Aviation
- The news you choose »
- Login to Add to Watchlist
UAE prepares new airline licensing rules
Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the General Civil Aviation Authority has said the UAE government is preparing a new airline licensing regime that promises more control over the airlines operating in the country or using its airspace, Wam has reported. The new measures, which will be implemented next year, are being adopted following the growing number of air accidents around the world, he said. Thirty operators were banned from operating in the country and more would be outlawed in the future, should they fail to comply with regulations and standards, Al Suwaidi added.
Etihad ups Frankfurt flights
The national airline of the UAE, Etihad Airways has said its Abu Dhabi-Frankfurt services will be increased from 10 to 13 per week from December 12, increasing to a double flights daily from March 28, 2010. The airline operates a three cabin A330-200 aircraft between Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt, configured to carry 10 passengers in first class, 26 passengers in business class and 164 passengers in economy class.
Gulf Air prepares workforce cuts
According to a three-year rescue plan presented to Bahrain's parliament by Gulf Air, the carrier expects to post a BD189m ($501m) loss this year, Gulf Daily News has reported. Chairman of the financial and economic affairs committee, MP Abduljalil Khalil told the newspaper that plans include workforce cuts that could start within a few months. 'Considering that Gulf Air has a 60% expatriate workforce and 40% Bahrainis, expatriates will be the first to be removed. They will then be followed by Bahrainis who are near retirement. They will be presented with good packages to encourage them to leave the company,' he said.
Emirates to reinstate A380 on NY route
Richard Vaughan, Emirates Airline's senior VP commercial operations worldwide has said the carrier will resume its A380 service from Dubai to New York next year. 'The service will go back later next year because we have seen that demand is starting to come back. The last 12 months have been challenging but we have had a successful first half of the year.' Vaughan told a World Travel Market audience, according to website Travelmole.com.
Emirates may order more planes
Emirates Airline may need to buy more planes from Airbus and Boeing as its current fleet is operating 'flat out' and existing orders have been allocated to new services, President Tim Clark said in an interview with Bloomberg. 'We're sounding out who's got more just in case we decide to go ahead,' Clark told the news service. 'The fleet order we have in place is probably not as big as it needs to be.'
Kuwait Airways adds new route to Bangladesh
Kuwait Airways has announced the launch of a new route to the city of Chittagong, Bangladesh, KUNA has reported. Chittagong is the airline's second destination in Bangladesh.
ALAFCO records KD10.2m profit for 2009
Kuwait-based Alafco Aviation Lease and Finance Co has reported a net profit of KD10.2m ($35.6m) in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009. Shareholders equity has climbed by 15% to KD93.6m ($326.5m). Alafco's fleet had seen a substantial increase in the number of leased aircraft as it took delivery of 12 Boeing and Airbus aircraft directly from manufacturers, of which nine were leased to local, regional and global airlines, increasing the leased aircraft portfolio to 26, the firm said in a statement.
GE delivers its 1000th GE90 engine to Emirates
Emirates Airline has taken delivery of the 1000th GE90 engine from US-based GE Aviation. Emirates is the largest GE90 engine operator with 60 GE90-powered Boeing 777 in service and an additional 26 aircraft on order. The dual annular combustor emits no more than 40% of the hydrocarbons allowed by today's international standards, the company said in a statement.
DAE delivers second Boeing to Garuda
DAE Capital, the aircraft leasing and financial business arm of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), has said it has delivered the second Boeing 737-800 Next-Generation aircraft to the national flag carrier of Indonesia, Garuda. The aircraft is one of eight new B737-800 aircraft to be delivered to Garuda between June 2009 and April 2010.
Kuwait, India airlines sign agreement
Kuwait Airways and Air India have signed a commercial cooperation agreement, KUNA has reported. Under the agreement, a number of economy, business and first class seats will be allocated for Air India passengers, while flight schedules between Kuwait and India will be announced through different booking systems.
New Etihad A330-200 freighter makes test flight
Etihad Crystal Cargo has announced its new A330-200 freighter has made its maiden flight over Toulouse in France marking the beginning of a 200-hour flight-test and certification campaign. The new aircraft, due for delivery in 2010, will enhance the capacity of the cargo division of Etihad with its extensive range and a higher maximum payload, the company said in a statement. The new Airbus A330 can carry more than 64 metric tons over 4,000 nautical miles/7,400km, or more than 69 metric tons up to 3,200 nautical miles/5,930km - non-stop.
Dubai repays $1bn aviation authority sukuk
Dubai's Department of Finance said it had repaid a $1bn Islamic bond, or sukuk, from the emirate's civil aviation authority which matured on Nov 4. 'This comes after the government of Dubai issued a two-tranche, $1.93bn sukuk on October 28, 2009, following a highly successful international roadshow which generated a large order book with over 300 investors placing orders in excess of $6.3bn equivalent,' the department said in a statement.
Oman Air warns Boeing on Dreamliner delays
Peter Hill, CEO of Oman Air has said that Boeing risks losing a $1bn order for its 787 Dreamliner aircraft to a rival model from Airbus, if the US plane's production schedule is delayed any further, Times of Oman has reported. 'Further delays might mean that we'd have to look elsewhere,' he said. The Sultanate's national carrier already has seven A330s from Airbus on order, with the first four scheduled for handover this year.
Saudi Arabia inks SR222m radar deal
Saudi Arabia's ministry of defence and aviation and US-based Raytheon International Company have signed a SR222m contract for 21 civil navigation radar systems to be installed across the kingdom, Arab News has reported. The new radars will cover the entire Saudi air space and detect aircraft at heights of 15,000 feet or above. The Raytheon system, which will be installed over 36 months, aims at enabling Saudi air traffic controllers to reduce the distance between two aircraft in the air.
Embraer moots MidEast depot
Brazil-based Embraer, the world's third largest aircraft manufacturer, has said that it will decide in the first half of 2010 whether to shift its spare parts depot from the French capital, Paris to the Middle East region, Aviation Week has reported. The new warehouse will serve four air carriers which are currently operating Embraer commercial aircraft, including Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJ), Egyptair, Saudia and Nasair. Candidate locations include Dubai, Doha, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, VP for the region, Jose Luis Molina said.
It looks like you are using a Mac - check out our 
Web Feeds