Pakistani entrepreneur launches airline in UAE

Dubai: A 26-year-old Pakistani businessman from Abbottabad, Malek Naureed Awan, is set to launch an airline in the UAE.

MMA Airline has been registered with the Ras Al Khaimah Free Zone, from where it received its licence as a company last month, Awan, the airline's Chief Executive Officer, told Gulf News.

An air operator's certificate (AOC) is an approval granted by a national aviation authority to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets and systems in place to ensure the safety of its employees and the general public.

Awan's company is investing $50 million (Dh183 million) in the start-up, which will be based in Ras Al Khaimah.

"The total investment is coming from our own resources," he said. Awan plans to launch flights from Ras Al Khaimah International Airport to Karachi and Lahore initially and then add destinations in India and other countries when it secures traffic rights.

"We have already acquired two Airbus A320s to start flights. Two Boeing 777-300s are expected to join the fleet when we plan to add more destinations, such as Mumbai after traffic rights are granted," Awan said.
The UAE already has five state-owned airlines owned by the governments of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah. The country has, so far, not allowed any private airline to operate scheduled commercial flights.

However, a number of private companies operate freighters and charter flights, including business jet operations such as Royal Jet, ExecuJet and EliteJet.

This will be the first private commercial airline to operate from the UAE.

"This new start-up airline has the potential to cause serious damage to RAK Airways, who have only just restarted operations after collapsing the first time around," Saj Ahmad, Chief Aerospace/Airline Analyst at the UK-based StrategicAero Research, told Gulf News.

News Details: Gulf News

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