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SU N DAY, JANUARY 4, 2015 SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY VISIT
OMAN
PHOTO GALLERY W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N .C O M
Sur’s magical charm down the ages As the main dhow-building centre in Oman, Sur is central to Oman’s identity as a great seafaring nation as well as an economic power in the region for many centuries. It still builds Oman’s world famous wooden dhows, an art Omani craftsmen have mastered like few have. Sur remains a major tourist attraction to the outside world for a vast stretch of deserts in its neighbourhood — Al Sharqiah region of Oman, the hub of sand, sea, turtles and the land of rising sun. The dhow-building workshops are as old as one thousand years. Dhows, some capable of carrying up to 600 tonnes of cargo, left the shipyards here to sail to the Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and even as far as China and Australia. Shabin E captures the charm of magical Sur.
ABU DHABI AIRPORT
ICGS VIJIT
Etihad flight plan hit by dense fog REJIMON K reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Etihad Airways had to restructure its flight schedule for Saturday night to enable the airline to recover from operational disruption caused by the severe early morning fog at Abu Dhabi International Airport. It has urged passengers to defer their travel to, from, or through Abu Dhabi, up to and including Tuesday, to rebook flights through its global contact centres, yesterday. “Plans include the deferral of some flights into Abu Dhabi this evening, Saturday and Sunday morning. Flight EY11, an Airbus A380 service from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow, has already been rescheduled to depart at 1am on Sunday, rather than its usual time of 2.35am,” said the airline’s statement on Saturday evening. The airline has urged passengers to defer their travel to, from,
or through Abu Dhabi, up to and including Tuesday, to rebook flights through its global contact centres. The airline has waived normal cancellation and refund fees during the disruption period. As the problem was exacerbated by the fact that the airport closure occurred during a holiday weekend in Abu Dhabi, and with major events occurring in the city, attracting a large numbers of visitors, additional support staff has been deployed to Abu Dhabi Airport to assist passengers. With flights unable to depart, thousands of guests were stranded at the Abu Dhabi terminal in check-in areas and at departure gates, while arriving guests faced major delays when their flights were either diverted or delayed for long periods. Etihad Airways is working around the clock to restore flight schedules and to ensure that guests can travel as soon as possible.
Indian Coast Guard ship’s visit today
Times News Service MUSCAT: To mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Sultanate of Oman and the Government of India, the Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Vijit will dock at Port Sultan Qaboos for four days from today. The opening of the Indian consulate in Muscat in 1955 was the first step towards cementing the deep-rooted ties, time-tested friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries. A series of events have been planned throughout 2015 to celebrate the diamond jubilee of India-Oman diplomatic relations, and the visit of ICGS Vijit is the beginning.