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Mubadala signs Airbus wing deal
Mubadala Aerospace, a unit of Abu Dhabi's state-owned investment firm Mubadala Development, has signed two contracts to provide wing panels for Airbus SAS's wide-body planes, Bloomberg has reported. The agreements call for Mubadala's Strata plant to make carbon fibre panel skins for aircraft ailerons from 2011. Airbus is currently producing eight wide-body planes a month.
Military orders likely to steal limelight at Dubai Airshow
One of the themes that is expected to emerge at this year's Dubai Airshow is that military orders will grab a bigger share of the spotlight as civilian aircraft deals decline due to the global economic crisis. Military participation this year at the Dubai Airshow will grow to 40%, organisers say, and companies such as American defence contractor Raytheon have already announced that they are planning to sign a number of missile and air traffic control deals at the show.
Dubai Airshow launches with 890 exhibitors
As the Dubai Airshow kicks off today, it is widely expected that the deals at this year's event will pale in comparison to the previous show in 2007, which saw over $155bn worth of orders during the five days that it ran. Still, the event remains one of the largest of its kind in the world, with 890 companies from 47 countries exhibiting at this year's show, an increase over 2007 when it attracted 850 exhibitors.
Air Arabia net profit up 6%
UAE-based low-cost carrier, Air Arabia has said that its net profit for the first nine months of 2009 grew by 6% to Dhs337m, compared to Dhs318m for the same period in 2008. The airline has served 2.96 million passengers during the period, an increase of 14% compared to 2.6 million passengers during the corresponding period last year. However, net profit for the three months ending September 30, 2009, had declined by 9% to Dhs144m, compared to Dhs158m for the same period in 2008.
Jazeera passenger traffic up 65% in Q3
Jazeera Airways has said it has transported 582,490 passengers, 65% higher than the third quarter of 2008. Revenues were recorded KD15.9m for Q3 2009 and profit for the quarter has reached KD0.76m. The airline has also announced its summer destinations for travelers looking for early bookings.
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.
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