VIA DUBAI ENGLISH JANUARY 2019

Monthly Newsletter issued by Dubai Civil Aviation Authority

www.viadubaionline.com

Issue 68 January 2019

A Big Leap

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is steadily riding a growth wave in the civil aviation industry, with Dubai remaining foremost in its adoption

ExecuJet to have FBO and MRO in Dubai South

Dubai airport to have second ‘smart tunnel’

An airport of the future

NASA testing new ways to guide aircraft

India remain big source market for Gulf tourism Inside DCAA

DCAA Interview

Fifty Years of Giving 7 Graduation 8 Ceremony of the 5th Division of the 2018 Technical Diploma Programme

Middle East News 20

Opinion

Drone-based aircraft inspections by 2020

Focus on Aviation Security

Keeping Dubai’s skies safe Hamid Mohammad Almahdali

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ATM 24

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Cargo & Logistics 28

Angela Gittens

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Technology 30

Message

from the President

A model leader

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hroughout the history, leaders have been powerful forces for change impacting the nations and the world. They strove hard to make their country and the world a better place to live in.

Leadership, according to a universally accepted definition, has been defined as a process through which a person influences and motivates others to get involved in accomplishment of a particular task. Great leadership requires a healthy dose of persistence and determination.

The country has been lucky to have the services of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for a record uninterrupted 50 years in varied capacities.

Powerful, intelligent, talented, and brave are just a few of the words that describe the leaders of world history. Great leaders like him provide inspiration and serve as examples of excellence. As a rule, people with management skills, dynamic traits and an empathic attitude towards their brethren make great leaders.

The credit of putting the UAE and especially Dubai on the world aviation map simply goes to his vision and determination.

The emirate started its own airline with two leased aircraft and went on building a mind-boggling aviation behemoth that includes two iconic airports, two international airlines, a duty free facility and aircraft leasing company, and not to mention of an ANSP. By 2020, the aviation sector will contribute to the GDP a total annualised impact of US$53.1 billion.

Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

His role and contribution have played a key role in our nation-building journey and in overcoming challenges that has put Dubai first among global cities, ensuring safety and security to all.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has rightly said that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid has become a role model for leadership and management and called it ‘Fifty Years of Pride’.

He echoed our sentiments when he said: “The UAE has the right to be proud of an exceptional leader who is loved and respected by his own people as well as those of the outside world. He is my brother, mentor and companion. You made the sky the limit of our ambitions, invested in human beings, and established the pillars of a renaissance that earned your people a track record of achievements.”

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In 2007, the functions of the Department of Civil Aviation were restructured. Accordingly, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) was established as a regulatory body, by a decree of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, on proclamation of law No. 21 of 2007, as amended by law No. 19 of 2010, to undertake development of Air Transport Industry in the Emirate of Dubai and to oversee all aviation-related activities.

Via Dubai is the official bilingual monthly newsletter of DCAA, designed to highlight the initiatives and developments in the aviation industry and act as a knowledge-sharing platform for all the stakeholders and aviation professionals.

CONTENTS

Inside DCAA 07

Fifty Years of Giving

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Graduation Ceremony of the 5th Division of the 2018 Technical Diploma Programme

General Supervision Mohammed Abdulla Ahli Coordinator Hanan Al Mazimi Creative Manager Mohammed Al Jarouf Marketing Manager Fahed Mohammed E-mail: viadubai1@naddalshiba.com Legal Disclaimer

The views expressed in the articles are of the writers and not necessarily belong to DCAA. We take all reasonable steps to keep the information current and accurate, but errors can occur. The information is therefore provided as is, with no guarantee of accuracy, completeness or timeliness.

The DCAA or Via Dubai does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the quality, accuracy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. Via Dubai does not endorse or recommend any article, product, service or information mentioned in the newsletter. Any perceived slight of any person or organisation is completely unintentional.

Advertise with us

Editorial, Production, PR & Marketing

DCAA Interview

Hamid Mohammad Almahdali

Keeping Dubai’s skies safe

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Boeing’s solar autonomous aircraft due this spring

Nadd AlShiba PR and Event Management

30 Our Vision

The World Airport, Dubai

Our Mission

To achieve leadership and ensure sustainability in the field of safety, security and environmental protection in the civil aviation sector and to support an attractive investment environment for the aviation industry .

Toll Free:80083222 Contact number:+97147770000 Fax:+97142244573 Email: info@dcaa.gov.ae; dcaa@dcaa.gov.ae http://www.facebook.com/dcaadubai

DCAA website:www.dcaa.gov.ae Working Hours:Sunday – Thursday, 0730 - 1430 (GMT+4) Location:Dubai International Airport, Terminal (1), Level (1), Gate no. (4), (Arrivals Side) P.O. Box:49888 Dubai - United Arab Emirates twitter.com/dcaadubai

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youtube.com/user/dcaadubai

Message

from the Director General

Another milestone year

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ike in the past, 2018 turned out to be fast paced and eventful which we handled with our trademark zeal and enthusiasm.

The credit of putting Dubai on the world aviation map goes to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who completed 50 years of being in service and a role model for leadership and management.

Dubai work closely with all stakeholders in the aviation ecosystem to support to continually develop Dubai’s capabilities as a world-class travel and aviation hub.

The aviation sector is a crucial economic pillar for Dubai, with its contribution to the GDP expected to have a total annualised impact of US$53.1 billion by 2020.

Dubai expects 665,000 aircraft movements by 2020.

At DCAA, we are entering 2019 with optimism and an unflagging drive to keep raising the bar of civil aviation, especially in terms of business performance and customer experience. I take a look at few developments last year.

Dubai International joined the 10 cities whose airport completed receiving one billion passengers in their history.

It became the 18th most internationally connected airport, with the OAG index showing the emirate improving its connectivity index from 183 to 194.

Dubai is now the first airport in the world that responds to a request for landing and operations within half an hour, while other airports take longer. According to bilateral agreements, we are required to reply within 60 days.

The Authority added another feather to its cap when it got the membership of the US-based International Society of Air Safety Investigators. We were also awarded two international certifications for our administrative and quality management It has inked a cooperation agreement to boost control and inspection of commercial establishments practicing civil aviation related activities in the emirate. The

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Mohammed Abdulla Ahli

Authority completed the smart transformation process of its services by launching nine new smart services. It also launched the Integrated Investigation and Notification Programme (IIAN), an AI-based application to be used in investigating accidents. One-of-a-kind in the world, IIAN is set to be a milestone in the field of civil aviation.

The DCAA participated in the “Week without Service Centres� initiative designed to enhance the use of electronic services and ensure customer happiness. The DCAA and Department of Economic Development (DED) have discussed ways to simplify licensing procedures for the civil aviation sector. It also entered into a tie-up with Dubai Statistics Centre (DSC).

The Authority is looking forward to continuing its journey of success and adding up many more achievements in 2019.

Happy New Year

Inside DCAA

Fifty Years of Giving

“On behalf of myself and my fellow colleagues at the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) and Dubai Air Navigation Services (DANS), I would like to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on the occasion of having spent 50 years in giving, wisdom and insight in the service of our beloved country; a period that was marked by a fruitful career and numerous achievements made by an exceptional leader with a sound vision and boundless ambitions that brought us to the ranks of developed countries.

He is the father, friend and brother for all members of our society.

Thank you, my master, thank you, my teacher, and thank you, my leader.”

The 8 Principles of Dubai “On the occasion of the announcement by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, of the 8 Principles of the Emirate of Dubai, we, at the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Dubai Air Navigation Services, confirm our full commitment to the implementation of these principles that reflect the future vision of His Highness in the area of wise leadership. We pledge that we will be fully committed to continuing the march in accordance with His sound directions. This is our responsibility and the responsibility of every employee.

Thank you, my master, for your sound and wise directions.”

The Fifty-Year Charter

“We, at the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Dubai Air Navigation Services, would like to commend His Highness for His supportive efforts, future vision and inspirational ideas that are meant to ensure the future of the coming generations. We affirm our steadfast commitment to implementing the ambitious directions of His Highness to drive the Emirate of Dubai towards a bright future, and we will work hard with all our capacity and efficiency to achieve the ambitious vision of His Highness. The Emirate of Dubai has the advanced infrastructure and logistical capabilities that will contribute to supporting the investment and economic environment and achieving an everlasting leadership.

Thank you, my Master, for your wise directions, and we are all for You and for our beloved homeland.”

Mohammed Ahli

Year of Tolerance

Be Patient

The UAE is spreading the message of tolerance to the world

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eligious tolerance finding its way into our social circles and multicultural world is not an overnight occurrence. It has been around us for ages now.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations say intolerance is very often rooted in ignorance and fear.

In its quest of tolerance and happiness among the people, the UAE went to town in February 2016 by appointing the world’s first cabinet ministers for Happiness and Tolerance, along with coming out with the world’s first Tolerance Charter.

The UAE is home to expats from as many as 200 countries, an exemplary sign of mutual coexistence and tolerance. The UAE is the only country in the world that has a tolerance enshrined in the law.

The Arab world’s second biggest economy took the tolerance to an even higher level by announcing that the country will observe 2019 as the Year of Tolerance.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, tweeted: “The Year of Tolerance will solidify the international role that the country plays as the capital of co-existence and meeting of civilisations. Tolerance is the cornerstone of advanced societies.”

In September 2012, it was reported that three-quarters of the world’s human population of seven billion live under strong and serious “social hostilities” involving faith issues.

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Inside DCAA

Graduation Ceremony of the 5th Division of the 2018 Technical Diploma Programme

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is Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group, attended the graduation ceremony of the 5th division of the 2018 Technical Diploma Programme, which is part of the “Maliyoun� initiative. His Highness honoured the graduates in the presence of H.E. Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, Director General of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, and a number of officials and executive directors.

The ceremony included honouring two employees of the Authority, namely Ms Nawal Karastaji, who received a technical diploma in Government Procurement, and Mr Nasser Al Rayyes, who received a technical diploma in Government Accounting.

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Inside DCAA

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DCAA Interview

Hamid Mohammad Almahdali, Head of Aircraft Oversight Section, Accident Investigation & Aircraft Oversight Department, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority

Keeping Dubai’s skies safe

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s Head of Aircraft Oversight Section at DCAA’s Accident Investigation & Aircraft Oversight Department, Hamid Mohammad Almahdali is charged with plans to ensure a safe expansion of aircraft oversight operations in the Emirate of Dubai which is home to one of the busiest airports in the world.

“With the Expo 2020 fast approaching, we’re expecting an influx of passengers and growth in the aviation industry,” the 31-yearold aeronautical engineer said in an interview with Via Dubai. “We are currently focusing on ensuring scalability and the ability to cope with the increasing workload as it is of the utmost importance that we maintain the safety record that the UAE enjoys.”

What exactly is Aircraft Oversight?

Aircraft oversight operations are implemented by inspecting and auditing aircraft and aircraft spare parts and regulating all related commercial activities in order to guide all companies and individuals to abide by local and international laws and regulations with the aim of maintaining and promoting the highest standards of safety.

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What is the Aircraft Oversight Section and what are its roles and responsibilities?

The Aircraft Oversight section is made up of a team with diverse backgrounds such as aeronautical engineering and airport operations.

It was established about two years ago after the DCAA went through a restructuring and is part of the Accident Investigation and Aircraft Oversight Department.

Our role is to ensure that all airlines, operators and organizations affiliated with aircraft in Dubai are operating in compliance with all the applicable international and local standards. We aim to effectively and efficiently implement this in a way that allows the aviation industry to flourish and promotes the Emirate of Dubai as a global business and investment hub.

We plan to implement an internal work-load management platform that will integrate and streamline all our activities using smart systems and AI capability Currently some of our everyday activities include issuing No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) for importing, exporting and transporting aircraft, helicopters or spare parts. We also coordinate with the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and assist them in conducting inspections on aircraft operating to Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport.

DCAA Interview

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced since joining the DCAA?

I am relatively new to the DCAA as I’ve only just completed a year in my current position. I had been with my previous employer for 12 years as an aeronautical engineer so changing jobs and getting out of my comfort zone was a challenging new experience.

I had to hit the ground running and set up a lot of the framework and foundation for the section in order to initiate our operating procedures, employee objectives and KPIs. With regards to the section, considering the size of our team, we are sometimes stretched really thin and it can be quite challenging to balance between our daily activities, administrational tasks and employee development responsibilities.

However, there is a feeling of great camaraderie and support from higher management. We’re a team that’s big in ambition.

Bearing in mind the nature of the industry, we have to always remain dynamic and flexible. Aircraft operations run 24 hours a day, every day. It’s not something that you do in the morning and then stop at night, so we’re on the job 24-7 or at least it can be said that we’re available anytime during the day.

What have you achieved this past year?

We have successfully converted all our NOC services to an online based process through the DCAA website e-services. Through this, we’ve saved about 30 to 40 percent of resources.

By next year we plan to reduce this by 50 percent. We also participated in quite a few events such as Dubai Helishow 2018 and the

World Aviation Safety Summit to spread awareness about our newly launched e-services and some of the responsibilities of the DCAA. We are also proud of the AOS awareness 2018 event that we organized, where we invited some of our customers including airlines, freight companies and stakeholders such as Dubai Customs as part of a platform, to engage in discussions and hear each other’s concerns and feedback to find solutions and explore areas of collaboration.

I’m also part of the Business Continuity Management Team formed in August last year and tasked with achieving the ISO 22301:2012 standard for Business Continuity Management Systems of the DCAA services. We passed the audit in November, which was quite a feat!

What are the future plans for the section?

Overall, and as part of our efforts to scale up for the Expo in 2020, we are on a constant improvement lifecycle and are putting a lot of effort into innovating and creating new solutions to achieve our goals in a more efficient manner.

We want to simplify and facilitate all processes and procedures for our customers and stakeholders in order to encourage investments and positively impact the economic development in the Emirate of Dubai.

We also plan to implement an internal work-load management platform that will integrate and streamline all our activities using smart systems and AI capability.

This will help decrease our workload, reduce delivery times and minimize

Our role is to ensure that all airlines, operators and organizations affiliated with aircraft in Dubai are operating in compliance with all the applicable international and local standards the need for human interference in repetitive and routine tasks.

How do the DCAA’s processes compare with the rest of the world?

Based on the feedback we’ve received, our processes are more advanced.

Our leadership constantly pushes us to excel, so we’re always looking for a better way to do things. Dubai is now world renowned and has become an attractive hub for the aviation industry, this is all thanks to their vision.

I think a mistake a lot of other places make is that once they reach a place where they’re comfortable, it becomes the status quo. But you should never stop improving and I believe this is our biggest strength as a nation.

What is your objective as a leader of your section?

My objective as a leader is to create an environment where all employees can thrive and create a seamless experience for all customers, stakeholders and individuals interacting with the aviation industry in Dubai.

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Cover Story

A Big Leap

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is steadily riding a growth wave in the civil aviation industry, with Dubai remaining foremost in its adoption

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magine a world where one’s seat selection, preferred meals, and check-in are all done immediately after one books a flight. A world where the virtual assistant suggests the gate with the shortest path and least congestion, where one no longer has to arrive at the airport hours before the flight because the movements of each passenger are predicted and the flow of traffic is then optimized. It sounds a bit like Sci-Fi, but it isn’t actually.

That’s how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is contributing to the civil aviation industry, especially airports and airlines. Dubai is planning that, by 2030, 25 per cent of the total transportation in the emirate will be autonomous. The Gulf is already moving towards advanced technologies with the economic impact of AI adoption estimated at US$277 billion. According to PwC, AI is expected to contribute to the UAE US$96 billion or 13.6 per cent of GDP. The UAE has launched its AI strategy aiming to boost government performance, adopt an integrated smart digital system and make the UAE the first in the field of AI investments in

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various sectors such as transport, health, space, renewable energy, water, education and environment. Smart Dubai has to its credit, The Dubai AI Roadmap. Dubai is undoubtedly ahead of other destinations in terms of preparedness and utilizing the AI for its advantage and UAE’s benefits.

The Museum of the Future, one of Dubai initiatives, unveiled Moral Machine, a new project exploring the social and ethical aspects of AI and evaluating its role in making decisions. In Dubai, AI will provide the intelligence for one of the world’s first flying taxi services powered by a drone when it gets started officially.

The AI’s potential lies in its ability to perform specific tasks more efficiently

than its human creators– the speed advantage gives computers almost a trillion-fold speed edge. The AI has been dubbed as Third Wave, after the creation of the Internet and the foundation online world branded as First Wave and the Second Wave being companies like Google and Facebook building to create search and social networking capabilities. The AI is now a part of our daily lives and, by 2029, Google’s Director of Engineering, Ray Kurzweil, believes machines will have human-level intelligence.

Airport development will be a particular area of importance according to an annual report published by the IATA.

Cover Story

The Internet of Things (IoT), automation, big data, robots, AI and virtual reality are becoming part of the civil aviation ecosystem. Major aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus are already phasing in AI. The KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) has launched an AI-based solution shown to improve airline operations worldwide.

In September 2018, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and Searidge Technologies signed a deal to cooperate in pursuing research into use of AI. A first collaboration of its kind in the region, it will bring together the technical expertise of the Canada-based company in digital airport solutions and the operational expertise of GCAA. Emirates, the world’s largest international airlines, is seeking an AI system for cabin crew training.

The carrier aims to find a new system to train cabin crew quickly and efficiently using advanced technologies like AI. It is already close to producing a walkthough security system that doesn’t require passengers to remove boots and belts and offload mobile phones and keys.

The world’s biggest long-haul carrier says the entire process, from arrival at the airport, check-in, immigration through all the way to the boarding gates, would become seamless and uninterrupted.

The airline is now working to complete the challenges set forth in Dubai Future Accelerators. The challenges include inventing a solution to transform the way Emirates teaches cabin crew and the way they learn and developing a solution to integrate the personalised needs of Emirates passengers across the entire experience chain including chauffeur drive, meal selection and shopping.

Emirates is using AI for a chatbot that lies within display ads for its Emirates Vacations unit.

Dubai Airports revealed that self-driving electric vehicles, powered by AI, may turn up sooner than later at Dubai International to help airside crew run day-to-day operations. The ‘robocars’ would help the mega-facility run more smoothly, and cement the airport’s status the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic with close to 90 million passengers. Not only that, AI may soon also help airline passengers pick their on-board meals,

Dubai Airports revealed that selfdriving electric vehicles, powered by AI, may turn up sooner than later at Dubai International to help airside crew run day-today operations too, or schedule a pickup by an airport taxi chauffeur — or guide passengers through last-minute duty-free shopping.

The AI is also helping airports ramp up the internal security measures. Dubai airport is working on staff entrance to ensure greater control by introducing biometrics, more advanced face recognition and AI, as opposed to only CCTV cameras and police monitoring now. It already tested it on security passes in Terminal 3.It currently takes an hour to issue a security pass. With the new AI system, police will not be required to check, unless needed, allowing the issuance of 9,000 passes in the same time it took police to issue 250.

In October 2018, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) launched a new AI-led programme that will help manage airspace-related incidents. The system, called Integrated Investigation and Notification (IIAN), will be a virtual manager and push through notifications to concerned people at the DCAA once any kind of incident occurs, including airspace and ground-related incidents.

The IIAN has been launched to help the Authority respond faster to problems and improve efficiency among staff in the authority. Part of the system functions using AI and will also help predict what the root of the problem is.

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UAE in Focus

New aviation show in Dubai

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eed Travel Exhibitions, organiser of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), has signed a collaboration agreement with The Airport Agency to launch Connect Middle East, India & Africa 2019.

The two-day route development forum will be co-located with ATM2019 and will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre on April 30 and May 1 - day three and four of ATM, according to eturbonews report.

Emirates will be the official airline partner while Emaar Hospitality

Group will be the official hotel partner.

The event is expected to bring together airline specialists, aviation authorities, tourism boards, airports and tour

flydubai resumes flights to Chittagong announced in 2017. Chittagong’s Shah Amanat International Airport is the second-largest international airport in Bangladesh built in 1940.

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ubai’s budget carrier, flydubai, is relaunching flights to Chittagong, a large port city and financial centre on the south-eastern coast of Bangladesh from January 20 with a daily service.

Chittagong is the chief Indian Ocean port of Bangladesh. Chittagong is Bangladesh’s second-largest city and its largest port. Returning to Chittagong reaffirms its commitment to serving underserved destination. Emirates will code-share on this route as part of the Emirates-flydubai partnership

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For bookings under the code-share, Emirates passengers will receive complimentary meals and the Emirates checked baggage allowance on flights operated by flydubai in Economy class.

With the partnership, passengers from Bangladesh will have an opportunity to travel via Dubai to hundreds of destinations all over the world, said a Gulf News report. flydubai has rapidly developed an international network covering Africa, Central Asia, Europe, the Arabian Gulf, the Indian Subcontinent, and the Middle East. It has created a network of more than 90 destinations in 44 countries. Opened up 62 new routes that did not previously have direct air links to Dubai or were not served by a UAE national carrier from Dubai. It operates over 1,700 flights per week.

operators, as well as other travelrelated industry professionals. The Middle East’s aviation market is forecast to grow five per cent annually until 2036, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Walk inside Abu Dhabi airport, generate electricity

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bu Dhabi International has launched an interactive walkway that will convert the energy from the footsteps of travellers into electricity.

The 16-square-kilometre energy harvesting walkway, put together by UK-based Pavegen and Abu Dhabi’s Masdar, connects two terminals within the airport. The footsteps of around 8,000 travellers per day will be captured and converted into electrical energy to track footfall data and power lighting along the walkway as they pass between Terminals 1 and 3 of the airport, Khaleej Times said in a report.

The system incorporates screens to highlight how much energy is being harvested with a special game interface for children that shows airplanes rising and descending according to how much energy is being generated.

Oman Airports

Gateways to Beauty Oman Airports

and opportunity Gateways to Beauty and opportunity

January 2019

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UAE in Focus

Dubai airport to have ExecuJet to have FBO and MRO second ‘smart tunnel’ in Dubai South

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n a major step to speed up passenger movement, a second ‘Smart Tunnel’ will be installed this year at the Dubai International, according to Arabian Business.

Emirates had introduced a fullyintegrated ‘biometric path’ passenger system at Dubai International to more quickly process passengers using biometric technology such as facial and eye recognition.

The system, known as Smart Tunnel, was deployed at Emirates Terminal 3 at Dubai International for a trial. The implementation, which is said to be the world’s first, enabled the airline’s passengers to complete check-in for their flight, immigration formalities, enter the Emirates Lounge and board their flights simply by walking across the airport After the pilot phase of the Smart Tunnel which enable passengers to finish passport control procedures in 15 seconds, the expansion has been decided. All travellers have to do is simply walk through the biometric recognition system without having to stamp their passports. The tunnel works on face recognition technology and the passenger can finish entry procedure within 15 seconds without the need for human intervention.

Smart Tunnel is a project by the General Directorate of Residence and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai in collaboration with Emirates Airlines. Smart Tunnel tests were running smoothly. The airline’s “biometric path” will cover departures, arrivals, transit, chauffeur drive connections, and lounge access in Dubai.

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xecuJet will have a two-story FBO at Dubai World Central, according to Flight Global. The Zurich-headquartered international business aviation company has 33 facilities operating in six regions worldwide - Africa, Asia Pacific, Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

At more than 2,000 square meters, it will be four times the size of its current temporary terminal at the airport. The company expects the new US$30 million complex to be completed by mid-2020.

ExecuJet is constructing its new Middle East headquarters facility at Dubai World Central’s Dubai South. It had finalized contracts with the airport authority on three plots of land, totalling approximately 22,558 square metres, where it plans to build a new FBO and MRO complex.

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Sharjah airport implements new baggage rules

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harjah Airport Authority (SAA) has started implementing new baggage rules at Sharjah Airport from the first week of December last year.

The new rules, which will include luggage specifications, will boost operational performance, reduce improper baggage handling and enhance the airport’s competitiveness in the region, the Gulf News reported.

The SAA notified the representatives of all airlines operating at Sharjah Airport about the new policy, and informed them that the airport will

not receive or handle any baggage that does not comply with its new policy.

As per the new baggage policy, the Airport will not accept bags that might disrupt the systems. Bags should be 75 cm high, 60 cm wide and 90 cm long with at least one level surface.

Non-compliant baggage, such as two items wrapped together, will not be accepted at the arrival point, either directly or through Sharjah Aviation Services. Baggage that exceeds these specifications can be taken to the desk for oversized baggage.

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Special Report

An airport of the future S

ingapore’s Changi Airport, which handled 60 million passengers from across 100 countries, has remained focussed on delivering to passengers a whole new world of science fiction-like facilities as it works to add more to the impressive portfolio.

That futuristic direction and unbridled determination has resulted in the Asian hub winning, for a record sixth consecutive year, the much-desired SKYTRAX World Airport Award.

The most prestigious accolade by a UK-based airport consultancy and customer-service reviewer is based on 13.73 million airport survey questionnaires completed by airport customers from more than 100 nationalities over a seven-month period last year.

It covered more than 500 airports and evaluated travellers’ experiences across different airport service and key performance indicators like check-in, arrivals, transfers, shopping, security and immigration through to departure at the gate.

This is also the first time an airport has been voted the Best Airport six years running. In total, this is the ninth time that Changi Airport has

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picked up this top international title since it was introduced in 2000.

Changi Airport Group CEO Lee Seow Hiang said: “It is a significant achievement and spurs us to continue to deliver the best passenger experience for all who travel through Changi Airport.”

The airport opened its fourth Terminal (T4) and is now going ahead with the fifth (T5), a futuristic-looking behemoth in the island-nation.

The number of air travellers and aviation-related jobs in Singapore could, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), increase the industry’s contribution

Special Report

to island-nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) to an estimated $65 billion in 2035.

The airport is being expanded and automated to handle rising air traffic.

Imagine landing at a major airport and the only human official you meet on your way through the terminal is a customs officer. Changi is pursuing that goal of extensive automation with such vigour that it built an entire terminal to help test the airport bots of the future.

Asia’s second-busiest international airport can now, as an airplane joins the long line to land, detect, identify and monitor by an array of cameras and technology that bypass the traditional control tower.

Once at the gate, a laser-guided aerobridge positions itself to let passengers disembark, while automated vehicles below unload baggage, dodging others that are

The world’s best airport for the sixth year in a row, Singapore Changi is going for its fifth terminal as it utilizes the revolutionary technology and automation delivering robot-packed meals or processing cargo.

The passengers head to automated immigration turnstiles that face-scan and thumb-print them, then go to collect their luggage, which baggage bots have already delivered to the carousel. Under the gaze of an actual human - the steely-eyed customs official - they head out to queue for a driverless taxi. Terminal 4 is being used to test and develop automation.

T4 offers self-service and automated check-in, bag drop, immigration and boarding processes. Roving airline agents are also on-hand throughout the terminal to assist with passenger queries. The self-service processes comes under the header of ‘Fast and Seamless Travel’ (FAST) and provides passengers with more

control over their own journey through the terminal.

Changi Airport has embraced a sense of “openness, greenery and natural lighting” throughout the new 195,000 square metres T4. The transit area includes local culture and heritage-themed features and a “visual-transparent” concept that provides a clear view of the transit lounge from the check-in area.

Lee Seow Hiang, CEO of Changi Airport Group, said: “Terminal 4 challenges and redefines the way we travel. We have conceptualised and designed the terminal for passengers who view the time spent at the airport as very much part of their travel and holiday.”

The city-state needs to keep improving Changi to stay ahead of competition from neighbours that are upgrading and extending their own airports. Including services such as maintenance, cargo and other related operations, Changi and related aviation businesses and services employ about 21,000 people, contributing about three per cent of GDP. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and governmentcontrolled companies such as ground-handling and in-flight catering firm SATS are banding together to automate.

January 2019

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Middle East News

MEA to add new aircraft in 2021

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he Middle East Airline (MEA), which suffered due to 19751990 civil war in Lebanon which resulted in it suffering US$750 million losses, has plans to add nine additional aircraft to its stock in 2021.

Network expansion covers Turkey and African countries such as Sudan. It has asked third parties to undertake research on the feasibility of establishing a Low-Cost Carrier (LCC), according to Business News of Lebanon.

Nesma Airlines to become A330 operator

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gypt’s Nesma Airlines has plans to add a pair of Airbus A330s to its registry by next summer.

The carrier will place the widebodies with its Saudi sister airline for use on Hajj and Umrah flights, which are typically operated on a charter basis.

It is considering to add at least two Airbus 330s to its Egyptian AOC (Air Operator’s Certificate), according to Forbes.

The Egyptian carrier currently has three narrowbodies on its registry – two A320s and one A319 – which it deploys on a mixture of charter flights to Europe and scheduled flights to Saudi Arabia.

The charter network was grounded in 2016 due to Egypt’s geopolitical troubles but resumed and now accounts for more than half of all flights.

Saudia resumes Calicut flights

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audi Arabia’s national flag carrier Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) has resumed services to Calicut in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

The carrier re-launched services after a period of three-and-a-half years, when the airline stopped services in May 2015 because of runway restrictions of wide-body aircraft due to runway re-carpeting, the Arab News reported.

The airline first launched services to Calicut in March 2009. The airline will operate non-stop services from both Jeddah and Riyadh to Calicut on a split schedule — three flights a week from Riyadh, and four flights from Jeddah. With the resumption of the Calicut route, Saudia flies to a total of nine points in India: Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Mumbai, Trivandrum, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Lucknow.

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January 2019

FSCs to have lion’s share of ME IFC revenues by 2035

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he Sky High Economics report

by Inmarsat, a British satellite telecommunications company offering global mobile services, has reported that the revenue opportunities created by In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) could prove particularly fruitful for Full-Service Carriers (FSCs) in the Middle East, compared to the rest of the globe.

Neale Faulkner, Inmarsat Aviation’s Director of Market Development, MEASA, told the APEX Middle East and Africa (APEX MEA) conference that the IFC has the potential to unlock a US$5.2 billion market within the Middle East by 2035, US$1.3 billion of which could go directly to airlines.

According to the report, future revenue related to IFC will come from four main streams: Broadband access, e-commerce, advertising and premium content. In the Middle East specifically, Inmarsat estimates that of the US$1.3 billion airlines could achieve by 2035, approximately US$725 million will be generated by broadband access compared to US$290 million from e-commerce, US$260 million from advertising and US$50 million from premium content.

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Opinion

Focus on Aviation Security O

ne of the key issues for our industry is aviation security.

Today’s model is no longer sustainable given the predicted growth in air travel, continuously evolving threats, and passengers becoming increasingly dissatisfied with queues and intrusive measures.

The ACI continues taking a very active role in helping to shape the rules and ensuring that changes in security are communicated to airport authorities. It is committed to working with regulators and industry partners to focus on key issues that have direct consequences for airport operation and design.

The ACI, most recently at ICAO, outlined its long-term vision for aviation security which focuses on more innovative procedures, greater efficiency, and a better passenger experience. We presented three papers to the High-Level Conference on Aviation Security which formulated recommendations on key aviation security priorities, namely: Vision for Aviation Security at Airports, Joint Approach to Border and Aviation Security Threats at Airports and ACI’s Contributions and Updates to the Global Aviation Security Plan (GASeP).

The Vision for Aviation Security at Airports, produced in partnership with the IATA, promotes the efforts to identify themes, innovations and developments that will affect airport security

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January 2019

in the long term. As passenger numbers grow, airports simply cannot keep creating more space and adding more and longer queues to accommodate more layers of screening measures.

We need to find ways of being smarter about security and recognize that there is not one solution for all airports. All airports and aviation stakeholders must work together to ensure innovative and integrated solutions are in line with regulatory requirements and are tailored to the unique conditions and facilities of the airport. In the future, it is expected that interactions with staff at airports will be centred on customer friendly tasks while machines will perform most screening activities. Security screening will be based on risk assessments and advanced screening technologies that allow for effective and efficient detection of a greater range of threats in an ever-evolving threat environment.

The ACI is committed to take a leading role on the Smart Security programme following years of fruitful partnership on the programme with IATA. The programme has delivered positive change in the effectiveness, efficiency and customer experience of primary passenger screening checkpoints. We look forward to leading this project as its second wave continues to develop detailed guidance on emerging technologies and processes.

Angela Gittens Director General Airports World International (ACI World)

Opinion

Cooperation is top of our agenda M

orocco has understood the power of aviation to catalyze the economic activity and have set policies that enhance competition and foster the growth of connectivity. As a result, tourism is a major source of jobs and growth.

Morocco has taken on a regional leadership role, with WestAfrican countries relying on its growing hubs in Casablanca and Marrakesh. Other countries on the continent should be inspired by this successful model.

Africa needs support for a safe, secure and sustainable air transport sector that contributes to its economic growth and development.

Looking even more broadly than safety and sustainability, we should maximize aviation’s ability to catalyze Africa’s growth and development.

Already aviation is a considerable force, supporting US$55.8 billion of economic activity and 6.2 million jobs in Africa. We are only scratching the surface of what aviation can contribute to building Africa’s future.

The global airline industry is currently enjoying rather good times. The global average profit per passenger is US$7.80. But airlines in Africa, on average, lose US$1.55 for every passenger carried. This disparity has many causes. To begin with, Africa is an expensive place for airlines to do business.

We require skilled aviation professionals in far greater numbers than we have today.

And we all know that finding and retaining the right talent is a challenge even today. IATA has long been active in this area. Over 2,400 African aviation professionals are trained each year either directly

by IATA or via the International Airline Training Fund. We are confident that Africa will have a well-trained and diverse workforce to power the industry forward. A well-skilled diverse workforce can drive growth.

Alexandre de Juniac Director General and CEO IATA

Excerpts from the speech at the 50th Annual General Assembly of African Airline Association (AFRAA)

To enable aviation to be an even bigger driver of prosperity across the continent, we must work with governments: to improve competitiveness, to develop effective infrastructure, to modernize the regulatory framework with a focus on global standards, to ensure a welltrained and diverse workforce and competitiveness.

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ATM

Germany adopts remote tower technology

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FS, Germany’s Air Navigation Services Provider (ANSP) has launched remote tower technology after a four-week introductory phase in first week of January, according to Aviation Today.

The country’s first landing and take-off of airplanes monitored remotely by air traffic controllers occurred at Saarbrücken Airport.

Saarbrücken handles about 15,000 flights annually, putting it at the lower scale of volume with an opportunity to evaluate the remote tower concept. Both aircraft, a Luxair Bombardier DHC 8400 arriving from Luxembourg, and a CRJ-700 taking off en route to Berlin’s Tegel Airport were watched by controllers 280 miles away at Leipzig tower.

Cyprus air traffic growth double the EU average

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ir traffic to and from Cyprus, an island nation in the Eastern Mediterranean and the third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean, has increased by 14.3 per cent from 2016 to 2017, nearly double the European Union (EU) average of 7.3 per cent.

A Eurostat report said for the first time, the numbers surpassed 10 million in Cyprus, reaching 10,239,000. While 6,811,000 of those travelling to and from Cyprus travelled

within the EU, another 3,428,000 flew to other destinations. 2017 was also the first year more than one billion travelled by air in the EU. The number was 1,043 billion, up 7.3 per cent from 2016 and by 39 per cent from 2009. In 2017, intra-EU transport represented almost half of total air passenger transport in the EU and extra-EU transport over a third, while national transport accounted for less than one in every five passengers.

Germany’s first entrance into the remote air traffic surveillance era will bring 10 air traffic controllers from Saarbrücken to Leipzig.

Ohio pushes for ATC system for drones

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s drone technology matures, governments are researching how aerial vehicles can be used to support everything from bridge inspections and traffic congestion monitoring to emergency management and workforce development.

Ohio, a Midwestern US state, has unveiled a new strategic plan which intends to continue its drone research in support of three projects, including FlyOhio,

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January 2019

an initiative aimed at building an air traffic management system for unmanned vehicles and developing the Ohio UAS Center, the state’s hub for drone-based support of state operations.

Experts consider a traffic control system for unmanned vehicles a necessity if drones are ever to be integrated into the country’s aviation industry on a broad scale. Ohio is now seeking federal approval to begin research on

a US$5 million ground-based detect-and-avoid radar system called SkyVision, according to StateScoop.

Already, Ohio is exploring how drones can support existing operations that have gone relatively unchanged for decades, such as road and bridge inspections, aerial mapping, facilities inspections, real-time traffic reporting and emergency management.

ATM

Inmarsat, five ANSPs sign deal for air traffic modernisation

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nmarsat, a British satellite telecommunications company offering global mobile services, has signed deals with five major Air Navigation Services Providers (ANSPs) to implement a new air traffic modernisation project.

Under the agreements, Inmarsat will team-up with DFS from Germany, Spain’s ENAIRE, Italian company ENAV, and the UK’s NATS, as well as EUROCONTROL MUAC from north-

west Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

The parties will join an initial operational capability (IOC) testing programme aimed at modernising Air Traffic Management (ATM) across Europe.

Separately, Inmarsat signed a contract with ANSPs-owned company, European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP).

NASA testing new ways to guide aircraft

A Uganda seeks tighter air traffic controls

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ganda, a landlocked country in East Africa, is seeking tighter air traffic controls, according to The East African.

pivotal piece of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Air Traffic Management (ATM) software is getting fresh attention as the agency and its government, industry and academic partners prepare to test new ideas for more efficiently guiding aircraft through the nation’s skies.

Entebbe is Uganda’s only international airport, but plans are active to build more are underway.

The tighter controls are contained in proposals for a new bill that will grant powers to the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) to recall an aircraft for inspection should that prove necessary.

The current law requires that the CAA to first seek permission, in writing, from an aircraft operator and await a response before it inspects an aircraft. The CAA does not have an accident investigation unit.

The software is called FACET – short for Future Air Traffic Management Concepts Evaluation Tool – and it was such a hit when it was introduced a decade ago that NASA named it the agency’s Software of the Year for 2006.

As a research tool, FACET is capable of quickly analyzing thousands of aircraft paths and displaying them on a map of the US. This allows ATM experts to simulate new operational concepts and see what happens without disrupting real air traffic.

Spain desperately needs air traffic controllers

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pain, a country on Europe’s Iberian Peninsula with 17 autonomous regions, is desperate in need of more than 900 air traffic controllers by 2025 to meet the demand for increased air traffic expected in airports across the country, and to replace staff expected to retire.

Spain is the third biggest handler of air traffic in Europe. Airports such as Madrid or Barcelona are among the ten top European airports in terms of passengers. Each year, approximately 200 million people use the country’s 47 airports, which, thanks to expansion and improved infrastructures.

January 2019

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Airlines

United expands Latin American service

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nited Airlines, the world’s thirdlargest airline by revenues, has announced plans for expanded service between the US and 19 countries in Central and South America by partnering with COPA, the flag carrier of Panama, and Avianca, the flag carrier of Colombia since 1919.

The partnership is expected to yield seamless service between more than 12,000 city pairs. Those cities have yet to be officially identified. United already has flights to Panama City which is the hub of COPA, the CNBC reported.

Connecting flights from the US will be timed better with Central and South American connections. One of the lesser-known benefits of partnership agreements can be that partnering airlines will work to align flights with connections.

Star Alliance partners such as United would be able to use frequent flyer miles on these new routes. Avianca and Copa will open seats to members of United’s frequent flyer program and members of partner airlines in the Star Alliance. The Joint Business Agreement (JBA) is expected to be approved by the US and Latin American governments.

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January 2019

PIA to expand fleet

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he Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has plans to expand its fleet.

It will induct four new aircraft to fly on Sialkot-Barcelona and Lahore-Bangkok routes.

The national carrier has floated a tender and started the fleet enhancement plan and network expansion, said Air Marshal Arshad Malik, who was appointed the PIA President and CEO in October last year.

The airline will be able to induct the new aircraft in line with the aviation policy by the mid-2019.

It is looking for both wide and narrow body aircraft and will be opting for

dry leasing the aircraft, according to Pakistan Today.

The loss-making airline has a fleet of 32 aircraft, including 11 A320s, and runs 110 to 120 flights per day. The new induction will increase it to 36 aircraft, which will increase the number of flights, followed by increase in new routes.

The flag carrier has been struggling to recover domestic and international business lines.

The airline’s current traffic is 20 million passengers a year and is projected to grow to 50 million within 20 years, thereby requiring tripling of its fleet size.

Study finds airlines ignoring efficient planes

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irlines are failing to take up the most efficient planes in sufficient numbers to make a significant dent in their carbon dioxide emissions, a new study has found, The Guardian reported.

The most efficient new aircraft models, such as the Boeing 7879 and Airbus A350-900 and A320neo, can achieve substantial carbon savings over older models, but no airlines has invested sufficiently in the new types to reach the top levels of energy

efficiency, according to a ranking by Atmosfair, a German NGO. In the annual Atmosfair Airline Index, no airlines received an A for efficiency.

It found that only one in 10 airlines worldwide were succeeding in keeping their greenhouse gas emissions constant while achieving economic growth.

Carbon emissions from airlines grew by about five percent last year, while the number of kilometres flown increased by six percent.

Airlines

TUI restructures its European airlines

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UI, the Germany-based world’s largest leisure, travel and tourism company owning travel agencies, hotels, airlines, cruise ships and retail stores, is to further pool the resources of its airlines across Europe to combat delays due to flight schedule disruptions and squeeze out more efficiencies in the face of low-cost carrier competition, Breaking Travel News said.

A new organisational structure is being put in place and management changes made for its five leisure airlines in the UK Belgium, Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Germany which have a collective fleet of 150 aircraft carrying 27 million passengers a year.

Malaysian Airlines to rebrand first class cabins

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alaysia Airlines (MAS) exited the first class market and rebranded its Airbus A380 and A350 first class cabins as an upgraded version of business class dubbed Business Suites.

Business Suites passengers enjoys the same meals and drinks, inflight amenities, pyjamas and even primo lounge access as they would in first class, although pricing has been pitched halfway between business and first, according to Business Traveller‭.

The member of Oneworld, an airlines alliance, offers first class on only two jets in its fleet. The Airbus A380 superjumbo have six spacious ‘open suites’ while the newer Airbus A350s include a four-suite cabin with privacy doors.

MAS rosters its six Airbus A350s onto the flagship Kuala Lumpur London route, along with services to Tokyo/Narita and Osaka and, based on seasonal demand, Sydney.

Although the Airbus A380s are primarily used for Islamic pilgrimages to Mecca, they also appear on popular routes such as London and Sydney to satisfy increased demand during peak seasons. MAS, founded in 1947, currently operates a fleet of 83 aircraft.

AA launches biometric boarding trial

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merican Airlines (AA) has become the latest carrier to launch a biometric boarding trial, with selected customers now able to use facial recognition to verify their identity at the Los Angeles International airport.

The 90-day trial is in operation at LAX’s Terminal 4, for customers travelling on selected international departures. When customers begin the boarding process, the facial recognition programme will scan an image of their face and send it to an existing cloud-based Customs and Border Protection (CBP) database.

and sends back a yes or no determination on whether they are cleared to board within seconds at the gate, Business Traveller‭ said in a report.

The carrier added: “Agents will continue to ensure customers have

their passports with them before departing”. Customers choosing not to take part in the trial can continue to use their boarding pass.

AA will use the pilot programme to “evaluate its potential expansion” to more flights and locations throughout its global network.

The system then instantly matches the image against the passport photo already on file with CBP

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Cargo & Logistics

Cargo airlines face pilot shortages

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edEx, the world’s largest airline by freight tonne-kilometers flown, is dealing with an impending pilot shortage.

The Memphis-based cargo carrier is expected to lose 150-200 of its 4,500 pilots this year and a similar number each year for the foreseeable future. The reason for this departure is that many pilots are reaching the federally mandated

retirement age of 65, according to Freight Waves.

FedEx has attempted to delay the departure of pilots near retirement age by offering bonus incentives of US$40,000-US$110,000 in exchange for continued service into 2019. It is already the highest paying airline for pilots with thirty years of experience at over US$300,000.

Amazon’s fleet to take away UPS and FedEx market share

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he cargo planes of Amazon, an American e-Commerce and cloud computing company founded

by Jeff Bezos, are poised to take market share from the logistics giants, UPS and FedEx, according to Morgan Stanley, an American multinational investment bank and financial services company.

The online retailer had leased 40 Boeing 767 cargo planes and invested aggressively in its first aircargo hub.

Amazon’s air-delivery system could lead to as much as a combined 10 per cent drop in revenue for UPS and FedEx.

Bahrain appoints consultant for new cargo hub

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he Arabian Gulf’s tiny island nation of Bahrain has chosen a French engineering company as a consultant for its new cargo hub.

The Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) appointed EGIS as a consultant to provide design and supervision services for the Middle East new cargo hub which will cost US$58.5 million, according to Air Cargo News.

The facility, which is being built north of the airport runway, is comprised of warehouses, aircraft parking and associated infrastructure. The new cargo hub is a “key component” of the Airport Modernisation Programme (AMP) expected to be completed in the Q3 2019. It is also a part of BAC’s ongoing work to improve the Kingdom’s aviation infrastructure in order to meet rising local and regional demands.

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January 2019

EK SkyCargo plans full network under Cargo iQ

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mirates SkyCargo, the second largest cargo airline worldwide in terms of the total freight tonnekilometres flown and the largest in terms of international freight tonne-kilometres flown, has plans to roll out the shipments monitoring using Cargo iQ guidelines to it entire network in 2019.

The Cargo iQ paradigm is also transforming the way Dubai-based carrier interacts with service providers including Ground Handlers and Road Feeder Service partners by bringing increased transparency, control and focus on quality of service into the shipment process.

Cargo & Logistics

e-AWB becomes default contract for cargo shipments members, has confirmed the electronic air waybill (e-AWB) becoming the default contract of carriage for all air cargo shipments on enabled trade lanes from January 1.

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he International Air Transport Association (IATA), a global trade association of over 290 airlines representing 117 countries as its

Belgium and Alibaba to develop trade platform

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elgium has signed a deal with e-commerce giant Alibaba to develop a trade platform in the European country with logistics infrastructure to be developed at Liege Airport.

The deal will see Belgium and Alibaba promote inclusive trade under the Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) initiative, which is designed to help foster electronic trade through public-private partnerships.

Both parties will work closely to cobuild a trade platform that will facilitate greater and more equitable access to cross-border trade opportunities, in particular for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

An industry-wide initiative, the e-AWB project aims to encouraging air cargo players to use the electronic Air Waybill, instead of its paper version.

This key industry milestone ushers air cargo into a new era where digital processes will be the norm and paper processes will be the exception, according to Air Cargo News.

The e-AWB was first introduced in 2010. IATA described it as “a key enabler to the digitalisation and transformation of our industry, as data availability and quality is critical to deliver innovative solutions and enhance customer experience. The growing number of stakeholders using e-AWB demonstrates that the industry is ready and committed to embrace the full digitalisation of the air cargo industry, it said. It wants and encourages all air cargo industry stakeholders to switch to e-AWB at the earliest opportunity.

DHL study identifies last mile challenges for e-commerce

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new study by DHL, the world’s largest logistics company operating around the world, particularly in sea and air mail, and market research company Euromonitor, says increasing urbanisation is making the last mile of delivery “more complex and critical” for e-commerce companies.

Online retailers and their logistics partners are being challenged to embrace “bold new approaches in order to survive and compete”. E-commerce last mile delivery will need to cope with 600 million more people forecast to live in urban environments by 2030 as new technologies create opportunities for both service enhancement and disruption.

In the white paper, Shortening the Last Mile: Winning Logistics Strategies in the Race to the Urban Consumer, they have identified the four main trends that are shaping urban last mile transportation. They are: localised delivery, flexi-delivery

networks, seasonal logistics and evolving technologies – and ways in which companies can adapt their supply chains to the changing market environment and achieve competitive advantage.

The document found that the major urban trends all create various challenges in terms of cost, service impact and “organisational strain”.

It found that urban customers’ demands for speed and convenience are “forcing retailers to overhaul their warehousing networks, replacing centralized networks with local fulfilment and distribution infrastructure, which can require more accurate balancing of inventory”.

They have identified the Flexible transport networks, Automation and Data (FAD) model as a framework “that will help retailers and logistics operators to ensure their competitiveness over the last mile”.

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Technology

Drone-based aircraft inspections by 2020

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hristian Suttner, the cofounder and managing partner of start-up incubator Starburst, has predicted that drone-based aircraft maintenance inspections will go mainstream by 2020.

“The second wave is coming,” Suttner said, speaking at MRO Europe in Amsterdam. “In 2019, we will see the first real roll outs.

Then, in 2019-20, a big rush will come.”

Companies like UK LCC easy Jet were early adopters of drone-

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an Francisco-based GI Aerospace is developing a block chain solution for tracking aircraft parts, TARA.

based inspections, which can be used to view difficult-to-reach areas of the aircraft, minimizing downtime and cutting costs, according to the Aviation Week.

Boeing’s solar autonomous aircraft due this spring

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oeing’s Aurora Flight Services announced the introduction of their high-altitude pseudo-satellite called Odysseus, a vessel it says is the world’s most capable solar-powered autonomous aircraft.

The ship is an ultra-long endurance high-altitude platform featuring a combination of advanced solar cells and lightweight materials that allow it to effectively fly indefinitely powered only by the sun, according to Business Recorder.

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January 2019

GI to launch blockchain for tracking parts

Odysseus has a greater year-round global operating zone than any other vehicle in its class, can carry a larger payload than any other aircraft in its class (both in development and in production), and can be deployed at a mere fraction of the cost of a satellite. The vessel can operate far above the weather and other aircraft, allowing it to cover an exceptionally broad geographic area without ever relinquishing its station.

Odysseus’ first flight is scheduled for spring this year.

It is planning to release an early-adopter version in the first quarter of 2019. It is one of the first companies in the world to actively bring block chainbased technology combined with standard procedural software that makes it real for the aviation industry, according to the Aviation Week.

TARA is a “real-world” implementation of an aircraft records platform and incremental innovation to bring further integration of block chain for data integrity and security. TARA will be a software platform for electronic record-keeping of full lifecycle data on aircraft and component assets, with a focus on continuing airworthiness and maintenance records. For data integrity, block chain will be used along with digital signatures.

The platform will have digital signatures based on a public key infrastructure with cryptographic hardware tokens to associate any action performed on a record with a specific person. TARA will use an electronic workflow system to route documents and tasks to relevant business units and will accept legacy records in digital format or digitized paper records to ensure continuity of records.

Tourism

Dubai expects new visa policies to boost tourism

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of 2018, the same number seen to the end of September last year when arrivals surged 7.5 per cent.

The emirate welcomed 11.58 million tourists in the first three quarters

However, the official tourism body indicated it expected further visitor growth thanks to a new policy exempting transit passengers from visa fees for 48 hours and other incentives, the Gulf Business said.

ubai Tourism is expecting new visa policies being introduced by the UAE to boost tourist arrivals after growth was flat in the first nine months of 2018.

India maintained its position as the emirate’s leading source market, followed by Saudi Arabia and the UK in the first nine months of the year. Russia, China and Germany were key drivers for new traffic, with the former seeing 60 per cent year-on-year visitor growth to 460,000 thanks to a visa on arrival policy.

Canada gives sharper focus on tourism

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stronger focus on tourism could add billions to the Canadian economy and create up to 180,000 new jobs, according to a new report.

The report by the McKinsey & Company advisory firm says one of the main issues holding Canada back is its lopsided tourism profile as most visitors tend to come in the summer months.

The Globe and Mail says as a result, hotels and other tourism-reliant employers struggle to find staff in peak times yet are sometimes unable to recruit workers by

Bahamas sees growth in stopover visitors

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ahamas, a coral-based archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean with 700-plus islands and cays range from uninhabited to packed with resorts, has recorded “unprecedented” 16.5 per cent growth in the country’s stopover visitors in 2018, according to Bahamas Chronicle.

The Bahamas is not only outperforming the Caribbean’s expectations, but also global expectations. The growth has not only been seen in Nassau and Paradise Island, but the family islands as well.

India remains big source market for Gulf tourism

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offering year-round employment.

Tourist visits to Canada set a record during the Canada 150 celebrations, with 20.8 million trips of one or more nights to Canada, according to Statistics Canada data.

That total was up 4.4 per cent from the previous year and beat the previous record of 20.1 million visits in 2002.

The main finding of the report is that Canada could “dramatically” grow its tourism sector if it simply matched what other successful countries are doing to attract visitors.

ndia will remain a major tourism source market for the Arabian Gulf states as the country’s burgeoning high-spending middle class looks to travel abroad for leisure and business, according to a new report.

Encouraged by its pace-setting seven per cent GDP growth, India is now one of the fastest growing outbound travel market in the world, second only to China, Colliers International said in a report on MENA hotels.

Total Indian outbound tourism departures worldwide in 2018 was estimated at 22.5 million and this is expected to reach 50 million by 2022. About nine million Indian tourists will visit GCC states in 2022 - 37 per cent of India’s outbound market travels to the GCC.

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