Ras Al Khaimah: Ras Al Khaimah wants to be a premier destination for charter flights in a bid to carve out a niche in the UAE’s burgeoning aviation sector.
“We want to become a gateway for charter flights to the UAE,” said Shaikh Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of RAK’s Department of Civil Aviation, in an interview on Wednesday.
The UAE, and regional aviation sector, is already dominated by the likes of Dubai’s Emirates and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways, which carry passengers from across the world through their Gulf hubs.
Ras Al Khaimah is already pegging itself as the gateway to the Northern Emirates following the launch of Air Arabia point-to-point operations from RAK Airport in May.
But Shaikh Salem believes Ras Al Khaimah, which does not have the same aviation congestion as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, can handle the country’s charter flights and lift the visitor numbers to the emirate.
“Our primary business is to serve the development of tourism in the emirate,” he said.
A number of hotels, including a Waldorf Astoria, have opened in Ras Al Khaimah as the emirate develops itself as a holiday destination.
Expansion
In preparation of future demand, Ras Al Khaimah International Airport is expanding in size.
Mohammad Qazi, RAK Airport chief executive, told Gulf News in a separate interview on Wednesday that construction work to expand the arrivals hall by 40 per cent will start after Eid.
Air Arabia is flying to seven destinations from RAK Airport, however, could be serving as many as 12 by the end of the year and to 20 destinations by end of 2015, Qazi said.
RAK Airport is also looking to at other revenue streams.
RAK Airport has become a base for aircraft owners to dismantle their aircraft. Large amounts of retired aircraft are stored in “boneyards” predominantly in the United States. Qazi said RAK Airport is in a partnership to strip down aircraft; however, the operations, he said, are in its early stages.