Dubai Airports top 51m passengers but 2012 looks a tougher year
Dubai Airports handled a record 51 million passengers in 2011, up eight per cent on the previous year. But cargo volume fell 1.5 per cent to 2.2 million tons as the global economy slowed down.…
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Emirates lands in Rio and Buenos Aires as Qatar halts seat sale
Emirates Airline flies into 2012 with an ambitious year of expansion ahead, particularly in North and South America. Last Tuesday Emirates started flights to Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires from Dubai.
There are big…
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Dubai Metro to get Dubai Mall walkway, DIFC next?
Commuters, shoppers and tourists who currently make the 800-metre walk from the Dubai Metro station to the Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa will benefit from a new air-conditioned walkway next year, according to an announcement…
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Flight review: Flydubai still not quite up to the standards of Ryanair
Every time a Ryanair flight lands on time in Europe a claxon sounds. Flydubai would claim an 85 per cent on time service from Dubai. But it was not like that on our short Dubai…
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Buying Air Berlin stake a clever game changer by Etihad Airways to get to the heart of Europe
Abu Dhabi’s state-owned airline Etihad is cleverly expanding its feeder network in Europe’s richest nation through the acquisition of a 29.2 per cent stake in Air Berlin, a massive jump on its previous 2.99 per…
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Flight review: London Heathrow to Dubai on the A380
Where the model of the Concorde once stood on an island in the road approaching London Heathrow now stands a downsized replica of an Emirates A380. It’s a reminder that this aircraft is now the…
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Air freight contraction in Dubai first indicator of a local and global slowdown in trade
Falling air cargo movements are always a good lead indicator of an economic slowdown as this shows a switch to cheaper and slower methods of moving freight. Global figures show a 4.6 per cent fall…
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Restaurant review: Can Can, Ritz-Carlton DIFC, best value lunch in town?
The Ritz-Carlton hotel chain is not normally the sort of place you associate with great value lunches. Its normal style is to be impressively expensive. But for diners in the Can Can French brasserie in…
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A quiet Dubai Airshow despite the $18bn Boeing 777 order from Emirates
The long shadow of the eurozone crisis has fallen over the Dubai Airshow this year with an absence of big orders with the honourable exception of Emirates’ $18 billion order for another 50 Boeing 777s.…
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Airlines face losses or stagnant revenues for 24-36 months says Qatar Airways CEO
Global airlines have flown into severe turbulence this year and the continuing fall-out from the eurozone crisis promises a tough 24-36 month period warned Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker at the Dubai Airshow today.…
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