Aviation

New Country Manager for Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates has appointed Kumar De Silva as its country manager for Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Based in Colombo, De Silva, will re-establish the airline's office and oversee its operations in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Etihad Airways' regional general manager for North Asia and the Indian Subcontinent Joost den Hartog said, "Etihad is very pleased to return to Sri Lanka and looks forward to the successful resumption of flights next month. We have an enormous opportunity to make a real contribution to the growth of trade and tourism as Sri Lanka re-establishes its position in the global arena.

"De Silva's extensive experience in the airline industry and his in-depth local knowledge will be invaluable in growing the operation between Abu Dhabi and Colombo," he said.

During his five-year association with Etihad Airways De Silva has set up three new outstation operations in Colombo, Tehran and Kathmandu. He has a wealth of commercial airline experience in senior management positions at Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airlines and Thai Airways. When it resumes operations to Colombo next month, Etihad will operate four flights per week from Abu Dhabi to Sri Lanka's using an Airbus A320 aircraft. The timing of the flights has been carefully scheduled to facilitate onward connections from a number of key destinations on the airline's network, including Moscow and North America.

Flight EY266 will depart Abu Dhabi on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 9.40pm and arrive at the Katunayake international airport at 3.30am the following day.

Return flight EY267 will depart Colombo on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 4.30am, arriving in Abu Dhabi at 7.45 the same morning.

Korea's first A380 takes flight

The aviation world's first A380 operation to Seoul, and Emirates first A380 flight to North East Asia touched down to a vibrant and colourful welcomed at Incheon International Airport.

The first commercial A380 jet to land on Korean soil brought with it passengers from 27 countries including the U.A.E., Bahrain, Qatar, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia and the UK, and over 10 tonnes of cargo.

The new service demonstrates Emirates investment in the Korean economy, perfectly timed to support Visit Korea Year in 2010. It will operate initially on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, advancing to a daily operation from 27th December.

A high-level Emirates delegation led by Tim Clark, President, Emirates airline travelled on the first A380 flight. It included Richard Vaughan, Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide and Richard Jewsbury, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Far East and Australasia. On arrival the delegation was welcomed by CW Lee, President and CEO of Incheon International Airport Corporation; YJ Woo, Chief Administrator of Seoul Regional Aviation Administration; Sonia Hong, Secretary General of Visit Korea Committee and over 120 government dignitaries and media personnel.

Clark said they Emirates is delighted to launch Korea's first A380 service. Our partners at Incheon International Airport have invested heavily to make the airport a world-class A380 facility and for this we thank them.

Air transportation is a key facilitator of economic growth. Since the launch of Emirates services to Seoul in 2005 using an Airbus 340-300, we have stimulated the flow of business and leisure traffic to and from Korea.

Our flights have connected Korea to potential and emerging Middle East and African markets thus creating new business opportunities. Our services have also served the needs of over 70,000 Korean corporate travellers and holiday-makers visiting the UAE annually.

While I am confident the enhanced capacity of the A380 will add further momentum to the growth of the Korean economy, I believe it is just not enough. The strong demand for passenger and cargo services on the Dubai-Seoul-Dubai route outstrips the available capacity which is restricted by the present bilateral agreement to eight flights a week.

The U.A.E. and Korea share close relations, strengthened further with the high profile visits of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the U.A.E. and Ruler of Dubai to Korea in May 2007, and of Noh Moo-Hyun, the (late) President of Korea to the U.A.E. in 2007.

Korea is a major stakeholder in Dubai's expansion and Korean companies are involved in some of the most high-profile projects in the emirate.

Oman Air sponsors Stableford Golf Championship

Oman Air will sponsor the inaugural Oman Air Stableford Golf Championship organized by the Victoria Golf and Country Resort. The championship was held on Saturday at the Victoria Golf Course, Digana, Kandy.

The Stableford golf championship included a number of events such as gross and net championship for men and women - while the organizers put together a fancy Christmas party and awards ceremony at the club house. Oman Air's Country Manager for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Gihan Karunaratne said, "We are very happy to sponsor an event of this nature.

"The Victoria Golf and Country Resort is a beautiful place, and this golf championship will be an annual event."