VIA DUBAI ENGLISH MARCH 2019

Monthly Newsletter issued by Dubai Civil Aviation Authority

Shopping in the Skies www.viadubaionline.com

Issue 70 March 2019

Angela Gittens

Emirates allow flyers to create their own playlists

UAE airport leaders committed to meeting customer needs

NATS trailing AI technology at Heathrow Inside DCAA DCAA and NAFL sign cooperation agreement DCAA participates in National Sports Day

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Middle East News 24

DCAA Interview

Opinions

Hessa Al Balooshi

We must leverage our strengths

Innovation – A key driver for better future

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ATM 30

Paul Chan Mo-po

Airlines 32

Remarkable Change 28

Chris Grayling

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Cargo & Logistics 33

Message

from the President

Technology for an airport’s competitiveness

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irports today bear little resemblance to what they used to be in the past.

From a luxury, flying has become an inevitable part of life for billions of people.

Airport operators increasingly views passenger experiences of being of utmost importance for a competitive edge.

Airports are working to benefit themselves with the best use of technology advancements and advanced processes for on-ground and airport operations including the passenger journey, baggage processing, aircraft turnaround and cargo processes.

The IATA and ACI has come out with the NEXTT initiative to increase efficiency and improve customer experience through the use of new and emerging technologies.

An airport by its very nature creates a more demanding environment, which calls for deployment of efficient and robust systems. The airports will continue to evolve and develop. New technologies are breaking down barriers to travel at airports. As passenger throughput continues to rise at Dubai International, technology is playing a vital role in enabling it to get the most out of existing facilities and improve the overall passenger experience.

Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

with the government to share its vision for the future as part of the 10X initiative, which is all about keeping Dubai ahead of other world cities. Emirates has already unveiled world’s first integrated “biometric path”, raising the bar for airport customer experience.

Then, there is Smart Tunnel, whose trial by General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) clearly demonstrates the unique and collaborative nature of innovation at Dubai airport. DXB is the first in the world to have the first trial of face recognition technology at border control. Passengers want greater personal control of the airport process and Dubai is working to remain the best at it.

It has the world’s fastest airport Wi-Fi and an Airport Community app. Dubai Airports is actively engaged

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

CONTENTS

Inside DCAA 07

DCAA in UAE Car Free Day initiative

08 DCAA and NAFL sign

09

DCAA participats in the 2nd edition of the Government Games

10 DCAA participates in

cooperation agreement

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

National Sports Day

Creative Manager Mohammed Al Jarouf Marketing Manager Fahed Mohammed E-mail: viadubai1@naddalshiba.com Legal Disclaimer

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

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

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DCAA Interview

Hessa Al Balooshi

Innovation – A key driver for better future

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Our Vision

The World Airport, Dubai

Our Mission

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

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

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

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youtube.com/user/dcaadubai

Message

from the Director General

Technology crucial to today’s ATC

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nlike the West, when Dubai airport began operations in 1960’s, it did not have a landing strip but just a 1,800-metre runway made of compacted sand and a taxiway, identified by Gooseneck lamps.

Since the past five years, Dubai is home to the world’s top airport for international passengers and celebrated hosting its one billionth passenger. It took 51 years for the DXB to reach its 500 millionth passenger in December 2011 and the remaining 500 million was clocked since then, with three terminals catering to more than 90 million passengers annually now.

Since the start of New Century, the aircraft movements in Dubai increased by 50 percent as the emirate consolidated its position as a global aviation hub. Dubai Air Navigation Services (DANS) currently manages a daily average of 1,500 air traffic movements in Dubai’s airspace. As Dubai’s airports grew, massive investments were made in Air Traffic Control (ATC) infrastructure development.

Despite having a busy 24/7 airport, Dubai’s ATC infrastructure is superb – and still expanding to increase safety and efficiency. Dubai already has the world’s tallest real-time tower simulator capable of mimicking any airport. Dubai has the goal of being the world’s safest ANSP by producing highly-skilled professionals through the world’s most-advanced tower simulator.

The ATC industry today uses a large array of technologically advanced equipment in order to keep the

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Mohammed Abdulla Ahli

runway and skies safe. A wave of automated technologies is helping make ATC operations safer and more efficient.

Communication, navigation and surveillance tools help ATC controllers to fulfil their primary responsibility of preventing collisions between aircraft. The ATC market is going to be worth US$56.07 billion by 2022. In 2030, there will be 1.85 million flights annually to and from UAE. The number of flights that the emirate will be handling by 2020 will reach 665,000 yearly.

Technology plays a crucial role in today’s ATM. The ANSPs have to invest in acquiring cutting-edge technologies to remain competitive and relevant with the changing times and meet the requirements of the present and future. Ensuring smooth, hassle-free and timely aircraft movements remains a priority for the industry. This will be under focus of discussion in this year’s ATC Forum of the Airport Show. One cannot eliminate technology from the present and future plans if the airport has set its sight on further flying higher.

Inside DCAA

DCAA in UAE Car Free Day initiative

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he Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) has participated in the 10th UAE Car Free Day initiative of the Dubai Municipality. The event was attended by Abdul Rahim Al Mulla, Executive Director for Corporate Support and Communications, and Ahmed Al Zarouni, Director of Public Relations. They met with Major General Engineer Mohammed Al-Zaffin, Assistant Commander of Operations at Dubai Police, Colonel Gomaa Suwaidan, Deputy Director General of Traffic, and Ismail Shabaan, Head of Al Manara Center of Dubai Municipality, and a number of officials who participated in the initiative.

The environmental initiative is aimed at encouraging people to use public transportation and reduce carbon emissions in the air due to the heavy use of vehicles and as efforts towards protecting the environment and reducing carbon footprint in the UAE. The campaign will contribute in achieving the objectives of UAE National Agenda 2021 in preserving air quality and reducing carbon footprints.

DCAA participates in 5th Desert Warrior Challenge

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he Dubai Civil Aviation Authority’s (DCAA) Sports Team participated in the 5th edition of the Desert Warriors Challenge in Al Qudra Lakes in Al Marmoom.

Desert Conservation Reserves. The event was supported by the Dubai Sports Council (DSC).

The Desert Warrior Challenge is the region’s most exciting obstacle course. The competition attracts best fitness practitioners and challenging enthusiasts. A number of Dubai government departments participated in the challenge.

Year of Tolerance More than a symbolic act

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ne of the factors behind the success of government programmes/initiatives in the UAE is its effective implementation. People play a decisive role in making them successful. As the UAE government observes 2019 as the Year of Tolerance, it took upon itself the task of educating Emiratis and expatriates across the country about its objectives rather than restricting it as a symbolic act.

The UAE is a leading nation in spreading the values of giving and peaceful coexistence between communities and a driver of cooperation, tolerance, and dialogue between religions around the world.

It stands out as an oasis of peace and prosperity and a model of tolerance in the world which is increasingly seeing violence and conflicts of all hues.

The country is an exemplary and unique model of a leading cosmopolitan country, with a myriad of cultures and nationalities living in a peaceful coexistence and harmony on its soil.

Throughout the year, it will be highlighting the UAE government will showcase its strengths as a global capital for tolerance, via its various legislative and policy-oriented goals to enhance the role of the country in instilling the values of coexistence and peace in communities. The Year of Tolerance comes after the Year of Zayed observed last year as it upholds the values of tolerance and coexistence that the UAE Founder Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (May God have mercy upon him) established among the people of the UAE. Instilling values of tolerance carries on his legacy and teachings. The first-ever visit of a Pope to the UAE in February was yet another sign that the UAE is welcoming and tolerant of all religions and a leader in interfaith dialogue. The UAE has also set out to be a global driver for cooperation within a new Global Tolerance Alliance to promote acceptance around the world. Tolerance-themed events, workshops, documentaries and publications will continue throughout 2019.

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Inside DCAA

DCAA and NAFL sign cooperation agreement

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he Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) and the National Association of Freight and Logistics (NAFL) have signed a cooperation agreement that aims to strengthen cooperation and collaboration between the two organisations to comprehensively upgrade the service standards of the industry.

The MoU was signed at the DCAA headquarters by His Excellency Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, Director General of the Authority, and Ms Nadia Abdul Aziz, President of NAFL, in the presence of Saud Abdulaziz Kankazar, Executive Director for Air Transport and International Affairs Sector; Abdulla Mohammed Bin Khediya, Director of Air Transport Department; Nasser Al Khater, Head of the Aviation Business Affairs and Consumer Protection; and NAFL Board Members, Ahmed Abdul Razak, and Ibrahim Abu Zayed.

The MoU aims to upgrade the freight and logistics industry through joint cooperation in the field of training, delivery of workshops and field visits.

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Speaking on this occasion, Mr Ahli said: “The MOU is of great importance in promoting Dubai as a global hub for the freight and logistics industry. It aims to ensure that all relevant officials enhance their practices and serve customers in the best way possible to achieve continued excellence in relation to future projects regulating the freight industry.”

Ms Nadia Abdul Aziz said: “This agreement is an excellent quality addition to NAFL’s other MoUs signed with the other sectors and directorates of the State with the aim to upgrade the level of service of the freight sector in line with the development of Dubai and the UAE in this area. This mutual cooperation between the Authority and NAFL will embody the distinguished service of all parties concerned locally,

regionally and internationally to achieve all the objectives and visions of our Leadership with excellence and competence.”

This cooperation between the Authority and the NAFL represents one of the most effective steps that contribute to achieving the highest goals and providing a high degree of quality in the field of air freight, which internationally serves all sectors and benefits from Dubai’s strategic location as a logistic hub for the air freight industry.

NAFL was founded in Dubai in February 1992 as mandated by the Government of Dubai to respond to the need to bring together the increasing number of freight and logistics service providers in the UAE. NAFL, previously named National Committee of Freight Forwarders (NCFF), is the first national association of freight forwarders to be established in the Arabian Gulf. NAFL is the first and only national association from an Arabian Gulf country to join the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA).

From a total of 24 members at the time of its inception, NAFL has now grown more than tenfold with a current roster of 350 members.

Inside DCAA

DCAA participates in the 2nd edition of the Government Games

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is Excellency Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, Director General of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, lifting the flag denoting the participation of the Authority in the 2nd edition of the Government Games.

He is accompanied by Mohammed Abdulla Lengawi, Executive Director, Aviation Security and Accident Investigation Sector; Abdulrahim Al Mulla, Executive Director of Corporate Support and Communication Sector; Saud Abdulaziz Kankazar, Executive Director of Air Transport and International Affairs Sector, and the

Authority’s Sports Team. To be held from April 3 to 6, The Government Games are being organised under the directives of His Highness

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council.

DCAA wins Gulf Customer Experience Award

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he Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) emerged as the winner of the New Product/ Product Improvement Category award in the 4th edition of the Gulf Customer Experience Awards.

The Award recognised the DCAA’s initiatives in upgrading its Landing Permission smart service by using the Artificial Intelligence capabilities of Chatbot to quickly direct customers 24/7 using four languages: Chinese, Russian, French and Arabic.

On behalf of His Excellency Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, Director General of DCAA, Mohammed Abdulla Lengawi, Executive Director for Aviation Security and Accident Investigation Sector, received the Award from Mark Hamill, Managing Director of Awards International,

in the presence of Saud Kankazar, Executive Director of Air Transport and International Affairs Sector, and Abdulla Mohammed Bin Khediya, Director of Air Transport Department.

The Authority continuously seeks to consolidate Dubai’s pivotal role in the civil aviation sector worldwide and this step represents a successful journey track towards the future.

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Inside DCAA

DCAA participates in National Sports Day

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he Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) participated in the fourth edition of the National Sports Day held, on March 7, ahead of the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi in the Year of Tolerance being observed by the UAE. The National Sports Day aims to engage various community segments in multiple sports activities with a positive atmosphere of fun and pleasure. The event was held under the theme, Emirates Unites Us. The past three editions of the event succeeded in attracting a wide spectrum of community segments of different ages.

A delegation of National Olympic Committee (NOC) headed by His

Excellency Saleh bin Ashour, Assistant Secretary-General for Technical and Sports Affairs, met with His Excellency Mohammed Abdulla Al Ahli, Director General of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), and reviewed the sporting events. Also present were Mohammed bin Darwish, Executive Director of NOC, Saud Abdulaziz Kankzar, Executive Director of Air Transport, International Affairs and the Sports Team.

During the meeting, the officials reviewed plans for the success of the events from logistical, organizational and administrative aspects. The government organizations have been working diligently in line with the objectives of the noble event launched

by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai for the first time in 2015.

A sporting day for all groups and segments of the society has been dedicated to protect people against the diseases, contribute to their healthy life and ensure happiness, joy and pleasure.

Mohammed Ahli said the DCAA have been organizing sporting events for the employees over the years and its employees were also participating in the National Sports Day in order to spread the noble message among all groups of the society, reflecting positively in their personality and behavior as sports plays a key role in raising awareness and educating the community.

International Women’s Day

The women employees of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) gathered informally for a group photograph to mark the International Women’s Day.

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Inside DCAA

World Government Summit A group of General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) employees posing with His Excellency Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, Director General of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) during their participation in a session of the World Government Summit

His Excellency Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, Director General of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) and His Excellency Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) with a group of officials who participated in the World Government Summit.

UAE National Sports Day

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ubai Civil Aviation Authority participated in the UAE National Sports Day in the presence of His Excellency Mohammed Abdullah Al Ahli, Director General. During the event, football championship, tug of war competition, and different sports exercises were organized between the sectors in an exciting enthusiasm atmosphere.

Aviation Security and Accident Investigation Sector wins the Tug-of-War Competition among DCAA sectors

Corporate Support and Communication Sector wins the Football Championship among DCAA sectors

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Inside DCAA

Happiness Camp D

ubai Civil Aviation Authority organized a Camp trip for the staff in Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing Dubai’s camp. The trip included a variety of fun activities. The trip came part of the employees’ happiness initiatives organized by the DCAA in line with its strategy in maintaining employees happiness.

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DCAA Interview

Hessa Al Balooshi, Innovation Officer, Strategy and Corporate Excellence Department, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority

Innovation – A key driver for better future

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n 2018, over 330 suggestions were received from clients under the Dubai government’s Unified Suggestions System, an important pillar towards the realisation of the “Innovation Starts With You” slogan. 41 innovative ideas received from Mohammed bin Rashid Smart Majlis.

Hessa Al Balooshi, Innovation Officer, Strategy and Corporate Excellence Department, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), is working innovatively and exceptionally to build a culture of passion and entrepreneurial thinking armed by an ambitious forward-looking strategic vision.

The Authority has a process that includes receiving innovations and suggestions, filtering the initiatives forwarded to the Authority and linking them to its objectives and strategic indicators, examining these initiatives with relevant departments to assess their viability in its quest for upgrading services and strengthening the Authority’s interaction channels with its audience. Suggestions are finally sent to the senior management team to take appropriate decisions and translate these suggestions into transparent and objective action plans and budgets. In an interview with Via Dubai, she answers a few pertinent questions:

What is your piece of wisdom?

Let your actions talk about you

In your opinion, who are the innovators?

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Personally speaking, you cannot restrict innovation to a specific set of people denoted as innovators, as I believe that innovation lies within each and every one of us.

How is the work environment for dealing with suggestions at the DCAA?

Creating team spirit, which is one of the essential needs of employees, is to have them feel a sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves, and this can be realised by having them feel they are part of a supportive and strong work group. As an important part of their work, officials are required to create a sense of teamwork among their employees to help strengthen their sense of belonging and make them feel valued. Most employees make various kinds of suggestions while performing their daily routine tasks; these range from proposing business plans, innovative solutions and investment budgets, to writing employment applications and reports related to employees’ affairs, among others.

Content is one of the most important features that must be focused upon while writing a suggestion, and it

represents the real challenge for the success and completeness of a proposed idea. Attention should also be paid to improving the writing style to market the idea regardless of the suggestion’s subject. This is to strengthen the ideas contained in the suggestion and deliver them clearly to convince the reader.

In your opinion, what are the simple steps for easily and successfully writing a suggestion?

• To have a title suitable to the • • •

suggestion To provide a brief summary at the beginning of the suggestion To write a comprehensive report about the suggestion To highlight the positive impact of the suggestion

How many ideas, suggestions and innovations do you receive?

I receive 34 to 84 suggestions a month. However, we discover when filtering them that people are confusing the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority with other entities like Dubai International Airport for example.

Therefore, we find that most ideas

DCAA Interview

and improvement comments revolve around Dubai International Airport, and we excludes some of them, integrating some others or accepting them as they are.

After filtering and classifying suggestions, we discuss them, and I certainly communicate with senders and send them thank you letters for communicating and interacting with us and tell them their suggestions are under examination. In all cases and even if not implemented, we communicate by phone with senders to tell them why their suggestions were rejected.

As for the important suggestions, which must be materially and morally viable in terms of application content, our role is to send these to the relevant department to implement, while I document all the preceding stages and conduct gap analysis of each stage in order to ensure that the results of measuring initiatives’ performance and implementation level, including analysis of outcomes, are integrated. We also measure impact for a period of 6 to 10 weeks.

What are the channels for receiving suggestions and innovations?

All innovations, suggestions and ideas are received via the Mohammed bin Rashid Smart Majlis and the website of Dubai Government’s Unified Suggestion System dedicated to receiving clients and employees’ suggestions.

What have been your achievements during the UAE Innovation Month 2019?

Held under the slogan, “Innovation Starts with you”, the 4th Edition of UAE Innovation Month witnessed a drastic change in terms of moving from a stage of presenting innovative visions to one of measuring the maturity and readiness of sectors, departments and employees in relation to the practical implementation and deployment of innovative solutions and innovation tools in finding new

opportunities in several areas that aim to inspire innovators and help them develop unprecedented solutions that contribute to enabling employees and support the march of governmental work.

How was Dubai Innovation Week 2019 activated?

The will to succeed is important, but the willingness to prepare for success is yet more important. There were five reasons behind our success; these are: concentration, excellence, organisation, development and design. Therefore, the project was proceeding according to a clear and well thought out plan.

We prepared in advance for the Dubai Innovation Week that was held from 24 to 28 February. The main events included a number of activities, such as workshops and employee participation to build new ideas through smart games at the Authority’s Innovation Lab, and sending e-mails to all employees on events and topics that highlight the value of innovation, creativity and achievement in the world, in addition to quoting Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid in relation to innovation and creativity.

What were the most important outputs of the Dubai Innovation Week?

I have prepared an internal workshop of two stages for employees under the title: Ideas Studio. The workshop was in effect made of youth sessions targeting young employees. The Ideas Studio served as an introduction to creativity as it discussed the concept of

creativity, its importance and motives, ways to come up with creative ideas (through brainstorming) and how to write down ideas, in addition to the criteria for evaluating ideas and innovation. The results were amazing and we came out with innovative projects that we will bring into reality, and motivate employees to participate in the suggestions programme.

We have also held an external workshop with strategic partners including security sectors such as Dubai Police and the Department of Airport Security, in addition to Emirates Airlines. The workshop managed to generate a number of creative and innovative ideas to enhance services between partners, in addition to important innovative ideas that are currently under examination by the relevant entities with view to contributing to the improvement and development of some common systems.

We concluded the Innovation Week with this workshop held with six airlines outside the premises of the Authority on 28 February.

The workshop resulted in fruitful discussions about the opportunities for improving services, and generated 14 innovative ideas, which were forwarded to the relevant entities for examination and decision making. Our participation in Dubai Innovation Week was meant to strengthen the principle of participating in the improvement and development among the airlines and those concerned with its services from the internal and external public.

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Cover Story

Shopping in the Skies

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mirates, which carried over 56 million passengers in the fiscal year of 2017-2018 serving 151 destinations across 80 countries, is known the world over for its innovations.

On the flights of one of the world’s largest airliner, one can explore the latest products in its on-board duty free collection. One can shop for watches, jewellery, fragrances, beauty kits and more from fashion houses like Tommy Hilfiger, Roberto Cavalli and Jo Malone.

One can shop a wide range of merchandise on Etihad, UAE’s another global airline, exclusively on board. In Boutique, the on-board duty free shop, you’ll find all the latest luxury products and a range of lavish scents and top skincare as well as beautiful jewellery, watches and other must-have accessories. Select from a range of limited editions, Etihad Inflight exclusives have 90 new products to choose from. Its inflight shopping magazine features 90 new products, inflight exclusives, gift ideas and brand-new fragrances on the market.

Treat yourself or surprise your loved ones with something from the duty free shop of flydubai, Dubai’s fastest growing low budget carrier. You’ll find everything from jewellery to fragrances, toys and souvenirs. Air Arabia, the first and biggest LCC in the MENA flying to over 120 destinations, offers a wonderful assortment of great value gifts. Its on-board duty free catalogue has many exciting options ranging from accessories, watches, jewellery, sweets and perfumes - all at extremely discounted prices.

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On Lufthansa, the largest German airline and, when combined with its subsidiaries, also the largest airline in Europe both in terms of fleet size and passengers carried on 220 destinations, one can choose and reserve one’s favourite products from its Inflight Shopping range whilst relaxing at home – from eight weeks and up to two days before your departure.

Skysales, Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia’s) in-flight shopping service since 1985, is recognized globally for its quality of its merchandise and their excellent value for money. Offering up to 30 per cent off retail prices, the Skysales collection is carefully

selected to suit every age, pocket, taste and occasion.

If flying with Japan Airlines (JAL), the range of in-flight sales items available varies, depending on the route. All Nippon Airways (ANA) offers in-flight duty free services with a wide selection of goods available at reasonable prices. With Austrian, one can benefit from the price advantage on board. It offers a wide range of exclusive brands like Swarovski, Frey Wille, Silhouette and many others. With more than 1,500 products at up to 40 per cent off city prices, KrisShop is Singapore Airlines’ flagship retail store available on its flights (except on selected shorthaul/regional sectors).

Cover Story

With KrisShop Online, one can shop on the go and pre-order items up to 24 hours before one’s flight departing Singapore and other selected points.

Vietnam Airlines is not a name that might leap to mind when thinking about low cost duty-free shopping.

Yet the airline’s LotusShop (launched in 2016 and revamped late 2018) has a vast assortment of designer brands, fragrances, jewelry, alcohols and watches at attractive prices. In 2019 pre-ordered duty-free delivered in-flight or at the home has become the favoured pursuit for many carriers like Virgin Atlantic (with British Airways hard on its heels), Korean Air, Emirates, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines.

Even cash-strapped Jet Airways from India operates its online JetBoutique with special deals and discounts. Carriers such as British Airways and Swiss allow passengers to browse their catalogue before they fly, then collect in-air. Others take orders outbound, and deliver on the return. Some airlines now offer some form of home delivery. And many, like Lufthansa, have integrated their sales platforms into seatback entertainment systems.

At one end of the scale is Korean Air, which has installed Sky Shops aboard its 10-strong fleet of A380 aircraft.

Sky Shops are mini malls in the sky, walk-in boutiques stocked with cosmetics, perfumes, liquor, fashion goods, pearls, dietary supplements, chocolates, watches, electronics and pens. Underlining the airline’s dedication to the concept, the Sky Shop sacrifices 13 of the A380s seats, a bold move when most airlines are shaving centimetres off every possible space to squeeze in another body.

According to Guestlogix, Scandinavians are inclined to buy

more duty-free items inflight than other Europeans. VAT in Norway, Denmark and Sweden on just about every item you might buy from onboard duty-free is a hefty 25 per cent, one per cent less in Finland.

That’s around five per cent higher than most other EU countries, and goes some way towards explaining their greater enthusiasm. Asian and Middle Eastern carriers also report a more animated audience for onboard duty-free shopping.

On-board retail is not only a means to boost airline revenue; it can also raise customer satisfaction levels.

Passengers perceive shopping as a pleasurable activity, which makes it a more positive spending category than baggage and change fees, which are often perceived as punitive.

Ancillary revenue statistics compiled

by IdeaWorks and CarTrawler show that – with a few exceptions – these satisfying sales currently account for less than a quarter of airlines’ total ancillary revenue. Only one in ten passengers now makes an inflight duty free purchase.

According to Retail Week, the potential extra inflight spending is US$2.47 billion to the airlines industry. The internet has completely changed the way consumers shop on the ground and it has the potential to transform the way we shop in the air as well. Quite simply, 35,000 feet is one of the last bastions of unconnected retail.

Inflight connectivity will help airlines increase on board duty free sales by providing a simpler, faster, more secure and extensive shopping experience than was previously possible. Connected commerce ushers in the switch from selling very limited ranges to selling anything – and in more sophisticated ways. Rather than encouraging impulse sales of generic products, airlines can provide online stores packed with everything from onwards travel tickets and destination activities to groceries to pick up on the way home.

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UAE in Focus

Emirates allow flyers to create their own playlists

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itting for hours in a long haul flight full of strangers is one of the things most travellers dread. But with entertainment being the cure to every piece of boredom, listening to favourite songs or catching up on the latest films aboard the plane is definitely a great idea.

This is why many airlines are investing a lot of money in their inflight entertainment system. Now, Emirates has taken its offering to a higher level by introducing a new innovative feature.

The airline announced that passengers can now create their own playlists ahead of their flight and sync it to their seats once on board.

With the new functionality, flyers can choose what music, movies or TV shows to play on board, even before stepping onto the plane by accessing the Emirates app.

Emirates’ inflight entertainment, has reached a new milestone of over 4,000 channels of on-demand entertainment. The catalogue includes over 1,000 movies, popular television box sets, tens of thousands

EK forges codeshare partnership with CZ Nanjing and Xian during the initial phase of the partnership, subject to necessary government approvals.

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mirates and China Southern Airlines have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to progress a comprehensive reciprocal codeshare agreement, which is set to open up new destinations for passengers travelling between China and the Middle East and Africa.

The partnership with the Guangzhoubased carrier also allows Emirates’ passengers to enjoy seamless connectivity on domestic flights within China, adding eight new destinations to its global network. The Chinese cities covered by the codeshare agreement include Fuzhou, Chongqing, Kunming, Qingdao, Xiamen, Chengdu,

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Passengers travelling from China will have more choice and travel seamlessly with minimum connection times, when flying to destinations in Emirates’ Middle East network such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Muscat, Kuwait and Cairo. The codeshare agreement also includes flights to African destinations such as Seychelles and Lagos, operated

by Emirates.

With the UAE’s visa-free policy for Chinese visitors, passengers can also enjoy hassle-free stopovers in Dubai, and experience what the city has to offer before flying to their final destinations. The codeshare partnership will provide customers with the simplicity of purchasing connecting flights using one reservation, and a smooth ticketing, check-in, boarding and baggage check experience during the entire journey.

of music tracks, podcasts and games.

The syncing capability is currently available on over 100 Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft and will be made available progressively across the entire fleet, including A380 aircraft, in the coming months.

DWC flights to skyrocket during DXB runway refurbishment

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ubai World Central (DWC) will see the number of passenger flights skyrocket by 700 per cent as it takes on additional traffic during the 45-day period when DXB’s southern runway is closed for a complete refurbishment from April 16 to May 30.

The closure will reduce the hub airport’s capacity making DWC an attractive alternate to absorb affected scheduled, charter, cargo and general aviation operations. Although DXB will effectively be without 50 per cent of its runways, the actual reduction in passenger flights will only be 32 per cent thanks to an optimised schedule that will see the northern runway used to 96 per cent of its capacity.

Due to the deployment of larger aircraft by some airlines during the closure period, the number of seats will only decrease by 26 per cent.

UAE in Focus

flydubai starts Kozhikode service

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ubai’s low-cost carrier, flydubai, has started flying to Kozhikode in the south Indian state of Kerala.

The airline is operating flights three times a week connecting Dubai International (DXB) to Kozhikode Calicut International Airport (CCJ).

With the launch, flydubai now offers 30 weekly flights to and from Dubai

to eight destinations in India. Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO at flydubai, said: “As the first Dubai-based carrier to operate direct flights from Dubai to Kozhikode, we expect this route to be very popular for travellers from the UAE to the region. Similarly, passengers from Kozhikode now have easier access to popular destinations on the flydubai network as well as

the Emirates network providing easy access to more destinations when visiting family and friends.”

Etihad, RJ launch new codeshare partnership

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tihad Airways and Royal Jordanian have announced a new codeshare partnership which will provide their customers with greater access to key leisure and business destinations in North Africa, Europe, Canada, Asia and Australia.

This is the first such partnership between the two airlines, who offer multiple daily services between

EK store unveils limited edition aircraft model collection

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he Emirates Official Store has launched a new limited edition collection of Expo 2020 themed aircraft models for aviation enthusiasts and passionate scalemodellers.

The highly detailed models are part of a 15 aircraft model collection ranging from Airbus A380s to Boeing 777s featuring the signature Expo 2020 logo in three colours – blue, orange and green representing the three themes of mobility, opportunity and sustainability.

The aircraft model replicas are available in both plastic hollow and solid injected finishes, as well as die-cast metal versions, all with meticulously detailed graphics in the three colours that are currently emblazoned on select Emirates A380 and Boeing 777 liveries.

The Expo 2020 themed Emirates aircraft models can be found at all Emirates Official retail stores in the UAE, Emirates Store online as well as Emirates Official Store shops at Dubai International Airport.

their respective hubs in Abu Dhabi and Amman.

The partnership will see Etihad Airways place its ‘EY’ code on Royal Jordanian’s flights from Abu Dhabi via Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport to Larnaca and Berlin, while Algiers, Tunis, Vienna and Montreal will be added to the agreement soon.

GCAS receives NCEMA accreditation

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he Gulf Centre for Aviation Studies (GCAS), the training arm of Abu Dhabi Airports, has been successfully accredited by the UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) to deliver NCEMA developed Business Continuity Management (BCM) courses.

The GCAS is the only aviation training provider in the UAE to offer NCEMA developed BCM courses. The courses will be delivered in partnership with Continuity and Resilience (CORE), an internationally recognized and licensed BCM training partner.

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Special Interview

Angela Gittens, Director General of ACI World, speaks to Via Dubai

UAE airport leaders committed to meeting customer needs Has the airport industry remained on the expected track?

Preliminary figures indicate that passenger traffic finished the year 2018 with stable growth. Despite minor monthly fluctuations, the general passenger traffic growth trend was quite stable. On the other hand, the global air freight market experienced significant volatility as 2018 drew to a close. Preliminary data indicates that the industry should record robust but moderating results in 2018.

Isn’t the growth in passenger numbers and technology too fast for airports to catch up?

Aviation is one of the fastest-growing and most technologically advanced sectors in the transportation industry and this has far-reaching implications for airport operations. Technology can offer opportunities to maximize efficiency as it has a direct impact on the facilitation of traffic, passenger processing and security. As passenger traffic continues to grow and technology continues to accelerate, one of the factors determining the future of the airport industry is the level of investment to upgrade the infrastructure and increase the use of adequate technology.

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Global traffic surpassed the 8.2 billion passenger mark in 2017 and the ACI World Airport Traffic Forecast 2018-2040 projects that it is expected to double by 2034 based on a projected growth rate of 4.3% per annum.

Existing airport infrastructure in many mature markets worldwide will not be able to handle the expected growth so substantial investment in infrastructure and technology is required to allow the aviation industry to meet growing demand.

Now is the time for airport leaders throughout the globe to embrace the digital transformation. At ACI, we support the development of quality airport infrastructure commensurate with the level of projected growth.

Moreover, we encourage airports to use this common understanding as a platform to present the economic and social benefits of aviation to their regulators, to investment banks and to aid agencies as they seek to invest in economic development projects that are sustainable.

Stakeholders across the aviation industry are in broad agreement that investment in airport infrastructure

UAE airports understood the importance of developing the commercial side of their business is critical to the global economy and global and national connectivity especially in achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals.

Towards this end, the ACI World Airport Information Technology Standing Committee and the Economics Standing Committee will continue to work in close collaboration with our members to provide guidance and council and help shape current policy and operational issues.

Are UAE airports good learning places for the global aviation industry?

The UAE stands out as a market that has embraced aviation as a sunrise industry on all fronts. According to our latest traffic report, from a historical perspective, it is among the world’s fastest-growing nations in

Special Interview

terms of air transport demand thanks to its ideal geographic location for connecting intercontinental traffic flows. Airport leaders in the UAE are clearly committed to meeting customer needs. In 2018, both Abu Dhabi International Airport and Dubai International were rated among the best in the world and have been recognized by our ACI Airport Service Quality (ASQ) awards programme for their on-going commitment to continuously improve the passenger experience.

We also consistently see UAE airports leading the way in technology enhancements, trialling new processes and implementing leading edge systems.

With modern airports, forward thinking management and close relationships between regulators, airlines and airports, the UAE is the perfect testing ground for innovation.

This helps all airports globally to draw from other’s experiences, and helps to support projects like ACI’s New Experience in Travel and Technologies (NEXTT) initiative which articulates a vision for the future of air transport.

And when it comes to revenue diversification, UAE airports understood the importance of developing the commercial side of their business. Airports in this region continue to have the highest proportion of non-aeronautical revenue attributed to retail concessions. Because airports have limited opportunities to raise aeronautical revenues, a focus on non-aeronautical revenues has become an imperative to maintain operations and accommodate growth in air service demand. We encourage other airports to follow the lead.

Smart Security brings together industry partners to seek innovative solutions that improve security effectiveness, efficiency and the passenger experience.

How much investments are currently in airports developments worldwide?

The G20’s Global Infrastructure Outlook reports that, to meet the global traffic demand that ACI World estimates at 10.7 billion passengers by 2022, a sample of the airport investment plans of 50 countries totals US$355 billion in the 2018–2022 period—but their actual investment needs are more than US$433 billion. Airports need to invest in infrastructure to meet future demand.

Year after year, ACI estimates that airports in the world invest, on average, in the realm of US$5 per traffic unit in capital expenditure (CAPEX). Therefore, the estimations point to US$40 billion in yearly CAPEX. This is a reasonable figure given US$170+ billion size of the industry.

ACI data reveal that 60% of all investment is concentrated in two major domains: aircraft movement areas, comprised of runways, taxiways, aprons and other major airside infrastructure, and terminal buildings. The rest goes to car parking facilities, roadways, renewing equipment and vehicles and other areas and facilities.

Construction expenses represent a significant chunk of all airport CAPEX, some 60%. This often comes in a bundle with technological improvements: energy saving materials and equipment, more efficient baggage handling systems and so on. Capital expenditure is essential for the sustainability of the airport sector. All around the world we see terminal structures inaugurated in 1940s, 1950s and 1960s while they receive state-of-art latest generation aircraft. Of course, this testifies to the fixed nature of infrastructure, but certainly many airports need to bridge the gap, and better sooner than later.

What innovation and technology is going to change the airport experience by 2020/2030?

Technology has advanced significantly in the last few decades.

There have been numerous groundbreaking advancements that have revolutionized the way things are done within our industry. Today, airport competition is a fixed feature of the industry, and the market power of airports has decreased as increasingly airlines pick and choose between various airports and destinations, moving aircraft, routes and bases. Airports compete with

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Special Interview

The Middle East does not necessarily need more airports but might require more airport infrastructure in the long-run other airports for freight, connecting passengers, aircraft technical stops and for the services of low-cost carriers. This competition has forced airports to put a particular focus on the customer experience as the relationship between customer satisfaction and revenue is crucial.

Airports, airlines, control authorities and system suppliers all have a role to play in making the airport experience more pleasant, efficient and effective. ACI is working closely with the industry and partners on several initiatives such as NEXTT and Smart Security. NEXTT is a joint initiative between ACI and IATA. It identifies three emerging themes; off-airport processing, interactive decision making and advanced processing. Each of these emerging themes involve several new and emerging technologies. Many aviation stakeholders have trialed or implemented technologies that are in line with the NEXTT vision such as biometric identity management, robotics and autonomous vehicles, IoT, AR/VR, blockchain, automation and many others which have great potential to positively change our industry.

The second initiative, Smart Security, brings together industry partners to seek innovative solutions that improve security effectiveness, efficiency and the passenger experience. Smart Security has made

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tremendous progress and is now able to help all airports through the delivery of regional workshops, comprehensive guidance materials and information sharing sessions. In fact, we have just launched the ACI Certificate in Smart Security to assist airports and screening authorities to adopt innovative screening solutions that strengthen security, increase operational efficiency and improve the passenger experience.

Is customer service going to be key in the drive to better airports?

Absolutely. With stronger competition, the notion of excellence in customer experience at airports has become even more important in recent years. Recognizing that passengers are demanding more customized services based on their specific needs, requirements and tastes, and the importance of having an airport culture of service quality, which requires involving and including all various airport stakeholders to truly be effective, we urge States to take, in many respects, appropriate measures aimed at facilitating and boosting the sector.

ACI is committed to helping airports remain competitive by improving the passenger journey. The Airport Service Quality (ASQ) programme, the world-renowned and globally established global benchmarking programme measuring passengers’ satisfaction while they are travelling through an airport, offers a range of products and services. They include: the customer experience, through the ASQ Departure Survey, the ASQ Arrivals Survey, the Commercial Survey and the Employee Surveys for Customer Experience.

However, in an increasingly competitive market, ACI does not advocate that the quality of service

provided to passengers and airlines should be regulated through servicelevel agreements. Rather, it should be recommended and carefully monitored. We are convinced that ACI’s ASQ programme can continue to support this objective rather than impose a system that only focuses on penalizing the airport without an incentive to continuously improve service quality.

Does the Middle East need more airports?

The Middle East does not necessarily need more airports but might require more airport infrastructure in the long-run, subject to traffic growth.

The post–World War II economic expansion was a period of strong economic growth, when many governments invested in developing infrastructure, including airports.

The immense number of airports all over the world are a good testament to this period and that economic policy in particular. This means that in most cases airports already exist where they should be. However, not all airports are capable of handling traffic growth and not all of them meet today’s standards.

Of course, like in any other domain, there might be exceptions. For example, it might be cheaper or more efficient to build a Greenfield airport rather than working on a brownfield one, and there are few cases like this. But in general, the Middle East does not require more airports in numerical terms. The Middle East has the second highest urbanization rate after North America, where all major cities have at least one airport.

At this stage, it is more a question of quality rather than quantity, especially considering the disparity in quality of infrastructure at small airports in comparison to the largesize super hubs.

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Middle East News

54 percent of Boeing Record 41 million passengers planes in ME are in at Jeddah airport UAE

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assenger traffic at King Abdul Aziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah hit a new record in 2018, with 41.2 million people traveling through, the highest annual number in its history.

The number rose by 20 percent compared with 2017, in which there were 34 million passengers.

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oeing delivered 39 airplanes in 2018 to its regional customers in the Middle East, 21 of which were to UAE carriers, according to Bernard J. Dunn, President, Boeing Middle East, North Africa and Turkey.

In an exclusive interview with the Emirates News Agency, ahead of the International Defence Exhibition, IDEX, starting in the UAE capital today, Dunn described 2018 as a “great year”.

He said: “2018 was a great year.

Globally, we set a new annual record of 806 deliveries in 2018, surpassing our previous record of 763 deliveries in 2017. Boeing again grew its significant order book with 893 net orders, including 203 airplane sales in December.”

The commercial aircraft to the Middle East includes the 737 MAX, 777-300ER, 777 Freighter and the 787 Dreamliner. Twenty-one of these deliveries were to UAE carriers: six 777s to Emirates; seven 737 MAXs to flydubai and eight to Etihad, which include one 777F; four 787-10s; and three 787-9s.

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KAIA’s statistical report for 2018 showed that the airport handled 340,333 flights. The South Terminal saw its highest number of passengers in 2018, with 23.1 million people traveling through it, aboard 197,314 flights, while 10.5 million passengers travelled through

the North Terminal and boarded 90,855 flights. The report also showed that 7.3 million passengers travelled through the complex of the Hajj and Umrah terminals, aboard 48,241 flights, while 385,729 passengers travelled through the new Terminal 1, aboard 3,923 flights.

Sphinx airport begins trial run

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phinx International Airport, which is due to begin full operations in 2020 to ease the congestion of Cairo International Airport, has started trail operations with 30 flights to other domestic airports.

The new airport in the outskirts of Cairo, SPX will be operated by EgyptAir. The Minister of Civil Aviation, Younes Al Sayed Hamed El-Masry, said SPX is equipped with

state-of-the-art air traffic control facilities, automatic landing systems, security systems, x-ray explosive detectors and high end CCTV and thermal surveillance cameras.

The project is expected to cost $17 million and it comes as part of the Tourism Ministry’s plan to improve accessibility to historical sites from resort areas on the Red Sea like Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada.

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International News

New aviation policy

by Pakistan

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he Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Pakistan is coming out with a new aviation policy.

A draft proposal for the new aviation policy will be submitted for approval of the federal cabinet this month. In the new policy, more facilities would be provided and procedures would be simplified in a bid to attract more airlines to Pakistan.

In late November 2018, the aviation secretary held a meeting with industry stakeholders and decided to constitute a committee, which would give recommendations for turning the current Open Skies policy into a fair and open sky policy.

Domestic airlines, especially Shaheen Air, which shut down recently, have long expressed their reservations about the Open Skies policy, saying it is hurting local airlines and works in favour of foreign carriers, particularly the Middle Eastern airlines.

The new policy will provide a level playing field for domestic airlines; it will support them at the policy level and give them an edge in procedural and regulatory matters, said a CAA official.

Following the shutdown of operations by Shaheen Air, airfares have surged more than 100 per cent in Pakistan.

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India’s domestic air traffic surges for fourth year

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omestic aviation traffic in India recorded the fastest full-year growth globally for the fourth consecutive year with an 18.6 per cent increase in annual demand in 2018.

Significantly, India was the only country besides the US to record a faster growth than the year before.

Domestic demand is underpinned by robust economic expansion and increasing numbers of city pairs.

The global average growth in domestic traffic was seven per cent, the same was recorded in 2017.

India’s growth of 18.6 per cent was followed by China (11.7 per cent), Russia (9 per cent) and the US (5.1 per cent), according to a report by IATA.

A slowdown in growth was witnessed in international aviation traffic which, at 6.3 per cent, was lower than the 8.6 per cent recorded in 2017. This was on account of growing signs of slowing global economic expansion in the second half of 2018.

World’s longest aircraft gets fullproduction go-ahead

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he world’s longest aircraft is to go into full production with a model that will take its first paying passengers.

The firm had changed its focus last year towards the production of Airlander 10 as a commercial aircraft for customers.

It comes after the prototype £32 million Airlander 10 - a combined plane and airship - was formally retired following successful final testing.

The prototype served its purpose as the world’s first full-sized hybrid aircraft, providing us with the data we needed to move forward from prototype to production standard.

As a result, Bedford firm Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) has been given Production Organisation Approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The firm was given Design Organisation Approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in October last year.

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Opinion

We must leverage our strengths O

ur GDP per capita of US$46,000 is among the highest in the world. However, our average annual economic growth rate over the past decade was merely 2.7 per cent, reflecting a slower growth momentum. We must leverage our strength and take a forward-looking approach in positioning our future development and seeking new impetus. This will enable our economy to grow in a diversified manner.

The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has been the world’s busiest cargo airport for seven years in a row. The cargo it handled accounted for about 1.6 per cent of total cargo volume by weight, but 40 per cent of imports and exports by value. The HKIA boasts a vast global network. This promises ample opportunities for our air cargo industry. The booming of global e-commerce has generated demands for cross-border logistics and delivery services, particularly air delivery and transhipment services.

In December 2017, the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) made available a site of around 5.3 hectares at the South Cargo Precinct of the Airport Island to develop a modern air cargo logistics centre. We are actively considering the redevelopment of the Air Mail Centre at the HKIA, which has been operating for 20 years. The Centre will be equipped with modern facilities to significantly enhance its efficiency and capacity. For fiscal planning, I have set aside $5 billion for the project.

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Our strategic objective is to develop Hong Kong into a trading, storage, logistics and distribution hub for high-value goods such as pharmaceuticals. The AA and the industry will continue to proactively enhance the HKIA’s capacity to handle high-value temperaturecontrolled goods and adopt the necessary temperature control facilities to cater for the special needs in handling such goods.

We strive to develop Hong Kong into a world-class premier tourism destination to ensure the healthy and sustainable development of the industry. I will allocate an additional $396 million to the tourism industry in the new financial year, of which $226 million will be provided for the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) to implement the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism Industry released by the Tourism Commission last year.

Paul Chan Mo-po Financial Secretary Hong Kong

Opinion

Remarkable Change B

ritain’s airports have undergone a remarkable change within a single lifespan and transformed into an incredibly successful and safe industry.

by 2050. We need a long-term plan for sustainable growth so that we better manage the impact of airport expansion on local communities.

The airports industry that supports hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Every week, it directly generates £270 million for the UK economy.

It plays a vital role in attracting inward investment to our country by connecting businesses at home and overseas.

And that’s why we are developing our aviation strategy. A comprehensive, long term vision for the sector up to 2050. As air traffic grows, modernisation of airspace is an increasingly pressing issue. We need to get it right, for the benefit of the industry, passengers, and communities living under flight paths. We’ve already made good progress on this front with the publication of our airspace change framework last year.

Britain today has the third largest aviation network in the world. We imported and exported £170 billion of air freight last year to countries outside the EU. The passenger numbers have surged by 64 million in just 5 years and 284 million people passed through our airports in 2017.

The pace of change in the airport sector is accelerating. We’ve ended decades of dithering over Heathrow expansion with overwhelming support in Parliament for the National Policy Statement.

Chris Grayling Secretary of State for Transport United Kingdom

I can promise that through the aviation strategy we are looking ahead to the challenges of the coming decades. I can tell you that your future in this country is bright. And I can guarantee that by working together we will set a course that allows Britain’s airports to continue to flourish.

There is massive investment going into airports around the country.

At Manchester, Luton and Leeds Bradford for example. And you’ve rolled out new routes to cities in some of the fastest growing parts of the world – for instance the Middle East and China.

Airports are becoming increasingly innovative. Projections show that 435 million passengers a year could be passing through our airports

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ATM

NATS trailing AI technology at Heathrow

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ATS, the UK’s leading provider of air traffic control services handling over 2.5 million flights annually, has started a trail of AI technology at London Heathrow to cut delays.

air traffic control tower, NATS have developed a digital tower laboratory which combines ultra HD 4K cameras with AI and machine learning technology to help to boost the capacity of the UK’s busiest airport.

The artificial intelligence (AI) technology could reclaim 20 per cent of lost capacity caused by low cloud and reduced visibility from the control tower. At Heathrow’s

Heathrow’s 87-metre tall control tower is the highest in the UK, but its height can also mean it disappears into low cloud, even when the runways below are clear.

Phuket airport readies for heavier air traffic

Revolutionising Europe’s ATC system

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revolution in European air traffic management (ATM) has started as airports find ways to cope with the expected massive increase in the number of passengers over the next 10 years.

New ideas delivered by the European research project Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research programme (SESAR) are creating brand new scenarios including a new way of managing flights between different sky sectors, and even digital control towers that can handle traffic remotely.

The main goal of SESAR is the improvement of all systems linked to air traffic management by using digital technology.

The modernisation process is progressively taking off across Europe. And full deployment is expected between now and 2024.

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March 2019

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eronautical Radio of Thailand, the state company for air-traffic controllers better known as Aerothai, will launch a new air-traffic control system at Phuket International Airport to cope with the everincreasing number of flights landing and taking off at the island’s key tourism portal.

New air traffic control systems are being tested at Phuket International Airport as the facility handles more than 300 flights per day. Phuket airport is the thirdbusiest airport in the country, behind only Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang international airports in Bangkok.

Air traffic controllers’ top 10 earners in 2018

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he air traffic controllers are now among the top 10 earners in Australia but applicants for the job are low.

It’s the job that could have successful applicants on a six figure salary from the get go, but you’ll need to pass this test first.

It’s the job that pays more than $140,000 a year on average.

But despite the lucrative income, finding the right candidates to fill

the role of an air traffic controller across Australia isn’t as easy as you might think. In 2018, the role of an air traffic controller entered Australia’s top 10 earners pool, according to the Australian Taxation Office.

Starting salaries for graduate roles in the high-pressure job begin at a handsome $99,898 and, on average, controllers earn $141,795 a year.

Gateways to beauty and opportunity is a government owned company responsible to manage and operate the civil Airports in the Sultanate of Oman under Oman Aviation Group (OAG)

Muscat Int‘l Airport

Salalah Airport

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Airlines

Southwest to end Mexico City flights

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outhwest Airlines will drop service to Mexico City and use the financial resources to bolster other routes.

The Dallas-based airliner says it will cease operations at Benito Juárez Mexico City International Airport on March 30. Currently, nonstop service to Mexico City is only available from Houston airport.

Southwest first began flying to Mexico City as part of a broader international expansion that followed the carrier’s acquisition of AirTran Airways in 2011.

JAL to begin Bengaluru route

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apan Airlines, which serves about 41 million passengers, has plans to launch flights to Bengaluru from Tokyo from 2020.

Travellers will have the luxury of traveling to Tokyo directly via Bengaluru. JAL operates direct flights between Delhi and Tokyo.

As direct flights are currently not in service from Japan, the launch of this service will provide customers from North America a new option when traveling to the southern region of India, the airline said.

This will be India’s first flight to the East Asian country via any southern city. The relaxation of visa norms

by India from January would help boost connectivity and movement of people between the two countries.

The Oneworld alliance member currently flies to 92 destinations.

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It first international flights on its own planes came in July 2014, when it launched six routes to destinations in the Caribbean. A seventh route followed later that week.

The carrier’s exit from nonstop service between Mexico City and Houston Hobby will leave the route unserved, FlightGlobal schedules data show.

Aeromexico, Interjet and United Airlines offer nonstop service between Houston Intercontinental and Mexico City. Southwest is the third North American airline in recent months to

announce plans to leave the Mexican capital. Alaska Airlines and WestJet exited Mexico City in 2018.

Southwest has no plans to add new international points in 2019, as it focuses on getting its long-planned Hawaii service off the ground.

Spirit Airlines prepares expansion plans

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pirit Airlines is targeting a decision by the middle of the year on its next order of single-aisle jets as the carrier prepares its expansion plans over the next five years.

The heavy discounter is talking to each of the major manufacturers, Airbus, Boeing and Embraer, Chief Financial Officer Scott Haralson said. The order size will depend on pricing, though the carrier is trying to secure enough aircraft to tide it over at least through 2022.

Spirit has been expanding its network connecting smaller and midsize cities to popular tourist destinations.

The airline already has plans to expand its fleet of Airbus A320-family planes to 177 by the end of 2021, according to its website.

He said the airline was weighing the viability of adding a new aircraft type with a different cockpit design to the fleet, despite the increased operational complexity.

Cargo & Logistics

Swissport to acquire 100 per cent stake in Heathrow Cargo Handling

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wissport has taken 100 per cent control of Heathrow Cargo Handling (HCH) after acquiring the 50 per cent stake held by joint venture partner Air France.

cargo, seven percent more than in 2017. HCH has been providing cargo handling services at Heathrow, one of Europe’s busiest air cargo hubs, since 1995.

Last year, the HCH joint venture, with a workforce of some 120 employees, handled over 150,000 tons of air

The Switzerland-based ground handler said that the HCH acquisition enables Swissport to “invest further “in its air cargo operation and service capabilities at Heathrow airport, where it operates two warehouses with a total surface of some 15,300 square metres.

The completion of the HCH share acquisition by Swissport is subject to Competition and Markets Authority approval and is expected in the first half of 2019.

Saudia Cargo teams up with new port on air-sea solution

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audi Airlines Cargo has signed an agreement with the recently-opened King Abdullah Port to help establish logistics operations between the sea gateway and King Abdulaziz International Airport.

The agreement will establish a cargo corridor between the port and King Abdulaziz International Airport to re-export it by air.

The project is in line with the Saudi Vision 2030, which in part aims to turn the country into an international logistics hub.

TSA secures US-bound air cargo

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he US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) inspects air carriers and assesses foreign airports to help ensure the security of US-bound air cargo.

The GAO observed 17 air carrier inspections and found that TSA inspectors consistently followed TSA procedures. Further, GAO’s analysis of TSA data found air carriers were in full compliance with cargo security requirements in 84 percent of the nearly 5,000 cargo inspections conducted during fiscal years 2012 through 2017. The TSA officials were able to resolve a majority of the violations identified during the inspection process.

Foreign airport assessments.

GAO analysis of TSA data found

that about 75 percent of the foreign airport assessments that TSA conducted during fiscal years 2012 through 2017 fully complied with international air cargo security standards. As of the end of 2017, foreign officials had addressed about 40 percent of the non-compliance issues. TSA continues to work with foreign officials to address the remaining non-compliance issues.

Lufthansa Cargo to add four B777Fs in 2019

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ufthansa Cargo will take delivery of two B777-Fs in 2019, while a further two units of the type will be delivered this year to Lufthansa Group joint venture AeroLogic for the exclusive use of Lufthansa Cargo.

The two Boeing freighters for AeroLogic, a 50/50 joint venture between Lufthansa and DHL Express, will deliver in February and September 2019, respectively. The new deliveries will allow Lufthansa Cargo to retire two MD-11(F).

While the carrier was planning to replace the remaining MD-11Fs, it had not yet set a fixed date for the complete phase-out of the type.

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