The Somaliland government has lifted its suspension of Emirati low-cost carrier flydubai (FZ, Dubai Int’l) following a bilateral agreement between their respective civil aviation authorities.
This was disclosed at a news conference recently by Somaliland Civil Aviation and Airports Authority (SCAAA) director Omar-Sayid Qalombi, reported the Som Tribune newspaper.
As previously reported, the Emirati low-cost carriers flydubai and Air Arabia (G9, Sharjah), in November 2020, found their route licenses to Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland (an unrecognised self-proclaimed territory in northern Somalia), withdrawn. This came after they had adhered to a Somali government ban on international flights imposed due to COVID-19. The Somaliland government demanded an apology from the two carriers and that they should come to an agreement with its own regulator, which appears to have now ensued.
Omar-Sayid Qalombi said the ban had been based on a decision by the Somaliland Ministerial Council dated October 17, 2020, that foreign state-owned carriers must have a license from the SCAAA based on a business entry agreement between both states. Such an agreement had been finalised, and state-owned flydubai could now resume flights to Hargeisa as soon as it was ready to do so, he said.
He said privately-owned airlines and charter companies could apply for licenses on the strength of their own merit, prevailing conditions, and market demand and did not require an agreement between states. Publicly-listed Air Arabia was expected to benefit from this new development.
“Once the airlines conform to requisite provisos, there is little else needed,” the director said.
Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa) had reportedly exploited the absence of the Emirati carriers by hiking its fares on the Hargeisa route, highlighting the need for more competition in the market. The Ethiopian state carrier serves Hargeisa daily and sometimes twice daily from Addis Ababa with a B737-800, the ch-aviation schedules module reveals.
El Al Israel Airlines (LY, Tel Aviv Ben Gurion) has announced the resumption of all flights between Tel Aviv Ben Gurion and Dubai Int’l from March 8, 2022, following a last-minute political solution between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to a dispute over security arrangements.
“As a result, we are back to full action,” the Israeli flag carrier announced on social media. It said flights would return gradually starting on March 8 with up to three/four daily flights to Dubai.
A dispute that arose last month over airport security at Dubai had threatened a cut-off of services between the territories on March 8. However, a series of meetings in the last two weeks between the security agencies of both countries resulted in a last-minute agreement on March 4, local media reported.
Israel’s security agency Shin Bet in a statement announced that “understandings were reached and joint work principles and security arrangements agreed that will allow Israeli airline companies to return to fly to Dubai on a regular and ongoing basis”, according…
Israeli carriers may be forced to suspend flights to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following a disagreement between Israel’s internal security service (Shin Bet) and the security authorities in Dubai.
The Jerusalem Post said in its report that the dispute centres on Shin Bet’s inability to provide Israeli airlines with the necessary security at Dubai Int’l.
“Over the past few months, security disputes have been revealed between the competent bodies in Dubai and the Israeli aviation security system in a way that does not allow for the responsible enactment of security for Israeli aviation,” the agency told the newspaper in a statement.
At present, El Al Israel Airlines, Arkia Israeli Airlines, and Israir all offer scheduled flights to Dubai from Tel Aviv Ben Gurion. The possibility of transferring their flights to Abu Dhabi Int’l is being examined should no acceptable solution be found in Dubai.
“It should be emphasised that the disputes are [regarding] a security basis that is contrary to the standards used at the airport in Dubai and…
Aktau, Aktobe, and Almaty airports have suffered operational disruptions after anti-government protesters took over their premises. The Aktobe and Almaty facilities have since reopened but most flights remain suspended.
The demonstrators entered Almaty and Aktau airports on January 5, 2022, according to Orda.kz news website. The pro-government broadcaster Khabar24 reported that on January 6, Aktobe airport had also been closed. Russian pro-government news Sputnik has reported, citing sources on the ground, that the protesters did not inflict any damage on airport infrastructure or parked aircraft.
Almaty airport was reportedly recaptured by government forces on January 5, according to Deputy Mayor Yerzhan Babakumarov. It is expected to reopen to limited traffic on January 7, even as most carriers suspended flights to the city. By the evening of January 6, Aktobe airport was reopened after security forces removed protesters from the facility. There is no evidence that Aktau airport, located in the city where protests first erupted on January 2, has reopened.
Embattled President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the demonstrators – “terrorist gangs” in his parlance -…
Kuwait Airways (KU, Kuwait) has pulled its flights to Sri Lanka after general sales agents (GSAs) and local airline offices fell behind on paying out foreign exchange income to the airline, according to Sri Lanka’s Sunday Times.
The airline made no official announcement, nor was it immediately available for comment. However, flights between Kuwait and Colombo Int’l, the capital of Sri Lanka, are currently not bookable on the airline’s website, nor are any Kuwait Airways flights scheduled to Colombo at present.
The airline had only resumed operations to Sri Lanka in September 2021.
Sources in the know told the Daily Financial Times that Kuwait Airways’ “yields were also too low in comparison with the expense of operating the flight to Sri Lanka” where landing costs were deemed high.
The withdrawal is expected to last an extended period of time and will mostly affect migrant worker traffic from Sri Lanka to the Middle East.
This comes amid news reports from Sri Lanka that the country’s finance ministry has been asked to…
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