Emirates' new man Emirates Airlines has appointed a new country manager for Egypt to support the airline's growth within the country. Saeed Bin Sulaiman took up his post on 2 October. "I am looking forward to my new role and to building upon the huge success that my colleague Khalid Al-Serkal has achieved," said Bin Sulaiman. "With a population in excess of 80 million and an economy that has considerable growth potential, we believe that Egypt is the ideal platform to grow and expand our business." In his new position, Bin Sulaiman will be responsible for the smooth running of Emirates' business in Egypt, overseeing sales and service functions for the airline's passenger, cargo and airport operations. "Bin Sulaiman is the ideal candidate for the Egyptian market," said Jean Luc, Emirates' senior vice president for commercial operations for Africa. "He is dedicated and has proven capabilities and experience. I am confident he will bring a fresh perspective to our business operations in Egypt, and wish him every success in his new role." Bin Sulaiman joined Emirates in 2001. His previous experience within the organisation includes heading up the airline's operations in Uganda and Qatar for a total of six years, where he successfully built and maintained country-wide relationships with political representatives, government officials, regulatory authorities and stakeholders in both countries. BA awarded best 2011 British Airways has reclaimed the title of best airline at the Business Traveller Awards 2011 and also won in the categories best frequent flyer programme and best shorthaul airline. "At a time where we've re-focussed our efforts to put the customer at the heart of everything we do, this award reflects the dedication British Airways has for premium travel and the pledge to deliver world-class services to our customers," says Mervat Alfy, British Airways commercial manager in Egypt. The Business Traveller Awards are voted for by readers of Business Traveller magazine, with the awards authenticated by independent auditors. On this occasion British Airways has decided to extend its 25 per cent first class offer from Cairo to London, UK and Europe to 31 December. "We always strive to provide our valued customers with the best offers and promotions possible," said Alfy. Boeing cushioned by ME boom An aviation boom in Asia and the Middle East is cushioning Boeing from economic headwinds in the United States and Europe, the aircraft manufacturer said last week. Orders for aircraft have been streaming in from airlines in the two regions even as US and European carriers wavered on their plane purchases, said Boeing vice president of flight services Sherry Carbary. "The US economic conditions are a little uncertain, they're not taking a lot of airplanes, they don't have a lot of airplanes on order, same with Europe," she stated in a press briefing in Singapore. "Where the growth is and where the orders have been is in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions, and that's not slowing down, so frankly we're focussed, we don't anticipate too much of a slowdown over the next few years," she added. Forecasts of the aviation industry in the next two decades released by Boeing showed the Asia-Pacific region will take in 11,450 new airplanes by 2030, more than a third of the forecasted world total of 33,500, the US aircraft maker predicted. For the Middle East, Boeing said the region's flexibility in surviving the economic downturn of 2009 and its strong growth last year bode well for its growth prospects. "While air transport markets in the rest of the world shrank during the global economic downturn of 2009, international air travel continued to grow for Middle East carriers, demonstrating the region's prominence in global air travel," the firm said in an online report.
