Vol 2 Issue 3

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                       MIDDLE EAST

• Bahrain • CYPRUS • Iran • Iraq • Jordan • Kuwait • Lebanon • Oman • Qatar • Saudi Arabia • Syria • UNITED ARAB EMIRATES • Yemen 
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Lebanon’s TMA Cargo Airline Expands into Charters

Lebanon’s Trans Mediterranean Airways (TMA) has launched a charter business to areas not serviced by Lebanon’s state carrier, Middle East Airlines. “It is always our president’s aim to expand,” states TMA’s Vice-President for quality assurance Nicolas Khoury. “The company has taken advantage of the post-September 11th 2001 slump in air travel that has left many planes on the ground and made leasing them cheaper,“ he said. TMA has also started operating a weekly flight to the Turkish resort town of Bodrum that also stops every other week at Dalaman.
 

New SkyChain module keeps
customers updated

SkyChain, Emirates SkyCargo’s logistics management system, has taken a major step forward in making life easier for the airline’s cargo customers with the launch of a new module. Now, customers can receive automatic notification from the airline, by SMS or email, of the progress of a shipment.

The new module - Automatic Status Notification - removes the need for cargo customers to access the Tracking module or call up the airline to find out what has happened to a shipment.

Niranjan Navaratnarajah, Emirates Manager Cargo Systems and Revenue Planning, commented: “This new facility has phenomenal value for the busy 

shipper or cargo agent. Those customers to whom we have demonstrated it are over the moon about it. A large part of a cargo agent’s day is spent finding out the status of various shipments. With Automatic Status Notification, that job is now done for him. It will save him time and money.”

Emirates SkyCargo has steadily expanded SkyChain, the world’s most advanced logistics management system, since it was first launched in 1998. The customer can chat online with third parties, print airwaybills and barcodes and make claims in addition to checking schedules, making bookings 250 days ahead of transportation and tracing and tracking.

Cathay Pacific takes control of AHK’s
operations in the region


Under a corporate restructuring programme, Cathay Pacific has taken control of Air Hong Kong’s (AHK) cargo operations in the region. AHK’s services from Dubai to Brussels, Manchester, London, Paris and Frankfurt will now be carried out by its parent company Cathay Pacific.

According to Mohsin Chowdhury, Cargo Manager of Cathay Pacific for UAE, Oman and Pakistan, and country manager of Air Hong Kong, UAE, business has not faltered since the change; in fact, the amount of cargo being moved by the airline has grown.

The airline has doubled its frequency from 18 freighters to 35 freighters a week, which has resulted in an obvious increase in cargo volume, resulting in 10 to 15 per cent growth.

Customers have benefited from the restructure and more are coming on board thanks to the extra selling points.


The corporate restructuring programme of AHK was part of the company’s move to focus on serving Asia, aimed at maximising the group’s efficiency of cargo operations. 

“Our relationship with the industry and suppliers will continue. In effect, we’ll have the same professionals offering the same service, but put under one umbrella, which would increase efficiency of the group,“ Mohsin Chowdhury.

With the integration of Air Hong Kong operations, Cathay Pacific will operate 31 cargo flights per week into Dubai, serving its hub in Hong Kong and five destinations in Europe.

New Appointment


Federal Express Corp. has announced the appointment of Guillaume Sauzier as the new Regional Sales Manager for Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, Oman, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. In his new position, Sauzier will focus on maintaining FedEx’ world-class service standards, and increasing market share.
 

Oman to invest Riyals 100m for airport expansion

The Oman Airports Management Co. will invest more than R100 million during the upcoming period to develop and expand Seeb and Salalah Airports. The company had recently embarked on studying the development and expansion of the two airports by appointing seven specialist consultants. The study is likely to be completed by the beginning of next year. The expansion work at the Seeb International Airport would commence by the middle of next year and is scheduled for completion in 2006 to raise the airport’s capacity from 2.5 million passengers to 6.5 million. 

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