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UAE inks open skies deal with Dominican Republic
The General Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE has initialled an 'open' Air Services Agreement with the government of the Dominican Republic. The agreement allows unrestricted frequencies, capacity and types of aircraft, whether owned or leased, to be operated by the designated airlines of each country in any type of service, passenger or cargo, on the routes between the Dominican Republic and the UAE.
Pilgrimage airline get license in Saudi
Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation has granted the Saudi-based pilgrimage airline Alwafeer Air an Air Operation Certificate to start flying during the Hajj season in November, Reuters has reported. The Jeddah-based airline is the kingdom's fourth after state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines and low-cost carriers Nas Air and Sama. The charter airline will focus on flying pilgrims to Saudi Arabia starting with three Boeing 747 aircraft, and may expand its fleet to eight planes within three years.
UAE signs open skies deal with Kyrgyz Republic
The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority has signed an "open" Air Services Agreement (ASA) with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Kyrgyz Republic. The agreement allows unrestricted frequency of flights, capacity and types of aircraft, whether owned or leased, to be operated by the designated airlines of each country for passenger or cargo services on routes between the Kyrgyz Republic and the UAE. The agreement comes days after the UAE signed an open skies deal with Zambia.
Saudia receives A320 delivery via Alafco
Alafco Aviation Lease and Finance Company (Alafco) has delivered to Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) its first A320 aircraft of the 13 A320 aircraft it will provide to Saudia on operating lease. The A320 is intended for routes in the region, to Europe and to the Indian subcontinent, from Saudia's hub in Riyadh. Depending on the configuration, the A320s will seat between 120 and 132 passengers in two classes. The aircraft are powered by CFM56 engines.
UAE inks 'open sky' agreement with Zambia
The UAE has inked an 'open' Air Services Agreement (ASA) and with the Government of Zambia, during ICAO's 2009 Air Services Negotiations Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has announced. The two delegations have agreed that any number of designated airlines of both parties will have the right to perform scheduled air services. The UAE has designated Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, RAK Airways, Air Arabia and FlyDubai as UAE national airlines under the agreement. The Zambian delegation will designate its airlines under the agreement in due course.
Kuwait International plans new terminal
Kuwait's International Airport will have a new passenger terminal to triple its capacity at an estimated cost of KD213m ($2.72bn), Bloomberg has reported. The new terminal, planned for completion by November 2016, will have an annual capacity of 13 million passengers, taking Kuwait's total to 20 million passengers, according to the country's Ministry of Public Works. Four companies from the UK, France, Germany and the US submitted bids for the design phase of the project.
Jordan Airports to float Marka tender
Jordan Airports Company (JAC) will float a tender for the upgrade and renovation of the Amman Civil Airport in Marka on a commercial basis, the Jordan Times has reported. The Transport Ministry, in cooperation with JAC, will develop the necessary plan to upgrade the terminal and cargo facilities. A tender will be floated to invite bidders to undertake the renovation project, Mohannad Qudah, JAC's Chairman has said. The airport mainly serves as a regional airport servicing domestic and nearby international routes.
Gulf Air opens Bahrain maintenance facility
Gulf Air has opened a new comprehensive line maintenance facility in Bahrain, Gulf Daily News has reported. The new facility is three times larger than previous ones, and accommodates all Bahrain line maintenance engineers and mechanics for Gulf Air craft and other third party airplanes transiting through the kingdom. The facility is equipped with a control centre, ramp management offices, operations room, technical library, ramp stores to stock aircraft spares and materials and a rest area for crew.
Air Arabia to launch Samara flights
Sharjah-based low-cost carrier, Air Arabia will launch regular flights to the Russian city of Samara in October 26, 2009, according to a statement by the city airport. The twice-weekly service will take off from Sharjah on Mondays and Fridays and the route will be served by Airbus A320-214 aircraft in economy-class configuration.
Iraq projects fuelling increased charter demand
UK-headquartered Chapman Freeborn Aviation Services said that demand for passenger charter flights to and from Iraq over the past six months has seen a sharp increase. Requests for tailored charter flights to Iraqi cities such as Basrah, Baghdad, Najaf, Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk rose month-on-month in 2009 as the reconstruction projects in the country are stepped up, the firm said. The aircraft charter specialist has also reported growing demand for cargo charters in and out of Iraq.
Mideast passenger demand up 10.8% in August
Air passenger demand in the Middle East rose 10.8% in August compared to Aug 2008, making it the only region in the world where carriers showed year-on-year growth, according to a new report by the International Air Travel Association (IATA). The report said the August figure for the region is below the 13.2% recorded in July due to a distortion resulting from the earlier start of Ramadan compared with last year. Middle East carriers continue to win market share on long-haul travel via their expanding hubs, the report said.
Qatar Airways secures loans for new aircraft
Qatar Airways has secured two loans worth $700m to buy four new Boeing 777 aircraft due for delivery this year, Reuters has reported. Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered Bank and SMBCE have agreed to a $350m, 12-year finance lease deal for the airline to purchase two new Boeing 777 aircraft, both a 777-300ER and a 777-200LR version. The carrier has also agreed to a $350m deal for the financing of two more new Boeing 777 aircraft. The Boeing 777-300 aircraft is scheduled for delivery this month while the 777-200 version is due to be delivered in November 2009.
Jazeera Airways to add cabin classes
Low-cost carrier Jazeera Airways plans to add additional cabin classes as part of an effort to build revenues by attracting business and leisure travellers, The National has reported. New management is implementing changes at the Kuwait-based airline, including the new cabin classes as well as targeting other travel segments and adding more bases of operation throughout the region, in a bid to become one of the top regional carriers.
No launch date yet for Air Arabia Egypt
Air Arabia Egypt, the newly established joint venture between Egypt's Travco Group and Sharjah-based Air Arabia, has not yet determined whether it will launch operations this year or in 2010, Air Arabia's CEO Adel Ali told Emirates Business. 'I do not have a date for the launch yet,' he told Emirates Business. 'There is still too much logistics involved in setting up the company.'
Dubai passenger growth climbs 10.7%
Dubai International Airport saw a nearly 11% jump in passenger traffic in August, following double digit growth the previous two months. Passenger traffic climbed 10.7% last month, compared to growth of 10.3% in June and 12.6% in July, Dubai Airports Company said. Dubai International handled a total of 3,729,879 passengers in August compared to 3,368,260 during the same period last year.
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