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Emirates to recruit 8,000 cabin crew
DUBAI’S Emirates Airlines is investing Dh73 million ($20 million) in the expansion of its crew training facility at Garhoud.

The airline is expected to hire 8,000 new cabin crew, as it takes delivery of the Airbus A380 Superjumbos from April next year, according to the Tradearabia News Service. This is in addition to the 6,000 cabin crew the airline already has. By 2011, it expects to have more than 14,000 cabin crew on its payroll.

OAS records RO1.1m profit
OMAN Aviation Services said its gross profit before tax for 2005 was an estimated RO1.1 million ($2.86 million), up 32.9 per cent over the previous year. The firm, which operates national carrier Oman Air, said in a statement that its financial results were not yet audited.
The company’s net profit jumped 766 per cent to RO1.35 million for the first nine months of 2005 over the same period of 2004, despite a record rise in fuel prices. It returned to profit in the first half of 2005, partly due to a sale of portfolio investments, after losses in the same period in 2004.

Orascom takes to the skies
ORASCOM Hotels is planning to set up international and domestic airlines. Sun Air, a domestic Egyptian airline, is set to take off by mid 2006, while Orascom and a Tunisian partner will also launch a charter airline connecting European and Egyptian destinations with two Airbus A320 planes.

Air Arabia to fly Tehran
LOW-FARES airline Air Arabia has announced its first new destination for this year with three flights a week to the Iranian capital, Tehran. Fares will start from Dh150 for flights to Tehran from Sharjah, exclusive of taxes and charges with similar fares for the return trip. Flights to Tehran will start February 1 on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday departing Sharjah at 10.50am to arrive in Tehran at 12.20pm and departing Tehran at 1.05 pm to arrive in Sharjah at 3.45 pm local time. Meanwhile, the airline has announced that it has been able to consistently maintain flights punctuality with 91 per cent of schedules from Bahrain departing on time. Daily flights to Bahrain depart Sharjah at 17.35 to arrive in Bahrain at 17.45, departing Bahrain at 18.30 to arrive in Sharjah at 20.40 local time.

Record revenue for Saudi airline
SAUDI Arabian Airlines posted a record revenue of SR15.4 billion ($4.10 billion) in 2005 from SR13.5 billion ($3.60 billion) in 2004. Most of the increase came from the growth in the number of Haj and Umrah travellers and in the number of international passengers and cargo shipments. The airline also reported an SR60 million increase in its profits in 2005. The airline’s profits increased from SR440 million ($117 million) in 2004 to SR500 million ($133 million) in 2005. In 2004, the airline carried 15.7 million passengers while in 2005, the number exceeded 16 million.

Fly and drive... cheap!
CAR RENTAL company Holiday Autos is partnering with the low-fares airline Air Arabia to market car rental at specific destinations across the region. The partnership offers car transfers and easy pre-bookings via a link at airarabia.com. All Air Arabia passengers get five per cent off on Holiday Autos cars.

Singapore to fly Abu Dhabi
Singapore Airlines will start flying to Abu Dhabi three times a week from March 1 in Boeing 777-200 aircraft, its second UAE destination after Dubai. The airline will also start flying to Moscow from Dubai as of March 1.

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