Dubai, Feb 25: Airlines in the Gulf have drawn up contingency plans to cope with a feared US-led war on Iraq, but remain confident that schedules will continue largely unaffected once secure air corridors are established. "We have contingency plans, but we expect to maintain operations and be able to fly to most destinations," said Mike Simon, head of Corporate Communications at Dubai's fast-developing Emirates Airline, which flies to 64 destinations in 45 countries and currently has a fleet of 40 planes with 69 more on order. "In the 1991 Gulf War, Emirates did not fly to Kuwait, but services were maintained to all destinations possible with routing over Iran and Saudi Arabia," he said.
Gulf Air President and Chief Executive, James Hogan, said the Bahrain-based airline had drafted emergency plans to ensure normal service to its 43 destinations. Airports in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Oman, whose three governments co-own the airline, will remain open if there is a war in the region, Hogan said.
Gulf Air, which has plans to expand its fleet to 60 aircraft by 2009 from the current 33, kept flying during the 1991 gulf war after safe air corridors were marked out. Akbar al-Baker, chief executive officer of Qatar Airways, which is planning to double its 16-strong fleet over the next two years, said the Doha-based national carrier had also drawn up contingency plans.
Bureau Report