AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, aviation briefs
Nov 29, 2012 (Menafn - AME Info - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --AL JABER PICKS BOMBARDIER FOR DUBAI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CONTRACT: Al Jaber LEGT Engineering and Contracting has awarded Bombardier Transportation a Dhs392m contract to design and build an Innovia APM 300 automated people mover (APM) system for the Dubai International Airport. As per the deal, Bombardier will lead the project design and supply all of the system-wide electrical and mechanical (E&M) elements of the 1.5km elevated APM system in a 24-month delivery programme. The system will include 18 Innovia APM 300 cars with Bombardier Cityflo 650 communications-based train control (CBTC) technology for driverless operation. The company will also provide project management, systems engineering and integration, testing and commissioning.
SAUDI ARABIA DELAYS ISSUING NEW AVIATION LICENCES: Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA) has said it has postponed until the end of this year awarding new carrier licences, saying it needs more time to evaluate the bids, Reuters has reported. "(GACA) needs more time to choose the best operating models after it completes the analysis and evaluation of the bids that were received from the companies," GACA said. The licence, which 14 companies had applied for, is to operate both local and international flights. Qatar Airways, Bahrain Air and Gulf Air are among the firms in pre-qualified consortia bidding for the licence.
PETRA AIRLINES TO LAUNCH SCHEDULED SERVICES: The Jordanian Civil Aviation Authority has granted its approval to independent Jordanian carrier Petra Airlines to launch scheduled passenger services from next spring, Routes Online has reported. Petra Airlines was founded in 2005 as a division of the Rum Group, but did not launch operations until October 2010 when it took delivery of its first aircraft. Over the subsequent two years it has operated two Airbus A320s on charter work, ad hoc flying, aircraft, complete crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMIs) and tour operator packages, across a network that has included destinations in Armenia, Egypt, Italy, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
QANTAS ACCUSES INVESTOR GROUP OF SEEKING TO SABOTAGE EMIRATES ALLIANCE: Australia's Qantas Airways has accused a group of investors that includes the airline's former CEO of trying to sabotage a recent alliance with Dubai's Emirates Airline, Reuters has reported. Local media say the group of investors has accumulated a 1.5 percent stake in the airline and is seeking a shareholder-led change in strategy. Qantas current chief executive Alan Joyce told journalists in Sydney yesterday that the majority of shareholders as well as customers and employees supported the Emirates alliance. He also said that while it was clear that the investor group did not support the Emirates alliance, it was not clear what their strategy was.
GULF AIR PLANS EXPANSION IN INDIA: Karim Makhlouf, the chief commercial officer of Gulf Air, has said the Manama-based carrier plans to expand its operations in India, with service to Pune, Ahmedabad and Amritsar in the medium term, PTI has reported. "In the short term, we plan to focus on our current operations in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kochi," he added.
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