UAE air traffic movements grew 11.3pct in June

The UAE air traffic movements grew by 11.3 per cent in June, reaching to 52 thousand air traffic movements as compared with 47 thousand air traffic movements in the same month last year, an announcement of UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said.

As such, air traffic movement maintained this month the high average achieved in the first five months of this year.

GCAA's monthly report for June 2010 showed that Dubai ranked first with 23824 air traffic movements, over flights stood next at 11292, Abu Dhabi third with 7815, and Sharjah International Airport ranked fourth with 5352 movements.

Local flights between UAE airports had 3098 movements, Fujairah International Airport witnessed 334, while Al Ain Airport and Ras Al Khaimah International Airport had 218 and 102 air traffic movements respectively. The recently opened Al Maktoum International Airport witnessed 4 movements.

The report indicated that as far as air safety is concerned, GCAA completed 17 transactions related to certificates for aircraft maintenance companies, 8 transactions of aircraft registration certificates and 59 transactions of airworthiness certificates. Further, GCAA conducted 44 inspections and audits at the local and non-local levels, issued 2 air operator certificates, completed 9 aircraft modification transactions and issued 19 simulator certificates and 30 examination permits.

As for security and infrastructure operations, GCAA conducted 21 inspections and audits and renewed 4 licenses for companies operating in dangerous goods. It also renewed 1 certificate for teaching a course on dangerous goods in training institutes. GCAA prepared 197 aviation Occurrence Report Review, held 44 internal and external meetings in relation to security and infrastructure operations with several institutions and companies operating in the field of civil aviation in the UAE, and provided 10 emergency training courses.

With regard to air transportation, GCAA signed in June air transport agreements and memoranda of understanding with the Republic of Rwanda and Barbados and Brazil, held joint committee meetings to discuss enhanced cooperation in air transportation with Rwanda, Russia, India, UK, Mexico and Canada, and attended ICAN Conference in Jamaica.

The GCAA, in cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), organized the Regional Aviation Security Conference in Abu Dhabi in June, which was attended by Ministers of Transport in Arab states as well as several directors general of civil aviation authority.

The Conference discussed several issues in relation to civil aviation security and safety and issued "Abu Dhabi Joint Declaration for Aviation Security" providing for a global strategy and key principles and standards to deal with aviation security challenges.