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Gulf Air in talks on plane orders
Samer Majali, chief executive of Bahrain's Gulf Air, has said that the carrier is in talks with Airbus and Boeing over its plane orders and expects to make a decision by year-end, Reuters has reported. Starting this October until April next year, the airline will be phasing in 10 new Airbus A320s and removing five old Airbus aircraft from its fleet, he said.
Qatar Airways launches flights to Goa
Qatar Airways has launched new non-stop service to Goa, which is now the carrier's 10th Indian destination. The new route will be serviced by a two-class Airbus A320 with 12 seats in business and 132 seats in economy. The Goa flights will leave Doha at 9.25pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Sudan carrier banned from UAE following crash
The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has imposed a temporary ban on Sudan-based Azza Transport from operating in the country after last week's crash of its Boeing 707 on takeoff from Sharjah International Airport, Khaleej Times has reported. The ban is a preventive measure until investigations into the cause of the crash are completed, the authority said.
IATA: Worst over for airlines
Giovanni Bisignani, head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said that the hard conditions suffered by airlines hit by the global downturn were improving but that the road to recovery will be long, AFP has reported. The aviation industry had forecast a worldwide drop in revenues of $80bn, from $535bn in 2008 to $455bn in 2009, he said. 'A drop of this dimension will not be easy to address. It will take three or four years to return to the old levels,' he noted.
Gulf Air union protests management pay rise
The union at Bahrain-based Gulf Air is planning a sit-in at company headquarters, expressing their protest against pay rises for senior management amid planned lay-offs, Reuters has reported. Unions claimed that Gulf Air plans to lay off 272 employees by the end of the year. Regarding the issue, Gulf Air has issued a statement, 'The Gulf Air trade union is an important partner within this process with whom we engage on a regular basis.'
Boeing posts quarterly loss
US plane maker Boeing has posted a net quarterly loss of $1.6bn, compared with a profit of $695m a year earlier, Reuters has reported. However, analysts were surprised that, despite the larger-than-expected loss, the firm has reaffirmed that its long-delayed 787 Dreamliner is on track to fly this year. 'The surprise was they reiterated the schedule,' said Alex Hamilton, senior managing director at Jesup & Lamont. 'I think there's a lot of scepticism growing on the street about their delivery schedule.'
Six killed in Sharjah airplane crash
A Boeing 707 cargo plane bound for Sudan crashed yesterday shortly after takeoff from Sharjah International Airport north of Dubai, killing the entire six-member crew but causing no other casualties on the ground. The Sudanese cargo plane fell in an unpopulated area about two miles from the airport, Sheik Khalid al-Qassimi, director of the Sharjah department of civil aviation said.
BNP to fund Emirates plane deal
Dubai-based Emirates Airline has hired BNP Paribas SA to arrange funding the purchase of two aircraft, Bloomberg has reported. The $289m deal, which is backed by the US Ex-Im Bank, involves the purchase of two 777-300 ER planes, the Paris-headquartered lender has said.
Emirates to increase flights to India
Emirates Airline has announced plans to increase frequencies from Dubai to Kozhikode in India's southern state of Kerala to 11 flights a week by December. The carrier, which currently operates six weekly flights to Kozhikode, said the total number of flights from the state would go up to 37 a week. Emirates operates 166 weekly flights to 10 Indian destinations connecting to over 90 destinations in 60 nations via Dubai.
Dubai airport to boost capacity to 90m passengers a year
Paul Griffiths, the chief executive of Dubai Airports, has said that Dubai International Airport has increased its projected capacity growth to 90 million passengers at the end of the next decade from its earlier target of 75 million, The National has reported. The capacity gains are expected to come from new systems and processes at the airport, rather than additional infrastructure, he said. The revision follows delays at the emirate's second airport, the $8.2bn (Dhs30.11bn) Al Maktoum International in Jebel Ali, which is scheduled to open for business next year.
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.
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