Construction World - Gulf Edition | May 2008
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Editor’s
Desk
JET SET
Emirates Group - which comprises Emirates airline, Dnata
and subsidiary companies - recorded a group net profit increase
of 23.5 per cent to Dh 3.5 billion ($ 942 million) over the
previous year. The results mark the 19th consecutive year of
profit for Emirates Group, which is wholly owned by the Government
of Dubai. The Emirates fleet now stands at 102 at the end of
March, including nine freighters, after taking delivery of 12
new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft during the financial year. The
current wide-bodied fleet has an average age of 63 months. Over
the next eight years, the airline will continue to receive delivery
of one new aircraft per month on average to satisfy its Dh 111
billion ($ 30 billion) order book for 107 new aircraft. The
airline will increase its presence in the Gulf hospitality industry
with projects worth $ 500 million planned for the next three
years. Here truly is a case study of marketing a country through
its airline and then leading the inflow of investments and resources
into productive areas thereby turning a desert into an oasis.
Taking a leaf out of the Emirates success story, the entire
Middle East is stepping up its aviation act. Our cover story
gives you a window seat to peer into this opportunity.
Last month, CONSTRUCTION WORLD (CW) began a series of CW Roundtable
discussions. Two of them were held at the World Trade Club at
the World Trade Centre in Dubai. The first one attended by consultants,
architects, contracting companies deliberated on the dirham-dollar
peg, inflation, building material prices, quality of construction
and the future of the build-up of UAE. A detailed article will
appear in our forthcoming issue on the deliberations. However,
given the apprehensions of the panel members, CW wishes to caution
all industry participants to uphold standards of quality in
the interest of the future of building a world-class destination.
Our magazine has also gone ‘digital’ and you can
view the magazine and flip the pages on www.GulfConstruction.com
Further CONSTRUCTION WORLD GULF AWARDS 2008 are scheduled on
May 26th, 2008 at the Fairmont Hotel in Dubai. The entry is
by invitation. Please call +9714-3757570 or email us at world@constructionupdate.com
for further inquiries.
Your magazine is set to deliver more value beginning now on,
so get set for a high-speed CW taking off just like this issue
jets off with the $ 43 billion of aviation opportunities!
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