Via Dubai Magazine | July 2015 by Nadd Al Shiba PR & Event Management

Monthly Newsletter issued by Dubai Civil Aviation Authority

Issue 26 July 2015

AMIA expansion to be completed by Q1 2022

Inside DCAA

DCAA supports ‘Speed Kills’ campaign

www.viadubaionline.com

Heliport certificate for 4 Baraha Hospital ICAO, ACI and Sri Lankan 5 officials felicitated

UAE in Focus

Mina Rashid voted top ME cruise port

Connectivity top influencer for travellers

EK to move to AMIA next decade

MEAP closer to take off in 2016

Middle East airports need GBAS technology

Michael A Underwood

Brisbane Airport develops ‘intelligent’ CCTV technology 38

Opinions

Huge challenges, limited solutions

International Belgrade airport aims to 24 be a regional hub

Michael Rudolph

Dubai Airports gear up for peak traffic season

Sultan Al Mansouri

Dubai takes lead in introducing registration for drone operators

Middle East

Boeing appoints new Middle East chief

Ahmed Al Jallaf

22 Emirates to increase Beirut flights in October

GCAA announces Aeronovation Awards

Omar bin Ghaleb

ATM

Remove bilateral restrictions

Open skies to benefit Africa

Dr. Elijah Chingosho

Cargo & Logistics 32

Raymond Benjamin

Connectivity brings prosperity

Paschal Donohoe

Technology 38

Our Smart Services DCAA Smart App will allow the customers the below services: • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Issuance of Landing permissions Issuance of No Objection Certificate for Carriage of Restricted Articles Issuance of No Objection Certificate for Aerial Work Issuance of No Objection Certificate for Aircraft Warning Light Issuance of No Objection Certificate for Heliport Issuance of No Objection Certificate for Pyrotechnic Display Issuance of No Objection Certificate for Building Height (Below 300m) Issuance of No Objection Certificate for Building Height (Above 300m) Issuance of Approval for Heliports Certification Issuance of Approval for Crane Operation Issuance of Approval for GSM or other communication tower Issuance of Approval for Balloon Operations Issuance of No Objection Certificate for Sky Trackers / Space Cannon

Registration Requirements: • • • • • • •

Company Name Company Address Telephone Number Fax Number PO Box City Choose one secret questions

• • • • • • •

Username Password Email Address Name Mobile Number Emirates ID Number Category (Individual - Airline - Agency - Expert - Provider)

You can download the application

by searching in App Store and Play Store by typing DCAA or scan the QR code

For more information, please call technical support on: email:

+971 56 6810685

it.support@dcaa.gov.ae

www.dcaa.gov.ae

Message from the President 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 AlMaktoum, 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.

General Supervision Mohammed Abdulla Ahli Coordinator Hanan Al Mazimi Executive Editor Mohammed Abdul Mannan Creative Manager Mohammed Al Jarouf E-mail: viadubai@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.

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Tel +971 4 25 66 707 Fax +971 4 25 66 704 info@naddalshiba.com www.naddalshiba.com

Quality Wins

he aviation industry in the UAE has been recording an impressive growth over the years. The first half of 2015 was no different. Consistent and outstanding performance has been the key elements of the UAE’s inspiring aviation success story. Whilst Dubai International became the world’s number one airport for international passengers last year’s as a key milestone, this year has seen the UAE being recognized by ICAO for having the world’s safest aviation industry and also International Institute for Management Development (IMD) ranking UAE at the top in the world for its quality of air transport infrastructure. Both recognitions are the outcome of our consistent and committed efforts to translate the vision of our beloved country’s leadership which has given aviation development a key priority. This is no mean achievement considering the fact that UAE is comparatively a young nation and a late entrant to the global aviation business. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has often expressed his desire that the UAE and its people love being Number 1.

Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

The aviation’s importance will grow significantly in the run up to Expo 2020. The UAE has an outstanding aviation infrastructure and globally recognized for seamless travel facilitation. We are developing Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai World Central (DWC) into the world’s biggest airport with an annual capacity of over 220 million passengers. Alongside, we continue to develop the Dubai International Airport which will handle 100 million passengers when the expansion plans get over. Emirates and flydubai have remained in expansion mode. It has been rightly said that Dubai is exemplary of the heights that can be reached when governments believe in the role of aviation as a strategic economic growth partner and a powerful driver of social and economic progress.

These recognitions are testimony to what can be achieved through a clear vision and adherence to quality.

Printed by Printwell Dubai

Our Vision Dubai Civil Aviation Authority is driven by the vision of Dubai to become the global Aviation Capital contributing to prosperity and enabling growth for Dubai.

Our Mission Dubai Civil Aviation Authority is committed to support the aviation sector in:

E-mail: dcaa@dcaa.gov.ae Website: www.dcaa.gov.ae Tel: (971) 4 216 2009 Fax: (971) 4 224 4502 P.O.BOX 49888 Dubai, United Arab Emirates

u Capturing the full value potential as a global passenger, tourism, trade, cargo and logistic hub u Providing the capacity, connectivity and leveraging existing assets to meet the aviation sector and economic growth plans of Dubai u Ensuring sustainable and responsible growth committed to safety, health, environment and security u Providing and creating customer-focused services to gain competitive advantage from innovation, knowledge and efficiency u Building and retaining capabilities, for the aviation sector, while offering career opportunities for Nationals u Ensuring a transparent, effective and commercially balanced regulatory framework that reflects the interests of the aviation industry, Dubai and the UAE u Providing efficient and cost-effective services to the aviation sector

facebook.com/pages/Dubai-Civil-Aviation-Authority/299170846763911

twitter.com/DcaaDubai

youtube.com/user/dcaadubai

Message

from the Director General

DCAA launches Happiness Meter Mohammed Abdulla Ahli

Safety and Quality

he demand for air transport services has been consistently rising in the UAE. Its airports handled over 101 million passengers last year of which over 71 million was handled alone by Dubai International. In our drive to expand and develop the facilities and services, we have not kept aside our eyes from adhering to quality and standards.

Quality is the strong factor for ensuring a safe, orderly and sustainable air transport infrastructure. The UAE has been continuing with its commitment in air transport infrastructure development to adequately meet the needs of the industry, now and in the future. Air transport infrastructure development is an ongoing process. The strategic positioning and economic competitiveness of a country or region is highly dependent on its accessibility to air transport. Dubai is showcasing how one can turn dreams into reality through its ambitious development plans for the Dubai World Central (DWC) which, when complete, will be the world’s biggest airport with a capacity to handle over 220 million passengers. The civil aviation regulatory authorities have been proactive in devising laws and regulations that facilitates the growth of aviation industry on sound and efficient lines. The emergence of UAE in the IMD competitiveness index, last month, as the world’s best for the quality of air transport infrastructure is a clear recognition of our efforts and initiatives bearing the desired results. In February, the UAE was recognized by ICAO for having the safety aviation industry after it scored 98.86 per cent in the stringent audit about the compliance with international safety standards. Like the previous years, safety and quality remains paramount for our aviation industry.

July 2015

he Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) has launched Happiness Meter as its new initiative to measure customer satisfaction with its services.

DCAA is among the first government organizations to implement Happiness Meter in line with the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, about the Smart Government and making customers happy. Happiness Meter, DCAA said, will help assess the customer satisfaction levels with the services the Authority provides and better its performance in dealing with customers and stakeholders. The Happiness Meter offers three options to choose by the customers for each transaction. The initiative was launched to daily measure the public’s happiness and satisfaction with government services. Using electronic devices connected to a central network, Happiness Meter will send daily reports to decision-makers enabling them to understand which services customers are pleased with and are not pleased with on any particular day. Happiness Meter will allow customers to rate their experience while using government websites, apps or services received in person. Dubai Smart Government Department (DSG) announced that it has officially activated the Happiness Meter from the first week of April on the websites and affiliated service centres of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Police, Dubai Courts, Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Culture, Dubai Airport Free Zone, Dubai Statistics, Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation, Finance Department, DSG, Islamic Affairs Department, Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and DCAA. 

Inside DCAA

DCAA supports ‘Speed Kills’ campaign

he DCAA Director General, His Excellency Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, received a memento from His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for supporting the Speed Kills campaign conducted by Dubai Police as part its initiatives to promote traffic safety.

DCAA participated in the public awareness and knowledge-sharing initiative as a Diamond Sponsor. The honouring ceremony was attended among others by Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police. 

DCAA hosts workshops on air transport

he Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) hosted workshops which discussed air transport regulations. Organized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in cooperation with General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the workshop participants debated about the

development of the civil aviation industry globally and ways and means to strengthen relationship among the industry stakeholders. The meeting attracted participants from 35 countries.

Ahli, and Laila Ali bin Hareb Al Muhairi, Assistant Director General for Strategy & International Affairs at GCAA, were among those who addressed the workshops.

DCAA Director General His Excellency Mohammed Abdullah

The event was designed to help strengthening of cooperation and

coordination among the ICAO Member-States and other industry stakeholders. The UAE, a member of ICAO since 1972, has been recently acknowledged by the ICAO for having the safest aviation industry in the world.  July 2015

Inside DCAA

DCAA celebrates Hag Al Layla

he Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) organized several activities to mark Hag Al Layla, the 15th day of the Islamic month of Shaaban that precedes the Holy Month of Ramadan. DCAA Director General, His Excellency Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, joined directors of departments and heads of sections and staff and their children in celebrating the festivities. His Excellency Mohammed Ahli and a DCAA team called on His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of DCAA and Chairman of Dubai Airports, and extended greetings on the occasion. DCAA employees celebrated the occasion in true Emirati traditions with the involvement of children of the DCAA staff members with traditional gaiety and fervor. Hag Al Layla sweets and gifts were also presented. 

DCAA celebrates Al Nasr Club’s victory

he Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) celebrated the winning of the President’s Cup by Al Nasr Club.

Among those in attendance were DCAA Director General, His Excellency Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, Khaled Aref, Director of Standards and Regulations, Abdul Rahim Al Mulla, Director of Corporate Support, Abdul Razzaq Al Hashemi, Assistant Director of Corporate Support, and Saud Abdul Aziz Kinkzar, Director

Heliport certificate for Baraha Hospital

of Air Transport and International Affairs. Founded in 1945, Al Nasr has an outstanding track record, having won all three of the biggest national tournaments – the Arabian Gulf League (1978, 1979 and 1986), the President’s Cup (1985, 1986, 1989 and 2015) and the (now-defunct) UAE Federation Cup (1988, 2000 & 2002) as well as wearing national colours at international tournaments. 

DCAA briefed about updated DM strategic plan

enior officials of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) were briefed about the updated strategic plan of Dubai Municipality (DM). Abdullah Abdul Rahman, Director of Organizational Excellence at Dubai Municipality, provided insights into the revised strategic plan and its key highlights during his visit to the DCAA headquarters recently.Both sides discussed ways in which government organizations could coordinate and cooperate to achieve the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, especially for customer satisfaction and linking of services provided to the customers. 

he Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) has awarded certificate for the helipad at the Baraha Hospital in Dubai.His Excellency Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, Director General of DCAA, handed over the certificate to Dr. Sharifa Al-Emadi, Deputy Director for Administrative Affairs at Baraha Hospital. Also present were Khaled Aref, Director of Standards and Regulations, DCAA, and Michael Rudolf, H ‎ ead of Aviation Regulations & Safety, DCAA. Set up in 1997 and operated by the Ministry of Health, Baraha Hospital, also known as Kuwaiti Hospital, is located next to Dubai Hospital in Al Baraha neighborhood in Deira. 

July 2015

Inside DCAA

ICAO, ACI and Sri Lankan officials felicitated

is Excellency Eng. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Economy and Chairman of General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), in the presence of DCAA Director General His Excellency Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, honoured ICAO, ACI and Sri Lankan aviation of-

ficials during their visit to the UAE. He presented mementos to Raymond Benjamin, Secretary General of ICAO, Angela Gittens, Director General of Airports Council International (ACI), and D Saranapala, Secretary of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Civil Aviation. H M C Nimalsiri, Director General

and CEO of Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka, was also present. These officials were in Dubai to attend meetings and 15th edition of Airport Show held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of DCAA and Chairman of Dubai Airports. 

DCAA staff visits HBMSU

enior staff members of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) have recently visited the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) in Dubai. The HBMSU Chancellor,

Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, explained to the delegation the vision and mission of the university and various academic programmes it is conducting through affiliations and accreditation with

reputed institutions of higher learning. He also explained the importance of Total Quality Management (TQM), Creativity and Innovation in the governance domain. 

July 2015

DCAA Interview

Head of Aviation Regulations & Safety, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority

Dubai takes lead in introducing registration for drone operators

ubai, a supporter of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), or drones, is witnessing an increased interest in usage from various sectors. Michael Rudolph

At the same time, the emirate is actively taking initiatives to ensure safety and security is not compromised. Michael Rudolph, Head of Aviation Regulations and Safety with the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), in an exclusive interview told Via Dubai, about these initiatives and how Dubai is ahead of other places in the world when it comes to regulatory framework, compliance and also innovative use of new technology in this sphere.

July 2015

“Regulation is an area where we are ahead of the game. Dubai will be the world’s first to introduce a registration card for commercial RPAS operators including both user as well as RPAS details. We are also introducing world’s first smartphone app which will allow for identification of a location of an RPAS by anyone who has the app,” said Michael Rudolph. Excerpts from the interview:

Q. Aviation industry worldwide, especially in UAE, is undergoing exciting times. What are the main challenges from a safety perspective, especially now that we also have the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in the aviation family? From a safety perspective we need to look into entities that are joining the aviation family. Most recently the RPAS, also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), is becoming commonplace in the aviation family, not only in Dubai, but worldwide. From the UAE government’s ‘Drones for Good’ competition, some fantastic applications have come to the fore.

The challenge for us, as local authority, is to see how we can facilitate the RPAS entity within the commercial operation in a safe manner. We want to try and see if we can get them to work together, obviously with some safety restrictions whereby commercial operation is not compromised in any way. You can imagine Dubai is a fantastic tourist destination and millions of tourists visit and want to film their experiences using the RPAS. We get a number of enquiries from tourists, ocean liner passengers and many others who want to film their vacation experiences. People want to know if they can bring in RPAS. Our aim is to make sure people are operating them safely and in Dubai it is being accomplished effectively. Regulation is an area where we are ahead of the game compared to others.

Q. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE’s VicePresident and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has issued a new law regulating airspace safety and security, which includes use of RPAS. What are the other initiatives we can expect to see in the near future? The regulatory framework is quite relevant to today’s operations and is measured against worldwide best practice.

DCAA Interview

To launch world’s first smartphone app to identify location of RPAS We are introducing a registration where by any commercial RPAS operator in Dubai needs to be registered with the DCAA. Once registered, we will provide them with an ID card which has photo and details of the pilot operating the system as well as technical specifications of the RPAS they are eligible to fly. This is unique and we are the world’s first to introduce this form of registration. The first roll out is planned to take place in the coming weeks. Along with that, as a part of aligning ourselves with Dubai Smart Government, our IT department has supported us in developing a Smartphone App which will allow for identification of a location of an RPAS by anyone who has the app. We will be the first ones in the world to launch such an App. This means that if you see a RPAS and you are not sure if it is in a dangerous position or whether the operator is using it safely, you can take your smartphone, direct it to the RPAS, take a snapshot, the phone will then by means of its location facility in the smartphone give the exact location of the UAV and you will be able to send the message and photograph to the DCAA website and inspectors who will be linked to that app. We will immediately be able to see from its

location and actions photographed by the observer whether it is in a dangerous situation or not and whether we need to seek police intervention.

Q. When will the smartphone App be launched? It will be launched alongwith the certification roll out. We will also reach out to retailers, providing them leaflets on safely using the drones while complying with the safety regulations which are in place in Dubai. These will be given to their customers who purchase a drone (RPAS). So even if you are flying a drone as a hobbyist, you will know how to operate it in a safe and orderly manner, not intruding into anyone’s privacy.

Q. Do the commercial users need to undergo training to use drones? Yes they do. We now have one of the biggest suppliers of drones in the world named DJI, who supply a very commonly used drone known as a phantom. They offer a four to eight hour training programme with the sale of their drones. The local supplier has shown us their training methodologies and we are satisfied that the person would operate it in a safe and orderly manner. We at the DCAA are now recognizing them as a training entity.

Q. Tell us about the most common requests you get for drone usage. The most common number of request we have had so is for filming the Dubai Fountains at the Dubai Mall. There are many requests for people wanting to film the Burj Khalifa. The requests are all related to what we call aerial work. There has been a cricket match that was filmed using an RPAS, the RTA filming the metro, a leading hotel wanted to use it inhouse for their guests and also security applications from the Dubai Police.

Q. What happens in case of violations in usage? Dubai already has a law in place which would allow for prosecution. But that is for usage with a malicious intent. So if we have an eight-year-old flying a drone accidently falling somewhere, we understand the accidental intent compared to a drone operator trying to manipulate the flight path for departing or arriving aircraft. Our aim is not scare people; it is to ensure that skies remain safe. Q. What are the future challenges you foresee in this domain? As we all know, drones are here to stay. The future challenge is to harness the exponential growth. It has to be done in such a way that people volunteer information and not feel they are prosecuted. It is not a light switch, won’t happen instantaneously. It will take time to educate. But we are on the right path we have support from all aviation entities within the emirate of Dubai.  (Interview by Shveta Pathak) July 2015

UAE in Focus

Mina Rashid voted top ME cruise port

ubai’s Mina Rashid port has been voted the leading cruise port in the Middle East region for the eighth consecutive year at the World Travel Awards. This is the 15th time Mina Rashid has been recognized at the major industry showcase for the global travel industry. The new eco-friendly and ultra-modern Hamdan bin Mohammad Cruise Terminal at Mina Rashid played a major role in the win. Inaugurated in December 2014, it can handle up to 14,000 cruise passengers in a single day, making it the world’s largest covered modern cruise facility. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of DP World, which operates the port, dubbed the new modern cruise facility as a jewel in Dubai’s crown with an area of 28,000 square metres that enabled Mina Rashid to serve up to seven cruise vessels at one time in its three terminals. Alongside these luxury cruise facilities, Mina Rashid Port has also increased its capacity to

handle 25,000 passengers a day overall making it one of the most tourist-friendly ports in the world. In January, Mina Rashid welcomed five

cruise ships simultaneously for the first time in its history, with over 25,000 passengers disembarking at all three of its cruise terminals. 

Dubai Airports gear up for peak traffic season

ubai Airports has advised travellers to arrive early to Dubai International airport as the average passenger numbers are expected to double with the arrival of the peak season and the summer vacation. A nationwide campaign, ‘Hang out at DXB’, has been launched to encourage travellers to arrive earlier to Dubai International and enjoy a full range of airport products and services, while ensuring that all customers depart on time.

With many schools across the UAE closing in the coming week, the average number of departing passengers is expected to double, Dubai Airports said.

cesses as possible before they get to the airport including online check-in and registering for flight updates on the airport’s website,” the airport said in a statement.

“On the busiest days, June 25 and 26, more than 75,000 passengers will be departing from the airport.

Dubai International is the world’s busiest airport in terms of international passenger traffic. Dubai Airports, which owns and manages the operations of both of Dubai International and Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central, last week announced that 6.5 million passengers passed through the airport in April 2015 as compared to 6.16 million in the same month last year, an increase of 5.7 per cent.

“With this in mind, the airport operator is encouraging passengers to complete as many pro-

Dubai Airports’ operations teams are also gearing up for the summer peak by adding support staff and ‘May I Help You’ volunteers at key touchpoints such as immigration and security during the busiest periods. “With many passengers leaving Dubai on vacation at this time, we want to ensure that everyone’s experience is as stress-free as possible,” stated Eugene Barry, EVP Commercial Group at Dubai Airports. 

July 2015

UAE in Focus

GCAA announces Aeronovation Awards award worth AED200,000 will be awarded for the innovative use of smart technology in Quality Assurance of part manufacturing processes to promote research and innovation in this emerging sector in the UAE. He also presented details about the most important initiatives to be undertaken by GCAA to promote innovation in the aviation sector in addition to the announced Innovation Award. These included: encourage a culture of innovation within companies and organizations, support national companies in marketing innovations and exported abroad, strengthen UAE position as a global hub for experiments, attract leading innovation organizations, among others.

is Excellency Eng. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) launched the strategy for innovation in UAE civil aviation, titled Aeronovation.

economic expansion and diversification,” said Al Mansouri. He added: “Innovation is at the essence of the civil aviation industry and the history of aviation has proven that innovation is the primary driver of this sector.”

His Excellency Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of GCAA, was also present at the ceremony.

The Aeronovation Awards are designed to stimulate creativity and innovation in the civil aviation sector and aircraft manufacturing.

Aeronovation was launched in accordance with the federal plan to promote innovation in all sectors in UAE and enable UAE to head the Global Innovation Index (GII) in the coming years. “The UAE’s aviation sector provides a promising future for innovation, especially as one of the most important economic drivers in UAE. The positive impact for innovation on air transport services promotes

Saif Al Suwaidi explained that the participation in this completion is open for the whole UAE aviation sector; individuals, groups or organizations and the prize is awarded based on three different categories and a number of defined criteria; relevance, originality, dissemination, and action plan. There will be three different prizes totaling AED300,000. Moreover, an additional

Realizing the significance of the innovation in the development and progress of the society, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the National Innovation Strategy. The strategy will stimulate innovation in seven sectors where innovation is key to excellence: renewable energy, transport, education, health, technology, water and space. Laila Ali bin Hareb Al Muhairi, Assistant Director General, GCAA, stated that Aeronovation will have a positive impact on several fields of civil aviation such as air transport services, economic diversification and reduction of environmental risks. The UAE ranks currently third in the GII in the Middle East and North African region and thirty-sixth globally. The Federal Government aims to place UAE in the first rank on the global innovation index within a period of six years. 

July 2015

UAE in Focus

ME online travel market to grow 10 per cent by 2018

he Middle East’s online travel market value is projected to advance from $18 billion to $35 billion in the next three years, according to findings from a report by Amadeus. It said growing smart-phone penetration and connectivity among the youth coupled with a thriving airline industry is anticipated to shape the multi-segmented online travel industry. Furthermore, over a period of five years, UAE’s online gross bookings have in-

creased approximately three-folds on the back of a burgeoning affluent middle-class possessing an inclination to travel nearly four times in a year. Antoine Medawar, Vice President, MENA, Amadeus, said: “It is encouraging to see such positive forecasts for our region. We can all feel optimistic signs of growth in the online travel sector across most countries in the region, which is certain to have a halo effect on the overall GDP.” The report forecasts a 42 per cent online

Antoine Medawar, Vice President MENA -Amadeus

travel penetration in the UAE market over the next three years, outpacing the entire Gulf region’s 36 per cent growth outlook during the same period. Breaking down, gross bookings across UAE from direct supplier websites are expected to account for 51 per cent of all online revenue, mobile for 17 per cent and OTAs for 32 per cent. Uncovering distribution trends over the next three years, the report highlighted that traditional airlines are likely to acquire 59 per cent of online revenue via their own websites- an advance from 23 per cent to 33 per cent in the next three years. However, low cast carriers are expected to soar 80 per cent from 70 percent, by 2018. 

JAFZA posts 17 per cent jump in new companies

ebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza), the flagship Free Zone of Dubai and trade and logistics hub for the wider Middle East region, has posted an increase of 17 per cent in the number of new companies in 2014 compared with the preceding year.

It also posted a 10 per cent surge in its revenues for the year. The operating profit rose by more than 13 per cent to AED1.18 billion during the year. Jafza claimed it has contributed more than 20 per cent to Dubai’s GDP in 2013. The Free Zone companies account for almost half of Dubai’s total non-oil exports and a quarter

July 2015

of the Emirates’ total non-oil trade. In 2014, Jafza companies are estimated to have generated trade worth AED370 billion. Jafza accounts for more than 75 per cent of the total trade generated by all the free zones together in Dubai. “Jafza’s growth in 2014 can be attributed to its focus on attracting quality investments into the Free Zone in key sectors, prudent use of resources and achieving greater operational efficiency for itself and also for Jafza based companies by introducing new innovative products and initiatives,” said Salma Hareb, CEO of Jafza and Economic Zones World. 

UAE in Focus

Connectivity top influencer for travellers

lydubai has published a new research focussing on the latest travel trends, behaviours and preferences based on the analysis of over 4,000 independent opinions that are compiled every week from its passengers.

The data provides feedback across 36 customer touch points and identifies trends by route or a specific flight of the more than 1,400 flights operated by the airline each week. The survey data consistently shows that flydubaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passengers recognize the benefits of direct air links as key factors influencing their airline choice with priority given to connectivity (37 per cent) and value for money (24 per cent). The research shows that flydubaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Business Class appeals to a younger traveller with 43

per cent of passengers under the age of 34 and 27 per cent aged between 35 and 44 years old. The frequency of travel across its network showed that 26 per cent of passengers from Africa travelled monthly, 29 per cent from Kuwait, 21 per cent from Saudi Arabia, 13 per cent from India, 17 per cent from Russia, 15 per cent from the Caucasus and Central Asia, and 21 per cent from Eastern Europe. Key findings of the research include: 86 per cent of passengers would recommend flydubai, 62 per cent of Business Class passengers are repeat travellers, 45 per cent of

Business Class passengers book through travel agents, 91 per cent remarked positively on the appearance of the cabin crew and found them to be helpful, efficient and knowledgeable and 79 per cent of passengers report Immigration queues of less than five minutes. flydubai has created a network of more than 90 destinations in 46 countries, with 23 new routes launched in 2014 and 13 added so far this year. Its fleet is built up of 47 new NextGeneration Boeing 737-800 aircraft and it will take delivery of more than 100 aircraft by the end of 2023. ď&#x201A;&#x192; July 2015

UAE in Focus

DWTC is now a free zone

is Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has issued a new law establishing Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the region’s meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) venue operator as a free zone. The decree is aimed to boost Dubai as a hub for regional and international exhibitions while also attracting local and international investments, WAM reported. The law also established Dubai World Trade Centre Authority (DWTCA) to govern the free zone. It will be part of Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), the investment vehicle of Dubai. The DWTCA’s responsibilities include establishing and managing infrastructures within DWTC, managing various business activities, licensing companies within the zone and overseeing construction work undertaken in the free zone. The law also authorizes DWTCA to establish companies independently or jointly and invest in such companies, the official news agency reported. The DWTC’s geographical domain includes its current facilities and those under development and the Dubai World Trade Centre at Jebel Ali.

The transformation of DWTC into a free zone follows a massive expansion plan by the MICE venue operator. In April, DWTC announced plans to build a 15,500 square metres extension to its current indoor complex space after strong year-on-year growth in events. The extension will expand the available multipurpose indoor capacity to over 122,000 square metres, catering to the next five years of portfolio growth and accommodating Dubai’s growing business tourism traffic. Adjacent to the existing

Dubai next to London as top shopping destination

ubai has retained its position as the second most important international shopping destination globally for the fourth consecutive year, closely behind London.A report by the global property advisor, CBRE, said Dubai has a presence of 55.7 per cent of international retailers followed by Shanghai with 53.4 per cent.

While London has retained its number one position, New York and Singapore make up the rest of the top five international cities for retail representation with 46.3 and 46 per cent respectively. Last year, Dubai attracted 45 new international brands. Retailer globalization remained a key theme with half of the 164 cities surveyed attracting at least five new retailers. 

Zabeel Hall complex, three new halls – named Zabeel 4, 5 and 6 – will form the extension beyond Halls 1, 2 and 3. The new space is expected to become operational from Q1 2016. A 10 per cent year-on-year growth in visitors’ volumes was recorded last year which saw a new high of 2.45 million in annual traffic. With a total of 93 exhibitions, it witnessed on average 23,000 visitors per event. The MENASA’s largest venue operator recorded double digit growth across key performance metrics.

UAE ranks 3rd in global Muslim Travel Index

he UAE has been ranked third in the global Muslim Travel Index 2015 that tracked the growth of Muslim tourists in 2014. The index, compiled by MasterCard and Crescent Rating, placed the UAE behind Turkey and Malaysia in the list of top destinations among countries from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The UAE was also the top destination for Muslim tourists in the Middle East, which had five destinations in the top 10 list. According to the study, Muslim tourists are a growing and an affluent segment, valued at $145 billion in 2014.Numbering almost 108 million, Muslim tourists also represented about 10 per cent of the global travel economy. The Muslim travel market is estimated to grow to 150 million tourists by 2020, with the value generated by them expected to reach $200 billion. Muslim travellers are also set to represent 11 per cent of the global travel segment by 2020. 

July 2015

UAE in Focus

EK to move to AMIA next decade

mirates will move to Al Maktoum International Airport (AMIA) in the next decade when the Dubai World Central (DWC) is fully completed to become the world’s biggest airport, Al Bayan quoted a top airline official who attended an IATA meeting in Miami, US. Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline, said the Dubai-based carrier, which owns assets worth $31 billion, has to think about moving to AMIA as its massive expansion plans faces obstacles due to congestions at the Dubai International Airport whose maximum passenger handling capacity would be about 100 million. The world’s fastest-growing international carrier is projected to handle 70 million passengers from its Dubai hub by 2020. The airline flies to 148 destinations around the world. The AMIA is designed to handle over 220 million passengers on its full completion. Emirates’ fleet is expected to reach 600 aircraft over the next decade, from the present 240 aircraft, 280 by the end of this year and up to 300 by 2025. The fleet expansion will help the airline expand its network and enter new markets, including long-haul routes, across the world. After the shifting of foreign airlines operations to the Concourse D this year, Emirates

will have control over all the other three concourses at the Dubai International Airport. This will enable the carrier to expand its operations and handle larger volume of passenger traffic. In an interview with The Financial Times in March, Sir Tim admitted that one of the biggest obstacles to the airline’s future ambitions is airport congestion at home and abroad. He remarked: “The limits to the growth short-term are the hub itself, the heart of the business,” he said. “Imagine your heart [has]

been overloaded a bit and it stops because it has got too much to do. So the hub has to grow …and it’s not just the hub, it’s the airspace management [and] all the other bits.” The newspaper reported him saying that Emirates will move from Dubai International to Al Maktoum “overnight” once the first phase of expansion is complete in 2023. With plans for the airport to take 120 million passengers a year by 2023, and as many as 200 million by 2050, there should be plenty of room even for a carrier as ambitious as Emirates. 

July 2015

Cover Story

AMIA expansion to be completed by Q1 2022

n an exclusive interview with Via Dubai, His Excellency Eng. Khalifa Al Zaffin, Executive Chairman, Dubai Aviation City Corporation (DACC), share insights about the Dubai World Central (DWC) project.

What is the Dubai World Central (DWC) project all about?

Dubai World Central (DWC) is a Government of Dubai initiative that was launched in 2006. It is aligned with Dubai’s Strategic Plan 2021, which envisions Dubai as the preferred city in which to live, work and invest. In line with this vision, DWC was master planned to represent the future face of the emirate. Spanning approximately 145 square kilometers, it is designed to ultimately support a population of one million people. It also hosts the now-operational Al Maktoum International Airport (AMIA) – which is to become the world’s largest airport when completed. DWC is also the future home of Expo 2020. Being a full-fledged city, our aim is to provide the full spectrum of urban infrastructure and services, including utilities, commercial, retail, sports, recreational, education and healthcare facilities. The city will also have a strong residential dimension that will serve as home to professionals who work at DWC and its surrounding areas, as well as to their families.

What is the progress on other key components of DWC?

Development at DWC is steadily gathering momentum. We already have partners – from SMEs to MNCs – like Aramex, Ikea, Nestle, Kuehne + Nagel, Landmark Group and Maersk Training, to mention a few. We anchored our aviation and logistics offering both in terms of facilities and attracting partners. Phase one of the Aviation District is complete. We now house the Middle East’s first VIP

July 2015

AMIA will have 130 million passengers capacity by 2022 Completion Centre (Falcon Aviation), a paint facility secured through our agreement with the STTS Group, a European leader in aircraft painting and sealing. We have also brought on board four FBOs who will operate out of the Executive Jet Terminal, which is currently under construction and expected to begin operations in Q4 2015. The Aviation District is also home to key periodic events such as the Dubai Air Show and MEBA.

We are in the process of optimizing our offerings in the Residential District. We have begun projects in the hospitality sector and signed several agreements with industry players. For instance, an agreement between InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Abjar Hotels International will see a 450-room Holiday Inn and 250-room Staybridge Suites built at DWC by Q1 2018. We have signed an agreement with Emaar to develop the DWC Golf District and high end luxury residential area. We are immensely proud of our accomplishments over the last two years. They go a long way in demonstrating our commitment to ca-

Cover Story

AMIA passenger capacity to reach seven million by 2016 ter to the needs of the people and businesses that choose to live, work and invest here.

What is the progress on the AMIA project since HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum approved the designs for expansion?

With the continued leadership and support of the Government of Dubai, the planning and design process for the Al Maktoum International Airport was announced in September 2014. The phase is scheduled for completion in Q1 of 2022, by which time we expect AMIA’s annual passenger capacity to increase from the current five million passengers to 130 million. Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP) has been actively working with key stakeholders such as Dubai Airports and Emirates airlines on several fronts. The master-planning and design activities of the airport are nearing completion. In terms of the airport’s overarching design, we have begun implementing the concept theme ‘Al Jawhara’ – the jewel – as identified by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Further to this, major milestones have been identified and have been factored into the construction works program at AMIA.

This includes the West Terminal building and concourses, the Central Terminal Area Apron Works, the South Runway and taxiways, the North Runway and adjacent taxiways, as well as the airport’s support facilities.

What kind of challenges does a project of this size entail?

Dubai directly through AMIA and the wider DWC area. Such companies have wished to leverage on the AMIA’s synergy with the nearby Jebel Ali Port and its ecosystem of 6,500 companies, which account for 50 per cent of the emirate’s exports.

We are building the biggest airport in the world – one that is characterized by innovation and its ability to sustain Dubai’s aviation aspirations over the next many decades. This involves multiple processes related to design and construction of buildings, installation of value management procedures, procurement,

Other key milestones related to the on-time opening of the Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) to commercial operations in 2013, and the relocation of Emirates SkyCargo to AMIA in early 2014. The launch of the PTB, in particular, revealed a great opportunity for relocating airlines to AMIA, where they can further grow unconstrained and also capture new markets.

Executive Jet Terminal to begin operations in Q4 2015

How do you see the performance of AMIA in 2015 and until 2020?

etc. It requires engagement and coordination at several levels with multiple stakeholders, experts, consultants and contractors the world over. We are committed to have AMIA meet the highest benchmarks in the industry.

What operational milestones has AMIA achieved so far?

AMIA began operations in 2010, limiting itself first to cargo flights. It was a testing period, and I believe the airport came out with flying colors. Consequently, cargo freighters started relocating from DXB to DWC. Interestingly, a considerable number of freighter companies have been newly introduced to

Our current aim for Al Maktoum International Airport is twofold: to attract more airlines to operate from the airport and ease passenger traffic at DXB until such time that Phase 1 of the new airport is ready. In that context, AMIA is currently undergoing an expansionary phase that will see its annual passenger handling capacity rise from the current five million to seven million by early 2016.

DWC is conducting road shows in different parts of the world to attract foreign investment. What is your take on this?

Roadshows hold a special place in our global B2B outreach program. They enable us to go to where our potential investors are, to connect directly with them, to study the nuances

July 2015

Cover Story

of each market and to understand the specific needs of our target investors in that country. For each roadshow, we work closely with leading consultants and institutions in the region who organize one-on-one meetings with companies we pre-identify. We keep our delegation sleek and hold a select number of B2B meetings in each city we visit. This allows us to have a richer, personal interaction with our potential investors. In 2014, we had successful interaction with businesses in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. In Q1 2015, we reached out to Italian compa-

July 2015

nies from Milan, Torino, Lucca, Modena and Venice. We have more roadshows organized for 2015.

Will two international airports help Dubai become the global travel hub in the 21st century?

Dubai is already recognized as a global travel hub. Around 70.5 million passengers flew through Dubai International Airport in 2014, making it the busiest airport in the world. Passenger and air traffic is set to increase significantly in the coming years on account of

AMIA to consolidate Dubaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position as global travel hub Dubai being a convenient and efficient crossroad between the east and west. DXB is quickly nearing its full capacity. Projections indicate that around 126.5 million passengers will fly through Dubai by 2020, and so there is a clear case for a new airport.

Cover Story

We believe that AMIA, which is situated 50 kms from DXB, will enable the emirate to further strengthen its position as global travel hub. AMIA will bring in significant annual capacity: over 200 million passengers and 16 million tonnes of cargo per year.

When will DWC be fully completed?

We are working briskly on the project, but we have purposely not assigned any ‘completion date’ as such. We appreciate that the nature of the project is massive, considering it is one

Dubai International is quickly nearing its full capacity of the largest urban development initiatives in Dubai. It is a dynamic process, one that needs room to evolve. The first phase of expansion related to AMIA is anticipated to continue over a six to eight year period, and the broader development across the other districts of DWC will support that expansion.

We are also focused on ensuring that the needs of our current and future business partners are met. And finally, we are taking it slowly but surely in terms of developing the community component of the project. Our approach is aligned with the Dubai Strategic Plan 2021 – to place people and their welfare at the heart of the city. DWC will ultimately become the place where people will want to live, work and invest. 

July 2015

Exclusive Report

MEAP closer to take off in 2016

With 36 airports, aircraft movements in the Middle East region are projected to reach 2.34 million in 2025.

he UAE has taken upon itself a leadership role for the launch of the Middle East Air Traffic Management Enhancement Programme (MEAP) next year.

The MAEP, designed to be executed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) by means of a trust fund, is aimed at enhancing the safety and efficiency of ATM operations in the Middle East (MID) Region in accordance with the Inter-States Memorandum of Agreement of the UN body.

The participating states will be the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Ahmed Ibrahim Al Jallaf, Assistant Director General for Air Navigation Services at General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and Chairman of MEAP Board, said: “A specialized Project Manager will be appointed within the next four months. An interim Project Management Office (PMO), an industry-led initiative, has been put into place to get things moving. We are working with international organizations to sponsor the initiative and the UAE will make an in-kind contribution.”He said the PMO will look at developing the master plan and evolve project charters and produce projected cost and benefit analysis and we anticipate the first studies coming through in time for the next ICAO MEAP meeting in Cairo in October.

The Project Management Office (PMO) will be co-located in the ICAO MID Office in Cairo.

The first set of tasks to be performed by the Interim PMO will include the development of an

The regional platform provides the basis for a collaborative approach towards planning and implementing projects and working packages in support of the MID Air Navigation Strategy, and in line with the Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP). Initially for a period six years, the programme is scheduled to start from January 2016. Its duration will be extended to another six years or more, in order to remain in line with the five-year Global Air Navigation Plan until 2018.

The Middle East carriers are set to spend a whopping $450 billion on 2,520 aircraft by 2030

July 2015

initial version of the MAEP Master Plan, identification of additional quick-wins initiatives, exploration of viable options for the funding of MAEP and its projects, support and monitor the implementation of the ‘call sign’ initiative and coordination with stakeholders to initiate Phase 1 of the ARNOP project. Describing MAEP as “a great demonstration of collaboration”, the industry veteran said a memorandum of agreement with the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (SESAR) initiative was a possibility “at some time in the future.” In his keynote address at the 3rd Global Airport Leaders’ Forum (GALF) in Dubai in May, Omar Bin Ghaleb, Deputy Director General, GCAA, said the UAE will have a major share in the air-

Exclusive Report

GCAA initiated the MEAP project through the submission of a proposal to ICAO in May 2013 craft movements in the coming time in the most congested airspace in the world. During a session on ‘ATM solutions for 2030 and beyond’ at GALF-2015, Ahmed Al Jallaf said the way forward to 2030 will be towards having “more automated, systemized and predictable” ATM operations, which, according to CANSO, are presently “ saturated and fragmented”. He said the aircraft movements in the UAE Flight Information Region (FIR) are projected to be around 884799 this year with an average of 2424 flights a day. In 2020, this will reach 1.2 million or 3314 flights per day and will reach 1.85 million in 2030 with an average of 5067 flights. The Middle East carriers are set to spend a whopping $450 billion on 2,520 aircraft by 2030, taking the number of passenger aircraft from 1,060 to 2,710 – an incredible increase of 160 per cent. In January, the GCAA hosted the ICAO MAEP Steering Committee Meeting. The meeting was attended by 36 participants from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE and US and six international organizations and industries - AACO, Airbus, Boeing, CANSO, FAA and IATA. The GCAA initiated the MEAP project through the submission of a proposal to ICAO in May 2013. The MEAP proposal called for regional airspace collaborative solutions by implementing harmonized and joint projects to overcome the region’s increasing difficulties due to what it referred to as fragmented airspace structures, high-levels of tactical intervention by ATC, choke points, traffic bunching and queuing and reliance on conventional technologies. The MAEP will have a Board, a Steering Committee and a PMO. It will have observers from AACO, ACAC, ACI, Airbus, Boeing, CANSO, EUROCONTROL/SESAR JU, FAA-US, IATA, IFALPA and IFATCA. The key scope of MEAP is to maximize ATM performance in the MID Region through project management and within the time frame (20162028) and improve efficiency and increase capacity to safely accommodate air traffic growth. To convince ICAO about the necessity of MEAP, the GCAA cited ICAO statistics which showed Middle East’s annual traffic growth rates, led by the Arabian Gulf, at 5.2 percent, just below

ICAO member-states appreciated a proposal by UAE related to MID Airspace project to enhance air traffic safety and efficiency Asia-Pacific (6.3 percent) and Latin America (5.8 percent). The UAE has a total of 120,000 square kilometers of airspace, with 35 international air corridors. IATA estimates that the Middle East’s airports will be handling 450 million passengers by 2020. The Middle East airlines are expected to experience the highest growth in passenger traffic at 5.8 per cent annually through 2025. The total aircraft movements to and from and within the Middle East region, which currently has 36 airports, are estimated to increase to by 2,346,000 in 2025 at an average annual growth rate of 7.6 per cent. Over 50 per cent of Middle East’s airline traffic and over 65 per cent of business aviation traffic is concentrated in the GCC region. Jeff Poole, Director General of Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO), whose members support over 85 per cent of world air traffic, said CANSO strongly supports and participates in the MAEP. All aviation industry stakeholders in the region must grasp the opportunity for partnership offered by MAEP to deliver real change to transform air traffic management performance and ensure the contribution of aviation to the economies of the region, he argued. According to ICAO-MEAP documents, the running cost of the MAEP PMO will be ensured

through contributions from all MAEP Member States and funding of projects and programmes will be done by the member-states on a case-bycase basis. For the PMO, Bahrain, Iran, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE will make annual contribution of $30,000 each, while Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait and Libya’s annual contribution will be $20,000 each. Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria and Yemen will make annual contribution of $10,000 each. ICAO member-states recognized the need for the development of a MAEP Master Plan to drive the modernization and enhancement of the ATM operations in the MID Region for the period 20162028. Among the projects proposed to be initiated under MEAP include MID Flight Procedure Programme (MID FPP), MID IP Network and MID Integrated Flight Plan Processing System (MID IFPS). Member-states also appreciated a proposal by UAE related to MID Airspace project to enhance air traffic safety and efficiency. The proposed project will consist of four phases including Regional Airspace Study that includes Gap Analysis and Airspace Restructuring Project that includes conceptual designs and concept of operations. The project is linked to other initiatives such as the Middle East Regional Airspace Review (MIDRAR), the ACAC CNS/ATM study and the GCC Virtual Upper FIR study. The meeting agreed to include in the MAEP Master Plan a project related to regional/sub-regional ATFM system. The meeting agreed that until the appointment of the PMO Manager, ICAO will continue to act as the Secretariat of the MAEP Steering Committee meetings.  July 2015

Exclusive Interview

Middle East airports need GBAS technology

n an exclusive interview with Via Dubai, Michael A Underwood, Director of Business Development for SmarthPath Precision Landing Systems at Honeywell, spoke about the cutting-edge technologies reshaping the Air Traffic Management (ATM) environment.

July 2015

Is Air Traffic Management (ATM) challenging in the Middle East?

The Middle East is among the fastest growing regions in terms of air traffic. CANSO predicts the growth rate for both Passenger and Cargo services is expected to grow 13-15 percent per year for the foreseeable future, and the number of aircraft filling the skies is expected to increase threefold in the next 10 years. Consequently, measures need to be taken today to implement new and existing technologies support such growth. In countries like the UAE, there are already measures being taken to modernize and implement new technologies in order to build a strong foundation for this future growth. As part of this technology investment Middle East airports are now considering the adoption of Honeywell’s SmartPath Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS) technology.

The region is grappling with serious ATM challenges Satellite-based precision landing systems will be essential to increase airport capacity as air traffic grows.

How can the Middle East airports benefit from SmarthPath?

The adoption of SmartPath by Middle East airports is expected to gain momentum. Honeywell’s SmartPath is the world’s first GBAS Precision Landing System. It is the only GBAS to have received System Design Approval from the FAA in the US, BAF in Germany, AENA in Spain, Skyguide in

Exclusive Interview

Switzerland and CASA in Australia. The current SmartPath SLS-4000 hardware is certified to CAT I Precision Landing minima, with a direct upgrade path to CAT III that will enable aircraft to use the system for precision landing and guidance even in the very lowest visibility conditions. GBAS is especially useful in the Middle East where ILS is still being used at every airport. ILS is an older technology that has been around since the 1960s -- each ILS can only provide one approach path for one runway end. Unlike ILS, the GBAS equipment is not restricted to a precise location at the end of a single runway. It uses satellite positioning data to enable the aircraft to fly precise and complex approaches and can be placed wherever the airport has space. The SmartPath system requires fewer maintenance flights–unlike ILS, which requires periodic calibration flights every six months. GBAS only requires one flight check when it is first installed, and one when a new approach is loaded. This not only saves costs in terms of crew and flight time, it also means the airport does not have to close a runway during calibration efforts. We foresee a time when ILS will no longer be needed thanks to technology such as SmartPath.

Is SmarthPath a cutting-edge technology?

The level of precision and assurance that the technology offers aircraft is very high. While each runway end at an airport requires its own

The first GBAS precision landing system could be installed in the Middle East as early as 2017 ILS, a single GBAS can offer 26 different approaches and covers all runways. The approaches can be used simultaneously by numerous aircraft, allowing more efficient use of airspace through reduced separation and different glide paths. The glide paths could be different for wide-bodies and narrow-bodies, eventually reducing the separation required for wake turbulence. By increasing the capacity in this way, you are increasing airport throughput and ultimately driving more revenue from operations. GBAS’s ground equipment includes four global navigation satellite system (GNSS) reference receivers, a GBAS computing facility and a very high frequency (VHF) data broadcast transmitter. These receive the satellite data, augment it to provide a higher degree of integrity, and broadcast it back to approaching aircraft.

Do aircraft need to be made GBAS compatible?

In order to use GBAS, an aircraft must be equipped with a GLS-capable Multi-Mode Receiver (MMR). By 2016, Honeywell expects more than 4,000 aircraft to be equipped with GLS. This number is expected to increase if operators choose to retrofit their fleets.

Today, around 650 Boeing 737NG aircraft (approximately 20 percent of operators) have GLS installed and 900 aircraft (40 percent of operators) have the option to activate it. In addition, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 747-800 both come with GLS as standard equipment and it can be selected on Airbus models such as the A380. By the end of the year, the A330 and A340 family of aircraft are also expected to be GLS certified.

How many airports have installed SmartPath?

Bremen Airport in Germany was the first airport to fly a commercial GBAS flight back in 2011. SmartPath has since been installed in more than 20 airports around the world, including Frankfurt, Bremen Malaga, Zurich, Sydney, Melbourne, Houston, Newark, Shanghai Pudong, St. Helena and Chennai. Rio de Janeiro will also have it soon.

Has any Middle East airport adopted it?

No airport in the Middle East has adopted the system yet, but it won’t be long before the first airport takes the plunge. A fair amount of study is in place to fully understand the operational benefits of such a system. The UAE could conceivably have a CAT 1 capacity system in place by Q1 2017 and CAT III capacity system by 2019. The country is taking the lead in the region and will see considerable operational improvements as a result of its investment in Air Traffic Management systems like GBAS as a result. 

July 2015

Middle East in Focus

Emirates to increase Beirut flights in October

Saudia fined for breaking EU aviation law

audi Arabian Airlines has been fined 1.4 million euros by a regional Belgian government for breaching EU carbon emissions rules, making it the first big non-EU carrier to be fined for breaking the EU aviation law.

The EU requirement that all aircraft using its airports pay for carbon emissions caused international outcry when it was introduced at the start of 2012.

It said that flight timings have been scheduled to facilitate more effective onward connections from Dubai to destinations in the United States such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago as well as vital connections to Australian points like Sydney and Melbourne.

Among the staunchest opponents was Saudi Arabia, which

mirates Airline has announced plans to gradually increase its services to Beirut with a third daily flight from October 1. The addition of this service will take the total number of weekly Emirates flights serving Lebanon to 21.

told its state-run airline not to comply. India and Russia were also outspoken critics. Faced with threats of a trade war, the EU changed its legislation to apply only to flights within the bloc, rather than the entire length of flights in and out of EU airports. That still included EU flights carried out by nonEU operators. While European airlines have largely complied, some non-EU airlines have not and environment campaigners say EU governments have been slow to collect fines. 

The third daily flight will be serviced by the 267-seat A340-300 in a three class configuration. Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Centre, said: “Emirates’ expanded schedule from Beirut will offer enhanced connectivity for our customers when travelling onwards to destinations in the US and Australia. The third flight’s timings will also increase connectivity to key African points in our network.” 

Egypt to cut subsidies for charter flights

gypt is planning to reduce subsidies for charter flights as part of cost saving and following a strong recovery in tourism demand this year.

Tourism Minister Khaled Ramy told German magazine fvw that a 15 per cent rise to about one million German tourists is expected this year and claimed that some of the subsidies were no longer necessary. This could mean an end to financial support for flights to Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh from November onwards, although subsidies would remain for destinations such as Luxor and Marsa Alam. Egypt has financially supported charter flights to its main airports since last year by subsidising a certain proportion of unsold seats in order to ensure that tour operators and carriers do not drop unviable routes. The subsidy for a four-hour flight to Hurghada is €31 per empty seat. 

July 2015

Qatar Executive to buy 30 Gulfstream aircraft

ulfstream Aerospace has announced that Qatar Executive has agreed to purchase up to 30 Gulfstream aircraft as part of a Memorandum of Understanding announced in October last year. The original sale called for Qatar Executive to purchase up to 20 Gulfstream aircraft, including the all-new Gulfstream G500. The recently signed final agreement increases the purchase to 30 firm orders and options that are a combination of both of Gulfstream’s new clean-sheet, wide-cabin aircraft, the G500 and G600, and the flagship G650ER. From its start in 2009, Qatar Executive, part of Qatar Airways, has rapidly risen to become a leader in air charter services for individuals, families, businesses, corporations and governments. 

Middle East in Focus

Boeing appoints new Middle East chief

ernie Dunn has been appointed as the President of Boeing Middle East based in Dubai. Dunn is fluent in Arabic and has lived and worked in the region for most of the last 30 years. He joined Boeing in July 2012 as president of Boeing Turkey and North Africa. Dunn has led Boeing activities in Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya for the past three years. Dunn will be responsible for Boeing’s growth and productivity plans and government affairs

and for implementing the company’s strategy across the region. Boeing’s relationship with the Middle East dates back more than 60 years. Its first office was established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 1982. Since then, the company has expanded its presence and relationships across the region. Boeing opened an office in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in 1999 and a regional office in Dubai in 2003. The company expanded its footprint with a new office in Doha, Qatar, in November 2010. 

Jordan waves departure tax to boost tourism The amendments agreed upon include waiving visa fees for tourists of all nationalities coming through Jordanian tour operators whether traveling individually or in groups. The visa fee is waived on the condition that the traveler/ travelers spend a minimum of two consecutive nights in Jordan.

he Jordanian government has approved a proposal put forth by the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities to ease entry visas regulations for tourists. This will make traveling to Jordan more convenient and affordable for tourists of all nationalities.

Visa fees for tourists entering Jordan through land borders will be reduced from JOD40 to JOD10 on the condition that these tourists spend a minimum of three consecutive nights in Jordan.Departure tax for all scheduled flights from Aqaba and Amman will be waived if tourists purchase the unified tourist site ticket and spend a minimum of three consecutive nights in Jordan. 

EHCAAN raises capital to EGP5.8 billion

he General Assembly for the state-run Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation (EHCAAN) has approved plans to raise the company’s capital to 5.8 billion Egyptian pounds ($760 million).

The assembly has also ratified the company budget for the next fiscal year 2015-2016. The investment plan for the company has been estimated at 2.7 billion pounds, including 888 million pounds self-financed and 1.8 billion pounds worth of loans from local banks and foreign organizations. Among the most important projects to be carried out by EHCAAN is the completion of the passenger building number 2 at Cairo International Airport, the launch of a new building for Sharm El-Sheikh Airport, in addition to other infrastructure projects in various Egyptian airports nationwide. 

Oman Airports post double digit passenger growth

man Airports Management Company (OAMC) has reported significant success rate in terms of passenger growth in the in the Sultanate during the first quarter of 2015. The passenger traffic to, from, and through Muscat and Salalah International Airports is currently growing at double figure rate. The active passenger traffic at Muscat International Airport throughout the period from January to March, recorded total growth of 2,410,098 passengers, in comparison to 2014, which had an overall increase of 193384, recording nine per cent increase over the same period last year. The top routes in volume includes; Dubai, Salalah, India, and Doha and the new routes recently launched to Goa, Dhaka and Singapore by Oman Air from Muscat International Airport, contributed in the increase results for the Q1. Salalah International Airport has seen passenger growth during the same period, reaching a total growth of 217669 passengers in comparison to 2014, which had an overall increase of 193384, a growth of 13 per cent.  July 2015

International News

Belgrade airport aims to be a regional hub

elgrade’s main airport plans to invest €20 million over two years in expanding capacity to cope with a sharp increase in traffic and the government hopes to attract bids to run the airport. Ana Lukovic, Director of Development and Investment, told Reuters that the ultimate goal “is to make Belgrade a regional hub”. “We are close to the limit of our capacities at the moment. That’s why we decided to start a short-term investment cycle.”Traffic has increased since 2013 when Abu Dhabi’s Eti-

had Airways bought a 49 per cent stake in indebted flag carrier JAT, rebranding it as Air Serbia and introducing new routes. Once closed to international air traffic during a decade of war and sanctions, the number of passengers using the airport rose by more than one million last year and is expected to hit five million this year, nearing its current capacity of 5.5 million. The airport would spend €15 million of its own funds in expanding

Bengaluru Airport plans self-tagging kiosks

Terminal 2 by building eight new gates and a new passengers’ area. On completion in mid-2016, the terminal will be able to host longhaul aircraft. Another €2 million will be spent on renovating Terminal 1 and €3 million on new deicing equipment.

Philippines offer incentives at Cebu airport

n a further effort to help decongest Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, the Philippine government is planning to offer perks to provide greater incentive for airlines to operate more flights from Cebu. An incentive plan has been presented to the industry regarding the take-off and landing fees.

hirty self-service kiosks with bag tag printers will be installed at Kempegowda International Airport in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru. The airport has confirmed a major new investment in its IT infrastructure, including 180 common use workstations and 30 new common use self-service (CUSS) kiosks, which will allow

passengers to print their bag tags along with their boarding pass. The investment in self-service processing comes after the airport experienced a 13.2 per cent year-on-year increase in passenger numbers in 2014, with the total number edging towards to the 15 million mark. 

Carriers can expect rebates between 30 and 75 percent on landing and take-off fees for longhaul international routes and 30 to 65 percent discounts on short to medium-haul routes. However, the discounts will vary based on the number of flights offered per week. Rebates will also be offered on domestic flights oper-

Benazir Bhutto International Airport upgraded

akistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has inaugurated the improved services at Benazir Bhutto International Airport. The Airport has been upgraded and renovated at a cost of Rs.450 million to provide added facilities for domestic and international passengers.

July 2015

Once the investment cycle is completed, the airport will have an expanded capacity of seven to 7.5 million passengers a year. Cargo traffic at the airport was up 13 per cent in 2014, driven by Air Serbia and by Turkish Airlines cargo flights. 

The new facilities include Delta Taxi Track, Fast-Track Building, Business Class FastTrack and Business Class Lounge. New Taxiway will save one hundred and twenty million rupees per month for airlines. The number of counters for passengers has been increased at the airport. Car parking space has also been expanded. 

ated out of the country’s second busiest airport. Rebates can be expected between 25 to 65 percent on all landing and take-off fees for domestic routes based on the frequency of flights. AirAsia Philippines and Philippine Airlines have been looking to expand further at MactanCebu International Airport. Philippine Airlines recently resumed six domestic routes from Cebu that had been cancelled in early 2014. Following the shift in management back to Lucio Tan Group, Philippine Airlines re-launched services at the end of March from Cebu to Butuan, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, Davao, and Tacloban. 

International News

Kenya opens new terminal at Jomo Kenyatta airport Procured, shipped and installed at a cost of around $180 million, the terminal serves both international arrivals and departures, and increases JKIA’s capacity to 7.5 million passengers annually. KAA is also constructing Terminal 3 that will have an estimated handling capacity of 20 million passengers. The first phase of construction is expected to be completed by 2018. Dubbed as the Greenfield Terminal, it will be the largest terminal in Africa. The cost of the construction of the terminal is estimated to be around $645 million.

enya’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi opened a new prefabricated terminal to handle an additional 2.5 million passengers annually. The new terminal, constructed by a Chinese firm, aims at easing passenger congestion at the airport.

The 10,000m2 terminal is already being used by Fly 540, Sax, Jubba and African Air Express, among other airlines. The launch of new Terminal 2 will significantly ease congestion at JKIA and deliver a better experience to passengers travelling through the airport.

IGIA adjudged world’s best airport

ndia’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has been adjudged the world’s best airport for the year 2014, under the category of handling 25 to 40 million passengers per annum. Airports Council International (ACI) presented the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) award to IGIA at a ceremony of the ACI AsiaPacific/World Annual General Assembly in Jordan.

During the period, the average flight movements were 885 per day while 696,000 metric tonnes of cargo was handled. IGIA hosts six domestic carriers, 56 international carriers and also has the capacity to handle the gigantic Airbus A380 aircraft. The airport serves as a hub for leading Indian airlines - Air India, IndiGo, Vistara and SpiceJet.

The Delhi airport scored 4.90 on a scale of 5 points measured by 300 members of the ACI ASQ benchmarking programme. IGIA bettered its ranking from second position for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013 to emerge on top in 2014. Their score was 3.02 in 2007. As many as 40 million passengers used IGIA to reach 58 domestic and 62 international destinations in 2014-15.

Delhi International Airport Private is a joint venture between the GMR Group, Airports Authority of India, Fraport and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad. The airport was developed under the public-private partnership mode with the mandate for DIAL to finance, design, build, operate and maintain the Delhi airport for 30 years, with an option to extend it for another 30 years. 

Upon completion, the terminal will contain 60 check-in positions, 32 air bridges and eight remote gates along with an automated baggage handling commercial retail centre. The expansion projects are being executed under the airport’s flagship project, Vision 2030, which also includes strengthening of the airport’s security. 

Osaka Airport privatization moves ahead

he deadline for bids for the Osaka airports privatization has ended. The rights to operate international hub Kansai International Airport and Itami Airport, Osaka’s domestic airport, for four and a half decades have been offered for ¥2.2 trillion ($18.2 billion). The Japanese government hopes to generate as much as $100 billion of investment through 2022 by selling operating rights to infrastructures. Also on offer is the right to operate the struggling regional airport in the northern city of Sendai for three decades for more than ¥5 billion.

A first round of bidding was completed earlier this year. The government-owned New Kansai International Airport Co., operator of the two Osaka airports, has approved 20 firms as bidders. Among them, France’s Vinci Airports SAS, which runs 24 airports in its home country as well as in Portugal and Cambodia, has teamed up with Japanese financial-services company Orix Corp. to bid for them jointly. Orix said earlier that the two sides are considering seeking other equity and debt participants.  July 2015

Airlines

Avatar Airlines to raise funds to get off the ground

off the ground for 20 years without success. The airline hopes its promises of low fares across major US routes, no baggage fees and Wi-Fi onboard will attract potential customers.

But now Avatar Airlines is back under a new name, and is seeking $5 million from wouldbe fliers. Avatar Airlines has been trying to get

Avatar says it will take donations of between $5 and $9,750 on its crowd-funding website. In return, people who donate $5,000 are guaranteed an interview for the post of captain, while $3,500 will get you an interview for the first officer role. 

start-up airline that has been trying to get off the ground for 20 years is now hoping crowd-funding will help it take to the skies. Under its previous incarnation, Family Airlines, it was barred three times from flying by US authorities, who later filed a fraud suit against its CEO.

Tibet Airlines seeks to go global

ibet Airlines is awaiting approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to open new international routes, which have not yet been disclosed.

Tibet Airlines—from the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China—is based at Lhasa Gonggar Airport, one of the world’s highest airports at an altitude of 12,000 ft. It launched operations in 2011 and operates a fleet of nine Airbus A320 aircraft. Currently, the carrier connects 27 destinations within China. The airline is scheduled to introduce two aircraft this year and take delivery of five more new aircraft next year in which there will be one A330 that is expected to operate international routes. The airline has maintained consecutive profit over the past three years. 

Saudia to expand fleet by over 80 planes

ational carrier Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) plans to add more than 80 planes to its fleet by 2020, expanding its size by over twothirds, according to a report by state news agency SPA.

Director General Saleh bin Nasser Al Jasser said the stateowned carrier would raise the number of its planes to 200 from 119 now and add new international and domestic routes. He did not give details of the planned purchases or say how they would be financed.

China tightens supervision on foreign airlines

The airline carried over 28 million passengers last year. At present its only domestic competitor is budget carrier flynas, which carried 6.5 million passengers in 2014, almost double the 3.3 million which it carried in 2013.Saudia decided to privatize its units in 2006, though the process has been proceeding slowly. It listed catering unit Saudi Airlines Catering in 2012 and earlier this month, the stock market regulator approved an initial public offer of shares in Saudi Ground Services. 

oreign airlines operating in China will be evaluated by the aviation regulator and those who fail to meet the safety standards will be prohibited from operating. All 156 foreign carriers in China will be scored according to 34 criteria, including number of accidents, their compliance with rules and regulations and the number of safety-related complaints from customers, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said.Foreign carriers will be rated on a 12-point scale, with points deducted for violations or accidents. Carriers risk losing their China op-

July 2015

eration license if their scores are low, CAAC said.The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said the new program is a supplement to CCAR-129, an operation specification created in 2005, which requires foreign commercial air carriers operating in Chinese airspace to do so in accordance with established CAAC norms. The program specifies 34 assessment items, including accidents, to assess foreign airlines’ operation in China. With a starting score of zero, each airline has 12 points to deduct before the CAAC revokes its CCAR129 compliance certificate and bars flights within China. 

Airlines

Bombardier’s 10 year forecast for private aviation

ombardier Business Aircraft has released its annual 10-year forecast for the private aviation market. Current economic conditions and geopolitical issues in some markets such as Latin America, China and Russia, have had an impact on order intake levels industry-wide. Despite these short-term economic fluctuations, Bombardier Business Aircraft remains confident in the potential of the business aircraft industry with a strong outlook for longterm drivers of business jet demand, such as wealth creation and globalization of trade. Bombardier Business Aircraft predicts a total of 9,000 business jet deliveries from 2015 to 2024 in the segments in which Bombardier Business Aircraft competes, representing approximately $267 billion in industry revenues. The overall market for business aviation continues to show encouraging signs of improvement. “With 9,000 business aircraft deliveries expected in the next 10 years, the private aviation industry continues to grow stronger,” said JeanChristophe Gallagher, vice-president, strategy and marketing, Bombardier Business Aircraft.

Qatar Airways to expand its US network

Bombardier Business Aircraft expects to deliver 210 business aircraft in 2015. Industry deliveries are expected to increase slightly in 2015 from 2014 based on the delivery guidance of manufacturers and new aircraft programs. Bombardier Business Aircraft predicts

North America will account for the greatest number of new business jet deliveries between 2015 and 2024 with 3,900 aircraft, followed by Europe, which remains the second largest market with 1,525 deliveries between 2015 and 2024. 

MoU to manage Djibouti national carrier

atar Airways has announced the next phase of its US route development with the introduction of three new passenger routes to Los Angeles, Boston and Atlanta from next year.

With these new destinations, Qatar Airways will offer daily nonstop services to all 10 of the largest metropolitan areas of the US. Effective 1st January, Qatar Airways will commence daily flights to Los Angeles, California with the airline’s flagship Boeing 777 aircraft. From 16th March, the airline will launch daily flights to Boston, the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, and will operate its latest flagship A350 XWB. Atlanta, Georgia will be the third new route to the US and will commence with daily flights starting on 1st July. The route will be operated with the airline’s flagship Boeing 777 aircraft. 

ardiff Aviation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Air Djibouti to create and implement a national carrier for the East African nation of Djibouti. Air Djibouti appointed Cardiff Aviation following a study which identified key markets for the national carrier based on the needs of landlocked neighbouring countries, governmental aid programmes around Africa, the support of military installations currently based in Djibouti, and the need to deliver passengers to major international business

hubs such as London and Dubai.Cardiff Aviation will implement and manage a European-level AOC for Air Djibouti, source aircraft, and provide world-class operational management for the new African national carrier. The company will also provide MRO support from its stunning Twin Peaks facilities at St Athan - Cardiff Airport Aerospace Enterprise Zone, leading to a safe and efficient airline that will transform aviation in East Africa. 

July 2015

Opinion

Huge challenges, limited solutions The UAE aviation sector can be described as expanding, modernizing and one that promotes the competition which enables a significant impact on the local, regional and international economy.

Omar bin Ghaleb Deputy Director General General Civil Aviation Authority UAE

he UAE has made significant strides of growth in the aviation domain in the past few years. During the initial decades following our nation’s formation, we were focused on creating and strengthening our basic infrastructure. Today, we can say with pride that the UAE offers one of the most advanced aviation infrastructure facilities.

Our aviation industry has been able to continue its growth and expansion in spite of the enormous challenges and obstacles.According to International Air Transport Association (IATA), airlines around the world carried about 3.3 billion passengers in 2014, which is slightly less than half the population of the globe and this figure was projected to increase by 2017 to four billion people. Forecasts suggest that the airlines in the Middle East plans to invest $450 billion to acquire 2525 new aircraft by 2030, which will increase the size of their fleets by 160 per cent in 2030, up from the present 1060 aircraft. Our airports become even more

important thanks to their strategic geographical location and gradual transition of global economic gravity towards Asia. We are witnessing a substantial growth of 7.6 per cent, above the global average of five per cent. ICAO and Airport Council International (ACI) predicts that the Arabian Gulf states will serve 450 million passengers annually by 2020 and the total aircraft movements in the Gulf airspace will reach over 2.3 million. The UAE will have a major share in the aircraft movements in the most congested airspace in the world. The aircraft movements in the UAE airspace will increase to 1.62 million in 2030 with aircraft movements numbering 4,400 per day compared with the present 2200 aircraft movements. The challenges faced by the aviation industry are huge, while the quick solutions are limited. We need to

look at broadening cooperation and coordination among the stakeholders and adopt latest technologies that will contribute to air traffic management efficiency to accommodate the anticipate air traffic growth. GCAA took the expertise of Airbus ProSky to redesign and upgrade the airspace to cope with the unbridled growth in air traffic in the UAE Flight Information Region (FIR). As many as 53 recommendations made by the Airbus ProSky were being carried out across a broad spectrum of airports operations and air traffic management.I am confident that the panels and discussion held at the forum will further strengthen knowledge sharing and true competency building.  Edited excerpts from the speech given at the Global Airport Leadership Forum (GALF-2015)

Open skies to benefit Africa safety standards. Safety standards are below global standards although they are improving. The poor safety perception in few African states tarnishes the image of the whole continent. The EU banned list has 158 carriers from Africa from 16 States including Air Madagascar. Dr. Elijah Chingosho Secretary General Africa Airlines Association (AFRAA)

ir transport creates a network for cross border transport that makes it easier to create viable trade and tourism on the continent. The importance of a viable transport infrastructure system is closely connected to the economic, technological and social renaissance of Africa. Aviation on the continent will only develop to its fullest when African States attain and maintain global

July 2015

higher than the world average and the pricing system can be opaque. AFRAA has teamed up with IATA to lobby governments for reduction of these costs. Infrastructure, much of which is below international standards, also contributes to the high-cost environment. Several airports have monopoly suppliers.

There is also need for peace and security within and between nations on the continent. Conflicts in Central Africa Republic, DRC, Somalia and South Sudan among other places scare away investors as well as tourists and constrain development of air transport. We call upon States to resolve their differences peacefully.

A critical challenge is the long delay in the fully opening up of African skies to African operators. Solemn commitment of AU Heads of States in January will go a long way in realizing open skies by January 2017. Eleven States declared their commitment to immediately open their skies unconditionally. All African States need to be encouraged to join the initial group of 11 States even before the deadline of January 2017.

According to studies, the transport costs as a share of the value of exports in Africa vary between 30 to 50 per cent. In Africa, fuel prices on average are 21 per cent

A Liberalized air transport will facilitate the growth and development of low cost carriers (LCCs). LCCs have brought air travel to the mass market.

The Abuja Declaration of 2012 came up with safety targets for various stakeholders to be achieved by 2015.

LCCs will potentially also bring air travel to many secondary points that are currently not viable. Governments in Africa would need to fully implement the Yamoussoukro Declaration aimed to establish a single African air transport market. Also need for significant reduction of charges, taxes and fees on fuel and passengers. Aviation is a critical tool for the social and economic development of states. Africa lags the rest of the world in terms of good connectivity. With African economies, middle class and population fast growing, the continent stand to significantly gain from safe, reliable and economical air transport services. Governments need to stimulate air transport connectivity and services including LCCs to facilitate a mass air transport industry.  Edited excerpts from the speech at the conference on connectivity and development of air transport organized by AFRAA and ICAO

Opinion

Remove bilateral restrictions ing. ICAO has been working since 2010 with ACI, IATA and ten other national, regional and international organizations to reduce runway incursions and excursions.

Raymond Benjamin Secretary General International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

ast year, the civil aviation achieved a global accident rate of just 3.0 accidents per million departures, the second-lowest ever recorded. The total number of fatal accidents also decreased to just seven – the fewest we’ve seen since 2008.

Much of this success is due to increased cooperation and data shar-

We have seen yearly runway accidents decrease by 25 per cent as of 2014. ICAO will be maintaining its focus on challenges that can impact the long-term sustainability of international airports. We are implementing systems and procedures to deal with increased airspace and airport congestion. We are also making good progress with our government and industry partners in striking a balance between stringent security measures at airports, and speedier and more effective passenger and cargo procedures. Airports play a unique and critical role as gateways to countries, cities and communities.

Their strategic importance to the competitiveness of a wide range of industry sectors is undeniable. ATM coordination advances must move forward hand-in-hand with airport development to achieve optimum network expansion results. ICAO is continuing to progress its work on Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) and other Capacity/ Efficiency priorities.Air traffic volumes globally will double by 2030, but related projections point to a doubling of Middle East Regional traffic much sooner than this – perhaps as early as 2020. This makes all of these issues urgent concerns for the region’s states. The quality and availability of services at an airport often dictates whether there will be repeat business. Commercialization, privatization and public-private partnerships furthermore make it easier

to integrate proven business and management models to ensure that airports remain competitive with one another. ICAO encourages all Middle Eastern States to sign and ratify the 2004 Damascus Convention. Currently, the vast majority of arrangements concerning routes are locked into bilateral Air Services Agreements. The key is to remove those bilateral restrictions that limit the availability of services for the end-user. ICAO supports that airports should be considered when bilateral and multilateral air services agreements are discussed. Cyber security coordination and response is one of our more critical emerging issues, and an important one for today’s increasingly-automated airports.  Edited excerpts from the keynote address at the Global Airport Leaders Forum (GALF-2015)

Connectivity brings prosperity recognized by the government. Last year 25.5 million passengers used Ireland’s airports – up seven per cent on 2013 and total flights in Irish airspace grew by 2.7 per cent. The Irish government recognizes the importance of having a clear policy framework in place that will create the right conditions for a growing industry. Paschal Donohoe Minister for Transport & Tourism Ireland

s a small island nation we are far more dependent on aviation than our larger continental neighbours and trading partners. Ireland is among the most open economies in the world and this would not be possible without the connectivity provided by our air links with the rest of the world.The importance of the sector for the nation is well

Following an extensive consultation process over the last two years, the drafting of a new National Aviation Policy for Ireland is at an advanced stage and it will be published in the near future. The new aviation policy will contain a comprehensive list of actions and measures concerning safety, connectivity, airport infrastructure and the leasing and MRO sectors. It will also outline measures to improve the regulatory and governance arrangements in the sector.

A key objective of the new policy will be to help ensure Ireland’s existing levels of connectivity are maintained and to encourage new routes into the future. Ireland has benefited greatly from the high levels of competition and connectivity in the market for air services in and out of the country and maintaining these benefits is a key issue for the government. The government also considers an open and competitive aviation sector to be the best mechanism to meet the challenges inherent in the aviation industry and strongly supports the maintenance of an open aviation market.Ireland has a lot of experience of different airline business models. Ireland’s experience of liberalization of aviation markets and our policy of encouraging innovation in the industry has been of huge benefit to both the sector and its custom-

ers. Airlines now have a lot more freedom to operate and consumers enjoy more choice, lower fares and more opportunities to travel. Like all international trade, there needs to be checks and balances in place to ensure business is conducted fairly. However, given the benefits that have ensued from liberalization, it is difficult to see how attempts to reverse such policies would help address the competitive realities of today international market. The EU’s internal ‘Open Skies’ policy has been a huge success since 1992 and Ireland continues to strongly support the extension of these policies to key third country markets and at a global level.  Edited excerpt from the speech at CAPA Conference on Airlines in Transition, Ireland

July 2015

ATM

FlightAware to expand Flight Tracking technology surveillance data that can help prevent the loss of an aircraft position. FlightAware Business Development Manager, Max Tribolet, said the Middle East was a big focus area given the presence of three major airlines -Emirates, Qatar and Etihad and considerable flight traffic in the region.

lightAware is expanding the capabilities of its global flight tracking and flight data technology by launching a new network for tracking non-ADS-

B-equipped aircraft. The Texasbased company is also looking to expand its flight tracking service to more remote areas of the world to provide airlines and operators with

Free Route Airspace is now operational in EU

he South-East Axis Free Route Airspace (FRA) implementation project has successfully concluded with free route operations now being conducted above FL325 at night in the three flight information regions of Sarajevo, Zagreb, and Belgrade. The 24-hour free route flight operations should begin after the summer season 2016. Eurocontrol said the free route airspace project is significant as it proves that cross-border FRA is feasible and that several Air Navi-

gation Service Providers (ANSPs) and the network manager, working closely together, are fully capable of accelerating its implementation. The network manager worked closely with the three ANSPs and the four states on airspace design studies, airspace validation, and the publication of airspace changes. This initiative is part of a major European network plan for FRA implementation that is being coordinated and supported by the network manager. 

At EBACE 2015, FlightAware launched its new MLAT network to offer live flight tracking positions of non-ADS-B-equipped aircraft. A high number of business jets still are not equipped with certified ADS-B avionics. According to a presentation, an estimated 12,928 business jets still need to be retrofitted with ADS-B transponders. 

July 2015

he RM700 million new air traffic control centre project is expected to commence in August with completion duration of 38 months. The Malaysian government is in the process of moving the Kuala Lumpur Flight Information Region’s (KL FIR) Air Traffic Control operations from the existing Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre (KL ATCC) in Subang, to the new green field site next to the KL International Airport (KLIA). The new ATM system, when commissioned, will be one of the most advanced systems with state of the art operations and safety features designed with human factor considerations. 

Texting from tower to cockpit could speed flights

fter two years of testing, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is preparing to expand the use of a new technology that allows air traffic controllers and pilots to communicate via text, speeding up the process of clearing flights for takeoff. FAA administrator Michael Huerta, along with officials from Fed EX, UPS and United Airlines demonstrated the technology known as “Data Comm” at Newark Liberty Airport, where, along with Memphis International Airport, the new communications tool has been tested since 2013.

Malaysia ATC project to commence in August

Data Comm is the latest piece of NextGen, a program that is seeking new air-traffic control equipment and procedures to make air travel safer and more efficient. The new messaging system can whittle the process of clearing a flight for takeoff from minutes to mere seconds, as tasks that once involved a verbal back and forth, writing and typing are reduced to a few clicks of a button. According to a report in USA Today, Data Comm will roll out to Houston Hobby, Houston Intercontinental and Salt Lake City International airports later this summer. 

ATM

Airbus launches world’s first green IFR procedures

irbus Helicopters has achieved another key milestone in advancing ecofriendly rotorcraft operations by successfully demonstrating low-noise helicopter instrument (IFR) approaches at an airport with commercial airline traffic. As the final outcome of a sevenyear project devoted to environment-friendly helicopter approach procedures, Airbus Helicopters used an H175 helicopter to fly low-noise IFR approaches to the heliport of Toulouse-Blagnac airport in south-western France. The approach procedures were flown using accurate lateral and vertical guidance provided by EGNOS

(European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service), the European Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS), and in the presence of airplane traffic simultaneously approaching and departing to/from airport runways, which proved the suitability of these helicopter-specific procedures to achieve Simultaneous Non Interfering (SNI) aircraft and rotorcraft IFR operations at a medium-size commercial airport. Airbus Helicopters is the world’s first helicopter manufacturer to demonstrate such helicopter-specific IFR procedures at a heliport located at an airport with commercial airline traffic.

These environment-friendly IFR procedures will contribute to easing helicopter access at airports and remote sites in noise-sensitive areas, thus paving the way for the development of passenger transport with high-speed helicopters. The low-noise helicopter-specific

IFR approach procedures are based on the noise optimized flight paths successfully validated in 2013 by Airbus Helicopters with an H155 and having demonstrated noise footprint reductions of up to 50 per cent, which is one of the Clean Sky initiative’s high-level goals. 

Macedonia plans navigation system upgrades

-NAV, Macedonian National Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP), has received a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to finance the upgrade of its air navigation system in order to comply with European Union standards. The proposed project, which has a total estimated value of approximately thirteen million euros, will include the installation of a mew Air Traffic Management (ATM) system, communication

facilities upgrading, installation and testing of a new VHF radio system, new voice communications system and a new digital system for recording voice channels (Voice Logging System). Furthermore, new surveillance radar will be installed and meteorological equipment at Skopje and Ohrid airports will be improved. The project is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of this year following the completion of necessary tender procedures, according to a report in Ex-YU Aviation News. 

EAU, Airways NZ to launch ATC training centre

mirates Aviation University (EAU) has partnered with Airways New Zealand to launch a dedicated air traffic control (ATC) training centre at the new university campus in Dubai Academic City.

Airways New Zealand will deliver air traffic control training for to up to 200 students per year at EAU over the next five years. There is a global shortage of air traffic controllers which has serious repercussions for the aviation industry –

particularly in this part of the world where air traffic is expected to continue growing. Airways NZ has worked in the Middle East region more than 15 years delivering ATC ab-initio training, short courses and recruitment solutions. The training provided at EAU will be aligned with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices. Airways NZ has installed a state-of-the-art total control simulator at the facility, providing students with a highly realistic tower and radar training environment.  July 2015

Cargo & Logistics

Emirates SkyCargo expands in US with Orlando service

mirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, is set to expand its United States cargo network to 11 destinations, when the airline launches a daily service to Orlando, Florida, from September 1. The Dubai-Orlando route will be served by a Boeing 777-200 LR, which has a belly-hold capacity of up to 17 tonnes of cargo per flight.

Emirates SkyCargo also has belly-hold cargo services to San Francisco, Seattle, Washington DC, Boston, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston, with the latter four cities also forming part of the air cargo carrier’s US freighter network, along with Atlanta

FedEx plans TNT Express buy out deal

he US-based FedEx is planning a €4.4 billion takeover of the Netherlands’ TNT Express.

Both FedEx and UPS have struggled with the shift from focusing on serving mainly clusters of high-volume corporate customers to delivering ecommerce packages to widely dispersed consumers. These challenges pushed TNT Express, despite its controlling 12 per cent of the European economy and express parcel markets, to a €195 million net loss for 2014. FedEx hopes by building scale in Europe to benefit from feeding extra parcel volume into

.Nabil Sultan, Emirates’ divisional senior vice-president for cargo, said: “With the addition of Orlando to the Emirates SkyCargo network, we will now serve 11 points across the US. Last year, we carried more than 100,000 tonnes of cargo to and from the US.” Emirates SkyCargo currently has weekly capacity of 1,690 tonnes in both the belly hold of passenger aircraft and freighter flights out of the US. It expects to carry a range of exports from Orlando including aircraft parts, pharmaceuticals, perfume and colognes and machine parts. 

King Fahad Airport launches cargo village

facilities such as TNT’s air cargo hub in Liege, Belgium. Alan Graf, Fedex’s CFO, said: “Undoubtedly, the biggest opportunity here is in Europe in a reduced pick-up and delivery cost that FedEx will enjoy as a result of TNT’s network. I feel very comfortable that we are going to achieve cost benefits across the board.”The deal is also far more likely to gain approval than UPS’s failed €5.2 billion bid for TNT, tabled in 2012. That deal foundered because the European Commission was concerned that it would have left only two or three significant competitors in many European delivery markets. 

ammam’s King Fahad International Airport (KFIA) has officially unveiled its Cargo Village that will position it as a multi-modal shipment and clearance destination. The new facility offers direct access to the Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia, and bypasses the need for cargo to tranship through the neighbouring countries. More than 70 per cent of goods bound for the Gulf are destined for the Kingdom, and officials said the village guarantees express cargo delivery with

July 2015

reduced shipping times and increased cargo capacity. Yousuf Al Dhahri, KFIA Director General, said: “KFIA’s Cargo Village offers ease of shipping and cargo services while serving as a regional hub for global companies. We are on track to becoming one of the region’s leading aviation hubs serving both passenger and cargo traffic. We anticipate that we will soon be starting the next phase as the demand for facilities is expected to grow strongly.” 

Cargo & Logistics

Air Algérie to launch cargo subsidiary in 2016

ir Algérie will launch its planned new cargo subsidiary with the arrival of two B737-700Cs in May and September of next year, according to its CEO Mohamed Salah Boultif.As part of the carrier’s restructuring programme, the government’s state-enterprises regulatory commission had given approval to the founding of Air Algérie’s four new subsidiaries for cargo, catering, ground handling and MRO. A further three firms specializing in online ticket sales, aircraft cleaning, and social services, are also under consideration.

In terms of the carrier’s operations, Boultif said Air Algérie would turn its attention to the neglected West and Central African market with plans to serve Addis Ababa and N’Djamena by the end of 2015 or early 2016. Thereafter, Libreville, Douala and Yaoundé Nsimalen will launch during summer 2016 while Conakry, Banjul, Cotonou, and Lomé are slated to come online in 2017. The Algerian national carrier is also planning to make its US debut with New York JFK flights scheduled for summer 2016. 

Thai Airways exit from air freight business

hai Airways has exited from the air freight business in March this year.

Thai confronted many challenges and its exit of only two dedicated freight aircraft is small but underscores changes in Asian air cargo. Thai only operated converted 747 freighters, which provided a quick fix during the last cargo boom but have inherent inefficiency, and peers are phasing the type out. Thai lacked the advantageous North Asia geography and hub power of Cathay Pacific and Korean Air. This is important for the North America market, which Asian freighters focus on with some lift from passenger bellies.

BOC orders electronic filing of air cargo manifest

Thai’s core long-haul passenger market is between Europe and Asia, but supplementing this with freighters is difficult as Gulf carriers are strong competitors. Gulf carrier flights to Asia have increased from 28 a day in 2010 to 52 in 2015, compared to Western Europe-Southeast Asia flights increasing only from 57 a day to 61. In 2014, Thai’s dedicated freighter network only covered the longhaul points of Amsterdam and Frankfurt. Stopovers, most commonly in Delhi, allowed other cargo to be picked up, but Thai mostly operated a point-to-point cargo network that heavily overlapped with its business passenger business. 

he Bureau of Customs (BOC) of Philippines has ordered the electronic filing of all manifests for air cargo starting May 11. An order issued by Customs Commissioner John Phillip P. Sevilla on mandated the use of electronic inward foreign manifest (e-IFM) as well as electronic consolidated cargo manifest (e-CCM). The BoC saw its collections grow by 21 per cent to P369.28 billion in 2014, 10 per cent short of the target for the year. The e-IFM is the electronic list of house and/or master airway bills containing information about cargo arriving on a certain flight. The e-CCM

contains information on cargo covered by master airway bills. The e-CCM must be filed for every master airway bills consigned to airlines, air express operators, air freight forwarders and de-consolidators. The e-IFM and e-CCM submissions must be done through the facilities of BOC-accredited value-added service providers. Airlines and air express operators are required to submit e-IFMs for each flight arrival, while submissions of e-CCMs will also be required from air freight forwarders and de-consolidators. Late e-IFM submission will be slapped a penalty of P10, 000, according to Daily Inquirer.  July 2015

Cargo & Logistics

Dubai introduces virtual freight and logistic corridor

ubai Customs and the Department of Economic Development (DED) have unveiled a ‘Virtual Corridor’ to enhance the overall trade sector and facilitate goods movements.

Ahmad Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs, said this corridor is a virtual freight and logisic passage to connect seaports, airports and free zones in Dubai on a single platform, enabling hassle-free customs clearance and making the entire process more streamlined, time saving and cost efficient without any financial burden.The virtual corridor will enable the movement of goods among

handling authorities and shipment companies using faster, easier and cheaper custom procedures. Cargo will be moved in under four hours without the need for a client to submit a cash bond or bank guarantee, as it is the minimal procedures. Dubai Customs will grant clients virtual financial guarantee for each consignment to be transfer among customs centres in Dubai.

by reducing the burden of deposit related financial issues. Usually the movement of goods between Dubai’ customs centre can take up to several days and after submitting paperwork and extra fees. The new changes eliminate the previous bureaucracy. Dubai Express, Aramex, Gulf Agency, Weiss-Rohlig UAE, DB Schenker and others are among the shipment companies who participated in the pilot phase.

Since the implementation of its pilot phase in September 2014, more than 12,000 transfers of cargo weighting 64,000 tonnes have been made while over AED120 million saved

Air freight loaded at Dubai International Airport grew by 26 per cent and air freight discharged increased 31 per cent between 2009 and 2014. Meanwhile, the total number of ves-

sels calling at Dubai Ports grew by 48 per cent compared to five years ago. Jebel Ali Port witnessed 45 per cent rise in containers loaded and 41 per cent in containers discharged during the same period. 

AMIA sees cargo volumes rise

argo volumes at the Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai World Central (DWC) continued to rise sharply in the first quarter of 2015, propelling it into the world’s 20 busiest international cargo hubs for the first time. Freight volumes surged 177.3 percent in Q1 to 213,006 tonnes, up from the 76,816 tonnes achieved in the same period last year. The growth was driven by Dubai Airports’ strategic decision to relocate all dedicated freighters from Dubai Interna-

tional to Al Maktoum International in May last year. Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said: “To emerge as one of the top 20 busiest international cargo airports is a tremendous vote of confidence in Al Maktoum International and demonstrates the growing importance of the airport as a vital hub between east and west. Similarly we expect the airport to establish itself as a vital gateway to the Middle East and expect the growth in passengers to be sustained over the coming years.” 

EK SkyCargo launches freighter service to Columbus

mirates SkyCargo has launched a weekly freighter service to Rickenbacker International Airport. The new freighter service to US’ 15th largest city became Emirates SkyCargo’s 48th destination in its worldwide freighter network and sixth in the US. The flight is operated by an Emirates SkyCargo Boeing 777 Freighter, which has the capacity to carry just over 100 tonnes of cargo, and with its main deck cargo door being one of the widest of any aircraft, enables it to uplift outsized cargo and carry larger consignments. Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo, said: “With the addition of Columbus to our freighter schedule, we will be able to connect busi-

July 2015

nesses in the US mid-west and the rest of our global network through our Dubai hub, thereby improving freight connectivity and creating new opportunities for American companies to reach new markets. Columbus also serves as an ideal alternative point to Chicago.” Emirates SkyCargo’s US freighter network includes Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles and New York, while it also has belly-hold cargo services on its passenger flights to San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, Boston and Dallas. Emirates SkyCargo operates a fleet of 14 freighters12 Boeing 777Fs and two Boeing 747-400Fs from its freighter cargo terminal, Emirates SkyCentral, at Dubai World Central’s Al Maktoum International Airport. 

Cargo & Logistics

EK SkyCargo slaps ban on hunting trophies

mirates SkyCargo has stopped carrying trophies of elephants, rhinos, lions, and tigers aboard its planes, making it the second international carrier to take wildlife conservation measures into its own hands. In April, South African Airways became the first airline to ban the transport of hunting trophies.

“Emirates SkyCargo has an existing embargo on the carriage of products and parts of endangered animals and plants listed under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), including hunting trophies,” the world’s third-largest cargo carrier said in a statement. The Dubai-based carrier said as part of its efforts to prevent the illegal trade of hunting trophies of elephant, rhinoceros, lion, and tiger, it has decided that it will not accept any kind of hunting trophies of these animals for carriage on Emirates services irrespective of CITES appendix.

According to Emirates, the decision was taken to support international governments, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations that are managing wildlife

population towards sustaining the task to eliminate illegal trade and transportation of hunting trophies worldwide and saving wildlife heritage. 

Gulf carriers ban bulk shipments of lithium batteries

ighteen airlines have banned freight shipments of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries this year, according to a report by Bloomberg. Removing lithium-ion batteries from parts of the $6.4 trillion global air freight market risks disrupting supply chains for a technology used to power products from Apple iPhones to Lenovo laptops.

The two biggest air cargo carriers, UPS and FedEx haven’t removed them either.

sure that cells shipped as bulk cargo could be transported safely.

Lithium-ion technology, first developed commercially by Sony in 1991, became the most popular form of rechargeable cell in 2007 and now accounts for about three-quarters of the batteries produced each year, according to a PRBA presentation.

As many as 30 per cent of the 5.5 billion cells made each year are shipped by plane, and cargo bans have already affected supplies of defibrillator power-packs in Australia and New Zealand, according to PRBA - The Rechargeable Battery Association, a group representing battery-makers.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) agreed to develop new standards to en-

Those packed inside electronic equipment and those in passenger luggage are considered less of a risk, and are mostly exempt from the rules. The new standards, which could include packaging that releases cooling gel or melts to contain the overheating that can cause fires to propagate through a shipment, are unlikely to be rolled out on flights until at least 2017. 

Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Cargolux and Qatar Airways, four of the world’s top 10 cargo carriers, have removed shipments of bulk batteries from all flights since January, according to an International Air Transport Association (IATA). Singapore Airlines, another Top-10 cargo airline, won’t allow them on its passenger planes. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines ban them from all flights. While Cathay Pacific has removed the cells from its flights out of Hong Kong, China Southern Airlines will ship them from nearby Guangzhou. July 2015

Cargo & Logistics

Vietnam to restructure air freight market by 2020

ietnam’s Transport Ministry has approved to restructure the air freight market by 2020 to develop the cargo transport market and increase the role of airfreight, especially in key economic zones and remote areas.

Vietnam News reported that the project sets a goal of transporting 0.04 percent of all goods by air by 2020 as well as 3.23 percent of all travelers. By then, the Vietnamese airfreight market will be the fifth largest in Southeast Asia. By 2020, international flights arriving at all international airports and all domestic sectors will have at least seven flights a week while every domestic destination with an airport will be covered. Vietnam will have a fleet of 190 - 210 aircraft then, Vietnam Airlines will be a four or five-

star carrier, and low-cost airlines will match the quality of regional budget carriers. The rate of delayed and canceled flights will be reduced year by year, according to the plan. The project also calls for expanding the airfreight market based on its strengths as the

safest, fastest and most convenient mode of transport. It eyes closely linking the local market with its international and regional counterparts, focusing on the market share of low-cost airfreight, and reducing airlines’ expenditure and bolstering their efficiency. 

Saudia Cargo expands fleet

Saudi Arabia to build Antonov cargo planes

audi Arabia will manufacture aircraft within two years after the kingdom signed a deal with Ukrainian manufacturer Antonov. Taqnia Aeronautics signed an agreement to develop and manufacture the Antonov-32 light cargo plane in Saudi Arabia. The agreement will see a transfer of aviation industry technology to the kingdom and training by Ukrainian experts. The evolved Antonov-32 will have an extended range and is designed for military and civilian operations. Its range will be doubled or more and the kingdom will participate in developing new specifications for the aircraft to co-own this technology with the Antonov company.

July 2015

The new Saudi-Ukrainian aircraft will be designed with Western engines from Canada, navigation systems from American company Honeywell, as well as other parts that will be acquired from the UK. The new joint venture will also be limited to Saudi and Ukrainian nationals, a boost to local ambitions and Ukrainian employment needs. An initial payment of $150 million was made and the initial plan is to produce eight aircraft, an official told Defense News. The agreement notes that the aircraft will be built and designed to improve the aircraft’s payload, range and takeoff. The new model will be named Antonov-132 and Saudi Arabia will own the intellectual property and engineering designs for the aircraft. 

audia Cargo has confirmed the delivery of a new Boeing 777 aircraft to expand its fleet to 13 planes, part of plans to outcompete other carriers from the Gulf. The Saudi national carrier’s air cargo arm is also expecting the delivery of another three Boeing 777s, though he did not specify when the new planes would arrive. The new arrivals are part of the company’s strategic plan to secure a larger slice of the

fast-growing air cargo market in the Gulf. Seventy percent of the region’s air freight passes through the Kingdom, according to General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). Saudia Cargo’s fleet expansion comes as the Kingdom opened its first air cargo village recently—in a highly publicized bid to compete with the Dubai International Airport Cargo Gateway. Handling some 1.8 million tons of cargo per year, the Dubai facility is the largest in the Gulf region and the eighth-largest globally. 

Cargo & Logistics

UNECE,IATA signs MoU

he International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their support to developing countries seeking to implement the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement.

Specifically for air cargo, countries implementing the agreement will need to build capacity to facilitate automated and smart border solutions and secure supply chain processes.

The Agreement promises enormous potential for countries to reduce transport costs by up to 10 per cent through more efficient facilitation, making them more competitive in the global economy.

Tony Tyler, Director General and CEO, IATA said aligning regulation and procedures with global standards and best practices has the potential to deliver major efficiency gains and that’s the aim of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.

Through the MoU, IATA and UNECE will help developing countries implement the relevant measures to realize the costs savings.

Russian cargo carriers secure HK traffic rights

Together with UNECE, IATA will work with developing countries to simplify their procedures and enhance their facilities. 

New freight handling terminal for St.Louis Airport

new venture has been announced for the construction of a major cargo handling facility at Lambert St. Louis International Airport with the initial intention of promoting trade between Mexico and the US. The Bi-National Gateway Terminal is a newly launched logistics group which has taken a 20-year lease on a 49-acre site on the edge of one of the airport’s four runways to serve multimodal cargo needs and will be equipped to handle perishables, live animals, highvalue shipments, express and general freight.

irBridge Cargo and other Russian cargo carriers have been granted Fifth Freedom traffic rights out of Hong Kong following bilateral talks between Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) and the Civil Aviation Department of Hong Kong. Under the revised terms of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement, signed in 1999, Russian cargo carriers are now able to operate 5th Freedom flights between any two intermediate points to be chosen from Singapore Changi, Kuala Lumpur International, Bangkok, Almaty, Seoul and Hanoi, and Hong Kong, for up to three flights per

week per point in each direction. Flights between Hong Kong and Hanoi may not, however, exceed 50 per cent of the capacity of the aircraft used, aggregated on a calendar month basis. In addition, the carriers have also secured rights to serve Anchorage Ted Stevens as a beyond point from Hong Kong with up to five flights per week in each direction. Currently, AirBridge Cargo is the only active cargo operator in the Russia-Hong Kong market connecting the south-east Asian metropolis with Ekaterinburg, Khabarovsk, and Moscow Sheremetyevo. 

Bi-National Cargo Terminal plans to begin construction by the summer of 2015 and is expected to complete phase 1 within 30 months. The facility will consist of 500,000 square feet of terminal, and one million square feet of cargo ramp and support infrastructure for airlines using the facility. With ever increasing trade between the two countries the aim of the new facility is to provide a solution to the traditional delays and congestion experienced by importers and exporters. Mexico is the third largest trade partner of the US. 

Nordic Global Airlines to terminate operations

ordic Global Airlines is terminating operations with its fleet of four MD11(F)s in the process of being transferred to US operator, Western Global Airlines. In a filing to the Helsinki regulators, its parent company, Finnair, said that overcapacity in the cargo sector coupled with depressed freight pricing

had severely impacted Nordic Global’s viability. Though it had leased freighter capacity from Nordic Global for its mainly Asian cargo traffic up until the end of last year, Finnair says its fleet of A330-300s and A350-900s will offer more than enough belly-hold cargo capacity for its needs. Finnair Cargo owns 40 per cent of Nordic Global. 

July 2015

Technology

Brisbane Airport develops ‘intelligent’ CCTV technology

he Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) and the Queensland University of Technology’s Airport Innovation Research Lab have been working on CCTV technology to increase security and, hopefully, efficiency at the international port.

BAC General Manager of Operations, Stephen Goodwin, said that work was close to paying off, with new technology headed towards ‘intelligent’ CCTV data that was set to revolutionize security at the airport. Currently, CCTV isn’t always manned in the sense of it being constantly monitored. Using soft biometrics such as the colour of clothing being worn, along with facial recognition technology, the cameras in the terminal would be able to identify or track down any individual who had come through Customs. There were also non-security applications. It can also help airlines, for instance lost passengers if they’ve fallen asleep or something. The software not only spots those who posed a potential security risk, but also monitors

how quickly passengers are able to move through the airport. The video analytics tracks the overall flow and throughput of passengers through an airport – the time it takes for them to go from A

to B to C – identifying bottlenecks and other issues that are slowing down arrival and departure processes. The data had already been used to make about 30 changes to the design of the airport’ screening point, which had resulted in time savings for passengers. 

A plane that generates its own power for operations

team of Indian students, spread across three continents, have jointly created the world’s first airplane that generates its own power by the vibration of its wings. The five students – Sathiskumar Anusuya Ponnusami, Dhamotharan

Veerasamy, Shashank Agrawal, Ajith Moses and Mohit Gupta – are studying in Bangalore, Netherlands, US and London, but came together to work on this groundbreaking idea that can revolutionize the entire aviation industry.

The path breaking idea has made its way to the finals of a global competition floated by Airbus. The team envisages a future when the aircraft wings can be dressed in a composite skin that harvests energy from natural vibrations or flex in the wings. There is a natural vibration that exists in every aircraft when it flies during which energy is generated. At present this energy goes wasted. We intend to harvest this energy, which will be sufficient enough to power inflight operations like lighting and on board entertainment.” The team uses piezoelectric fibres which gather electrical charges from even the smallest movements during flight, storing the energy generated in battery panels. They all met while studying at Indian Institute of Science’s NM Cad Lab of the aerospace engineering department. They have been working on the project for the past half year. 

July 2015

Technology

Flocks of drones could scare birds away from future aircraft

concept that proposes drones as a way to guide (or scare) birds aways from airport runways in the direction of a safe haven is one of several ideas shortlisted for Airbus’ biennial Fly Your Ideas student challenge. The drone-guided ‘bird port’ con-

cept was proposed by a team of students from the University of Tokyo. It suggests using a flock of unmanned aerial vehicles to intercept birds that may be headed towards airports and divert them to a comfortable habitat -- a ‘birdport’ -- nearby.

Cardiff named ‘zero waste’ airport

focused commitment by environmental staff at Cardiff Airport (UK) to responsibly manage all waste on the Airport site has led to the achievement of a ‘zero waste to landfill’ status.

This means that all waste produce created across the Airport as a result of day to day operations; from food to plastic packaging, grass cuttings and heavy pieces of old or broken equipment is now disposed of either by recycling or using ‘waste to energy’ methods.

The drones would have to use various tactics that mimic the birds’ natural behaviours, including the three rules of flocking -- separation, alignment and cohesion -- to control them. The idea is obviously intended to reduce the number of bird strikes to aircraft. 

SkyView windows for BBJs

This milestone comes as a result of a dedicated focus by the team in the past couple of years to ensure Cardiff Airport makes a positive contribution to the wider environment and acts as an influencer within the aviation industry, encouraging best practice across all Airports. In addition, ‘The Rocket’ - a fully automatic In Vessel Composting system designed to turn organic wastes including food and garden wastes into compost was installed on site. 

okker Services and GKN Aerospace have developed a new SkyView Window for converted Boeing Business Jets. The SkyView window will be the first of its kind to be certified for the business aviation segment.

leading coatings will provide unbeatable clarity, reliability and longevity.

GKN Aerospace will supply the first set of 1.5m-long windows to Fokker Services in December, under a contract.

The aircraft will look outstanding with its wide, sleek windows and the passenger experience will be unique, offering a wide-angle view of the skies.

The windows will be built using GKN’s patented Crystal Vue II coating.GKN Aerospace said these large, state-of-the-art transparencies using highly advanced forming technologies and market-

The passenger experience will be unique, offering a wide-angle view of the skies.

Fokker Services will install the acrylic SkyView windows into the passenger cabin of a converted BBJ 737-700 aircraft. Each aircraft can fit up to four SkyView windows.  July 2015