727s built by Boeing have been involved in crashes, and about 1 percent of the 1,400 Airbus 320s.

Emirates nurtures network in the Asia Pacific


On the wings of its successful start of services to Nagoya and the pre-launch road-show in Beijing, Emirates has announced it will strengthen its route network in the Asia Pacific to better serve its customers and consolidate its presence in the region.

September 1st will become a red-letter-day on Emirates' Asia-Pacific calendar with increased frequency to Perth, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, and the launch of daily services to Beijing.

On the day, the airline's service to Perth will become a double daily from the current 11 weekly flights, sending a strong signal of commitment to its Australian stakeholders and sealing Emirates' presence in the country for the long-haul. The second daily will be served with the Boeing 777-200 aircraft, offering a total of 290 seats - 12 in First Class, 42 in Business and 236 in Economy - and 18 tonnes of cargo.

Emirates has designed its timetable carefully for quick and convenient connections between Perth and the Middle East as well as Europe - enabling same day travel to several destinations. The airline will then serve Australia with 49 weekly flights to four gateways - Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

There's more good news in store for Perth - in December Emirates will increase its capacity to the city, upgrading its other daily from an Airbus A340-300 offering 267 seats to a Boeing 777-300ER with 364 seats, a jump of 36 per cent.

The sustained and explosive growth of China has increased the country's appetite for travel as well as trade, and Emirates will satisfy this customer demand with three additional flights between Dubai and Hong Kong.

Flight EK380 will become the second daily to this fascinating city, which will now be served with a total of 17 weekly flights. EK380 is operated by an Airbus A330-200 in a two class configuration offering 27 seats in Business and 251 in Economy and 14 tonnes of cargo capacity.

With a daily service and six dedicated freighter operations to Shanghai; daily service to Beijing, and 10 Boeing freighter services to Hong Kong in addition to passenger services, the airline has clearly highlighted the importance of China on its route network.

Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, will be served nine times a week, with the additional flight operating every Friday with an Airbus A330-200 in a two class configuration. From 1st September the Sunday and Tuesday service on EK352 will be upgraded from A330-200 to a Boeing 777-300ER.

Richard Vaughan, Emirates' Senior Vice President East Asia and Australasia said: ''Emirates' business strategy in the Asia Pacific is one of planned and steady growth, backed by strong commercial principles. The region is growing incredibly fast, undoubtedly led by the phenomenal growth in China, established tourism trails to Australia and buoyed by the economic prospects in the entire region.

He added: ''Emirates ''walks the talk'' by investing in the region and catalysing both tourism and trade. This philosophy, coupled with our culturally-relevant service orientation and the powerful brand equity we have built in the region, have resulted in a sustained demand for our services. By the end of this year, we also intend to upgrade our services and increase capacity to Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, Manila, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur.''

Emirates launched services to Singapore, its first destination in the Far East, way back in 1990. From 1st September the airline will serve the Asia Pacific region with 129 flights every week.

I think Emirates Airlines & Etihad Airways should have one Thread !! Would that be possible ??

Qatar Airways says to fly direct to Beirut on Mon

DOHA, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Qatar Airways will resume direct flights to and from Lebanon's capital Beirut on Monday despite an Israeli air and sea blockade imposed on the country in July, an airline spokeswoman said on Sunday.

"We will operate daily flights to Beirut tomorrow. Flight 422 will leave Doha at 12:30 local time and arrive at 15:35 Beirut time," Salam al-Shawa said.

Asked if the airline had contacted Israeli authorities before deciding to fly directly to Beirut, Shawa said: "We were in touch with the Lebanese authorities and we received approval from them to fly directly to Beirut".

She added that it would be the first direct flight to Beirut by any airline.

Lebanese and Israeli authorities could not be immediately reached to comment.

Israel has kept an air and sea embargo on Lebanon after its 34-day-old war with Lebanon's Hizbollah ended on Aug. 14. Israel says the blockade was aimed at preventing Hizbollah rearming.

Last month, it allowed Lebanon's Middle East Airlines and Royal Jordanian to fly to Beirut on condition that all flights pass through Amman first for security reasons. All ships and aircraft require Israeli permission to use Lebanese waters and airspace.

Oman Air Postpones Flights to Beirut

MUSCAT, Sept 4 Asia Pulse - Oman Air has postponed indefinitely its plan to resume operations between Muscat in Oman and Beirut in Lebanon, official sources said.

"While we have the approval from the Lebanese civil aviation authorities to operate, the situation, technically and operationally, is not viable to warrant our flight," the sources said.

"We will continue to assess the situation on a daily basis. Once we are assured of safe operating parameters, we will be able to schedule flights in a matter of days," the sources said.

Oman Air had been operating daily flights to Beirut before the eruption of war in Lebanon.

It earlier planned to resume operations to Lebanon's capital on 5 Sept 2006.

Qatar plane flies to Beirut despite Israel blockade

BEIRUT, Sept 4, 2006 (AFP) - A Qatar Airways passenger jet flew to Beirut international airport from Doha Monday despite an ongoing Israeli air and sea blockade of Lebanon.

Flight QR 422 arrived in the Lebanese capital shortly before 1230 GMT with 142 passengers who were greeted by a cheering crowd that gave them roses as they cleared immigration.

One passenger said that many of those on board, including Lebanese, Palestinian and foreign nationals, had flashed victory signs and burst into applause as the Airbus passenger jet landed.

The plane, which was also transporting humanitarian aid, headed back to Doha with 124 passengers on board.

The airline plans to operate the flights daily barring "unexpected events", a company spokesman in Beirut said.

Lebanese Transport Minister Mohammed Safadi encouraged other carriers to follow Qatar Airway's example.

"I urge all airlines, whether Arab or other, to force the Israeli air blockade.

But a spokesman for Israel's foreign ministry, Mark Regev, said Monday's flight would not have been possible without clearance by Israel.

"The entrance into Lebanon of aircraft and ships necessitates coordination with Israel," he said.

On Sunday, a Qatar Airways spokeswoman had said the flight was aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade.

"We have asked for authorisation from the Lebanese authorities and they have given it. Therefore flight QR 422 is going to go to Beirut," the spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr al-Thani slammed the blockade during a joint press conference in Doha with UN chief Kofi Annan Monday and said there was no reason why the flight could not proceed.

"No official blockade of Lebanon has been declared by the United Nations or the international community," Sheikh Hamad said.

"There is only a blockade by the Israelis which is a violation of UN Resolution 1701."

He said resumed service was crucial to helping Lebanese who had been affected by the conflict.

An Israeli diplomatic source told AFP on Monday the Qatar Airways flight had in fact been cleared by the Jewish state.

"This is a flight that was coordinated with Israel a week ago within a framework of the humanitarian corridor," the source said on condition of anonymity. "We find it strange Qatar has made an issue out of this."

In Doha, Annan repeated his call for Israel to lift the embargo.

"The embargo is not sustainable," he said. "It is a particularly destructive act because it's at a time when Lebanon is trying to reconstruct. I think we will need to see the embargo lifted as soon as possible."

Israel imposed an air and sea blockade on Lebanon at the outset of its 34-day conflict with Hezbollah on July 12, aimed at preventing the Shiite militia from receiving arms.

However, aid flights have regularly landed at Beirut international airport after receiving Israeli authorizations.

The only two companies currently able to operate regular commercial flights to Beirut, via Amman, are Lebanon's Middle East Airlines and Royal Jordanian.

Israel has said the blockade would be lifted once a UN brokered truce that went into effect on August 14 has been implemented fully under Resolution 1701.

^^

That's interesting. So did they already fix the runways at BEY or did this plane have to land on the taxiway?

Kuwait Airways asks to resume flights to Beirut: report

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 5, 2006 (AFP) - National carrier Kuwait Airways Corp. (KAC) has asked the Lebanese authorities for permission to resume flights to Beirut, a newspaper quoted the company chairman as saying Tuesday.

"The KAC sent a letter to the Lebanese authorities last week asking to organise its flight schedule to Beirut," KAC chairman Sheikh Talal al-Mubarak al-Sabah was quoted as saying by Al-Rai Al-Aam daily.

"The KAC is awaiting the approval of the Lebanese authorities to resume its flights to Beirut's (Rafiq Hariri) Airport," Sheikh Talal said.

"This would be the first step; the second step would be to ensure the safety of flights," he said, in reference to the Israeli air and sea blockade of Lebanon.

Sheikh Talal was quoted as saying he expected a response from the Lebanese authorities by next week.

Israel imposed an air and sea blockade on Lebanon at the outset of its 34-day conflict with Hezbollah on July 12, aiming to prevent the Shiite militant group from receiving arms.

However, a Qatar Airways plane landed in Beirut Monday in what a company spokesman earlier said was aimed at breaking the blockade. Israeli officials said the flight had been coordinated with the Jewish state.

Unlike its Gulf neighbour Qatar, which has an Israeli commercial office, Kuwait has defied US pressure to initiate contacts with Tel Aviv, with its officials saying it would be the last Arab country to establish ties with Israel.

The only two companies currently authorized to operate commercial flights to Beirut, via Amman, are Lebanon's Middle East Airlines and Royal Jordanian.

^^

That's interesting. So did they already fix the runways at BEY or did this plane have to land on the taxiway?
I would think the runway has been repaired. Otherwise it would be too risky and unsafe for a passenger jet to land on a taxiway or on a bad runway.

British Airline Resumes Beirut Flights
By HUSSEIN DAKROUB
6 September 2006

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - British Mediterranean Airways resumed commercial passenger flights to Beirut on Wednesday, becoming the first Western carrier to break Israel's air blockade of Lebanon.

The British flight, which originated at London's Heathrow Airport, came as Israel announced Wednesday that it will lift its sea and air blockade of Lebanon on Thursday evening. Israel has faced international pressure to end the embargo that was hampering Lebanon's efforts to rebuild following 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.

An Airbus-320 of BMED, as the British Airways PLC franchise partner is known, landed at Beirut airport at 9:30 p.m. carrying some 67 passengers, 27 of whom disembarked while the rest continued to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Company officials said they had not sought Israeli permission to land in Beirut.

"We have taken permission to come to Lebanon only from the British and Lebanese governments. This was in response to the call by (Lebanese) Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri," Naji Mehdi, the company's regional manager, told reporters at Beirut airport shortly after the plane landed.

Lebanese legislators, led by Berri, began an open-ended sit-in at the Parliament building last Saturday to protest the Israeli blockade, which began two days after fighting erupted on July 12.

Berri has urged Arab planes and ships to break the Israeli blockade.

Israel said the blockade was necessary to prevent new arms shipments to Hezbollah. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has been working to get the blockade lifted since a U.N.-brokered cease-fire went into effect on Aug. 14.

Mehdi said BMED considered Beirut a "very important destinations in the Middle East."

"We have a great hope that Lebanon will regain its recovery, prosperity and activity with the utmost speed. This is one of the reasons that prompted us to take this decision," he said.

BMED was forced to suspend its eight flights a week between Heathrow and Beirut airport following Israeli air attacks that closed the airport on July 13.

Despite the air blockade, a Qatar Airways plane landed at Beirut airport on Monday carrying 142 passengers, the first commercial flight from the Gulf country to Lebanon since the war. Though company officials said the plane flew without Israeli permission, Israel said it had agreed to the flight and that more were expected.

Israel has allowed only Lebanese and Jordanian commercial flights to land in Beirut, on condition they stop in Amman before proceeding to the Lebanese capital.

United cleared to offer first U.S. commercial flight to Kuwait
5 September 2006

WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department said Tuesday that United Airlines has received approval to offer the first American flight from the U.S. to Kuwait City, starting in October.

The airline, a unit of UAL Corp., previously announced it will offer nonstop service between Dulles International Airport and Kuwait City, with U.S. flights departing Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Flights will provide combined passenger and cargo service using Boeing 777 aircraft.

The U.S. ambassador to Kuwait signed an agreement with the Middle Eastern country last Wednesday that allows U.S. and Kuwaiti airlines to make commercial decisions with little government intervention. The agreement will allow companies to open new routes, set pricing and control capacity and frequency of flights between the two countries.

"We're pleased to expand our global network and look forward to providing our passenger and cargo customers direct access to the Middle East and one of the world's key economic centers," said spokeswoman Jean Medina of Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based United.

Shares of UAL Corp. rose 37 cents to $25.20 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, down from $40 when the company emerged from bankruptcy in February.

Lufthansa to resume flights from Germany to Lebanon on Saturday
7 September 2006

BERLIN (AP) - Lufthansa AG will resume flights from Germany to the Lebanese capital Beirut on Saturday after Israel lifted its blockade of Lebanon, a spokesman for the airline said.

The first Lufthansa flight will leave Frankfurt for Beirut on Saturday evening, airline spokesman Boris Ogursky said Thursday. Lufthansa will then fly the route five times a week, he said.

Lufthansa last flew the route on July 14. after the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah guerrillas triggered 34 days of fighting in southern Lebanon.

Lufthansa and other German airlines also made special flights on behalf of the German Foreign Ministry to Syria, Jordan and Cyprus to evacuate German citizens fleeing the fighting in Lebanon.

Israeli lifted the air and sea blockade of Lebanon on Thursday.

Airlines resume flights to Lebanon

NICOSIA, Sept 8, 2006 (AFP) - Cyprus Airways and Egyptair said Friday they will resume scheduled flights to Beirut after services were cancelled during the Israeli offensive in Lebanon.

The Cypriot airline was to fly daily from Larnaca to Beirut from Friday, with the first 45-minute hop scheduled to take off at 10:00 pm (1900 GMT), the state-run carrier said in a statement.

"Cyprus Airways is among the first airlines to carry out flights since a ceasefire agreement was achieved in Lebanon," it added.

During Israel's 34-day assault against the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah that began on July 12, Cyprus served as a hub for the evacuation of 60,000 foreign nationals from Lebanon.

The Mediterranean island's airport at Larnaca also offered refuge for the Lebanese Middle East Airline's fleet of aircraft during Israeli attacks on Beirut's airport.

In Egypt, the national carrier Egyptair was also to resume flights to Lebanon on Friday after a 52-day halt due to the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, said airline officials.

"There will be four flights a week until the end of the month, after which there will be daily flights to Beirut," said Safwat Mossalem.

Friday's one-hour flight to Beirut from Cairo is due to take off at 6:15 pm (1515 GMT).

Air France resumes Beirut flights
8 September 2006

NEW YORK (AP) - Air France resumed flights to Lebanon on Friday with a Boeing 777 flying to Beirut -- with French Transport Minister Dominique Perben aboard.

The aircraft took off from Paris with a nearly full load of passengers, the company said.

Air France, a subsidiary of Air France-KLM SA, canceled service in mid-July after Israeli aircraft bombed Beirut International Airport. Bookings resumed Thursday after Israel lifted its air blockade of Lebanon, Air France said.

Perben was to meet with Lebanese authorities to discuss French participation in the reconstruction effort, particularly with regard to temporary bridges and oil cleanup equipment, his ministry said.

Air France has scheduled four flights in the coming week -- three less than before the start of the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah militants.

American Depositary Shares of Air France-KLM were unchanged at $27.48 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Sunday September 24, 7:28 PM
Qatar Airways leases Airbus planes to meet demand

DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar Airways, which plans to more than double its fleet to 110 aircraft by 2015, said on Sunday it had leased six Airbus planes from U.S. -based CIT Group Inc. to meet rising passenger demand.

State-run Qatar Airways, which operates an all-Airbus fleet of 49 planes, leased the single-aisle A320 and A321-200 aircraft for delivery in 2007 and 2008, the carrier said in a statement.

"Qatar Airways is growing at a phenomenal rate and, in order to meet our expansion plans, we have looked carefully at ways to boost our fleet size," Akbar Al Baker, the airline's chief executive, is quoted a saying in the statement.

Qatar Airways flies to 70 destinations, it said.

The statement did not give the value of the deal.

The Middle East is home to some of the world's fastest growing airlines. Passenger traffic in the region rose 6.4 percent in the first seven months of the year, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Kuwait to spend 2.1 bln dlrs to expand airport

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 1, 2006 (AFP) - The oil-rich state of Kuwait is to spend around 2.1 billion dollars on a major expansion project for its international airport, the communications minister said in comments Sunday.

The project, part of the emirate's bid to become a regional financial and trade hub, includes infrastructure work, expanding the airport's two runways and building a new runway, Maassouma al-Mubarak told the daily Al-Qabas.

The ministry has already signed a contract with consultants for the project, said the minister who gave no timeline for its completion.

Constructed about three decades ago, Kuwait's international airport currently handles around four to five million passengers a year. The expansion is expected to double its capacity.

Kuwait, which has posted tens of billions of dollars in oil revenue during the past several years, has been vying to open up its borders to foreign visitors in a bid to revitalise its economy.

The emirate is also planning several multi-billion-dollar giant projects like a railway network, an ultra-modern container harbour and major roads.

The Gulf state has a native population of one million people, in addition to two million foreign residents.

Iran: US to allow repairs to airplanes
4 October 2006

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - The U.S. will allow Iran to repair its aging fleet of airliners in a third country, Iranian state-run radio reported Wednesday.

Air accidents are frequent in Iran, where most passenger planes are 16 years old, on average. Tehran blames the accidents on U.S. sanctions that bar American companies from selling new aircraft to Iran. The country's 13 carriers have tried to upgrade their fleets with European aircraft, but the U.S. has pressured Europe not to sell.

Nearly 30 people died in September when a Russian-made Tuplev-154 caught fire on landing in northeastern Iran.

Western nations have offered to sell Iran new planes and spare parts as part of an incentives package aimed at getting Tehran to roll back its nuclear program. Iran says its nuclear activities are to generate fuel, not weapons, and it refuses to give up the program.

Iranian state-run radio said Wednesday that the United States had agreed to allow Iranian Airbus models to be repaired in a third country, but it did not specify where.

The broadcast also quoted the head of Iran's civil aviation organization, Nourollah Rezai Niaraki, as saying Iranian officials had recently complained to an international aviation group about Washington's sanctions.

"In recent meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organization in Canada, we complained that the U.S. sanctions on Iranian civil aviation are against the law. The ICAO authorities promised to solve the case," Niaraki said.

He added that Iran was ready to work with American manufacturers to repair the planes.

After the news item, the radio aired a commentary criticizing the U.S. sanctions and their effect on Iranian aviation.

"Americans are trying to raise the difference between the Iranian nation and the Iranian government. This sort of activity will not improve the U.S. image in the minds of Iranian people," it said.

The country's main carrier, Iran Air, has seven Tupolevs in its 43-plane fleet. It also has seven Boeings bought before the 1979 Islamic revolution, and 28 European Airbus and Fokker aircraft.

The United States and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since the 1979 hostage standoff at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

Private UAE airline to launch Eritrea-Kenya flights

ASMARA, Nov 29, 2006 (AFP) - A private airline from the United Arab Emirates announced plans Wednesday to begin flights between Eritrea and Kenya, opening a route now unserved due to tight Eritrean currency restrictions.

UAE-based Nasair said it would begin twice-weekly flights from Asmara to Nairobi via Khartoum on December 5, linking Eritrea to its main east African neighbors for the first time in years.

"Initially, we will have two return flights a week," Sultan Saleh, Nasair's manager in Eritrea, told AFP, adding that the number could grow depending on demand.

The flights are seen as an important transport boost for Eritrea, which is isolated and difficult to reach from much of the rest of Africa.

Travellers must currently take a complicated route via Sudan, Egypt, Yemen or Dubai to reach Eritrea, which is now served by just five airlines: Lufthansa, Egyptair, Yemenia, Eritrean Airlines and Saudia Airlines.

In April, Kenya's rapidly expanding national carrier Kenya Airways scrapped its proposed Nairobi-Asmara service, complaining that Eritrea's currency restrictions would negate any profitability.

Nasair is also hoping to begin internal flights in Eritrea with proposed daily service between Asmara and the Red Sea port of Massawa and thrice-weekly flights from the capital to the port of Assab, it said.

"It is big plus for us that they are beginning to start," said Araya Tsegay of the Eritrean Free Zones authority that runs two newly opened tax-free areas in Massawa and Assab. "We have some way to go in terms of transport of cargo."

Saudi gives go-ahead for first private airline

RIYADH, Dec 6, 2006 (AFP) - Saudi authorities have authorised business travel specialist National Air Services (NAS) to launch the kingdom's first private domestic airline, the company said Wednesday.

The company will operate as a low-cost carrier and is the first to be awarded a licence since a 2003 royal decree ended state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines' monopoly on domestic flights.

The new airline, whose name is as yet undecided, will begin operating early next year, a statement said, with five aircraft flying to 22 Saudi destinations from Riyadh. The company hopes for its fleet to reach 18 aircraft by 2010.

Founded by private Saudi investors in 1999, NAS is the biggest private business travel operator in the Middle East, with 33 aircraft, the statement said.

Emirates to increase flights to Bangladesh

DHAKA, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Dubai-based Emirates [EMAIR.UL] airline plans to add three more weekly flights to Dhaka raising the number to 14 from March 2007 as part of its plan to expand business in Bangladesh, an official of the airline said on Saturday.

"From March next, we will operate two Dhaka-Dubai flights daily," Emirates area manager Hanif Zakaria told a news conference. Currently Emirates operate 11 flights to Dhaka every week.

Emirates commenced services to Dhaka, its seventh destination, in October 1986, and was celebrating the 20th year anniversary in Bangladesh.

"We have decided to increase flights to accommodate more passengers to and from Bangladesh," he said, without giving any figure.

Saudi aviation firm to spend two billion dlrs on planes

RIYADH, Dec 12, 2006 (AFP) - Saudi private aviation firm NAS said Tuesday it plans to spend two billion dollars over the next four years on expanding its fleet to launch a low-price domestic service.

The expansion will include the purchase of 75 new aircraft by 2010, raising the overall number to more than 100 planes, National Air Services, a business travel specialist, said in a statement.

The new aircraft -- including Airbus, Gulfstream and Raytheon planes -- will "form the core of NAS's newly licensed low-cost carrier to be launched in early 2007", it said.

The company said the expansion would be financed by Saudi, regional, and international financial and leasing institutions.

NAS announced on December 6 that Saudi authorities had authorized it to launch the kingdom's first private domestic airline, under a 2003 royal decree that ended state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines' monopoly on domestic flights.

The new airline, whose name is as yet undecided, will begin operating early next year, the company said at the time, with five aircraft flying to 22 Saudi destinations from Riyadh.

Founded by private Saudi investors in 1999, NAS says it is the Middle East's biggest private business travel operator, with a current fleet of 33 aircraft.

18th Dec 2006
EMIRATES TO LAUNCH VENICE FLIGHTS NEXT SUMMER

Emirates Airline will launch flights to Venice from 1st July 2007, using an Airbus A330-200


DUBAI, UAE, 18th December 2006 – Dubai-based Emirates Airline today announced it will launch non-stop services to the city of Venice, its third Italian destination after Milan and Rome, from 1st July 2007.

The service, initially five-times-a-week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, will increase two months later to a daily service from 1st September 2007. Emirates will operate an Airbus A330-200 on the route offering 27 Business class seats, and 251 in Economy; plus 13 tonnes of bellyhold space for cargo.

Emirates' Dubai-Venice flight will create a new non-stop connection that is expected to foster a greater flow of tourism and business traffic between one of the Middle East's fastest-developing leisure and business hubs, and the thriving commercial region of Veneto in northern Italy.

HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to expand our services to Italy and are pleased to offer a new direct link between Dubai and Venice.

"Venice is a popular tourism destination and an important gateway in northern Italy for commerce. Our new service will contribute to Italy’s many flourishing small and medium-sized businesses by providing increased access from Venice to other major cities around the globe via Dubai, and vice-versa. Our flights will also provide added capacity for the transportation of goods vital to Italian industries.”

He added: “We look forward to continue providing our Italian customers with excellent travel services, and to working with our industry partners to promote Venice around our global route network.”

Enrico Marchi, S.A.V.E. Venice Airport Chairman said: "Venice has long needed a non-stop connection to the Middle East, a region which is currently served only via European hubs. We are really pleased to welcome Emirates to Venice airport, and we believe the new service will satisfy the existing demand and generate even more traffic into Venice from the Middle and Far East."

Mr. Marchi added: "When new flights connecting Venice to North America were launched, we saw the number of passengers from this new source market increase five-fold, and we expect Emirates' new flight to Dubai to similarly boost traffic, particularly given Dubai's growing status as a transport hub."

Providing convenient connections to travellers flying Emirates from Africa, Asia and Australasia, flight EK135 is scheduled to depart Dubai at 09:45 hours, arriving in Venice at 14:15 hours on the same day. The return flight EK136 will leave Venice at 15:45 hours, arriving in Dubai at 23:35 hours that same evening.

Emirates Airline currently operates daily flights to Rome and Milan with wide-bodied Boeing 777 and Airbus 330-200 aircraft. One of the world’s fastest growing and most successful airlines, Emirates flies a modern fleet of 101 aircraft to 87 cities in 59 countries. In 2006, the airline introduced 11 new cities to its expanding global route network: Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Bangalore, Barcelona (cargo-only), Beijing, Hamburg, Kolkata, Lilongwe (cargo-only), Nagoya, Thiruvananthapuram and Tunis.

IATA sees possible Gulf airport over-capacity -paper

DUBAI, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Gulf states may be building too much airport capacity and airlines could end up paying for facilities they don't need, officials of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) were on Saturday quoted as saying.

"In 2012, the 10 leading airports in the region will have a combined capacity of 320 million passengers," Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's director general, said in remarks published by the daily Gulf News.

"The IATA forecast ... projects 160 million passengers. Even if you captured the entire Asia-to-Europe market, that would only add another 110 million passengers," he said.

"Look at Southeast Asia - Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur have world-class hubs. Two are working to meet growing demand and one is struggling to attract traffic," he said.

"This is with a regional market of 3.5 billion people. The whole Mena (Middle East and North Africa) population is only 380 million. The critical question is: how do we make sure your emerging success story has a happy ending?"

The costs of the extra capacity, built by Gulf states whose economies are booming thanks to high oil prices, may be passed on to airlines that may be unable to carry enough passengers to pay for it.

"We do see revenue growth slowing, and we've got the extra capacity arriving, which is going to mean that it is going to be harder to maintain that profitability," IATA's chief economist, Brian Pearce, was quoted as saying.

While IATA has not recommended curbing expansion plans, it urges that development should be gradual. Gulf states will also need to open up their aviation sectors to draw more carriers.

"To fill the airports of the future, you will need maximum flexibility to develop new markets," Bisignani said. "Liberalisation must be part of that equation. It stimulates traffic and is a catalyst for economic growth."

Huraiz Al Mur, a Dubai civil aviation spokesman, told the newspaper that overcapacity was hardly a problem in the bustling emirate.

"Currently we are running out of capacity. We have seen double digit growth for past few years. We are always .... saturated and have capacity problems," Mur said.

Oman Air boosts capital, plans to acquire planes

MUSCAT, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Oman Aviation Services Co. , which operates Oman Air, approved a measure on Wednesday to nearly quadruple its capital to 50 million rials ($129.9 million) to expand operations and acquire new planes.

Oman Air CEO Ziad Karim al-Haremi said the airline will name a consultant to draw up a strategic plan for the airline that will include fleet expansion.

"The additional funds will be used for expanding our operation," Haremi told reporters. "The government wants the airline to be a vehicle to bring in more tourists."

"The ideal plane for our operation is an aircraft with 230-240 seats," he said, without elaborating.

Haremi was speaking after a shareholders' meeting ratified the capital increase from 13.28 million rials through a placement by the Gulf Arab state's government.

Some 36.72 million shares were being placed in favour of the government at a price of 1.546 rial each, increasing the state's stake in the airline to 81 percent from 34 percent, Haremi said.

"This will bring in an additional 56.77 million rials," he added.

Oman's national carrier has said it is planning to operate long-haul routes, necessitating the purchase of wide-bodied aircraft, to expand in a region which is home to some of the world's fastest growing airlines, such as Emirates [EMIR.UL] and Qatar Airways.

Oman Air, which flies to destinations in the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent, is planning to add flights to India's Lucknow and Jaipur this year.

"Our earlier plan to fly to Tehran and Damascus has been put on hold for the time being," Haremi said.

Oman Air's fleet consists of six Boeing Co. 737s and four ATR 42-500s.

Etihad Air sees profit by 2011 on Mideast demand

ABU DHABI, March 19 (Reuters) - United Arab Emirates-based Etihad Airways, which started operations in 2003, said on Sunday it expects to be profitable in four years amid a surge in air traffic demand in the Middle East.

"The next three years is consolidation and we are targeting 2010 to break even," Etihad Chief Executive James Hogan told reporters on the sidelines of an aviation conference in Abu Dhabi.

Middle East demand for air passenger services surged 18.1 percent in terms of passenger-kilometres last year, the fastest of any region in the world, according to the International Air Transport Association, which represents 250 airlines.

"In the Middle East we have seen double-digit growth and this will continue in 2007," Hogan told participants at the conference, without being more specific.

IATA sees possible Gulf airport over-capacity -paper

DUBAI, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Gulf states may be building too much airport capacity and airlines could end up paying for facilities they don't need, officials of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) were on Saturday quoted as saying.

"In 2012, the 10 leading airports in the region will have a combined capacity of 320 million passengers," Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's director general, said in remarks published by the daily Gulf News.

"The IATA forecast ... projects 160 million passengers. Even if you captured the entire Asia-to-Europe market, that would only add another 110 million passengers," he said.

"Look at Southeast Asia - Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur have world-class hubs. Two are working to meet growing demand and one is struggling to attract traffic," he said.

"This is with a regional market of 3.5 billion people. The whole Mena (Middle East and North Africa) population is only 380 million. The critical question is: how do we make sure your emerging success story has a happy ending?"

The costs of the extra capacity, built by Gulf states whose economies are booming thanks to high oil prices, may be passed on to airlines that may be unable to carry enough passengers to pay for it.

"We do see revenue growth slowing, and we've got the extra capacity arriving, which is going to mean that it is going to be harder to maintain that profitability," IATA's chief economist, Brian Pearce, was quoted as saying.

While IATA has not recommended curbing expansion plans, it urges that development should be gradual. Gulf states will also need to open up their aviation sectors to draw more carriers.

"To fill the airports of the future, you will need maximum flexibility to develop new markets," Bisignani said. "Liberalisation must be part of that equation. It stimulates traffic and is a catalyst for economic growth."

Huraiz Al Mur, a Dubai civil aviation spokesman, told the newspaper that overcapacity was hardly a problem in the bustling emirate.

"Currently we are running out of capacity. We have seen double digit growth for past few years. We are always .... saturated and have capacity problems," Mur said.


So what's really going on here? Emirates says it's not enough and IATA says it's too much capacity. Although I do love seen the growth of airlines and real estate in the region, it's hard for me to see how they can fill all of this with people.

Emirates says mulling low cost airline

DUBAI, April 26 (Reuters) - Emirates [EMAIR.UL], the largest Arab airline, is "thinking a bit" about starting a budget airline in the coming few years, the state-owned firm's vice chairman said on Tuesday.

"We are thinking a bit about it," said Maurice Flanagan. "It's something for the next few years. The (Airbus ) A380 could be a very good aircraft for that," he said without elaboration.

Emirates is a the biggest client for the A380 with 43 aircraft on order. The airline said earlier on Thursday it was in talks for more A380s.

Dubai could gain from EU aviation carbon-trading plan: US official

DUBAI, April 26, 2007 (AFP) - Dubai's position as a global aviation hub could be enhanced if the European Union introduces a carbon-trading scheme for aircraft, the head of the US civil aviation regulator said on Thursday.

Marion Blakey, admininistrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, said more aircraft could begin using the airport as a hub to avoid the extra cost of the scheme.

"Dubai might benefit from the (carbon-trading) policy ... Air traffic could be diverted to it," she told reporters after meeting aviation officials in Dubai, a member of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Dubai has the busiest airport in the Middle East, handling almost 29 million passengers last year.

The European Commission has proposed including airlines in an emissions trading system, which currently only applies to power generators and energy-intensive industries.

The plan would see airlines landing and taking off in the EU participate in the scheme.

The emissions trading system puts a limit on the amount of carbon dioxide that energy-intensive companies can emit.

If a company overshoots its target, it must buy permits from companies that have undershot their pollution targets.

Dubai airport forecasts that it will handle 33 million passengers this year, rising to 70 million by 2008 through terminal expansion projects.

The facility handled a total of 237,258 flights in 2006, according to its website. It is connected to more than 194 destinations through a network of 113 international airlines.

Another Dubai airport, which aims to be the world's largest and to handle 120 million passengers a year, is now under construction.

Hi hkskyline,

Thank you very much for all your cool posts. They are very informative :)

DUBAI, U.A.E., 17th May 2007 – Emirates’ passengers looking forward to the Dubai Summer Surprises packages will be delighted to know that weeks of fun and excitement can be theirs from as little as US$50.

Valid from 21st June until 31st August 2007, the packages must be booked for a minimum of three nights and offer customers a choice of 14 city and beach hotels in various price-brackets. Prices include all accommodation-related taxes and service charges and are available to all Emirates’ passengers regardless of class of travel.

As part of the packages, customers are treated to a personalised meet-and-assist service on arrival at Dubai International Airport. They also receive an Arabian Adventures Welcome Pack including a special discount voucher booklet for Wafi City, one of Dubai’s premier malls. First and Business Class passengers receive chauffeur-driven transfers between Dubai International Airport and the hotel.

Customers will be pleased to know that they also receive an additional 10 kg free baggage allowance on return/onward flights from Dubai to accommodate all the great DSS bargain shopping they do.

For the uninitiated, Dubai Summer Surprises is the summer counterpart of the popular Dubai Shopping Festival. For ten weeks, malls take on a carnival-like atmosphere with some of them adopting special themes. This year, each DSS event will last the whole ten weeks, unlike in the past where one week was dedicated to one event. The festival has a family emphasis focusing on both fun and education.

Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirates’ Executive Vice President Commercial Operations Worldwide, said: “DSS is a rich mix of entertainment, learning for the children and great shopping for their parents. It is not surprising that visitor numbers are growing as word about the festival spreads far and wide.

“Emirates has put together some irresistible packages as part of our worldwide drive to promote Dubai and the DSS. We invite our customers to be part of the fun and entertainment by availing these great deals. We have been sponsoring the event since its inception in 1998, re-enforcing our commitment to Dubai’s trade and tourism initiatives.”

Visitor figures show DSS is growing in popularity year on year. Statistics of DSS 2006 show a huge increase in the number of regional and global visitors over the previous year. Shopping promotions have proved to be a major attraction every year with most malls offering the chance to win attractive prizes.

Emirates flies to 89 destinations in more than 59 countries and is promoting the event worldwide with a full-scale PR and advertising campaign.

Iran to shift international flights to new airport

TEHRAN, April 26, 2007 (AFP) - Iran is seeking to move all Tehran's international flights from the end of next month to a new and still under-used airport outside the city, the Fars news agency reported on Thursday.

Transport Minister Mohammad Rahmati said owing to an increase in domestic traffic, international flights would switch from the central Mehrabad airport to Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA), some 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of the city.

"Since the number of domestic flights from Mehrabad airport has increased and it has a limited capacity, all international flights will be moved by the end of May 22," Rahmati was quoted as saying.

"We are seriously pursuing this plan and many of the international flights have already moved to the IKIA," he added.

However Western airlines in Tehran said that they had not been informed of the decision and emphasised it would be almost impossible to shift their operations in such a short time.

"We are not aware of such a decision," said a representative of Italy's Alitalia, who asked not to be named. A British Airways official said: "We have not heard such a thing from the authorities."

IKIA, named after Iran's revolutionary leader, has had a turbulent history since its opening in 2004 as the Islamic republic's showpiece airport and a hub intended to rival Dubai.

When it first opened in May that year, Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards moved in to shut it down over their objections to the involvement of a Turkish-led consortium in the project.

The Guards said the consortium had business dealings with Iran's arch enemy Israel, making it a danger to national security.

Even when the first flight touched down in May 2005, Britain and Canada told their citizens to use flights from Mehrabad amid concerns about runway safety at IKIA.

Currently all major European airlines operting in Iran such as British Airways, Lufthansa and Air France use Mehrabad airport. Iran has no direct airline links to North America and IKIA is currently only used by carriers to the Middle East and Asia.

Dubai-based Emirates is among the few foreign carriers to use the new airport and even at busy times it appears spookily empty with the spaces intended for dozens of duty-free shops and cafes still unused.

Jordan's national carrier signs a deal to buy and lease 12 Boeing aircraft
20 May 2007

SOUTHERN SHUNEH, Jordan (AP) - Jordan's national carrier signed a deal with Boeing to buy or lease 12 aircraft to modernize its fleet, the airline's director-general said Sunday.

Royal Jordanian airways has bought four Boeing 787s and will lease another eight, said General Manager Same Majali.

The $1.5-billion deal was signed on the sidelines of the three-day World Economic Forum being held in southern Jordan.

The deal marked the first time Royal Jordanian has bought planes from the Chicago-based Boeing corporation, Majali said. Royal Jordanian's fleet is mostly comprised of Airbus jets.

The Boeing deal will bring to 30 the number of planes flown by the Jordanian airline.

Qatar Airways to increase Muscat flights
Published: Monday, 19 March, 2007, 08:22 AM Doha Time

QATAR Airways will increase services to Muscat with two daily flights from March 25. The airline currently operates 11 weekly flights to Oman’s capital with Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft in a two-class configuration of first and economy.
“With the economies in the GCC rapidly expanding, convenient travel options are becoming vital for many of the region’s business travellers,” Ali Abdul Khaliq, Qatar Airways’ regional manager (Arabian Peninsula), said in Muscat yesterday.
“The volume of traffic between Qatar and Oman continues to grow. We anticipate that the increased frequency of flights will provide more convenience for passengers and further facilitate closer ties between the two countries. Doha is also growing in prominence as a regional hub, feeding passenger traffic from Europe, Africa and the Middle East, through the Gulf states and beyond,” he said.
Khaliq said the increase in the number of flights between Doha and Muscat would give more passengers the opportunity to use Qatar Airways’ new Premium Terminal at Doha International Airport. The terminal is for exclusive use of Qatar Airways’ first and business class passengers departing from Doha or transiting through the city.
Muscat is one of over a dozen existing Qatar Airways destinations that will see an increase in frequency in flights, the airline said in Doha yesterday.
From this summer, the airline will also introduce several new routes to its growing network including Bali, Chennai, Geneva, Ho Chi Minh City, New York, Stockholm and Washington DC, taking its destination tally to 79 cities worldwide.

Qatar Airways set for NY and Washington
by Safura Rahimi on Wednesday, 02 May 2007

Qatar Airways is set to fly to Washington DC and New York, in a move that will expand its international network with first-time services to the US, it was announced on Wednesday.

The company will fly to the US capital starting July 19 and will add four-times-weekly flights to New York - via Geneva - beginning June 28, as part of the seven cities being added to the airline's summer expansion programme.

"Qatar Airways is preparing for its biggest route launches of the year with both New York and Washington DC coming online this summer," Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, said at the Arabian Travel Market event in Dubai.

We are extremely excited to widen our reach to the United States and offer the travelling public a long-awaited service between the Middle East and US east coast," he added.

Commenting on the six month delay of the airline's US launches - the launch was first expected in January - Mr. Al Baker claimed that the airline was ready but that US regulations pushed back the launch date.

"I don't want to blame the US," he said. "They went into an experience [9/11] that I hope no one else in the world goes through, [and] they have to be more careful about all regulatory policies being completed."

"It's fair to say we would have liked the process to be more efficient," he added.

Qatar Airways joins UAE carriers Emirates and Etihad Airways in offering services from the Middle East to the US, a move that will offer connections to and from the GCC markets.

Mr. Al Baker also announced that the airline is stepping up its frequency on the Doha-Dubai route with an additional daily flight, saying, "[we] recognises the importance of key neighbouring markets like the UAE to feed traffic onto its network."

The move means a total of eight daily flights and 56 weekly flights between the two cities.

Qatar Airways currently flies to 75 worldwide destinations from its hub in Doha, including Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Chennai, Bali and Ho Chi Minh City.

The airline's fleet is set to more than double in size to 110 aircraft by 2015 as it plans to buy 80 Airbus A350s and 22 Boeing 777s, with deliveries beginning this November.

Qatar Airways to fly to South America in 2008
Published: Sunday, 13 May, 2007, 09:04 AM Doha Time

Business Reporter
Qatar Airways will fly to South America next year, the airline’s chief executive officer, Akbar al-Baker, has said.
However, al-Baker did not disclose the first South American destination the national carrier will add to its network.
“We will certainly begin our operations to South America in 2008,” he said on the sidelines of a meeting organised by the UK-based Guild of Travel Management Companies at the Four Seasons yesterday.
Al-Baker said Australia was another destination Qatar Airways was looking at in the short to medium-term.
“We are waiting to receive enough planes that give us the capability to fly long range. We set our priorities based on that. We hope to go to Australia but we do not know when,” he said.
Al-Baker said Qatar Airways New York service would become daily by 2008-end. The airline begins operations to the Liberty International Airport at Newark near New York on June 26 with four flights a week through Geneva.
Currently only four flights a week could be operated to Newark through Geneva because the Swiss authorities had given Qatar Airways only “staggered incremental traffic rights”.
“The Swiss authorities have given us the staggered incremental traffic rights to protect their national carrier’s interests. Nevertheless, we hope to add one more service this winter and the sixth weekly service to Newark by mid-2008. By next year end we will be flying to Newark daily,” al-Baker said.
Washington DC will be the second destination for Qatar Airways in the US. Daily non-stop flights to Washington DC will be flagged off on July 19.
Qatar Airways currently flies to some 75 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Far East and the subcontinent.

Emirates, one of the fastest-growing global airlines will introduce its third daily flight to the South African city every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. The additional frequencies will be operated by a two-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft offering 42 Business and 385 Economy Class seats together with industry-leading comforts such as mood lighting to minimise jet lag, and ice – the Emirates’ pioneered Information, Communication and Entertainment system offering 600 channels of entertainment.

Nasser bin Kherbash, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Africa said: “There is a strong and growing demand for convenient air travel connections between South Africa and cities in the Middle East. Emirates is delighted to be launching four additional services and stepping up its Johannesburg presence to 18 weekly flights, enabling us to better service our customers’ travel needs.”

The extra flights will introduce over 1700 seats and 66-plus tonnes of cargo capacity per week per direction, benefiting traders and businessmen in the UAE and South Africa; both primary trading and distribution hubs for their respective regions.”

“The UAE offers immense potential not only as a regional hub of trade and commerce but also as the biggest re-export centre in the Middle East. An ideal staging post for business ventures, the UAE and in particular Dubai stands connected to bigger markets beyond with Emirates’ 158 weekly flights to 12 key Middle Eastern gateways.”

South African exports to the UAE, its 22nd largest export destination, comprise gold, metals, steel, minerals and foodstuff, and have been growing annually at 40 percent to touch Dhs 2.04 billion (Rand 3.98 billion) in 2006.

In the reverse direction, the UAE’s exports to South Africa, comprising machinery, transportation equipment, electronic and home appliances have grown at nearly 50 percent per year.

Emirates’ services will also help to boost the promising growth in tourism between the two countries. “South Africa, one of the top holiday destinations for UAE’s leisure travellers, offers outstandingly beautiful scenery, spectacular wildlife parks with big game opportunities, top-of-the-line holiday resorts such as the Lost City and Sun City, and very good shopping – attributes that appeal to UAE-based travellers,” added Orhan Abbas, Emirates’ Regional Manager Southern Africa.

Likewise, Dubai has become a major attraction for South Africans visiting the emirate. In 2006 over 81,000 South African visitors stayed at Dubai’s hotels, bearing testimony to this trend.

Emirates’ increasing services will also positively impact and support the reciprocal skills enhancement programme which involves South African graduates travelling to the UAE to gain hands-on work experience in its booming business environment, and the UAE sending its nationals to South Africa on a reciprocal exchange programme.

Emirates flight EK 765 bound for Johannesburg will take off from Dubai at 14:40 hours every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, arriving at its destination at 20:50 hours. Return flight EK 766 will depart OR Thambo International Airport at 22:30 hours, arriving in Dubai at 08:30 hours next morning, in time to begin business.

UAE and South Africa:
The UAE was the first GCC country to establish its embassy in Pretoria in 1995.
Emirates commenced services to Johannesburg, South Africa in June 1995.
Almost 100 South African companies are present in the UAE.

^^

Damn, do that many people fly between South Africa and the UAE? It looks like something is going on halfway around the world that most of us in here in...well Texas aren't aware about.

Emirates in multi-million dollar interior refit

Excerpt:
...The refurbishment will see Emirates introduce new versions of its private suites in first class, lie-flat massage seats in business class, and extra legroom for passengers in economy...
Link
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14396

^^

Damn, do that many people fly between South Africa and the UAE? It looks like something is going on halfway around the world that most of us in here in...well Texas aren't aware about.

There are thousands and thousands of South Africans living in Dubai alone, plus you have to consider that Emirates uses DXB as a transit hub so the majority of the passangers passing through it are actually just transitting.

Same story with the recent introduced flight to Venice in Italy. The traffic between the residents of the two cities would never justify that route, but considering the connections of Emirates to Asia, especially Far East, things start making more sense. ;)

No one got any news about Jazeera Airways ordering 30 or so aircraft ?

No one got any news about Jazeera Airways ordering 30 or so aircraft ?

Jazeera Airways orders 30 Airbus A320 aircraft
18/6/2007
http://i8.tinypic.com/63akk1j.gif

Kuwait and Dubai based Jazeera Airways, the first private airline in the Middle East has signed a firm contract for the purchase of 30 Airbus A320 aircraft. The agreement quadruples the number of aircraft Jazeera Airways have ordered from Airbus from 10 to 40 A320s. The agreement was signed at a ceremony at the 47th International Paris Air show at Le Bourget between Jazeera Airways’ Chairman and CEO Marwan Boodai, and Airbus President and CEO Louis Gallois with the presence of John Leahy Chief Operating Officer, Customers.

“We have very ambitious growth plans at Jazeera Airways and Airbus has been a good partner for us all the way. We started operating in October 2005 with our first A320 aircraft and now we operate five. The A320 is proving to be an exceptional aircraft for us and for our growth plans,” said Marwan Boodai, Chairman and CEO, Jazeera Airways.

Jazeera Airways, a Kuwait Public Shareholding Company established in 2004, placed its first order for 10 Airbus A320 aircraft shortly after it completed its IPO in June 2004.

“Jazeera Airways have grown successfully in a short period of time and we are delighted that they chose our aircraft to help them achieve this level of success. I congratulate Jazeera Airways for their achievements and thank them for the confidence they are continuing to show in our A320 Family of aircraft”, said Mr. Leahy.

Advanced fuel-saving aerodynamic design, including wingtip fences and an all new lighter cabin help reduce fuel burn further, make the A320 Family the most environmentally friendly single aisle aircraft in operation. Centralised maintenance with extended servicing intervals and proven reliability in day-to-day service help to give it the lowest operative costs.

The A320 Family, which also includes A318, the A319 and the A321, is recognised as the benchmark in the single-aisle aircraft market. So far over 5,070 A320 Family aircraft have been ordered, making the aircraft the fastest selling commercial jetliner ever.

Source (http://www.skycontrol.net/business-general-aviation/jazeera-airways-orders-30-airbus-a320-aircraft/)

^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^
Thanks, Skoulikimou

A Flight Plan for the Long Haul

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/07/06/business/06emirates.600.jpg
Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, left, the chairman of Emirates, and Louis Gallois, the president of Airbus. The airline is the largest buyer of the A380 superjumbo jet, with 55 on order.

By LESLIE WAYNE
Published: July 6, 2007

PARIS —The chairman of Emirates airline —Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum of the ruling family of Dubai — has grand ambitions and a bankroll to match.

He has a huge pot of money to spend: $82 billion from his government, the airline and other financiers. He loves large planes, and he has ordered 55 superjumbo A380s, to create the biggest fleet of these double-decker planes in the world. And he wants to make Dubai, a sheikdom by the sea, the busiest airline hub in the world, overtaking London, New York and Singapore.

It would be easy to dismiss such spending as a rich man’s folly, but Sheik Ahmed, so far, has delivered on his word.

He built Emirates from a two-plane operation, starting with $10 million in 1985, into the world’s eighth-largest international carrier, with 105 planes, all wide-bodies. Emirates is the world’s fastest-growing airline — it will take delivery of one new Boeing or Airbus plane a month for the next five years — and is one of the few to be consistently profitable, with ambitions to become larger still.

“We’ve never seen anything like it before,” said Robert Cullemore, a consultant at Aviation Economics, an advisory firm in London. “We’ve never seen growth at this rate.”

Of course, success for Sheik Ahmed is not just a matter of buying airplanes. He must compete with well-established carriers plying many of the same routes as Emirates, attract enough passengers to fill his vast fleet profitably and hope that the economies of the Middle East, including Dubai, and the emerging markets in Asia and the Indian subcontinent continue to grow at their fast pace.

But at the recent Paris air show, Sheik Ahmed seemed unfazed by those concerns. He met with the Airbus chief executive, Louis Gallois, and added eight more A380s, with a list price of $2.6 billion, to his fleet. He held a news conference to publicize Dubai’s plan to spend $82 billion on aviation, including building a new $33 billion Dubai World Central International Airport that will have six runways and, at twice the size of Hong Kong island, will become the world’s largest airport complex.

“What we are witnessing today,” Sheik Ahmed said at the time, “is the rewriting of the world’s aviation history and the beginning of a new era of global aviation.”

Being oil rich helps. Emirates airline, said Howard A. Rubel, an aerospace analyst at Jefferies & Company, “has got cash, clout and cachet.”

“What’s surprising is the rapid emergence of the Emirates as a player,” Mr. Rubel said. “The economies of the Middle East are the fastest growing in the world. So what do they do? They buy planes. But five years ago it was like, ‘Who are these guys?’ ”

Aviation has helped transform Dubai, a desert trading post with hardly a paved road just 50 years ago, from being fly-over country to a place where people are flying in — some 25.6 million passengers landed there last year.

The plan for modern Dubai was created by Sheik Ahmed’s late older brother and is now overseen by the current ruler, Sheik Ahmed’s nephew, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.

Oil revenues have been declining as a percentage of Dubai’s economy as the emirate prepares for the day that its reserves dwindle. Oil represents only 5 percent of Dubai’s economy, which increasingly relies on revenue from superluxurious hotels, a growing financial center and serving as the regional headquarters for global brands.

For instance, Halliburton, the oil services company, is moving its headquarters from Houston to Dubai, and companies like Universal Studios, Nickelodeon, Microsoft and Cisco are also setting up offices. This prompted Emirates to offer flights from Dubai to Houston; it already has daily flights from New York.

Dubai is on a $365 billion building spree — and development means more flights. Construction includes the Burj Dubai, which will be the world’s tallest building, and the Mall of Arabia, the world’s largest shopping mall at twice the size of the Mall of America. Dubai has one of the biggest indoor ski slopes, in a 25-story building in the desert.

Also under construction is Dubailand — a leisure park larger than Monaco — and the Dubai Waterfront, a complex of condos and stores that will be the size of Barbados.

In an interview at the Bristol Hotel here, Sheik Ahmed, 49, said the airline’s growth matched the frenzied development in the 1,500-square-mile emirate.

“When we started talking about expanding our airline,” he said, “people thought we were bluffing or that it would take 20 to 30 years.”

“But we’ve proven them wrong,” he added, while puffing on an ever-present cigarette.

Emirates accounts for about a third of all of Airbus’s orders for the A380. The next closest is Qantas, with 20. This fall, Emirates will order 100 midsize planes, either the Boeing 787 Dreamliner or the Airbus 350 XWB, in one of aviation’s most closely watched contests. It also has 47 Boeing 777 long-haul jets.

For 19 of the airline’s 20 years, it has been profitable, according to the airline as well as industry analysts. Although government owned, it receives no state subsidies, according to Sheik Ahmed.

The airline’s profitability is aided by the fact that there are no taxes in Dubai and that the airline has a low cost structure and is not saddled with pension costs, the burden of short-haul routes or the debt structure of older carriers in the United States and Europe.

It also operates out of an airport that is open 24 hours a day. For several years now, Emirates’ financial results have been independently audited. The airline earned $844 million on revenue of $8.1 billion for the fiscal year ended in March.

Moreover, since the ruling family is also the government, there is a minimum of red tape, and decisions can be carried out quickly. Sheik Ahmed noted that if there were not enough customs agents to process passengers, he could just get more.

The airline also benefits from an enviable location. It bases its strategy on the ability of its planes to reach any point in the world nonstop from Dubai, and it can connect any two cities with just one stop in the Middle East. Its hub is the biggest in the region.

“Sheik Ahmed is making a huge bet, and we’ll see how it works out,” said Edmund S. Greenslet, publisher of The Airline Monitor, a trade publication. “We won’t know for another decade. His concept is to make Dubai the hub for travel between Asia and the West. But new planes are being designed to go from city to city nonstop and to make that paradigm obsolete. He’s making a huge bet on a system that may not be as valid in the future as in the past.”

Mr. Cullemore of Aviation Economics disagrees, saying Emirates’ strategy is likely to pay off because there will be a need for another big hub to connect traffic between cities in Europe, Asia and Africa.

“Look at the geography,” Mr. Cullemore said. “It’s easy to have a knee-jerk reaction and be critical. But you’ve got capital cities in Africa and other cities in Europe that want to be connected to China, Southeast Asia and Japan.”

The Emirates is a prime customer for both Boeing and Airbus, not only for the size of its orders but also because it buys high-margin interiors that please passengers and are extremely profitable for aircraft makers. Its first-class seats feature flat beds with built-in massage and personal mini-bars. Its in-flight entertainment includes 600 channels, e-mail connections and seat-to-seat telephones for in-flight chats.

“One of the issues becoming obvious in the aviation industry is that it is not about the United States anymore,” said Jon B. Kutler, head of Admiralty Partners, an aerospace private equity firm in Los Angeles. “It’s an extraordinary shift in power. Airlines like the Emirates are pushing for the latest and greatest. They are making an obvious distinction with American carriers that are nickle-and-diming the passengers.”

When asked whether Emirates can deliver on its promises, Mr. Kutler said: “Sheik Ahmed has executed well to date. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. ”

Sheik Ahmed, who was born in a traditional Arab fort and was educated in England and the United States, takes a long view of aviation, believing that the market will grow.

“We are thinking always in a positive way,” he said. “We believe in the future. You talk to someone six to seven years back, and they said that if fuel reached $60 to $70 a barrel, no one would be flying.

“But now we are seeing prices at up to $75 and $77 a barrel, and we don’t see any kind of a decline in passengers who are flying,” he said. “The demand is there and will continue to be there.”

Sheik Ahmed said that he bet heavily on the A380 because as airports become more congested and landing slots are harder to come by, bigger planes like the A380 will allow long-haul carriers to keep up with demand by carrying more passengers on fewer planes.

[Dubai’s ruling family further cemented its ties to Airbus with the announcement Thursday that it was investing $836 million to take a 3.12 percent stake in EADS, the parent of Airbus.]

He is also keenly aware that Emirates has helped keep the A380 program viable.

“If it weren’t for Emirates,” Sheik Ahmed said, “they would have a serious problem with that aircraft.”

DUBAI: The US aircraft manufacturer Boeing announced on Monday that Qatar Airways, which operates an all-Airbus fleet, has placed an order for its new long-haul 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

“I can confirm that Qatar Airways is a customer of the 787 Dreamliner,” Sami Lahoud, Boeing’s Communications Director for the Middle East and Africa, said. But he refrained from disclosing the details of the deal, saying “I cannot comment on their order.”

Sources in the aviation industry said that the order amounts to 30 jets. They referred to an order of the same number which is listed on Boeing’s website for an unidentified customer, and dated April 5.

Qatar Airways, a fast growing Middle East carrier, had announced at the Paris Air Show in June an order for three Airbus A380 superjumbo airliners and confirmed an order for 80 mid-sized A350 aircraft. On Sunday, Boeing unveiled its new passenger jet, the 787 Dreamliner, which boasts a series of fuel-efficient design features that have sparked huge demand.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=63797

Parliament postpones decision on Kuwait Airways sale

KUWAIT, July 11 (Reuters) - Kuwait's parliament on Wednesday blocked plans by the government to quickly sell an 80 percent stake in loss-making national carrier Kuwait Airways (KAC) [KA.UL].

Deputies decided to postpone a decision on the government's plans to privatise the state firm until after the summer break, saying they needed time to study the issue.

Finance Minister Badr al-Humaidhi said parliament's decision would delay KAC's plans to modernise its ageing fleet.

"Of course there is no doubt that parliament's decision will delay operations to modernise the firm's fleet. We hope that the law will be approved after the summer break," he told reporters, adding that he had hoped for approval on Wednesday.

The government said on Tuesday it wanted to sell 40 percent of KAC in an initial public offering and another 40 percent in an auction for firms listed on the Kuwaiti stock market. The Gulf Arab state wants to keep a 20 percent stake in the carrier.

KAC management has been keen to privatise the company to make it more competitive but many parliamentarians have rejected such as moves, saying this would endanger jobs for Kuwaitis.

KAC, which has been posting losses for years, last month placed an order with local firm Aviation Lease and Finance Co. (ALAFCO) to supply it with 19 Airbus and Boeing planes. The deal is still pending cabinet approval.

Boeing eyes Mideast sales of 150 jets in 2007

DUBAI, Nov 10, 2007 (AFP) - US giant Boeing said Saturday it was hoping to bag orders for up to 150 new aircraft from the Middle East region by the end of 2007.

"We will try to finish the year with 150 (aircraft) orders from the region," Boeing's Middle East chief of commercial airplane sales Lee Monson told reporters here on the eve of the Dubai Air Show.

Monson refrained from disclosing details of orders or clients saying that the five-day exhibition -- the world's third largest air show -- will see major announcements.

He said an announcement for one big order for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will take place during the week, without giving further details.

Only a single order for 22 aircraft placed by Kuwait's leasing company ALAFCO appears on Boeing's order book from the region for 2007.

Boeing and its European arch rival Airbus are set to go head-to-head in a bruising battle to win new business at the Dubai Air Show, setting their sights on the booming Gulf airline sector.

Dubai-based Emirates could announce plans to buy 100 long-haul carriers, choosing between Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and Airbus's A350 XWB.

Saudi carrier to buy Airbus A320s

RIYADH, Nov 11, 2007 (AFP) - State-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines has decided to buy an unspecified number of Airbus A320s as part of a plan to modernise its fleet, the official SPA news agency reported on Sunday.

The announcement came on a day when Airbus walked away with the lion's share of deals announced at the opening of the Dubai air show in the neighbouring United Arab Emirate.

The decision to purchase A320s was taken during a meeting of the Saudi company's board chaired by the country's Crown Prince and Defence Minister Sultan bin Abdul Aziz.

The meeting approved a plan to upgrade the airline's fleet, starting with the purchase of a number of A320s from European manufacturer Airbus and the leasing of more of the short-haul planes, SPA said.

The report did not say how many A320s Saudi Arabian Airlines planned to buy to modernise its fleet, which currently has 137 aircraft.

It said the carrier would continue to work on the second phase of the plan under which it will buy long-haul planes.

Saudi Arabian Airlines was established in 1945. A royal decree ended its decades-long monopoly on domestic flights in 2003 as part of a gradual privatisation of the air transport sector in the oil-rich kingdom.

At the air show on Sunday, Airbus overshadowed US rival Boeing, winning an order from Dubai-owned Emirates topping 20 billion dollars for 70 midsized A350 XWB (Extra Wide Body) aircraft and 11 A380 superjumbos.

Airbus also announced a two-billion-dollar order from Saudi business carrier NAS for 20 A320s, as well as an option to buy 18 more.

^^

I was hoping to see 737-800's to replace the MD-90's but if I'm not mistaken, don't A320's and MD-90's share the same engines? I want to fly on a Saudi Arabian MD-90 before the leave the fleet.

Yemenia, Oman Air sign firm orders with Airbus for new aircraft
13 November 2007

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Airbus on Tuesday said it received orders for 15 new aircraft from two national Arab airliners and a smaller order from a private Emriates-based company.

Yemenia, the official carrier for Yemen, signed a firm contract for ten Airbus A350 as part of the airline's plans to modernize its long haul fleet, Airbus said in a statement.

Oman Air also signed a firm contract with Airbus for five new A330 planes -- three A330-300s and two A330-200s, Airbus said.

The deals were announced at the Dubai International Airshow, and Airbus did not provide the prices for the orders.

Al Jaber Aviation -- an Emirates-based private high-end airline company -- also placed a firm order for two Airbus A318 Elites and signed a letter of intent for two superjumbo A380s, said Airbus, which owned by owned by European Aeronautic Defense & Space Company.

Pakistan's Air Blue, meanwhile, said it signed a firm order for eight Airbus A320 aircraft in at deal with US$520 million at catalog prices, Dow Jones Newswires reported.

"We're looking at expanding our destinations to Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Bangkok, Malaysia and Singapore over the next three years," Shahid Abbasi, Air Blue's chief operating officer, said at the signing ceremony at the Dubai airshow.

Dubai Aerospace Enterprise also said Tuesday it acquired eight Airbus aircraft from Emirates Airline for US$500 million (euro342.96 million) to start its aircraft leasing business, Dow Jones reported.

DAE Capital bought eight Airbus A330-200s in a "split purchase and leaseback deal," the company said in a statement.

The Dubai Airshow, the third-largest event of its kind, is closely watched as a measure of the state of Gulf air carriers, who are taking advantage of shifting travel routes to substantially expand their fleets, and ambition to turn the region into a major international hub.

Gulf Air in talks with Boeing, Airbus on fleet renewal

DUBAI, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Bahrain-based Gulf Air is in talks with U.S. planemaker Boeing Co and European rival Airbus to renew its entire fleet of the 35 aircraft, the airline's chairman said on Tuesday.

Gulf Air will choose between the manufacturers in a "few weeks", Mahmoud al-Kooheji told reporters.

The airline is looking to sell shares to the public as early as next year and could consider selling a stake to other airlines or investors, Bjorn Naf, the airline's acting president said.

More info :

Gulf Air to renew entire fleet

DUBAI, Nov 13, 2007 (AFP) - The struggling Bahrain-based airline Gulf Air said on Tuesday it plans to announce orders for as many as 35 planes to renew its entire fleet.

"Our plan is to renew the entire fleet ... (ordering) roughly 35 all-new planes... in a matter of weeks," the carrier's board chairman, Mahmood al-Kooheji, told reporters at the Dubai air show.

He said the new acquisitions which have received government approval could cost more than three billion dollars.

Gulf Air's newly-appointed chief executive Bjorn Naf said the cash-strapped carrier was holding intensive talks with manufacturers Boeing and Airbus, but he did not rule out leasing some of the new aircraft.

The government-owned carrier aims to have a fleet of 45 to 50 aircraft by 2013, compared to 25 ageing planes now, he said.

Founded in 1974, Gulf Air was owned equally by the governments of Bahrain and Oman until the latter announced in May it was withdrawing from the airline. Qatar and Abu Dhabi withdrew in 2002 and 2005.

The airline announced in March that its projected debt at the end of 2007 would be 254 million Bahraini dinars (676 million dollars).

Boeing, Royal Jordanian Sign Order for Two 787s
Airline to take two additional airplanes on direct purchase and two from CIT Aerospace on lease
Boeing Press Release

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 12, 2007 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Royal Jordanian, the country's national carrier, today signed an order for two additional 787 Dreamliners at the Dubai Air Show. The airline also has announced an agreement to take two more 787s on lease from CIT Aerospace.

Royal Jordanian announced an initial order for two 787s, and its intention to acquire a total of 12 787s, at the World Economic Forum held on Jordan's Dead Sea this past May. With today's announcement, Royal Jordanian has a total of four airplanes on order with Boeing. The two additional 787s will be added to Boeing's Orders & Deliveries Web site at the next regular scheduled update.

Lee Monson, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of Sales for the Middle East and Africa, and Royal Jordanian President and CEO Samer A. Majali were on hand to announce the order for the additional 787s. Royal Jordanian was the first Middle East carrier to order Boeing's fast-selling 787.

"We value our relationship with Boeing and are pleased to have taken another major step towards achieving our fleet replacement goals with the 787," said Majali.

"Royal Jordanian's confidence in the 787 is based on a sound strategy of updating its long-haul fleet with an airplane that will provide great efficiency and superb economics," said Monson. "We value our relationship with Royal Jordanian and will continue to meet its expectations as we work together on the airline's fleet transition."

With Royal Jordanian's order for Boeing's 787, 51 customers around the world have ordered a total of 738 Dreamliners, further extending Boeing's record-breaking pace of orders for the launch of a commercial airplane program.

what are the largest middle east airlines by value? and those with largest fleets?

Qatar Airways Planning Daily Bali Service - Report
13 November 2007

JAKARTA (Dow Jones)-- Qatar Airways plans to fly daily from Doha to Bali next year to meet rising demand from Middle Eastern and European travelers, the Jakarta Post reported.

The report quoted Qatar Airways's Far East & Australasia manager Marwan Koleilat as saying that the company was also exploring the possibility of establishing direct flights from Doha to the popular tourist destination.

The airline currently flies to Bali four times a week via Kuala Lumpur, the newspaper reported.

Is Dubai an oasis or a mirage for troubled Airbus?
13 November 2007
Financial Times

Yesterday was finally a good day for Airbus and its parent EADS. After all the turbulence of the past two years, when management and industrial problems allowed US rival Boeing to overtake the European aircraft maker, Airbus has clinched the largest single order for commercial aircraft in its history, from Dubai's Emirates airline.

Better still, the Middle East emirate has enough faith in the European company to place a supplementary order for its new aircraft leasing start-up venture. The two orders are for the A350 mid-size airliner still on the drawing board and the A380 superjumbo. Adding extra glamour, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the Saudi billionaire, has placed an order for his personal A380 "flying palace" - a mere trifle at more than Dollars 300m.

All this is helping boost morale at Airbus as well as propping up EADS shares, which have been battered this year by management turmoil, insider-trading allegations and industrial problems.

However, as welcome as this public expression of confidence from Dubai may be, the huge extra workload equally poses some critical issues. Just last week, Louis Gallois, EADS chief executive, admitted the group had "no comfort zone" in meeting its repeatedly delayed deliveries on its A380. Airbus is also having to ramp up production of its A320 best-selling single- aisle aircraft to unprecedented levels, and its has recently announced a costly delay in its A400M military transport aeroplane.

Mr Gallois is the first to insist that Airbus must learn how to make its aircraft on time and to budget. Further delays are unacceptable. The latest bumper orders are hardly going to make this task any easier.

The unions are likely to seize on this to strengthen their hand in difficult negotiations over a reinforcement of the cost-cutting plan designed, in part, to deal with the group's punishing exposure to the weak dollar.

In addition, rocketing orders at Airbus risk compounding Mr Gallois's problems by further increasing EADS's dependence on Airbus, which accounts for nearly 80 per cent of the European group's business. Mr Gallois wants to expand the non-Airbus activities, such as defence, and has sensibly looked at the US where he can benefit from the weak dollar. Yet he has been frustrated up to now by his main French industrial shareholder, Lagardere, which recently vetoed a US defence acquisition. Both the French government and Daimler, the German industrial shareholder, had approved the American deal.

This simply proves once again that one of the group's biggest obstacles remains its core industrial shareholders, neither of which really wants to stay put for the long term. Surely, giving the French and German governments a golden share to protect their respective strategic interests should open the way for Daimler and Lagardere to step aside and allow the company to attract more supportive investors. But such an exit is unlikely to happen any day soon, even if the golden shares are approved at next spring's EADS annual meeting.

So the latest batch of orders from Dubai may be just what Airbus needs to refresh its reputation and standing versus its American rival Boeing. But in the long run, the question is whether the Dubai deals are only feeding the illusion of a comeback.

Airbus ends Dubai Airshow with record orders, worth US$28 billion
14 November 2007

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Airbus announced Wednesday it was walking away from this year's Dubai Airshow with record orders for 163 aircraft from 10 customers, worth an estimated US$28 billion (euro19 billion).

The orders reflect customer confidence in the European aircraft manufacturer, the company stated on its Web site. During the Airshow, the company also won its largest ever single order, for 70 A350 XWBs and 11 A380s from Emirates Airline.

Also, 132 commitments from three customers were placed, the company said. Airbus said it also received a firm contract from Yemenia for 10 A350s.

Earlier Wednesday, Airbus said Cairo-based airline startup Nile Air placed firm orders for nine Airbus 321s. The aircraft will cost US$792 million (euro539 million) at list prices.

In addition, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise Capital committed to acquiring 30 A350s, while C Jet Limited of Hong Kong became the first customer for the VIP version of the plane, the A350XWB Prestige, Airbus said.

"This Airshow has confirmed that Airbus is very much back on the market, continuing to satisfy customers with the right products," said Airbus' chief for customers, John Leahy. "The A380 and A350 XWB have been the highlight of the show, receiving tremendous customer endorsement. They will lead the way in the future in terms of aircraft technology, passenger comfort and environment friendliness."

The Dubai event also "reconfirmed the importance of the A380 to the world market," the company said.

In addition to the Emirates order for 11 additional aircraft, Airbus received the first order for a private A380. The order was placed by Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, and opens a new market for Airbus super luxury VIP double-decker jet, already dubbed the Saudi prince's "flying palace."

Airbus' single aisle family also continued its success, with 66 firm orders, plus commitments for an additional 101 received from nine customers, including 20 from NAS, 70 from DAE Capital, 22 from Saudi Arabian Airlines, 34 from Air Arabia, eight from Air Blue, nine from Nile Air and four from private customers.

The order from Saudi Arabian Airlines was the first from the airline in 25 years.

The firm orders received during the show also include a firm order for five A330s from Oman Air.

Airbus is owned by European Aeronautic Defense & Space Company. The Dubai Airshow, which opened Sunday in this booming Gulf city-state, ends Thursday.

28 bln? i thought it was more like 83 or 85bln$.
air bus trumped boeing biiiiiig time.

28 bln? i thought it was more like 83 or 85bln$.
air bus trumped boeing biiiiiig time. at dubai air show

sorry for double post

^^

Damn, do that many people fly between South Africa and the UAE? It looks like something is going on halfway around the world that most of us in here in...well Texas aren't aware about.

they will also be doing daily to Durban and Cape Town in 2008 and double daily in 2009

DOHA: Qatar Airways, with a fleet of 59 aircraft and coverage of 79 global destinations, views India as an important hub in view of the long historical and economic ties between the two countries, its Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said here on Thursday.

Addressing an international delegation of mediapersons, invited by the airlines to witness the ‘water salute’ and induction of new Boeing 777 aircraft, Mr. Al Baker said he would talk to the Indian authorities about expanding flight operations.

One of the youngest and fastest-growing airlines in the world, Qatar Airways operates 44 flights to seven destinations in India. Ahmedabad, its eighth destination, will be connected on December 12. Operations to Chennai were launched on March 24.

The airline came into existence in 1994, and Mr. Al Baker was appointed CEO by the Emir of Qatar in 1996 with a mandate to focus on service and take the airlines to the major league.

Unprecedented growth
The growth rate of the airlines was unprecedented in world aviation history. From being a regional airline in 1994, with four planes and a handful of routes, Qatar Airways now owns 59 aircraft, including the elite Boeing 777 inducted on Thursday.

By 2015, the airline will have a fleet of 110 aircraft, almost double its existing size. It has placed orders for 80 Airbus A350s, 60 Boeing 787s and 32 Boeing 777s.

Boeing’s senior vice-president for Middle East and Africa sales, Lee D. Monson, said India and China accounted for a big chunk of its orders, with the latter accounting for a slightly higher number of aircraft.

Reiterating that Boeing was not interested in the small aircraft segment, he said that with demand increasing there was pressure on the company’s ability to build the required numbers.

Describing the under-research gas-to-liquid technology as a “radical shift” from the existing aviation turbine fuel-based technology, Mr. Monson said he expected results in three to five years.
“A national asset”

Updesh Kapur, Senior Media Relations Officer, said Qatar Airlines was considered a national asset and a national icon by the government, and that Mr. Al Baker was chosen to “lead the airlines into a new era.”

Aiming to position Doha as the Middle East region’s aviation hub, the Emirate of Qatar has taken up an ambitious $5.5 billion New Doha International Airport project. Also, Qatar wants to host the Olympics in 2016.

The first phase of the new facility, work on which was commenced in June 2005, aims at handling 12 million passengers annually. While this phase is expected to be ready by 2009, the airport would become fully operational by 2015.

Land reclamation
An important feature of the ongoing project was the “reclamation” of land from the Arabian Gulf. About 60 per cent of the 2,200-hectare land had been reclaimed, said Mr. Kapur.

The new facility is situated about 4 km from the existing airport. The five-star airline boasts of a $100 million premium terminal at Doha.

Scheduled to be dismantled or put to other uses by 2009, the facility offers spa, jacuzzi, sauna, lounge and business centre to business and first class passengers.:lol:

Emirates accuses Lufthansa of thwarting its expansion plans in Germany
30 November 2007
Financial Times

Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, has accused German airline Deutsche Lufthansa and the German transport ministry of hindering its plans for expansion in Germany. The airline, which already offers flights to four German airports, is also hoping to operate flights to Berlin and Stuttgart. The ministry of transport is said to have refused to grant Emirates the rights for this, however.

Lufthansa is said to have expressed fears that jobs could be lost if Emirates begins offering more flights in Germany. The management of Emirates has held talks with German politicians.

By Mark Pilling

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways will sign a huge aircraft order next year ranging from new narrrowbodies up to large widebodies, with the choice at the top end between the Airbus A380 and Boeing’s 747-8I.

Etihad still has deposits and delivery slots on four A380s, but whether it ends up taking these aircraft depends on the structure of the order it is currently discussing with the two manufacturers, says Etihad CEO James Hogan.

“When we renegotiated for 12 aircraft at Le Bourget we pushed the aircraft [A380s] to 2013,” he says. As part of the compensation deal with Airbus for the delay to the A380 programme, Etihad chose to take five A330-200s, four A340-600s and three A330-200Fs.

The new order is designed to secure its delivery schedule from 2010 to 2020 with a mixture of incremental and replacement aircraft, said Hogan, as it builds Abu Dhabi as a transfer hub with four daily flight banks.

Although it is introducing leased A320s for its intra-Gulf and Indian routes, Etihad will choose between the A320 and 737 for its narrowbody order. The 777 and 787 or A350XWB are being studied for its mid-sized widebody needs.

The carrier will definitely require a large widebody. “We will need an A380 or 747-8 at some stage for routes to London and Sydney – the order could go either way,” said Hogan.

In the short-term, Etihad will have eight A320s in service by the end of 2008 and will take delivery of two more A340-600s next year. The accident at Airbus in November, when an Etihad A340-600 was severely damaged during ground testing, cannot affect Etihad’s route launches in 2008, says Hogan.

“We have got to continue to meet our development plans,” he said. “We believe Airbus will work with us to find a solution,” he said.

These plans include the launch of a four-times daily service to Beijing in late March, its first route into China. Etihad is looking to add Shanghai and possibly another two Chinese cities to its network in 2008/9. Other route plans in 2008 are a service to Russia and Nigerian capital Lagos, where route rights are currently being negotiated.:cheers:

These plans include the launch of a four-times daily service to Beijing in late March, its first route into China. Etihad is looking to add Shanghai and possibly another two Chinese cities to its network in 2008/9. Other route plans in 2008 are a service to Russia and Nigerian capital Lagos, where route rights are currently being negotiated.:cheers:

Etihad to launch flights to Beijing
28-11-2007
Corporate Press Release

Abu Dhabi: Etihad Airways will launch flights from its Abu Dhabi home base to the Chinese capital of Beijing on 30 March 2008.

The four flights a week service will be Etihad’s first destination in China and marks a new chapter in the airline’s history as it enters one of the world’s fastest growing air travel markets.

Beijing will be Etihad’s eighth destination in its rapidly expanding flight network in the Asia-Pacific region which already includes services to Brisbane, Sydney, Manila, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive, said: “Beijing has established itself as one of the world’s fastest growing and most popular destinations and we anticipate tremendous demand for this new Etihad service from customers across our global network.”

“There is a huge appetite from business and leisure travellers for flights to Beijing, especially ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games, and we look forward to bringing the UAE and China closer together.”

Etihad’s flights to Beijing will operate every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday with EY888 departing from Abu Dhabi at 11.45pm and arriving in the Chinese capital at 11.30am the next day.

Return flight EY889 departs from Beijing every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7.10pm arriving in Abu Dhabi at 00.20am the next day.

The flight times connect conveniently with many of Etihad’s other services from the Middle East and Europe including London Heathrow, Dublin, Bahrain, Beirut and Jeddah allowing customers to fly long-haul to Beijing via Abu Dhabi.

Mr Hogan added: “Etihad is committed to offering its customers living outside the UAE convenient connections to our most popular destinations. The flight times for our new Beijing services mean that customers can fly with Etihad from Heathrow, with only an hour stop-over in Abu Dhabi, before flying on to the Chinese capital.”

Etihad will operate a two class Airbus A330-200 configured to carry 262 passengers with 22 in business class and 240 in economy class.

Cargo services to Beijing are also expected to be highly popular with the A330-200 aircraft able to carry 11 tonnes of cargo with full passenger load.

Emirates accuses Lufthansa of thwarting its expansion plans in Germany
30 November 2007
Financial Times

Emirates, the Dubai-based airline, has accused German airline Deutsche Lufthansa and the German transport ministry of hindering its plans for expansion in Germany. The airline, which already offers flights to four German airports, is also hoping to operate flights to Berlin and Stuttgart. The ministry of transport is said to have refused to grant Emirates the rights for this, however.

Lufthansa is said to have expressed fears that jobs could be lost if Emirates begins offering more flights in Germany. The management of Emirates has held talks with German politicians.
Similar thing happened this year. Serbia’s Jat Airways offered flights to the US by flying to Frankfurt and then passengers would connect to Lufthansa. However after starting flights to Dubai and having successful cooperation with EK on flight continuing to Australia, Jat decided to start flights to Hamburg and connect passengers to the Hamburg - New York flight operated by Emirates. A month later Germany's transpiration authority revoked Jat’s slots in Hamburg and made it continue feeding Lufthansa its transit passengers to the US via Frankfurt.

Bahrain's Gulf Air plans Baghdad, other Iraq flights
Reuters - Thursday, August 6

MANAMA - Bahrain's Gulf Air [GULF.UL] said on Wednesday it will launch flights to Baghdad and the other Iraqi cities of Najaf and Erbil in September.

The five-times weekly service to Baghdad will start on Sept. 1 and flights to the two other cities are to begin by the end of September, an airline statement said.

New era for Gulf Air
By STAN SZECOWKA, Posted on » Friday, July 03, 2009

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BELEAGUERED Gulf Air boss Bjšrn NŠf bowed out gracefully yesterday after the airline announced it had replaced him as chief executive officer.

Mr NŠf had been the target of a long-running campaign by Bahraini MPs to oust him from his position, based on allegations of mismanagement and nepotism.

They also criticised the airline's continued losses, despite his efforts to turn the company around.

Some industry pundits suggested the Swiss airline executive had inherited a poisoned chalice when he took over in the summer of 2007, stepping up from his number two post as chief operating officer.

His predecessor Andre Dose had announced Gulf Air was losing $1 million a day before departing after just three months in the job.

Mr NŠf has been instrumental in implementing a revamped network and also spearheading an initiative to boost the carrier's punctuality, which has improved under his command.

Speaking from his home in Switzerland, where he has returned to celebrate his 44th birthday yesterday, he said: "It has been exciting to be a part of building the foundations of the new Gulf Air."

Asked whether he was sad to be leaving, he remained philosophical about the situation.

"The time is right, a new era is coming," he said.

The Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company hopes that new man Samer Majali will bring good fortune to the airline and silence critics, who have been unhappy with its performance under Mr NŠf.

Gulf Air chairman and Mumtalakat chief executive officer Talal Al Zain, who will manage the carrier until Mr Majali takes over, said he was looking forward to the future.

"On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Bjšrn NŠf for his leadership over the last two years and we wish him well in his future endeavours," he said.

"Moving forward, we have important plans for the future of Gulf Air and we believe Samer is the right leader to take the airline forward, as we move into the next phase of our strategy to rebuild the business.

"I'm delighted to welcome Samer to the team as he brings an exceptional track record of successfully managing a leading Middle Eastern carrier.

"His skills will help us to build towards a strong future for Gulf Air."

Under Mr Majali's leadership, Royal Jordanian has been transformed into a highly successful and profitable business driven by a comprehensive strategy to modernise the airline's fleet and reshape its network of routes.

His achievements include bringing Royal Jordanian into "Oneworld" in 2007, making it the first Middle Eastern airline to join a major global alliance.

In addition, he managed the successful privatisation of Royal Jordanian, a first in the region.

He has also served as President of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO), chairman of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) board of governors until last month and holds a degree in Air Transport Management from Cranfield University in the UK. In an agreed statement, Mr NŠf was said to be "leaving the business to pursue other interests".

Qatar Airways caps office openings in US with grand New York ceremony
Web posted at: 8/4/2009 2:27:10
Source ::: The PENINSULA

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DOHA: Qatar Airways concluded a series of office openings in the United States with an official ceremony in New York City attended by a host of local dignitaries, celebrities and influential business people.

The opening of new offices in Washington DC, Houston and New York City drew wide interest from the US aviation, business, and travel media, as well as the business community in each city, as Qatar Airways moved to strengthen its presence in the American market.

Since launching its first US destination two years ago, Qatar Airways has experienced robust growth and expansion in the North American market, garnering recognition along the way for its superior in-flight and on-the-ground service.

“We are completely committed to growing our presence and raising the service bar, not only in the United States, but throughout our global network,” said Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar

Al Baker.

This means continued investment in people and in infrastructure as we are seeing in our new offices across the US. The American travelling public is very demanding and very deserving and, rest assured, we deliver what we promise, being focused on delivering best levels of service.”

The New York City ceremony was attended by airline officials, aviation industry personnel and a host of local VIPs, including the internationally known business tycoon Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka Trump, together with Salem Al Shafi, Charge D’Affaires of the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the United Nations.

Located on the 22nd floor of the famed Trump Tower at 725 Fifth Avenue, the new office makes it easier for business and leisure travellers to book their flights across Qatar Airways’ global network, which spans 82 destinations.

Qatar Airways’ foray into the United States began with its New York launch in June 2007. In October last year, Qatar Airways switched its one-stop, four-a-week flights from Newark to JFK International Airport and introduced its state-of-the-art Boeing 777 aircraft on the route to cater to increased passenger demand.

Al Baker said Qatar Airways had made a significant impact in the US market in the two short years it had been operating with a total capacity now of 21 flights a week. Qatar Airways operates daily flights from its three US hub cities non-stop to Doha with onward connections to a diverse range of business and leisure cities across the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and the Far East.

Dubai’s airlines face spectre of overcapacity
Web posted at: 7/28/2009 0:8:46
Source ::: FINANCIAL TIMES
By James Drummond

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Airlines - in particular Emirates - are synonymous with Dubai. From the rebadging of Arsenal’s Highbury football stadium in London to high-profile purchases of giant Airbus A380 aircraft, Dubai has used its flag carrier as a pillar of a decades-long marketing effort to project an image of dynamism and club-class luxury.

Emirates has enjoyed a number of advantages over its competitors. Its base at Dubai airport, along with others in the Gulf, is a 24-hour operation, which means aircraft time is not wasted on stand overnight. The emirate also levies little or no corporation tax on profits.

Emirates “has managed to find its niche as this long-haul, low-cost carrier which is almost the holy grail of the airline industry. If you can operate long-haul at low-cost then you are likely to be very profitable,” says David Kaminski of Flight International, a trade publication.

Since its first flight in 1985 Emirates has been engaged in an ambitious expansion programme. It has 135 aircraft in operation and has a further 158 worth a massive $52bn on order, excluding options.

But in May, Emirates announced that its annual profits in the year to the end of March fell 72 percent to Dh982m ($268m). The airline said that sky-high oil prices were to blame for the plunge in profitability. The airline lost Dh1.57bn ($428m) as hedging strategies went awry, according to its accounts.

Oil prices have now moderated but Dubai Inc is facing financial problems. The emirate faces a host of financing calls this year amid a crash in local property prices. The question is whether the airline can maintain its dramatic growth in constrained circumstances - or whether it has over-reached itself.

In June Giovanni Bisignani, the director-general of the International Air Transport Association, warned in Dubai: “The ground has shifted. Our industry has been shaken. This is the most difficult situation that the industry has faced.”

However, in the same month, Dubai International Airport saw a 10.3 percent year-on-year rise in passenger traffic to 3.36m. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum, the chairman of Dubai Airports and of Emirates airline, said that the emirate was still committed to an investment programme of $17.2bn in its airports.

This includes the construction of what is intended to be the world’s largest airport, the Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International, at Jebel Ali. The behemoth, the first runway of which his due to opened next year, is due to have five runways in total and be able to cope with 160m passengers a year.

Analysts, mindful of the experience of Gulf Air, counsel caution. In the 1980s, Gulf Air, based in Bahrain and then owned by four Gulf states, expanded too rapidly, they say, and has never been the same since. Moreover other, wealthier, Gulf states - Abu Dhabi with Etihad and Qatar Airways - are venturing into the premium markets occupied by Emirates and can exploit the same cost advantages that it has pioneered.

“I think the issue is the timing. They [Emirates] have a huge number of aeroplanes on order. Sooner or later there will be room for all of them but it is a question of whether their timetable matches that of the world economy and that of Dubai,” says Kaminski. It may then seem an odd time to launch another airline given the worst recession in decades.

At the beginning of June the emirate launched Flydubai, its first foray into the budget airline market. The start-up is facing established competition in the form of Air Arabia, which operates out of Sharjah, Sama of Saudi Arabia and Jazeera Airways of Kuwait. In keeping with the Dubai approach, Flydubai is nothing if not ambitious. The new operation is planning to purchase a total of 54 Boeing 737-800s.

Ghaith al-Ghaith, Flydubai’s chief executive, says that in Europe penetration by budget airlines is about 20 percent of travellers and there are projections that this will grow to 50 percent. In the Middle East, however, budget travellers make up only a low single-digit percentage of passengers. Bill McKnight of AT Kearney, the consultants, says that unless Flydubai publishes separate accounts from Dubai Inc it will be difficult to tell whether the venture is a success or not.

“Any airline can offer lower fares, at least for the short term. The question is always whether an airline can make a profit by doing so and that depends heavily on its cost structure,” he says. Flydubai says no decision has been taken on whether to issue separate financial statements, as Emirates does. Kaminski thinks the Flydubai venture is a defensive move on the part of Dubai’s rulers, perturbed by the success of nearby rivals.

“I think part of it is to stop too much of a drift to other budget carriers in the region because if you can’t beat them, join them,” he says. “I suspect that is keeping part of the market in Dubai rather than elsewhere.”

FlyDubai secures $320m GE finance to expand fleet
Web posted at: 7/2/2009 7:3:32
Source ::: AFP

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Dubai: Low-cost carrier FlyDubai said yesterday it struck a $320m aircraft financing deal with GE Capital Aviation Services that would bolster its fleet.

Under the agreement, GE will finance the airline’s purchase or leasing of four planes from Boeing in the second half of this year, to add to the two aircraft which the carrier already has, the firm said in a statement.

“This deal will fulfill our financing needs to receive the four aircraft from Boeing by the end of 2009,” Chief Executive Ghaith Al Ghaith said in the statement.

By the year’s end, the company would have a fleet of six planes that would enable it to launch about 14 new destinations, Gaith said.

Flydubai is scheduled to receive the first two planes in July, one in October and another in December, he added.

The budget carrier, a sister company of Dubai’s largest Middle East carrier Emirates, took off on its first route to Beirut on June 1, and followed that with flights to Amman, Damascus and Alexandria.

Airlines in the Middle East have been expanding, despite the global economic slowdown, as the region is at the crossroads of three continents—Africa, Asia and Europe—and is home to a huge expatriate population.

Dubai, a tourism and trade hub, had first announced the establishment of Flydubai in March 2008, with a start-up capital of Dh250m ($67m). Dubai has the busiest airport in the region which handled more than 37 million passengers in 2008, a nine percent increase from 2007.

Flydubai competes with Sharjah-based Air Arabia, listed on the Dubai stock exchange, and Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways, which also has a hub in Dubai.

Etihad Airways to launch Chicago service in September
Web posted at: 7/10/2009 0:27:40
Source ::: THE PENINSULA

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DOHA: After launching its new services to Astana, Istanbul, Athens and Larnaca, Etihad Airways will launch its Chicago route in September 2009.

Hareb Al Muhairi (pictured), Etihad Airways’ newly appointed Head of Corporate Communications said here on Wednesday that the airline’s fleet will reach 52 aircraft this year and is expected to grow to 65 by 2012. The airline ordered 205 aircraft at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK. The first delivery is expected in 2011.

Etihad has recently opened its new headquarters and new passenger Terminal 3 at Abu Dhabi International Airport enhancing the carrier’s ground services, which are supported by new facilities including a spa, a cigar bar, special meeting rooms and dedicated services for children. The airline has also unveiled its first class cabin which includes individual suites designed to provide the highest levels of privacy and comfort with more space for storage.

The cabin is characterised by the first-class seat, which can be extended to become a wide and full flat bed of 80.5 inches in length. It is also enhanced by the self-massaging unit, as well as the supporting back and head pads that can be adjusted for more comfort. There are also power sockets for computers and mobile devices, such as iPod, along with the usual features of the business class cabin.

In order to provide better air services, Etihad has also announced it has implemented a new position in the cabins, with Food and Beverage Managers overseeing the quality of what is provided to travellers. The team members have joined the airline after having worked for many years in the hospitality sector in luxury five-star brands. The team will work to provide the highest quality standards of food on board flights.

Etihad Airways recently ordered at the Paris International Airshow held in Le Bourget 239 engines, which include 19 spares, which is worth $7bn at list prices, including maintenance contracts. If all options and purchase rights are exercised, the total number of engines will be 469, at a list price value of $14bn, including maintenance. This represents the largest engine order in commercial aviation history.

Etihad Airways
Taken from http://www.flightglobal.com/

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UAE's Air Arabia Q2 net up 10 pct, misses forecasts

DUBAI, Aug 8 (Reuters) - UAE's Air Arabia , the Middle East's largest low-cost carrier, posted a 10 percent rise in second-quarter net profit to 90 million dirhams ($24.50 million), missing analysts' forecasts.

Net income in the three months to June was up from 82 million dirhams in the year-earlier period, it said in a statement on Saturday.

Forecasts of four analysts for Air Arabia's second-quarter profit ranged from 100 million dirhams to 151 million dirhams in a Reuters survey in July.

UAE's Air Arabia upbeat, to announce third hub
Published: 2009/08/10

DUBAI: UAE's Air Arabia, the Middle East's largest low-cost carrier, will announce a third hub in weeks and expects full-year profit to be positive despite excess capacity hitting yields in the second quarter.

Group chief executive Adel Ali said in an interview yesterday that the next three to six months would remain difficult for the industry, but was confident Air Arabia would be in "good shape" in 2009 and beyond.

The airline on Saturday posted a 10 per cent rise in second-quarter net profit to 90 million dirhams (100 dirhams = RM97.90), missing analysts' forecasts.

"We are pleased with the results, but market conditions continue to offer excess capacity and reflects a dilution of the yield," Ali said.

He said influenza A (H1N1) was a bigger threat to the airline industry than the global economic crisis.

"A lot of people are not travelling because of (H1N1) flu," Adel Ali said. "Swine flu is a bigger threat than the economy."

Ali declined to give a profit outlook for the third quarter or full year, but said hedging, lower unit costs and maximising seat factor would help it achieve positive results.

In the second quarter, the airline launched a joint venture in Morocco, flying from its Casablanca hub and has said it planned to set up a new hub between its base at Sharjah, United Arab Emirates and North Africa.

"We are fairly close ... it should be a matter of weeks," Ali said.

Air Arabia, formed in 2003, has a fleet of 20 A320 aircraft and has placed an order for 44 A320s from Airbus, a unit of EADS. Ali said the airline could have as many as 100 planes by 2015 depending on how the airline's business evolved over the coming years.

Forecasts of four analysts for Air Arabia's second-quarter profit ranged from 100 million dirhams to 151 million dirhams in a survey in July.

Earlier this year Air Arabia launched a Morrocan joint venture - Air Arabia (Maroc) - using Casablanca as its second hub to serve nine European destinations, in addition to its main hub in the United Arab Emirates.

The carrier's rivals include Kuwait's Jazeera Airways and recently launched Dubai government-owned FlyDubai. - Agencies

Iranian police helicopter crashes: report
10 August 2009
Agence France Presse

A police helicopter crashed on Monday in the southern province of Kerman, the ISNA news agency reported.

The 205 type helicopter struck mountains in the Sirach area, ISNA quoted the provincial police commander, Mohammad Reza Eshaghi, as saying.

The agency did not give the number of possible fatalities yet but said that the crash occurred at around 16:00 (1130 GMT).

Iran, which has been under years of international sanctions hampering its ability to buy new planes, has suffered a number of aviation disasters over the past decade.

Its civil and military fleet is made up of ancient aircraft in very poor condition due to their age and lack of maintenance.

In mid July, an Iranian airliner en route to Armenia caught fire mid-air and plunged flaming into farmland, killing all 168 people on board in the worst air disaster in Iran in years.

Later in the month an Iranian airliner overshot the runway in the second city of Mashhad and slammed into a perimeter wall, killing 17 people.

Gulf Air to cut 272 jobs, workers mull strike-union

MANAMA, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Bahrain's Gulf Air [GULF.UL] plans to lay off 272 employees this year and workers may strike, a union leader said on Sunday, but the state-owned carrier denied any outright lay-offs were planned.

Mustafa al-Tooq, chairman of the Gulf Air trade union, told Reuters the union has evidence that the airline plans to reduce the number of employees to 4,800 by the end of the year from the current 5,072, by laying off 100 employees until the end of October and the rest thereafter.

Gulf Air said it did not plan to lay off employees beyond cutting positions by employee attrition and firing employees for misconduct.

"Any current positions being made redundant are through natural attrition and those resulting from employee misconduct," its Chief Executive Samer Majali and Chairman Talal al-Zain said in a joint statement. The statement did not detail how many positions would be scrapped.

Tooq said management was trying to cover up lay-offs. "If they don't listen well, we will go on strike, after exhausting all peaceful means (of negotiations)," Tooq said.

Three chief executives have attempted to turn around loss-making Gulf Air since 2002, cutting jobs and realigning its network as previous shareholders Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Oman gave up their stakes in the ailing carrier.

But efforts to resurrect the company, one of the largest employers in the small Gulf island kingdom, have been hampered by political opposition to measures seen too drastic.

Samer Majali, former chief executive of Royal Jordanian , last week took up his post at the helm of Gulf Air.

Jazeera Airways posts Q2 loss, sees better H2

KUWAIT, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Kuwaiti low-cost Jazeera Airways reported a loss of 1.26 million dinars ($4.4 million) in the second quarter, but predicted a turnaround in the latter part of 2009 as business travellers turn to budget airlines.

Chief Executive Stefan Pichler, who took the helm at the carrier six weeks ago, said Jazeera was also on the acquisition prowl to expand its network and was looking for a new second hub after stopping flights from Dubai this year.

"We see strong bookings in coming weeks and months ... We are getting more corporate demand than we were getting before," Pichler told Reuters, as companies turn to low-cost airlines to cut travel costs amid the credit crisis. "We will have some significant turnaround in the second half of the year."

"I'm very confident 2010 will be far better than 2009 because we have used this year to consolidate our business."

Jazeera, which started operations in 2005, competes with Sharjah, United Arab Emirates-based Air Arabia and Dubai-based flydubai, which began flying this year.

Pichler said the carrier was keen to take advantage of lower valuations to pick up acquisitions.

"We have the opportunity to do both (second hub and acquisitions) because Jazeera has quite a good cash position right now," he said. "This is good timing, not only today but also within the next 12 months."

"The restructuring of the network from a dual hub to a single hub operation has briefly impacted revenues in Q2," Pichler said earlier in a statement.

He told Reuters that Jazeera would look for a new second hub in the Middle East, especially outside the Gulf region.

"We are more attracted in looking in the whole Middle East and not necessary so much to the (Gulf), where there is huge competition and oversupply," he said.

Jazeera posted a loss of 0.9 million dinars in the second quarter of 2008. Its loss in the first half of the year came in at 2.2 million dinars, it said in the statement.

The airline said revenue in the first half came in at 20 million dinars, without giving comparative figures.

Jazeera, which flies to 28 destinations in the Middle East, North Africa and India, plans to expand that to 82 in the next five years.

"There was a setback in the second hub in Dubai and now we have refocused on Kuwait as a hub, in order to make sure that we can maintain the lowest unit cost operation," Pichler said.

Jazeera has a fleet of 10 Airbus A320 aircraft and expects to receive 30 more in the period to 2014.

On Saturday, Air Arabia, the Middle East's largest low-cost carrier, posted a 10 percent rise in second-quarter net profit to $24.5 million.

Shares of Jazeera were flat on Thursday at 0.250 dinars, as Kuwait's main index <.KWSE> rose 0.8 percent. Earnings were announced after trading hours.

Chicago Becomes Second Destination For Etihad
September 03, 2009 18:06 PM

ABU DHABI, Sept 3 (Bernama) -- Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has started flights from its Abu Dhabi home-base to the American city of Chicago.

Flight EY151 took-off on September 2, landing 14 hours later at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, reported the Emirates News agency (WAM) on Thursday.

For the inaugural flight, Etihad operated its Airbus A340-600 aircraft in the iconic Formula 1 livery, with O'Hare airport fire trucks providing the traditional 'water arch' for the plane on the runway before it docked at terminal five.

The launch of the new service - Etihad's third destination in North America after New York and Toronto - brings to 55 the total number of international destinations served by the Abu Dhabi-based airline.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways' chief executive, said: "We are delighted to start services to Chicago which is our third major destination in North America. Chicago is set to become a key part of our global flight programme with strong traffic expected from cities across our Middle East and Indian Sub-Continent network.

"Etihad's fleet of brand new, fuel-efficient aircraft allows us to launch flights to ultra-long haul destinations, such as Chicago, at the same time providing customers in all three cabins with the most luxurious in-flight experience on offer in the industry."

Richard Olson, US Ambassador to the UAE, said: "The launch of this new service, enhancing strong established links between the UAE and the US, is another very positive example of the strong and expanding commercial relationship that Emiratis and Americans share."

-- BERNAMA

Nepal, Qatar renew air service agreement
2 September 2009
The Katmandu Post

DOHA, Sept. 2 -- A fresh agreement on the bilateral air service between Nepal and Qatar has been signed here in Doha on Tuesday. Following the agreement, the officials from both the countries prepared a five-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). As per the new deal, the two countries will be allowed to operate 28 flights in a week. Currently, Qatar Airways has been carrying out 14 flights and Nepal Airlines, the national flag carrier, has been operating four flights in a week.

Inking the deal, the six-member Nepali team returned to Kathmandu on Wednesday. The agreement has open up the ways for Nepal's private companies to conduct direct flights to Doha. However, the national flag carrier cannot fill the 28 flights in a week without support of private companies.

Secretary at the Ministry of Civil Aviation Nagendra Ghimire and Chairman of Qatar's Civil Aviation Abdul Aziz Mohammod Al - Noaimi put in their signatures on the agreement paper that was reached after a two-day negotiation.

The two countries had signed the first air service agreement on 2002. The past agreement was renewed this time. Secretary Ghimire said that this agreement will assist in the promotion of tourism sector in Nepal. He claimed that the new agreement with Qatar will increase the number of European and American tourists and thus will also make visit Nepal year a success. Nepal government has announced its paln to celebrate 2011 as 'Nepal Tourism Year' with an objective to increase tourist arrival above the 1 million mark.

The agreement has permitted the two countries to run seven cargo flights in a week. This kind of services was introduced for the first time. Likewise, Nepal can pick up passengers from three transit points while coming to Doha from Kathmandu.

Chicago Becomes Second Destination For Etihad
September 03, 2009 18:06 PM

ABU DHABI, Sept 3 (Bernama) -- Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has started flights from its Abu Dhabi home-base to the American city of Chicago.

Flight EY151 took-off on September 2, landing 14 hours later at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, reported the Emirates News agency (WAM) on Thursday.

For the inaugural flight, Etihad operated its Airbus A340-600 aircraft in the iconic Formula 1 livery, with O'Hare airport fire trucks providing the traditional 'water arch' for the plane on the runway before it docked at terminal five.

The launch of the new service - Etihad's third destination in North America after New York and Toronto - brings to 55 the total number of international destinations served by the Abu Dhabi-based airline.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways' chief executive, said: "We are delighted to start services to Chicago which is our third major destination in North America. Chicago is set to become a key part of our global flight programme with strong traffic expected from cities across our Middle East and Indian Sub-Continent network.

"Etihad's fleet of brand new, fuel-efficient aircraft allows us to launch flights to ultra-long haul destinations, such as Chicago, at the same time providing customers in all three cabins with the most luxurious in-flight experience on offer in the industry."

Richard Olson, US Ambassador to the UAE, said: "The launch of this new service, enhancing strong established links between the UAE and the US, is another very positive example of the strong and expanding commercial relationship that Emiratis and Americans share."

-- BERNAMA
A340 is fuel-efficient? When did that happen?

Oman airport tender winner seen in Dec
Published: 2009/09/08

MUSCAT: Oman is evaluating bids from five firms, including India’s Larsen & Toubro, South Korea’s Hanjin Heavy Industries and Austria-based Strabag, to build Ras Al Hadd airport, a tender official said yesterday.

“The plan is to award the Ras Al Hadd airport by December and we are presently evaluating bids submitted by five international firms,” an official said.

Larsen & Toubro lodged a bid of 59.3 million riyals or US$154 million (US$1 = RM3.52), Hanjin’s was 48.5 million riyals and Strabag’s was 49.7 million riyals for the tender. — Reuters

Qatar Airways announces discounts for Ramadan travel
7 September 2009
Airline Industry Information

Doha-based Qatar Airways announced on Sunday the launch of a promotion for passengers booking online for travel to 20 destinations during the holy month of Ramadan.

Customers will receive a 10% discount on First and Business Class flights and a 15% discount on Economy Class flights from Doha to destinations including Bangkok, Frankfurt, Cairo, Beirut, Khartoum, Damascus, Bahrain, Amman, London, Nairobi, Alexandria and Paris.

The offer will be available for the whole month of Ramadan.

Air Arabia launches new no-frills airline in Egypt
Published: 2009/09/10

DUBAI: United Arab Emirates (UAE) low-cost carrier Air Arabia is launching a new budget airline with an Egyptian partner, enabling it to open its third hub and diversify away from increased pressure in its home market.

The Arab world's largest listed airline by market value said yesterday it had set up the joint-venture firm with Egypt's Travco Group, driving shares almost 4 per cent higher on the news.

"The new carrier will serve Europe, Middle East and African markets and will represent Air Arabia's third hub after UAE and Morocco," Air Arabia said in a statement.

The airline is facing growing competition from local rivals including Kuwait's Jazeera Airways and Dubai-owned flydubai, as well as from fully-fledged carriers such as Emirates, struggling to cope with a sharp drop in international passenger travel.

Air Arabia already operates in Morocco, flying from its Casablanca hub earlier this year and said in August it planned to set up a new hub between its base at Sharjah, United Arab Emirates and North Africa to diversify its revenues and boost its catchment area.

Formed in 2003, it has a fleet of 20 Airbus A320 aircraft and has placed an order for 44 more A320s, a unit of EADS.

"The pressure is in the market because there is a lot of supply at the same time so the way they execute their business is very important... it's perfect in execution as we had Morocco, now Egypt so it shows they are on the right path," Dheeraj Lakhwani, analyst at Dubai-based Prime Emirates said.

Group chief executive Adel Ali said in an interview in August that the next three to six months would remain difficult for the industry, but said he was confident Air Arabia would be in "good shape" in 2009 and beyond.

The airline posted a 10 per cent rise in second-quarter net profit to 90 million dirhams (100 dirhams =RM97.81) last month.

Prime Emirates' Lakhwani said he expected Egyptian operations to begin within six months.

The aviation sector received a strong blow in 2008 first from rising fuel costs, then from the global financial crisis, although low-cost carriers typically perform better in an economic downturn than national carriers, by competing on price. - Reuters

Direct Saudi flights elusive
10 September 2009
Bangkok Post

Still holding a grudge against Thailand over the gems scandal 20 years ago, Saudi Arabia has frowned on Thailand's renewed bid to reinstate regular direct flight between the two countries.

Riyadh made its position clear when a team of Thai Airways International executives went to Saudi Arabia recently for talks about resuming non-stop flights between Bangkok and Jeddah.

Technically, THAI can fly to Saudi Arabia based on the bilateral air services agreement concluded five years ago, which allows the designated national airlines to each operate up to nine flights a week between the two countries.

The THAI team sensed an unspoken but clear disapproval for its bid due to Saudi authorities' continued dissatisfaction over Thai authorities' handling of the 1989 jewellery theft, according to an industry source.

Saudi Arabia refuses to resume normal relations with Thailand though many of the culprits have been prosecuted.

The issue began when Kriangkrai Techamong, a Thai cleaner, stole jewellery and valuables worth 500 million baht from the palace of Prince Faisal and escaped to his Lampang home.

Thai police retrieved most of the stolen valuables and returned them to Saudi Arabia. However, the Saudi palace found the main piece of jewellery, the "Blue Diamond", was fake.

"There are still a lot of questions left unanswered by Thai authorities and as long as these questions are not addressed, don't expect them to normalise the relationship, especially economically with Thailand," the source noted.

THAI now realises that it is better off not trying to re-establish service in spite of promising traffic potential.

And even if it insisted on using technical rights to operate flights, the ensuing problems may not be worth the effort, the source explained.

Before the talks, the flag carrier was keen to operate four to five flights a week between Bangkok and Jeddah using the wide-bodied Airbus A330-300s.

Jeddah is the principal gateway to Mecca, Islam's holiest city, which able-bodied Muslims are required to visit at least once in their lifetime.

The bulk of potential traffic on the route, up to 80%, are Muslims from southern Thailand, Indochina and China making the Hajj pilgrimage and conducting other religious activities year-round.

About 13,000 Thai pilgrims, mostly from the southern region, travel to Mecca each year. Muslims constitute 8-10% of Thailand's population of 67 million.

However, THAI has been allowed to a limited number of flights between Thailand and Saudi Arabia on a chartered basis mainly for pilgrims to Mecca.

During the two-week Hajj that starts on Oct 20, THAI will operate 14 flights carrying 3,000 people to Medina airport close to Mecca, according to sources.

Free Wi-Fi, Internet Access At Abu Dhabi Airport
September 12, 2009 16:39 PM

DUBAI, Sept 12 (Bernama) -- Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) on Saturday announced the complete roll out of free Wi-Fi and Internet access throughout the Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Fifty new walk-up kiosks are now fully operational in the newly opened Terminal 3, following the success of 15 walk-up kiosks which were launched at Terminal 1 last year.

"The 65 touch screen walk-up kiosks offer 20 minutes of free Internet access and one-hour Wi-Fi access, per session, with users able to reconnect for subsequent sessions," ADAC said in a statement.

The expansion of free Internet access across the entire airport was in line with ADAC's policy to create a technologically-advanced gateway to the world, it added.

-- BERNAMA

New budget airline eyes year-end takeoff
Published: 2009/09/14

CAIRO: A new budget airline formed by Egyptian Travco Group and the United Arab Emirates' Air Arabia hopes to begin operating by the end of 2009 from as many as five Egyptian airports, the head of Travco said.

The airline, Air Arabia Egypt, will seek Egyptian government permission to use airports at Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh to fly to European, Middle Eastern and north African destinations.

"We intend to submit our plan in the next weeks, and depending on the approvals we get we will decide on the operation and conditions of operation," chairman and chief executive Hamed El Chiaty said in an interview.

Travco, Egypt's biggest tourism company, owns 50 per cent of the airline, Air Arabia 40 per cent and an independent Egyptian investor 10 per cent, Chiaty said. - Reuters

Dubai Airports, home to the biggest Arab airline Emirates, expects to handle 46 million passengers in 2010, it said on Monday.

The figure represents a 13.6 percent growth in passenger numbers compared to the expected 40.5 million passengers this year, the company said in an emailed statement.

“Improving economic conditions, state-of-the-art infrastructure, strong expansion by Emirates Airline and emerging low cost carrier flydubai and an open skies policy that promotes market access to other international airlines are driving this growth,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

“Dubai is located four hours flying time from one-third of the world’s population and 12 hours from 80% of the population. New aircraft types such as the A380 and B777 ER are shrinking our globe and amplifying the attractiveness of Dubai’s strategic location for international and regional operations,” said Griffiths.

“As a result Dubai International has seen traffic triple in just 8 years. Today we have more than 125 carriers serving 210 destinations on six continents", adding that Dubai airport has the capacity to handle 75 million passengers a year.

Dubai International airport is now ranked the world’s fifth busiest airport in terms of international passengers according to Airport Council International’s (ACI) latest published figures.

Griffiths said Dubai World Central, the new airport set to open in June next year, is also expected to see 1 million passengers pass through it in 2010.

Phase 1 of the airport is being built to accommodate future traffic expansion with a single A380 compatible runway, a passenger terminal with capacity of 5 million passengers per annum (mppa) expandable to 7 mppa, a cargo terminal building capable of handling 250,000 tonnes per annum expandable to 600,000 tonnes per annum and a dedicated road link to the region’s largest port in Jebel Ali.

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/567651-dubai-airports-sees-46m-passengers-in-2010

Bahrain Air cuts Airbus order to 3 from 4 -paper

MANAMA, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Low-cost carrier Bahrain Air plans to conclude the purchase of three Airbus planes this year but has scrapped plans to buy a fourth one, its managing director said in remarks published on Sunday.

"The announcement of the final deal will be made during the international air exhibition held in the kingdom (of Bahrain) for the first time in January 2010," managing director Ibrahim Abdulla al-Hamer was cited by Al Waqt newspaper.

"The company had planned to buy about four Airbus planes," he said. "Due to the current international financial issues there is a delay in the purchasing process and a reduction in the number to three airplanes."

Regional carriers such as Bahrain's state-owned Gulf Air [GULF.UL], Emirates Airline [EMAIR.UL] and Air Arabia are struggling with a sharp drop in international passenger travel.

Bahrain Air operates eight Airbus A320 and A319 aircraft on 18 destinations in the Middle East and India.

New budget airline eyes year-end takeoff
Published: 2009/09/14

CAIRO: A new budget airline formed by Egyptian Travco Group and the United Arab Emirates' Air Arabia hopes to begin operating by the end of 2009 from as many as five Egyptian airports, the head of Travco said.

The airline, Air Arabia Egypt, will seek Egyptian government permission to use airports at Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh to fly to European, Middle Eastern and north African destinations.

"We intend to submit our plan in the next weeks, and depending on the approvals we get we will decide on the operation and conditions of operation," chairman and chief executive Hamed El Chiaty said in an interview.

Travco, Egypt's biggest tourism company, owns 50 per cent of the airline, Air Arabia 40 per cent and an independent Egyptian investor 10 per cent, Chiaty said. - Reuters

This company does'nt cease to amaze me.....with limited resources and a recession, they still come up with innovative expansion plans!!

International air passenger traffic in the Middle East is predicted to grow by 6.6 percent over the next decade, making it the fastest growing region in the world.

The latest Global Market Forecast from manufacturer Airbus of global passenger aircraft demand also said the number of planes serving the region would almost triple by 2028.

Middle East airlines are also expected to take about six percent of the world's new aircraft deliveries over the next 20 years, the report added.

The region's carriers are set to take delivery of 730 planes by 2018 with a further 689 on order up until 2028.

The UAE will be the Middle East's biggest customer, driven by Emirates and Etihad's expansion plans, with an estimated $98.2bn of orders over the next two decades, making it the seventh biggest in the world behind the United States which is set to spend more than $450bn on passenger planes.

As well as international travel, the Airbus report identifies potential growth in the Middle East domestic market.

"Several indicators in the region show that the domestic market is about to boom. One of the top priorities for the Middle Eastern air transport industry is to sustain the liberalisation momentum achieved since the open skies initiatives signed in 2004," the report said.

It added that the region's youthful population would continue to drive growth in the domestic market as they "increasingly seek to benefit from opportunities the region can offer, both economically and in terms of leisure activities".

The report predicted that the fleet serving the region would almost triple by 2028 to a total of 1,790 aircraft in service while passenger traffic is expected to grow at an annual rate of 6.6 percent over the next decade and by 6 percent until 2028.

"While domestic and intra-regional markets in the region will continue to grow at an impressive rate...the intercontinental network will grow more quickly, as new routes are added by the region's airlines and their operations expand," Airbus said.

In particular, the Middle East is likely to figure prominently in the delivery of very large aircraft, such as the A380, the report added.

The region is expected to take a total of 189 larger planes by 2028, equating to 14 percent of the global deliveries.

Dubai-based Emirates has placed firm orders for 58 A380s, the single largest order of any airline.

According to the Airbus report, Dubai International Airport will be in the top four in the world for handling the superjumbo aircraft by 2028, behind Hong Kong, Heathrow and Beijing.

Globally, some 25,000 new passenger and freighter aircraft valued at $3.1 trillion will be delivered from 2009 to 2028, according to Airbus.

Emerging economies, evolving airline networks, expansion of low cost carriers and the increasing number of mega-cities as well as traffic growth and the replacement of older less efficient aircraft with more eco-efficient airliners are factors driving demand for new aircraft, the plane maker said.

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/568335-mideast-seen-leading-air-traffic-growth-to-2028

don' t know if already posted:

Emirates Airlines will operate Seoul Incheon with A380 from Dec16th

:cheers:

Dubai: Following the move of the international airline industry to significantly cut carbon dioxide emissions, both large UAE airlines have said they are supporting the proposal.

"Emirates believes that investing in one of the most modern and eco-efficient aircraft fleets in the world, and operating this fleet efficiently, is our biggest contribution to environmental protection," an Emirates spokesperson told Gulf News. "Emirates supports IATA's [International Air Transport Association] proposal to reduce global emissions, and we have been an active participant in the industry's dialogue on this matter."

The international airline industry has agreed to slash carbon dioxide emissions to half their 2005 levels by 2050, as announced at the United Nations climate summit in New York on Tuesday by British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh. He said that it would be the "best option for the planet" and should be taken up at the December Copenhagen climate summit.

The industry had agreed to improve carbon dioxide efficiency by an average of 1.5 per cent per year up to 2020 and stabilise net emissions from 2020, making the industry's growth emission-neutral.

"We recognise the contribution of the aviation industry to global greenhouse gas emissions and are committed to being part of the industry solution," the Emirates spokesperson said.

Etihad Airways told Gulf News that it is "supportive of the IATA proposal, which we believe represents an acceptable and unified position for the aviation industry to take to Copenhagen".

"IATA's 'four-pillar' strategy establishes the over-arching strategic principles, whilst allowing the finer tactical details to be developed later, through further discussion and debate," an Etihad spokesperson said.

"For our own part, we are committed to improving our own emissions through a combination of initiatives, including fuel efficiency measures and the adoption of new technologies, such as bio-fuels. We are supportive of market-based mechanisms such as emissions trading, as long as they are developed in such as way as to be globally applied, sector specific, and create no competitive distortion," he added.

Etihad Airways operates one of the industry's youngest and most environmentally friendly aircraft fleets. The new generation aircraft and engines are among the quietest and most fuel-efficient in the commercial aviation market.

Sector analysts say that younger airlines with new fleets have a big advantage in reaching the goals in comparison to decade-old airliners with an older and more environmentally harmful fleet.

http://www.gulfnews.com/business/Aviation/10352260.html

Welcome To The Most Luxurious Toilet In Air
October 08, 2009 19:58 PM

DUBAI, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- After introducing luxury flooring designed to imitate a sandy beach, a leading airlines in the Gulf is now claiming to have built the most luxurious toilet in the aviation industry, reported the Emirates news agency (WAM) on Thursday.

The toilet in the first class suite on Oman Air's brand new A330-300 is, however, accessible only to the pilot and the First Class passengers, Hotelier Middle East reported.

The suite also features a 82-inch-long bed fitted with gadgets such as an eight-point massage system, a 23-inch entertainment monitor with wireless headset and USB, Ethernet and power plugs.

Passengers will also be able to use mobile phones and have access to Wi-Fi, the report said quoting Oman Air CEO Peter Hill.

The new flights will operate on European routes, starting with Paris this week and London in December.

-- BERNAMA

World's First Commercial Passenger Flight Powered By Natural Gas Fuel Lands In Qatar
October 13, 2009 22:16 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 (Bernama) -- A Qatar Airways aircraft on Monday completed the world's first commercial passenger flight powered by a fuel made from natural gas.

The historic journey from London Gatwick to Doha took over six hours and was operated with an Airbus A340-600 aircraft using Rolls-Royce Trent 556 engines.

Shell developed and produced the 50-50 blend of synthetic Gas to Liquids (GTL) kerosene and conventional oil-based kerosene fuel.

The State of Qatar is set to become the world's leading producer of GTL kerosene when it is put into commercial production from 2012.

"Qatar's position as the GTL capital of the world has been further enhanced with today's achievement," said Abdulla Hamad Al-Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Industry of the State of Qatar, in a statement here.

"GTL technology enables us to produce liquid fuels and other products from natural gas. Commercial aviation is one of the exciting new markets that this opens up, helping us maximise the value from our natural resources," he said.

The fuel, as an alternative to conventional oil-based kerosene, will contribute to diversification of aviation fuel supply.

It also burns with lower sulphur dioxide and particulate emissions than pure conventional oil-based kerosene, making it attractive for improving local air quality at busy airports.

The blend of conventional kerosene and GTL kerosene will be known as GTL Jet Fuel.

The flight was the latest step in over two years of scientific work carried out by a consortium consisting of Airbus, Qatar Airways, Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Science & Technology Park, Rolls-Royce, Shell and WOQOD into the benefits of using GTL Jet Fuel to power commercial aircraft.

Much of this work is being undertaken at the Qatar Science & Technology Park in Doha.

A delegation of consortium members and international media was onboard flight QR076 for the milestone trip.

Data from the GTL flight will be used by scientists in Qatar to further quantify GTL Jet Fuel use benefits.

"Qatar Airways is proud to be associated with this consortium and to become the world's first airline to use this new fuel technology on a commercial passenger flight," said its Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker, who was onboard the flight.

"Once again, Qatar Airways has shown its commitment to the environment and we expect this alternative fuel to provide benefits, particularly the improvement of air quality."

The GTL kerosene will be produced in commercial quantities by the Pearl GTL project, currently under construction by Qatar Petroleum and Shell.

The project is expected to produce around one million tonnes per annum of GTL kerosene from 2012, enough to power a typical commercial airliner for half a billion kilometres when used in a 50 per cent blend to make GTL Jet Fuel.

GTL Jet Fuel, with GTL kerosene up to 50 per cent, was fully and unconditionally approved as safe for use in civil aviation by ASTM International (originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials) last month.

The approval followed two years of separate research and discussion by the ASTM specification group, a separate consensus body consisting of producers, equipment manufacturers and consumers of aviation fuel.

-- BERNAMA

Step to tap tourism potential
16 October 2009
Times Of Oman

MUSCAT/PARIS " Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate, officially launched its direct flight to Paris last week as part of its expansion plan.

Providing its first direct link between the two countries, the airline commenced its operations from Muscat International Airport, here to Charles De Gaulle Airport, Paris.

Dr Rajiha bint Abdulamir bin Ali, minister of tourism, graced the ceremony held at InterContinental Paris Le Grand. The gala dinner was attended by guests from France, a delegation from Oman Air and media persons.

Addressing the gathering, Peter Hill, CEO of Oman Air, said that a direct flight between Oman and France was long overdue and this launch of non-stop flight was indeed a dream come true.

On behalf of Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, chairman of Oman Air, we announce the long awaited service from Muscat to Paris, he added.

He pointed out that Oman and France have always enjoyed a special bond and now it was time to strengthen it by creating more tourism opportunities between the two countries. Muscat is a gateway to other countries and we hope people come to Oman and enjoy the land enriched by deserts, coastlines and beautiful beaches, he said.

Flying comfort

Highlighting the exclusive features of the Airbus 330 aircraft, he stated that to start off, service would include the state-of-the-art business class and the well-designed, spacious economy class. By 2010, we intend to introduce the first-class service, Hill informed.

This is a special aircraft and several features have been designed and made in France. The onboard luxury will surprise you, he said.

Former French minister of culture Jack Long, in his speech, said that he was delighted to see the way Oman has grown over the years. He also expressed his gratitude in having Dr Rajiha as the guest. Ahmad bin Nasser Al Mahrazi, ambassador of Oman to France, also attended the function.

Barry Brown, chief commercial officer (COO) of Oman Air, said that France has many attractions to lure tourists but their efforts were aimed at promoting Oman as a major tourist destination. If you want to see true Arabia, you must visit Oman, he said during the closing-in ceremony. The evening also saw some of the finest performances organised by an event management company from France. Prior to the launch of the flight, the officials had a cake-cutting ceremony at the Muscat International Airport to mark the launch.

The carrier offers four weekly non-stop flights from Muscat to Paris. The A330 was introduced as part of the airline's expansion plan to its international fleet. The new economy class seats offer adjustable headrests and footrests along with individual video screens. The business class seat has a fully lie-flat bed, electrically controlled backrest and leg rest, a buddy seat and a 17-inch in-flight entertainment screen. Live TV is also available to every seat on the aircraft.

Oman an attractive destination'

PARIS " The launch of the direct flight between Muscat and Paris is indeed great news, said Rania Khodr, director of the Oman Tourism office in France.

Seven years ago, we opened the Oman tourism office in France and the number of people visiting Oman since then has increased manifold. Last year, approximately 15,000 people from France visited Oman, she said.

Portraying Oman as an attractive destination for French tourists has always been Rania's first priority. After putting in so much effort over the last seven years, it feels good to know that Oman has made a place for itself in the French tourism industry, she said.

It's difficult to take the French out of their country since there's so much within the country itself. So it's never been an easy task, said Rania, though she was confident that the natural beauty of Oman and its unique culture and heritage would attract a lot of tourists in the years to come.

Emphasising her future plans, she said the introduction of combined destination packages would bring in more tourists from France. We are not looking for mass tourism, as the infrastructure will not help otherwise, she added.

Rania is currently on a visit to Muscat with delegates representing the French tourism industry.

More than two weeks earlier, Oman Air launched daily service to Germany. Frankfurt 4 times a week (started on 30 September) and Munich 3 times (since 1 October)

I heard that emirates want to use Airbus380 to Manila Sector. Is this true? If True When they will start?

Flydubai Establishes Position In Low Cost Aviation Sector
November 24, 2009 18:39 PM

DUBAI, Nov 24 (Bernama) -- United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minster of Economy and Chairman of the General Civil Aviation Authority Board, Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, said that the low cost airline, flydubai, has proved its efficiency in the low cost aviation sector since its launch in June, Emirates news agency (WAM) reported Tuesday.

He said the company has launched a number of international routes including a new destination to the Azeri capital, Baku starting November 20. He said this achievement reflects the strength of the economy and the aviation sector's growth regionally and internationally.

Al Mansouri said that the airline will have 12 destinations by the end of this year and will receive its sixth aircraft in December, adding that the new destination will enhance economic relations between the two countries.

He said relations between the UAE and Azerbaijan have witnessed significant development in recent years led by the signing of an agreement for economic, commercial and technical cooperation in 2006.

The non-oil trade exchange between the UAE and Azerbaijan increased by 21 per cent from US$147 millions in 2002 to US$318 millions in 2006. The total export and re-export from the country to Azerbaijan grew by 22 per cent from US$143 millions to US$316 millions.

Al Mansouri said the new destination is the result of bilateral agreement that the UAE recently signed with the Azeri Minister of Transport, which also includes future cooperation between the two countries in various fields of transportation.

The two parties stressed on the importance of facilitating and increasing transportation between the two countries, and enhancing cooperation in implementing and applying the latest technologies in the sector.

This comes as result of the fruitful meetings and great efforts exerted by the government authorities in both countries in Baku in 2003 and in Dubai in 2007 including the launch new air routes, strengthening infrastructure and building a cooperation framework in the transport business.

flydubai, Dubai's first low cost airline, expanded its network into the former Soviet Union for the first time on November 20, when it commences flights to Baku.

-- BERNAMA

Investors plan low-cost carrier in Abu Dhabi-report
27 December 2009

DUBAI, Dec 27 (Reuters) - An investment company plans to launch the third low-cost carrier in the United Arab Emirates in 2010, a newspaper reported on Sunday, quoting unnamed aviation sources.

The airline, which will be based in the capital and flying out of Abu Dhabi, will start operating in mid-2010, daily al-Khaleej said. The newspaper did not identify the investment company.

The new budget carrier will face growing competition from two UAE low-cost carriers, Air Arabia and flydubai, as well as a number of regional operators.

Kuwait's Jazeera Airways said on Wednesday it was cutting services on certain routes to weather difficult times with no improvement in sight next year.

Gulf Air sells Airbus planes to U.S.' Apollo

MANAMA, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Bahrain's state-owned carrier Gulf Air [GULF.UL] has sold two Airbus A340 aircraft to U.S.-based Apollo Aviation Group as part of efforts to realign its fleet to a new strategy focusing on regional routes.

Gulf Air said in a statement, in which it did not disclose the transaction's terms, that the two aircraft were 16 years old and had no longer been in service.

It said it saved $25 million in investments needed to return the two aircraft to service.

The loss-making carrier plans to shift its order book from wide-body to narrow body planes and regional jets as it changes its route network to focus on regional traffic.

Mideast airlines see highest '09 traffic growth-IATA

DUBAI, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Middle Eastern airlines registered the highest growth rate of 11.2 percent in air passenger traffic globally for 2009, as carriers snapped up long-haul connecting traffic, the international air traffic body said on Wednesday.

"These gains result from Middle Eastern carriers taking a larger share of long-haul connecting traffic over their hubs," The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.

Regional carriers generated the fastest growth in passenger traffic in December 2009, up 19.1 percent from the same period in 2008, IATA said.

Last year's international air traffic demand saw the sharpest drop since the decline following the second world war, with a fall of 3.5 percent.

Most Middle Eastern traffic is generated through Gulf Arab states, with airlines including Emirates [EMIRA.UL], Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways.

Gulf Arab countries are expected to enjoy higher growth rates in 2010 than previously expected, helped by global recovery, despite debt woes in the United Arab Emirates weighing on the outlook, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday.

Middle East carriers' freight demand increased by 7 percent in 2009 versus 2008, IATA said.