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A top government official said Egypt will proceed with its planned Dh4.14 billion ($6.3 billion Egyptian pounds) airport expansion despite the global economic crisis and slowdown in aviation activities around the world. 4.3 billion will be spent on three new airports which will have a combined 10 million passenger capacity. An official with Cairo Airport Company said the three new airports are Burg El Arab…
A top official with the Fujairah International Airport (FIA) said they expect to receive three new airlines by the end of this year. The airports General Manager said talks regarding transporting passengers from the airport are under way now. Dr. Khaled Almazrouri said they are in an advanced stage of discussion and “the airlines will get passengers from the whole east coast including Qalba, Dibba, Khurfakan,…
Abu Dhabi Airport Company (ADAC) released data showing passenger traffic through Abu Dhabi National Airport increased 12% in April 2009 compared to the same period last year. Aircraft traffic increased 5%. London was the busiest route for the airport, followed by Bangkok, Doha, Bahrain, then Jeddah. The increase in traffic at Abu Dhabi Airport is due mainly to exhibitions and conferences in April, such as…
British Airways next week will restart flight service to Saudi Arabia from London Heathrow’s Terminal 5. The carrier is resuming service to Saudi Arabia following a four year hiatus. Five weekly flights will operate to Jeddah and Riyadh, bringing British Airways summer schedule in the region to 66 weekly flights- from eight GCC destinations. This is an increase of 35% compared to the same period last…
The Hotel Show, the region’s premier tradeshow for the hotel industry opens in the Dubai World Trade Center at the Shaikh Rashid Hall on Sunday. The hotel industry is looking for strategies to deal with the global economic slowdown, so the trade show is receiving more attention this year. The exhibition director for The Hotel Show said hospitality professionals will be looking for the opportunities that come…
A senior executive said the City of Arabia project expected completion date is now between 2014 and 2015. Group Executive Director at City of Arabia explained they have not delayed the project because there have been so many changes to the master plan. SM Syed Khalil said the traffic impact study is a big issue because there are two interchanges on both sides of the city, and “a project such as this will have…
Despite the unprecedented challenges for the airline and travel industry, Emirates Group recorded its 21st year of consecutive profit for the 2008/2009 financial year. For the financial year ending 31 March 2009, the group’s net profit was Dh 1.49 billion ($406 million). This is a 72% drop from the prior year’s record profits of Dh 5.3 billion ($1.45 million). The large fall in profit is due to the record…
Emirates recently opened its third lounge in Germany as part of a multi-million dollar push to offer pre-departure convenience and comfort at important airports around the world. The new lounge at 700 square feet is its biggest, and is located in Dusseldorf International Airport. It is similar to other luxury travel lounges in Frankfurt and Munich. It includes complimentary broadband access, Business…
Dubai Airport Free Zone will add six new buildings and a hotel at a cost of Dh1.3 billion to nearly double its current capacity. Currently there are about 1,500 companies in the zone and the space need varies greatly between companies. Director General of the Dubai Airport Free Zone said more than 1,000 companies can be accommodated in the new buildings, which will occupy 100,000 square meters, or 300,000…
CEO of Dubai Airports said expanding military no fly zones and better air traffic control are necessary in order to maximize potential passenger growth at Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports. Paul Griffiths talked about the need for co-operation the need cooperation at the two airports at the Airport Show 2009 conference. Also in attendance were Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports Company Rudy Vercelli, and…
Jazeera Airways will cancel direct flight services to four destinations and discontinue operations for two other destinations. This has caused thousands of vacationers to change their travel plans. The airline recently announced that beginning in June they will not fly directly to New Delhi, Mumbai, Sana’s, and Salalah. Except for Bahrain and Kuwait, non-stop services will be continued only via Kuwait, and…
Hamra Hotels and Resorts announced it will open its new four star hotel business hotel Acacia in August 2009 and Al Hamra Palace Hotel soon after. Acacia has 373 units and is located next to the Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority Free Zone. The Al Hamra Palace Hotel is a palatial beach resort and apartment hotel expected to fill the increasing demand for hotels and serviced apartments in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK).…
Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) said it expects to complete the new 110 meter tall air traffic control tower later this year. This will be the first project completed under the US 6.8 billion (Dh25bn) airport redevelopment plan. Chief Executive for ADAC, Rudy Vercelli, said the new airport tower “will resemble a torch in the evening”. It will be lit from the inside and be a beacon for aircraft as well as…
Union Bank of India (UBI) plans to double its non-resident Indian remittances from GCC within two years. UBI has representative offices in the UAE capital and handles five percent of the total remittances from GCC states to India. The banks chairman and managing director is now visiting the UAE and talked about the remittances at a press briefing. MV Nair said they are launching three initiatives designed to…
It was announced Tuesday that MGM Mirage will operate three of its world famous hotel brands under the Dh15 billion Dubai Pearl Project. The Dubai Pearl is Dubai’s first hotel and residence under the MGM brand. The three hotels are the 350 room MGM Grand hotel, 30 suite Skylofts hotel, and 250 room Bellagio hotel. Dubai Pearl will own and finance the 250 room hotels while MGM Mirage hospitality will manage…
The expansion of the King Abdul Aziz International airport has begun and several contracts will be awarded at the end of this month. The $11.3 billion (Dh41.5) will increase the current 16 million passenger capacity to 80 million in 2025 when all phases are completed. Last year passenger growth at the airport was 6.6% compared to 2007. The runways are being increased to 4,000 meters in length and 75…
Chief Executive of Dubai Airports said the biggest challenge ahead will be to keep the entire system from becoming totally gridlocked. Paul Griffiths, speaking at the airport show in Dubai on Sunday said airport movements are projected to increase from 53 per hour today to 169 per hour over the next few years. He said this will create difficulties because there are several no-fly zones around the…
Four senior management of Kingdom Holding Company bought 4 million shares in Kingdom Holding Company (KHC). The four management people are KHC Board and Investment Committee members. They are Eng. Talal Al Maiman, Mr. P. Shoucair, and Eng Ahmed Halawani. Their titles are respectively, Executive Director for International Investments, Executive Director for Private Equity, and CFO. KHC Kingdom Holding Company…
