Winter is coming… slightly early in Ras Al Khaimah - RAK International Airport's seasonal charter flight programme kicks off; larger arrival facilities welcome new visitors

Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, 9th October 2016:  Ras Al Khaimah International Airport continued its impressive 2016 with the commencement of the first of 10 weekly charters on 2nd October, starting its winter schedule a good deal earlier than the traditional end October season launch.

The northern emirate’s airport is expecting approximately 100,000 tourists to travel through it during 2016/17 Winter Flying Program from Europe, CIS and Russia.

2016 has been RAK International Airport’s most successful year so far, punctuated with key moments such as Qatar Airways’, Air India Express’, and Egypt Air Cargo’s operational start-ups and now a full programme of winter charters.

Recognizing the achievement, the chairman of RAK Department of Civil Aviation and RAK International Airport, Engr. Sheikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, praised the efforts of the team, stating “RAK Airport has worked hard and successfully to promote Ras Al Khaimah as a growing tourist destination, and as a result has attracted a number of new scheduled and charter airlines over the past few months.  In doing this RAK Airport is alleviating some of the country’s airspace congestion and therefore contributing significantly to the continued growth of the UAE’s aviation sector.”

In addition, Sheikh Salem continued, “the key is not just to grow the aviation footprint of RAK Airport, but also to be a top performer in terms of operational excellence.”  RAK Airport is one of the top performers in the region in terms of On-time Performance, consistently scoring above 95%.

Sheikh Salem also expressed his gratitude to the visionary leadership of His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah.

Recently RAK Airport has also expanded the size of its arrival terminal facilities by 50% in preparation for the winter flights.  This completion of the expansion work has dovetailed perfectly with the commencement of the winter charter programme.

RAK Airport Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mohammed Qazi, has highlighted the recent growth, and remains confident that more will be seen next year.  Mr. Qazi commented, “we have come a long way over the last few years, and current results are due to the tremendous support we receive from the Government of Ras Al Khaimah.  We have a simple philosophy, which is to control the costs, focus on safety and deliver consistently on our operational KPIs.”

Ras Al Khaimah is rapidly becoming synonymous with such successes, and RAK Airport, as well as the Emirate’s tourism industry as a whole, is looking to further growth over the coming years.