Qatar Daily News

With Qatar Airways and other leading airlines going on an expansion spree, Qatar will need 1,200 pilots by 2013, making the demand for commercial pilots surge, said an official of an aviation institution visiting Doha.

“Qatar Airways is expecting delivery of 182 aircraft by 2013 bringing the total number of operating aircraft to 250,” noted Amit Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer of Texas-based Supreme Aviation Worldwide, adding that delivery of around 500 new aircraft may be expected by airline companies in the region in the next four years. “Deliveries of aircraft to airline companies around the world are on hold because of shortage of pilots,” Agarwal, who is a commercial pilot himself, told aspiring aviators during a seminar, held at the Movenpick Tower and Suites yesterday.

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Four Seasons Hotel Doha has been voted as ‘Qatar’s Leading Hotel’ at the 2009 World Travel Awards in Dubai over the weekend.

The 17-storey waterfront hotel in the West Bay business and residential area includes a three-storey spa, seven restaurants and lounges in addition to a stretch of private beach.
During the gala ceremony at the 2009 World Travel Awards (WTA), also termed as the ‘Oscars of the travel industry’, the industry acknowledges each representative’s contribution to travel, tourism and hospitality sectors.

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Qatar Airways will be giving Emirates and Etihad Airways some competition in the near future, as it launches daily service from Doha to Sydney and Melbourne from the beginning of the summer, subject to approval by regulators.

The Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker, said that the new flights linking Qatar and Australia were part of the carrier’s ongoing expansion strategy.

According to him, additional aircraft orders will be announced at next month’s Paris Air Show, indicating the airline’s ambition to be a global carrier and its part in helping secure the economic and commercial future of the country.

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Qatar and Cuba on Wednesday launched a joint $75 million project to create a five-star resort on the Caribbean island, officials said.

The gas-rich Gulf state is set to become the first Arab country to invest in Cuba’s booming tourism sector, after representatives inked the deal in Havana.

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Engineering solutions provider, Petrofac received the ‘Most Valuable Contribution’ award at the recently concluded Project Qatar 2009.
The exhibition had over 900 participants. The company’s stand at the four-day event attracted the attention of a number of delegates and visitors throughout as it also introduced and launched new products at the venue, a company official said yesterday. Petrofac also hosted two seminars on the sidelines of the event. The first was on pumps by Principal Armstrong, a supplier of HVAC and fluid flow pumps.
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The world’s largest liquefied natural gas ship has arrived in the U.K, at South Hook import terminal, the port’s Web site said Thursday. Qatar’s Mozah, which can carry up to 266,000 cubic meters of LNG, is berthed at the terminal until Friday, and is due to leave at 1700 GMT, the Web site says.

The vessel is the latest in series of LNG cargo arrivals in the U.K. in 2009, and traders expect the increased supply of LNG into Europe from Asia and the Middle East to pull prices for U.K. natural gas lower over the summer months.

Dragon LNG and South Hook LNG terminals, both located in Milford Have, south Wales, between them have a capacity to supply up to 25% of the U.K.’s gas requirements and are expected to be fully commissioned during the first half of 2009, the port Web sites say.
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The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Qatar Central Bank (QCB) Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on finance supervision cooperation.

The MAS said in a statement that the MoU paves the way for sharing of information between the two central banks to strengthen the supervision of cross-border operations of financial institutions under their purview. The MoU will also facilitate staff training and technical assistance between the two central banks.

The MoU was signed at the sides of the Islamic Financial Services Board Summit held here from May 6 to 8.

Transfield Services Ltd. (TSE.AU) said Thursday that its joint venture with WorleyParsons Ltd. (WOR.AU) has a US$100 million contract for maintenance and other work with RasGas in Qatar.

The work is a two-year extension of the joint venture’s existing contract, which has been expanded to include shutdowns, bringing its total value of work with RasGas to US$117 million, the Sydney-based company said in a statement.

RasGas is a joint venture between Qatar Petroleum, which holds a 70% stake, and ExxonMobil, which has a 30% interest, to operate liquified natural gas facilities in the Middle Eastern state.

Pearl Dubai FZ LLC, one of the leading real estate developers in the UAE, announced the commencement of main construction work on Dubai Pearl, the AED15-billion (US$4 billion) integrated luxury development, following the completion of the enabling and piling works by Al Habtoor STFA Soil Group (HSSG).

The main construction is being undertaken by the Al Habtoor Leighton Group , which was awarded the construction work at the end of 2008.

Abdul Majeed Ismail Al Fahim, Chairman of Pearl Dubai FZ LLC, said: “The commencement of main construction work on the project strongly illustrates our commitment to ensure a timely transformation of this high-end landmark destination, which will set new industry benchmarks in the region.”

The Dubai Pearl site will witness around 200 workers at the start of construction, and the number is expected to reach 8,000 when work gets into full swing.

Santhosh Joseph, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pearl Dubai FZ LLC said: “We believe we have selected the right partners to create this iconic development and shape it into a world-class destination.”
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