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RAK Int’l Airport sees 4 new airlines starting operations

RAK International Airport expects four new commercial airlines to start operations from October this year, Chairman Shaikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi told Khaleej Times in an interview.

Without disclosing the name, the chairman said these new carriers are coming from Asia and Europe.

RAK Airways will remain the primary airline of the airport and additional capacity will be allotted to new airlines, he said.

RAK Airways expects 77,000 passengers a month by the end of 2013, Shaikh Salem said, who is also vice-chairman of the airline. “The airline will get two new aircraft this year and expect to open more sectors and increased frequencies to existing routes,” he added.

“We will double the passenger capacity of the airport from next month to meet the growing demand,” the chairman said.

The annual passenger capacity will cross one million mark for this first time in the third week of June, he said, adding that the current capacity is 545,000 passengers per year and it handled 406,000 passengers last year.

“We are investing Dh50 million this year to expand the infrastructure of the airport,” he said. There will be new cater facility from last quarter of the year, new retail and F&B experience, new check-in hall, new baggage system and etc., he added.

RAK Airport’s major upgrade programme involves increasing annual passenger handling capacity to three million by 2015, according to the chairman.

Talking about biggest attractions to airlines, he said there: zero slot restrictions, quick and efficient processing times, quieter skies over RAK to optimize flying time and 21 minutes fuel burn efficiency per engine, and other commercial incentives.

Charter business is another important area for the airport, he said, adding: “We receive 30 charter flights a month and mostly from Europe.”

The airport aims to spruce up business in charter and scheduled airlines, which is its 2013 focus.

This year, there are three strategic focus areas for the airport, he said, adding that cargo, MRO and training.

Further elaborating, he said the focus will be to support the growth of RAK Airways, cargo growth, public private partnership based concessions, charter flights and tourism.

He said the airport expect up to 40 per cent growth in passengers and revenues this year.

Earlier this month, RAK International Airport announced its first quarter result that shows significant growth. The airport reported 31 per cent more revenue compared to the same period last year. Contributing to this growth were 42 per cent in aircraft movements and 100 per cent growth in retail.

RAK tourism

He said tourism market is flourishing and hotels running on almost 100 per cent occupancy. “We have 3,000 rooms and will be adding 2,000 more rooms this year. So there will be 5,000 room in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) by the end of this year,” he informed.

The emirate hosted more than 1.2 million tourists in 2012. Tourism is being led by European holidaymakers seeking a quieter sun-spot compared to the neighbouring emirates, lured by RAK’s picturesque mountains and pristine beaches.

“We have a lot of tourists facilities such as mountains, water sports, beaches, archaeological site, historical site, shopping, desert safaris and one of the biggest water park in the region,” the chairman said.

— abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com