Alstom-led consortium delivers extension of Dubai Metro Red Line
A full turnkey integrated system
15km-long
50 Metropolis trainsets
Total value of the project is €2.6 billion
Alstom congratulates Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), on the inauguration of the Dubai Route 2020 Metro. This iconic project was ceremonially inaugurated by H. H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, and Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai on 7 July 2020, and was also attended by Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Alstom’s CEO and Chairman of the Board as well as the top management of the ExpoLink Consortium via video conference technology.
The new line project, commenced in July 2016 and carried out by the Alstom-led ExpoLink consortium, also composed of ACCIONA and Gülermak, consists of a 15km-long line, of which 11.8km is above ground and 3.2km underground, and an interchange on the Red Line. The extension of the metro has seven stations including Jabel Ali Station and the flagship metro station at the Expo exhibition site. The project is worth a total of €2.6 billion.
As part of the Consortium, Alstom was responsible for the integration of the entire metro system including 50 Metropolis trainsets produced in Alstom’s site in Katowice, Poland, power supply, communication, signalling, automatic ticket control, track works, platform screen doors and a three-year warranty on the whole system, as well as the enhancement of the existing metro line by upgrading power supply, signalling systems, miscellaneous communication and track works. The trainsets are 85.5 meters long and composed of five cars per trainset, and they will be able to carry up to 696 passengers each.
The train offers an excellent level of passenger experience, thanks to wide gangways, large doors and windows, three specific areas for Silver, Family and Gold Classes. Eco-friendly, the train is equipped with a full electrical braking system, LED lighting and other innovations to reduce energy consumption.
Alstom is a dedicated and long-standing partner of Dubai’s transportation and mobility development. Alstom delivered the Dubai tramway, the first fully integrated tramway system in the Middle East and the world’s first 100% catenary-free line, which was opened in November 2014. Alstom is also in charge of the maintenance of the Dubai Tram for a period of 13 years.
Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low cost carrier, has signed a firm order for 120 Airbus aircraft comprising 73 A320neo’s, 27 A321neo’s and 20 A321XLR’s. The agreement was signed at the 2019 Dubai Airshow in the presence of Air Arabia’s Chairman Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, Adel Al Ali, Chief Executive Officer Air Arabia and Guillaume Faury, Airbus Chief Executive Officer.
Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, said: “Air Arabia’s fleet growth strategy has always been driven by commercial demand and we are glad to announce today one of the region’s largest single-aisle orders with Airbus to support our growth plans. This new milestone underpins not only our solid financial fundamentals but also the strength of our multi-hub growth strategy that we have adopted over the years while remaining focused on efficiency, performance and passenger experience.” He added: “The addition of the A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR complements our existing fleet and allows us to expand our service to farther and newer destinations while remaining loyal to our low-cost business model. We look forward to working with Airbus and receiving the first delivery.”
Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer said: “We are delighted to expand our partnership with Air Arabia, this is a great endorsement for the A320neo Family which will allow the airline to tap into new markets. We are committed to supporting the fast expansion of Air Arabia and the region”
Air Arabia is an all Airbus operator with a total fleet of 54 A320 Family aircraft including the A321LR. All aircraft will feature a comfortable single-class cabin with one of the most generous seat pitches today.
The A321XLR is the next evolutionary step from the A321LR which responds to market needs for even more range and payload, creating more value for the airlines. From 2023, it will deliver an unprecedented Xtra Long Range of up to 4,700nm – 15% more than the A321LR and with 30% lower fuel burn per seat compared with previous generation competitor aircraft.
Featuring the widest single-aisle cabin in the sky, the best-selling A320neo Family, comprising the A319neo, A320neo, and A321neo, deliver at least 20% reduced fuel burn as well as 50% less noise compared to previous generation aircraft, thanks to incorporating the very latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets. At the end of October 2019, the A320neo Family had received more than 7,000 firm orders from over 110 customers worldwide.
DUBAI (Reuters) – A crackdown on corruption in Saudi Arabia has severely dented the kingdom’s private jet industry in a sign of the impact the campaign has had on private enterprise and the wealthy elite.
Dozens of planes, owned by individuals and charter companies and worth hundreds of millions of dollars, are stranded at airports across the kingdom including Riyadh and Jeddah, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Some were handed over to the state in settlements reached after the crackdown was launched in late 2017, when dozens of princes, businessmen and government officials were detained, they said.
Others belong to Saudis who either face travel bans or are reluctant to fly the planes because they are wary of displays of wealth that might be seen as taunting the government over the anti-corruption campaign, two of the sources said.
The government media office did not respond to requests for comment. The General Authority of Civil Aviation said questions on the impact of the anti-corruption drive on the private jet industry were outside its mandate, adding that its relationship with private aviation covers operations, safety and regulations.
The crackdown’s impact on the business community and private enterprise, which are already reeling from low oil prices and weakened consumer confidence, has shattered investor confidence and contributed to a sense of uncertainty around the policies of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The idle aircraft, which one of the sources estimated at up to about 70, include Bombardier (BBDb.TO) and Gulfstream jets, the sources said. There are also larger Airbus (AIR.PA) and Boeing (BA.N) aircraft that are more commonly associated with commercial airlines but are often used in the Middle East as private jets.
A Boeing 737 MAX or Airbus A320neo can cost up to $130 million (£102.1 million), though the final cost depends on how the jet is fitted out with technology and amenities, including private bedrooms, meeting rooms, and even gym equipment.
The number of registered private jets in Saudi Arabia stood at 129 as of December 2018 compared with 136 a year earlier, according to FlightAscend Consultancy data.
Private jets offer users flexibility as, unlike commercial airliners, they are not constrained by arrival and departure time slots. They also enable users to travel more discreetly.
UNDER THE RADAR
Saudi Arabia’s finance minister, Mohammed al-Jadaan, said last month the state had collected more than 50 billion riyals (£10.4 billion) from settlements reached under the crackdown.
Most of the detainees held at Riyadh’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel last November were released after being exonerated or reaching financial settlements with the government, which said it aims to seize more than $100 billion in total in either cash or assets.
It is unclear how the government would transfer ownership of the jets grounded across Saudi Arabia as many are owned through offshore firms or are mortgaged, two of the sources familiar with the matter said.
Three of the sources said it was likely that the jets were still registered in the kingdom.
Two of the sources said the government could absorb the aircraft into existing fleets used by ministries and state-owned corporations. A third source said the government had been looking to set up its own private jet company made up entirely of seized aircraft.
The anti-corruption campaign launched by Prince Mohammed has won widespread approval among ordinary Saudis, partly because the government has said it will use some of the funds to finance social benefits.
Critics have said the purge was a power play by the prince as he moved to consolidate power in his hands.
There have been few private jet flights in Saudi Arabia over the past year, largely because there are fewer planes readily available, including for charter, three of the sources familiar with the matter said.
VistaJet Chief Commercial Officer Ian Moore compared it to the situation in China where an anti-corruption crackdown has also weakened the private jet market.
“It’s not really politically great to be seen flying privately at the moment, particularly owning your own aircraft,” he told Reuters.
Some wealthy Saudi elite are taking commercial airlines to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and other destinations and then chartering private jets to avoid government scrutiny, two of the sources said.
Plane manufacturers said the appetite for business jet sales in Saudi Arabia has dropped since the anti-corruption crackdown was launched in November 2017.
“Political instability does not help consumer confidence in any way, shape or form,” Embraer Executive Jets Chief Commercial Officer Stephen Friedrich told Reuters.
By Alexander Cornwell. Additional reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Saeed Azhar and Timothy Heritage.
