Full article in JPG format: page 24/25 & page 26
It is virtually a foregone conclusion that 2014 will be another bumper year for civil aviation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Dubai’s Emirates Airline and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways are on-track for yet more double-digit traffic growth, while Sharjah’s Air Arabia and FlyDubai continue adding new short-haul markets to their respective hubs.
In the northern emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, however, the New Year heralded an altogether less favourable development. On 1 January 2014, for the second time in its eight-year history, flag carrier RAK Airways announced that it was suspending operations indefinitely. Management promised to “re-evaluate the best options” for the government-owned airline, but they stopped short of making a firm commitment that flights would resume...
