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286 reports
April 15 - Air movements in UAE airspace grew almost 12 percent in the first quarter of 2010 it was announced by the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) yesterday. GCAA also reported high growth rates across all air activities and operations in March 2010 compared to March and February 2009. Air traffic movements were highest in Dubai at 24,778, nearly 46 percent of all UAE air traffic movements in…
April 14- , located south of Baghdad, has been closed over security concerns and a row with the Kuwaiti company responsible for its passenger operations. Najaf airport, 150 km south of the Iraqi capital, was shut on April 7 on orders from the transport ministry, causing daily losses of $100,000. Transport Ministry spokesman Akeel Kawthar said the decision had been taken on safety grounds after the Kuwaiti…
April 14- The row between Egypt's aviation authority and General Civil Aviation Authority (GACA) over landing rights has intensified as GACA decided to limit the number of flights coming from Egypt to Madinah. Earlier, GACA announced that as of March 31, Egypt Air is allowed to operate one flight a day to Madina instead of four. The carrier would not be allowed to increase the number of flights till the Egyptian…
April 11- Investors are raising questions about the viability of the SAR6 billion ($1.6 billion) private airport in Madinah, when the authorities have been unable to collect fees from the government carrier Saudi Arabian Airlines. The airline owes billions of riyals to the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA), which regulates the industry and owns the kingdom's airports and was on a road show in Dubai…
April 8 - Baghdad International Airport was closed Wednesday morning for unspecified reasons, airport checkpoint staff and officials said. Staff controlling checkpoints refused entry to all passengers and were only allowing airport staff through security checks. Security and airline officials gave differing accounts for the reasons behind the closure. A spokesman for Iraqi Airways said the airport was…
April 8- Abu Dhabi International Airport is increasing its flights by 10 per cent this summer -- April-October, said the Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) in a statement released yesterday. There will not be 835 weekly scheduled flights to 80 destinations in 45 countries. Speaking on the occasion, Ahmad Al Haddabi, Senior Vice President of Airports Operation, ADAC, said: "As we continue to see our airline…
April 8 - The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Montreal, Canada, to offer training courses to AFCAC member states. The training period will be for two years and will be held under the patronage of the Academy of Technical Training and the Gulf Centre for Aviation Studies The MoU, which is in line with…
April 7 - An agreement is being finalized to change some parts of the Habaniya Airbase in Al-Anbar province, Baghdad, into a civil airport. "The process is part of the Al-Anbar investment plan," said Mizhir Hassan, head of the al-Anbar Investment Commission. The airport will contribute to the province’s economy, he added. Ramadi, the capital city of al-Anbar province, lies 110km west of Baghdad.
April 6- Saudi-based Etihad Etisalat, also known as Mobily, has formed an alliance with Priority Pass that will offer elite services at more than 600 airports (VIP lounges) in 300 cities in 100 countries around the world. This is the largest airport lounge access programme. This includes most Middle Eastern airports as well as 70 US airports. Priority Pass members can also gain access to domestic VIP lounges at…
April 6- Saudi Arabia has shortlisted four groups for a $2.4 billion project to build and operate facilities linked to an airport in Jeddah, said a Saudi aviation authority official. The project, titled the Airport City Project, will take about 10 years to be completed and will attract $5.86 billion in investments, said Alaa Samman, director of business development for domestic airports at the General Authority…
April 5- Dubai International Airport’s Concourse Three (C3) is on track to open its gates at the end of 2012, when it will become the world’s first Airbus A380 dedicated facility of its size. Construction of C3 began in early 2008. The new concourse, which aims to increase passenger capacity at Dubai International Airport from the current 60 million passengers a year to 75 million passengers a year, is an…
April 5- The Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA) is opening a new representative office in the Tasjeel Vehicle Registration Centre. The office will be located at the Enoc Petrol Station near Junction 13 inside the free zone. The new office will hope to reduce application time both with regard to renewals and cancellations. The service will also include vehicle transfer and export. JAFZA’s new move has brought the…
April 5- Madinah-Cairo flights have been suspended because of a dispute between the Saudi General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) and its Egyptian counterpart, when the latter refused to allow two Saudi-based private airlines to land at Cairo International Airport. Even though the Egyptian airport authority promised to remove all restrictions between both countries, NAS and SAMA planes were denied clearance…
April 2- Dubai Duty Free (DDF) has said that its sales have gone up by 21 per cent, or Dh1.1 billion, in the first quarter of 2010. DDF has outlets in the three terminals of Dubai International Airport. This is mainly because airport traffic has increased in the first quarter. Perfumes and gold were the top-selling items at DDF – up by 23 per cent and 22 per cent respectively. Confectionary sales stood…
April 1- All-seeing body scanners have been set up at all points of entry in Dubai, including all terminals of the airports, on a trial basis to determine whether the technology can detect illegal of life-threatening items that passengers may be carrying. Sources revealed that only those passengers who are pulled out from queues at the behest of security officials will be subjected to these scans. The scans…
March 30- Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) and Narita International Airports Corporation (NAA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a sister-airport relationship between the two airports. The move will increase cooperation between the two airport, said the press release issued on Monday. Under the agreement, the two airports will work on developing routes connecting them as well as…
March 30- All Saudi airports, seaports and entertainment and tourist sites will have touch-screen technology to guide tourists visiting the kingdom, it was learnt on Monday by developers Zaki Mohammed Ali Farsi of Farsi Geotech Group. The technology has the patronage of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA). "We have received support from the Saudi government for building the largest database…
Muscat International Airport will have a piped refuelling system that will improve the safety and efficiency standards of the airport. Known as Rotork Valve Actuators, the system will be used on the aircraft hydrant refuelling plant at the airport. With an estimated cost of RO50 million, the system is scheduled to open in 2014. "The actuation technology will help to increase the integrity of the aircraft…
