Middle East Aviation Thread

[Skyprince]

Why QR also wanna fly to Sao Paulo it's already taken by EK I think DOH-Rio de Janeiro or Buenos Aires or Mexico City sounds more interesting !

[CrazY]

this is one sexy plane

[metal gear]

....................no comment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CrazY]

lol, what... IT IS :P

[metal gear]

btw almost all the pictures are gone.................might as well close the thread..............it needs pictures.

[Halawala]

Originally Posted by CrazY

this is one sexy plane

Thats one HOOOTT Bird!

[Hassoun]

Ok,It is HERE guys (Thanx To Beiruti)

[Jayme]

Originally Posted by CrazY

this is one sexy plane

That is a sexy plane !

[nimrooo]

Originally Posted by khalelooo

I proudly present you with images of Saudi Arabian Airlines, which I personally believe has one of he best looking commercial airlines in the ME if not the world.

ugly

[Slaoui]

[juzzy]

any pics of DXB terminal 3???

[Jayme]

DAMASCUS: Syrian Arab Airlines, the country's state-run carrier, plans to buy 50 planes from Airbus SAS to modernize its fleet, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdallah Dardari said. Initial negotiations with France's government, also involving a reorganization of the airline, were held three weeks ago and a transaction may be completed when French President Nicolas Sarkozy visits Syria in September, Dardari said in an interview in Damascus. The airline would buy single-aisle Airbus A320s as well as twin-aisle A330, A340 and A350 models.

"We are now in agreement with the French to completely restructure the national airline, now that we have an agreement to buy Airbus planes,'' Dardari said. However, he declined to specify an order value or a breakdown by model.

Airlines from Middle Eastern and Asian countries, where economic expansion is beating growth in more developed markets, accounted for most of the $64 billion in orders that Airbus and Boeing Co. won at the Farnborough International Air Show near London in mid-July.

Syria's economy expanded by more than 6 percent last year, and President Bashar Assad forecast in June that growth in 2008 will reach 6.6 percent.

The carrier, known as Syrian Air, was set up in 1946. Its 18-plane fleet includes A320s and single-aisle Boeing 727s, according to the Arab Air Carrier's Association Web site. The airline would lease four planes in the next 18 months and then take delivery of the first 14 Airbus airliners from 2010 to 2018 and a further 36 by 2028, Dardari said.

"We are in discussions,'' Habib Fekih, Airbus's president for the Middle East, said in a telephone interview. "We didn't finish the review yet and are working on the final details and their requirements over the coming years.''

A320-series planes, which offer 107 to 185 seats, are priced at $56 million apiece to $86 million. The four-engine, 380-seat A340 costs $239 million while the planned A350, similar in size to the A330 with 250 to 350 seats, will cost as much as $259 million. Catalog prices don't include discounts that Toulouse, France-based Airbus offers for larger orders.


The US imposed economic sanctions in May 2004, including a ban on trade transactions with the Commercial Bank of Syria, the country's largest bank, as President George W. Bush's administration accused the government of aiding militants in Iraq and destabilizing Lebanon.

The sanctions, preventing Boeing from taking part in recent bidding, have in the past scuttled efforts to overhaul Syrian Air's fleet, Dardari said.

International pressure on Syria has eased since it helped broker an end to an 18-month long political crisis in Lebanon in May. Syria played a key role in Lebanese politics for three decades and withdrew its army in 2005. "I don't think the US has managed to dampen foreign direct investment nor have they succeeded in stopping economic reforms and liberalization,'' Dardari said. "Sanctions have failed especially when they are unilateral.''

Dardari was in France last month to boost economic ties, a week after the presidents of the two countries met for the first time. During his two-day visit, Dardari focused on issues including transportation, electricity, energy including oil and gas exploration, telecommunications and technology.

Part of Syrian Air's multibillion-dollar restructuring may include preparing it for an initial public offering on the Syrian Stock Exchange once the market becomes operational, Dardari said.

"Our main concern today is that state-owned industry and construction companies require a complete overhaul and need to stand on their feet in an open economy,'' Dardari said. "They are no longer monopolies and that's why they aren't making a profit and are facing very tough private-sector competition.''

[alitezar]

A day at Tehran's Domestic Airport

[alitezar]

[alitezar]

Here are some pix from Tehran's International Airport

[CrazY]

A new era in aviation in the Middle East is now only days away with the arrival of the first Wataniya Airways A320 aircraft in to Kuwait.

Originally Posted by Danny21

The airline's first aircraft, bearing the distinctive Wataniya Airways livery, has completed its maiden flight from Airbus' headquarters in Toulouse to Kuwait in anticipation of starting its scheduled service from the 24th of January.

The fully-crewed aircraft was welcomed to its new home at the Sheikh Saad Terminal, formerly the Royal Terminal and adjoining Kuwait International Airport, by senior Wataniya Airways management and staff today. The aircraft's historic arrival was commemorated with a traditional water salute from fire fighting teams at the airport to celebrate its momentous arrival.

Abdul Salam Al Bahar, Chairman of Wataniya Airways, said: 'The arrival of the very first aircraft of the Wataniya Airways fleet is a tremendous milestone in Kuwait's aviation history and it was an immensely proud moment for all of us who have been committed to this project from the start to see our first aircraft land and taxi in to the Sheikh Saad Terminal.'

'Kuwait's aviation industry is among the most advanced in the region and I am proud that through Wataniya Airways we have, by establishing a premium airline, been able to contribute towards fulfilling the Amiri mandate of widening the scope of airline carriers for Kuwait,' he added.

The Airbus A 320 left Toulouse, the home of Airbus, earlier this morning piloted by Captain Anthony Jamieson and First Officer Mohammed Al-Gaith with a full complement of Wataniya Airways crew onboard to make this historic maiden flight. They are among the 31 pilots and 51 cabin crew who have now been recruited by Wataniya and have undergone intensive training for 3 months prior to flying to Toulouse for additional training on the aircraft before returning to Kuwait.

The Wataniya Airways Chairman and the CEO, flanked by the rest of the airline team and along with special guests and the Kuwaiti media were waiting at Sheikh Saad Terminal to officially welcome the aircraft to Kuwait.

'This truly is a tremendous occasion as it signifies the official birth of our new premium airline and one that will deliver an outstanding service to a discerning public,' said George Cooper, CEO for Wataniya Airways. 'This historic day marks the culmination of extensive planning and the hard work and dedication of the Wataniya Airways team and I am proud that we are now only days away from our inaugural commercial flight that will offer the best possible travel experience both on the ground and in the air.'

Wataniya Airways will start operations on the 24th of January by providing two daily flights to Dubai. Additional popular destinations for travellers from and to Kuwait will be announced shortly.

The airline is the first and only Kuwaiti commercial airline to operate from the prestigious Sheikh Saad Terminal (formerly known as the Royal Terminal, adjacent to Kuwait International Airport).

From additional legroom to comfortable seats and state-of-the-art in-flight-entertainment systems - Wataniya Airways also prides itself in having a highly trained team and crew that combine professionalism with the personality that is special to Wataniya Airways.

The airline will be using the easily recognizable 'KW' flight code for all its flights and will carry an image of the Kuwait Towers on its tailfin - reinforcing the airline's proud Kuwaiti heritage. The airline is now set to demonstrate that it has what it takes to make its nation proud.

[Morsue]

That's a nice looking tailfin.

[Abdelkarim]

Afriqiyah Airways A300

Libyan Airlines A320

[Night Hawk]

Isn't Gulf Air a bygoner.

[yazm1991]

Royal Jordanian
Arguably one of the best colour schemes in the air…






Special 'oneworld' colour scheme. RJ was the first arab airline invited to a global air alliance.