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Christmas spirit grips UAE
Christmas spirit grips UAE Staff Reporter / 26 December 2013 People get together with loved ones on Christmas to pray for peace, harmony and prosperity in the coming year. The Christmas tree put up at the Mall of the Emirates and the decorations surrounding it served as the perfect background for photo enthusiasts. — KT photo by Shihab The festive spirit gripped the country on Wednesday, as people got together with loved ones on Christmas to pray for peace, harmony and prosperity in the coming year. Several residents that Khaleej Times caught up with, especially children, said their wish to Santa is to end the suffering of children in Syria, Philippines, and other areas, where people are grappling with the aftermath of disasters — both natural and man made. Eight-year-old Julian Duff, a British expatriate, said: “My mother said that we should always pray for people who are in need. So my wish to Santa is that children everywhere must be happy.” Christmas wishes put up at the St Mary’s Church in Dubai on Wednesday. — KT photo by Rahul Gajjar Julian’s parents’ got him a brand new battery operated race car and clothes on Christmas eve. People were also seen crowding at shopping malls, completing last minute shopping. Some residents said they miss celebrating with their family members back in their home countries. Melanie Donohue, an Irish national, said: “I miss my family and the Christmas weather back home. But Dubai so far has been great as well. You can buy pretty much everything that you usually get back home. I just finished a whole lot of last minute shopping and am heading back home for some turkey and other delicious Christmas goodies.” Sharjah resident and school teacher Seena Japeth said: “We miss our relatives back home. Here we celebrate more with friends than with our family. There was a hearty Christmas meal; we shared cake with our friends.” Indian national, Cherian V, said: “There is a wonderful spirit in the air and Christmas is mostly about spending quality time with friends and family members, which is exactly what we try and do. Our kids need to know the importance of tradition and spending time with family. This is one of the ways in which we can remind kids of family values.” An evening at the church Roses outside St Mary’s Catholic Church in Oudh Metha were being sold by the dozen on Christmas. Muthu, a rose-seller stationed at the Church, told Khaleej Times that he sold about 100 stems of pink and red roses by the afternoon of the 25th. The roses were bought and placed at the foot of the barn inside the church premises, constructed with hay and gunny sacks and a small toy figure of baby Jesus. Multiple counters were bustling with people buying 2014 calendars with photos of Mother Mary and Jesus, Bibles, Novenas and prayer beads. On Tuesday afternoon at 3.30pm, the church held a mass for the old and sick. Carol singing took place from 11.30pm onwards. The mass itself had a packed audience. In the main hall, at least 30 rows of pews tightly accommodated hundreds of worshippers singing hymns. Loudspeakers in the compound carried the voices of the hymns outside. People were dressed in their Christmas-best and were seen posing for photos. Office-goers were present too. They were either given the day off or availed of one to spend Christmas with families, eating festive food. It was a merry Christmas indeed. – news@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Al Maktoum International takes off today
Al Maktoum International takes off today Muzaffar Rizvi / 27 October 2013 Al Maktoum all set to start its quest to become the world’s busiest airport with the launch of commercial passenger operations today The stage is set for Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central (DWC), which is going to start its quest to become the world’s busiest airport with the launch of commercial passenger operations today. Hungary’s Wizz Air will kick off services at the new airport, which will be the largest in the world with five runways and a capacity for 160 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo upon completion by 2020. Initially, the airport will be handling seven million passengers annually. Al Maktoum International, the UAE’s newest gateway, is part of a $132 billion DWC project, which comprises a 140sqkm multi-phase development of six clustered zones that includes Dubai Logistics City, Commercial City, Residential City, Aviation City and Golf City. Strategically located in the vicinity of the Jebel Ali Port and Free Zone, the development is the region’s first integrated, multi-modal transportation platform connecting air, sea and land, and will serve the region as an “international business hub” for decades to come. Once completed, the development will have up to four passenger terminals and five parallel runways, each 4.5 kilometres long. The airport’s first phase includes a single A380-compatible runway and 64 remote aircraft stands and is ready to offer airlines a complete new catchment area. The authorities are working hard to reinvent the airport experience at DWC with the launch of innovative services to cut short the journey time by reducing checks at the airport through state-of-the-art automated systems. Passengers may be able to get their security status predetermined before leaving for the airport by checking in from their home or office. “DWC is Dubai’s airport of the future and a fundamental element of our master plan, which is being designed to accommodate the tremendous passenger growth being projected until 2040 and beyond,” Dubai Airports chief executive officer Paul Griffiths said in a recent statement to Khaleej Times . Dubai Airports, which owns and manages the operations of Dubai International and Al Maktoum International, launched general aviation operations at DWC on April 28, 2011. The new 220sqkm airport has been handling cargo flights since June 2010 and has quickly established itself as an emerging cargo airport in the region with 36 airlines. It handled 219,092 tonnes of air freight during its second full calendar year of operations in 2012, reflecting an increase of 144 per cent over 2011. Following the approval from the General Civil Aviation Authority to begin receiving passengers today, Dubai Airports conducted an extensive operational trial to test the readiness of the passenger terminal building at Al Maktoum International earlier this month. Dubai Airports has so far confirmed memoranda of understanding with four airlines, three of which have identified operational start dates. As Wizz Air is all set to launch its operations from the new airport today, Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways and Bahrain’s Gulf Air will start serving the new facility on October 31 and December 8, respectively. Saudi Arabian low-cost airline nasair currently is the only airline that signed an MoU to serve Al Maktoum International, but is so far unable to identify the suitable time frame to launch its operation from the new facility. Wizz Air, which provides low-cost air transport across 30 countries with 16 bases across Europe, will provide non-stop services linking DWC to Central and Eastern Europe effective today. The airline has a fleet of 40 Airbus A320 aircraft operating over 1,500 weekly flights to 93 destinations. It is also planning to use Al Maktoum International as a base to further launch its operations to connect India and Pakistan to various destination in Europe. Jazeera Airways will start serving the new facility with two weekly flights starting October 31. Jazeera Airways serves 19 popular destinations in the Middle East from Kuwait. “We firmly believe that Al Maktoum International Airport has a strong potential and one day it will become one of the largest airports in the whole region. That’s why Jazeera Airways decided to be there first to operate flights to it,” Jazeera Airways Group chairman Marwan Boodai told Khaleej Times. Gulf Air, which commenced operations in 1950, plans to operate a daily service linking DWC to its home base in Bahrain. The airline already operates 51 flights per week into Dubai International and is quite confident of attracting more leisure and business travellers through Al Maktoum International. Bahrain’s flag carrier is a major international carrier serving 32 cities in 21 countries, spanning three continents. The airline operates one of the largest networks in the Middle East, with double-daily flights to over 10 regional capitals from its hub at Bahrain International Airport. Gulf Air serves all its destinations with a combination wide- and narrow-body fleet totalling 26 modern aircraft. “We are delighted to be the first full-service carrier operating to Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central. The airport’s close proximity to the holiday, residential and business developments of Arabian Ranches, Dubai Marina, Dubai Media City and Palm Jumeirah make it an attractive, alternative and time-saving travel proposition for passengers located in or travelling to these areas,” said Maher Salman Al Musallam, acting chief executive officer of Gulf Air. Emirates airline may begin its service to Al Maktoum International in the mid-2020s, while Emirates SkyCargo’s new terminal at the new facility is expected to start operations in April 2014. According to aviation circles, more international and regional airlines are in discussions with Dubai Airports to start or shift their operations to the new facility in the near future. They say existing airlines operating to and from Dubai International are expected to start using the new facility in mid-2014 when its runway will undergo extensive works next year. The airport is undergoing a big expansion to increase its capacity to 100 million by 2020. “Al Maktoum will be a more busy facility in 2014 as many airlines may be temporarily shifting their operations to the new airport because of scheduled runway maintenance work at Dubai International,” according to an analyst. Airlines may be forced to reschedule their flight plans during an 80-day period of runway maintenance work starting on May 1. The renovation of two existing runways at Dubai International will hit airlines and they may redirect their flights to Al Maktoum International that will open a new window of opportunity for them. “With the current airport due to have extensive runway work next year, many airlines will look to see how the opening days and weeks of DWC fairs, so they can gauge whether it’s worthwhile temporarily or permanently moving operations there to take advantage of the new capacity at the airport,” Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research, told Khaleej Times. Ahmad said the opening of Al Maktoum International Airport paves the way for a decade or more of intense expansion and development at DWC, allowing extra flights, capacity and flight options for Dubai and its international passengers. “As a grand vision, airports being built on this scale are few and far between — and with Dubai World Central already operating an extensive freighter-based service for cargo airlines, the airport opening up to passenger flights will mean an additional gateway for passengers,” he said. Another analyst says Dubai is expected to be handling 260 million passengers annually by 2020 in case authorities decide to sustain operations at both Dubai International and Al Maktoum International in the wake of a successful bid for World Expo 2020. With a view of handling some 160 million passengers, Ahmad said Al Maktoum International Airport’s opening could not have come at a better time for Dubai. “The airport is also the permanent new home to the Dubai Air Show, which opens in a few weeks too — this is a great platform for Dubai and the UAE and it’s clear that the allure of Dubai and its travel options will only get more robust because of this new infrastructure,” he said. — muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Shaikh Mohammed reaffirms UAE support to Egypt
Shaikh Mohammed reaffirms UAE support to Egypt (Wam) / 27 October 2013 Shaikh Mohammed assures that the UAE leadership and government are supporting Egypt, the Egyptian people and the new political leadership. His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, held talks with visiting Egyptian Prime Minister Dr Hazem Al Beblawi at Zabeel Palace on Saturday. Shaikh Mohammed and Al Beblawi discussed the security, economic and social situation and the current political changes in Egypt. Shaikh Mohammed assured that the UAE leadership and government are supporting Egypt, the Egyptian people and the new political leadership. He asserted that supporting Egypt in this phase is a service to the entire Arab world. Shaikh Mohammed recalled Shaikh Zayed’s position in the 1980s when he insisted on Egypt returning to the Arab fold as he believed that Egypt is the heart of Arab world. Courtesy: Youtube.com/Sheikhmohammed.ae Dr Al Beblawi thanked Shaikh Mohammed for all support received from the UAE to enable Egypt and its people to pass this phase and successfully restore the political, security and economic stability. Al Beblawi assured that the domestic situation in Egypt is back to normal and it is in the process of recovery and stability, thanking the support of Egypt’s loyal friends and especially the UAE. The Egyptian people appreciate and value the historic and honourable stance of the government and people of the UAE towards Egypt after the 30th of June revolution, Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Bahaa-Eldin, who is part of the delegation, said. “We not only thank the UAE for its support to Egypt but (we are) also grateful because that assistance came within the context of implementing the economic programme, laid down by the government to improve living conditions,” Bahaa-Eldin told Wam. Shaikh Mohammed held a lunch banquet for the Egyptian Prime Minister and his accompanying delegation. The banquet was attended by Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of International Cooperation and Development; Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs; Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Suhail Mohammed Faraj Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy; Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs; Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State; Dr Nabeel Fahmi, Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs; Osama Saleh, Egyptian Minister of Investment; and Dr Hisham Ramiz, Governor of Egyptian Central Bank. Continue reading
