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New Doha airport to open in 2011
Qatar's Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning has announced that the new Doha International Airport will be ready by 2011 instead of 2015, while the existing airport will be restructured, the Peninsula has reported. The first and second phases have been merged to cope with the fast growth in passenger traffic being witnessed by national carrier Qatar Airways, the ministry said.
Flydubai to launch flights to Khartoum
Flydubai has announced that it will launch daily service to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, from November 8. At a distance of 1,600 miles from Dubai, the flight to Khartoum will be the longest in the low-cost carrier's network and its eighth destination since it started operations in June.
Gulf carriers warned about safety
International Air Transport Association Director General Giovanni Bisignani issued a warning about safety to Middle East carriers at the Arab Air Carriers Organization's annual general meeting. 'As of the end of September, the region's accident rate is six times worse than the global average,' Bisignani said, adding the figure should serve 'as a wake up call for all of us'. Despite a regional committment to embrace the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), only Syria and Egypt have made the standard a requirement, he noted.
UAE women become pilots at Etihad
For the first time, Emarati women have earned their wings as pilots at Etihad Airways, the airline has announced. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier said the women, Salma al-Baloushi and Aisha al-Mansouri, graduated from flight training alongside nine male colleagues and earned the airline transport pilot licence (ATPL). 'Everyone at Etihad is delighted that Salma and Aisha - our first female cadet pilots - have made history as the first women to graduate from the programme,' Etihad Airways Chief Executive James Hogan said in a statement.
Dubai Civil Aviation Authority mulls bond issue
Dubai Civil Aviation Authority may issue bonds to refinance a $1bn sukuk maturing next month, Bloomberg has reported, citing two bankers familiar with the transaction. The authority has hired UBS, Dubai Islamic Bank, Standard Chartered and Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ to manage the Islamic and conventional bond sale, according to the bankers.
Sama switches to New Skies by Navitaire
Saudi Arabia-based low-cost carrier Sama has announced it will be replacing its reservations and distribution system with the New Skies system by Navitaire. The new system, which will be launched on October 23, offers new services including advanced seat selection and the opportunity to pre-purchase excess baggage will be available from this date, plus a new range of fares to suit all passengers.
UAE signs open skies deal with Serbia
The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority has signed an open air services agreement with the Republic of Serbia that allows unrestricted frequencies, capacity and types of aircraft to be operated by the designated airlines of each country in any type of service (passenger or cargo) on routes between the two countries.
Etihad to resume flights to Sri Lanka
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has said that flights to Colombo in Sri Lanka will be resumed starting in January 2010. The carrier will operate four flights per week from Abu Dhabi to Sri Lanka's largest city and commercial capital, using an Airbus A320 aircraft. Flight EY266 will depart Abu Dhabi on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 9.55pm and arrive at Colombo's Bandaranaike international airport at 3.45am the following day. Return flight EY267 will depart Colombo on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 4.45am, arriving in Abu Dhabi at 8.00am the same morning.
Abu Dhabi, Chicago ink airport MoU
Abu Dhabi International Airport has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chicago O'Hare International Airport to become 'sister airports' and share technical, commercial and environmental best practices. Under the agreement, the airports will set up joint working groups to evaluate ways in which they can work together on a wide range of areas, with a focus on a personnel exchange programme to provide training and skills development opportunities for Abu Dhabi Airport staff.
Saudia to float 30% of catering unit
Saudi Arabia's national carrier, Saudia has said that it will offer 30% of its catering unit through an initial public offering in nine months as part of its privatization efforts, Reuters has reported. 'We are now in the path of going further into IPO mode ... it will be the first listed company from the group of Saudia,' Khalid Almolhem, director general of the airline said. The airline's catering unit was the first to go as Saudia sold 49% of it in January 2008, followed by the cargo unit which is now 30% owned by Tarabut Air Freight Service. French bank Calyon's Saudi Arabia office has been chosen to advise on the catering unit's IPO.
Flydubai's new plane takes off to Doha
Dubai's low cost airline, Flydubai has received its fifth aircraft, Boeing 737-800NG, which will immediately serve the airline's inaugural fliht to Doha. The first flight begins on Sunday, October 18, 2009. The plane is part of the historic order of 50 aircraft placed with Boeing at the Farnborough Airshow.
Qatar confident of A350 delivery
Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways has said that the carrier is 'more confident' that Airbus SAS will deliver its planned A350 long-haul plane on schedule following Boeing's problems with the 787 Dreamliner, Gulf News has reported. Qatar's national carrier has 80 A350s on order.
Emirates to review Serbia agreement
A delegation from the UAE's Directorate of Civil Aviation, which includes representatives of Emirates Airline, has arrived in Belgrade to sign an agreement on flying rights between Serbia and UAE, according to local newspaper Blic. Aside from the regular Belgrade-Dubai route, the carrier wants to use the Serbian capital for flights to a number of destinations the newspaper said.
Boeing, Airbus moot engine upgrades
Aircraft manufacturers, Airbus SAS and Boeing Co. have said that they are considering an upgrade to their most popular jets with different engines to cut fuel consumption and buy time to design all-new successors, Bloomberg has reported. Engine makers including General Electric Co. and Pratt & Whitney say they could make a turbofan engine available as soon as 2016 which would reduce fuel consumption and noise. Redesigning planes to accommodate the engine would cost less than $1bn, compared with $10bn to create a completely new model.
Jeddah airport opens new runway
Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) has announced the official opening of its new runway, Arab News has reported. The west runway is 4,000 meters long and 60 meters wide, with 7.5-meter shoulders on either side.
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