RAK Airways  

Ras Al Khaimah RAK Airways Airlines

RAK Airways, with the peculiar slogan of "I Fly You", is (or was) supposed to be the national carrier for the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, based at the Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, and operating both chartered and scheduled flights. The airline was established in February 2006, first flights launched in 2007, flights were suspended in 2008, and as of June 2009, might or might not have closed down ...

• "RAK Airways is no longer in service. To the best of my knowledge, RAK Airways is working on a plan regarding what will happen now." - Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince of Ras Al Khaimah and Chairman of RAK Airways, as reported in Emirates Business 24/7 on 31 May 2009
• "We are working on a plan for the future, which I can’t really disclose at this point in time, so the company is in no way closing," - Kristian Kirchheiner, CEO of RAK Airways, as reported in ArabianBusiness.com on 31 May 2009

Publicly contradicting the ruler or deputy ruler of an emirate is not usually a career-enhancing move in the UAE. Mr Kirchener might be looking for one last RAK Airways flight in the near future after his recent comments.

For an entertaining, albeit lengthy, story of RAK Airways, read the pprune.org version, but not if you're about to step on a RAK Airways plane - their robust critique of the company and its personnel might put you off your flight. For example, allegedly the GCAA in the UAE revoked or suspended the RAK Airways Air Operation Certificate (AOC) in 2008 but RAK Airways kept flying anyway for a while, and the AOC was subsequently reissued in 2009.

RAK Airways new budget airline

RAK Airways will fly again, as a Low Cost Carrier (LCC) or budget airline, following in the footsteps, or vapour trails, of Air Arabia and Fly Dubai, the other two LCCs in the UAE, according to a report in Emirates Business 24-7 on 09 November 2009. Mr Oussama El Omari, CEO of the RAK Free Trade Zone, said "The aim to is to target executives and economy passengers. The airline is being restructured to meet the market needs," leaving one wondering who doesn't fly budget airlines then. And quite why the CEO of the RAK FTZ was now in charge of the restructuring of RAK Airways was not made clear in the report.

RAK Airways contact details

1. Reservations office open 0830-1330 & 1415-1800 Saturday to Thursday, and 0830-1130 & 1630-2130 on Friday.

RAK Airways destinations

• RAK to Kozhikode one way ticket prices from about AED 400 including taxes
• Bus transport in the UAE available from Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Al Ain, Dubai, Fujairah, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain to RAK International Airport. Must be booked in advance.

RAK Airways management

RAK Airways launch dates

RAK Airways history and timeline

• 15 December 2005 (WAM) - the UAE Cabinet approves the launch of a RAK Government airline, to be called RAK Airways (instead of Al Hamra Airlines which was the original name). Mohammad Ganim Al Gaith, director-general of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), was reported by WAM and the Gulf News as saying "we have already awarded it the necessary Air Operator Certificate (AOC)". That comment turned out to be somewhat confusing since the AOC wasn't awarded until February 2007 according to later press releases, and that delay was blamed for causing a delay in the launch of the first RAK Airways flights.
• 14 February 2006 (press release) - establishment of RAK Airways announced at press conference at Hotel Al Hamra Fort Hotel in RAK. Emiri Decree No. 3/2006 was issued by Shaikh Saqr Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, to establish the new airline as a private joint stock company (PJSC) incorporated in the RAK Free Zone at Jazirat Al Hamra. RAK Airways PJSC started with paid-up capital of AED 850 million out of a total capital of AED 1.5 billion (refer UAE Cabinet decision No. 328/4 for 2005). UAE citizens could buy into RAK Airways via a private placement with minimum AED 400,000 investment. Managing Director of RAK Airways is Dr Khatar Massaad (who is also CEO of RAK Investment Authority). First flights expected to take off before end of 2006. First destinations would Bangladesh, Egypt, GCC countries, India, Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, Philippines, and Sri Lanka, with a fleet of 8 aircraft. Shaikh Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of RAK Civil Aviation Department said "The aim of setting up the RAK Airways is to put Ras Al Khaimah on the international civil aviation map and to develop the emirate's aviation and tourism sectors". A follow up report in the Gulf News said that RAK Airways intends to buy an initial 2 aircraft from Airbus or Boeing, and a further 2 aircraft per month until a total of 20 aircraft is reached, with another 2 or 3 planes based in Sudan.
• May 2006 - Jack Romero appointed as CEO of RAK Airways (was previously Chief Operating Officer)
• 15 February 2007 (press release) - RAK Airways CEO, Jack Romero, announces that RAK Airways has received its Air Operating Certificate (AOC) and will start flights in April 2007 to India and Iran using two leased Boeing 757s previously operated by Iberia Airlines of Spain (with full service history, one lady owner, only driven on Sundays). First destinations expected to include Bandar Abbas, Bangalore, Delhi, Esfahan, Kochi, Mumbai, Tehran, Trivandrum. Lufthansa are training pilots and cabin crew, who are expected to be ready to serve chickenorfish by 15 March. Airline reservation system aiRES will be used for bookings. RAK Airways will use leased aircraft for the first 3 three years.
• 20 February 2007 (press release) - RAK Airways receives Air Operator's Certificate from the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). Dr Khater Massad, the RAK Airways MD, says initial destinations would be to CIS countries, the Indian sub-continent, Iran, and Lebanon, leaving out the GCC and several other countries stated in the press release a year ago when RAK Airways was launched. Jack Romero, CEO of RAK Airways, said they would be leasing 2 Boeing 757-200 aircraft and first flights were expected in April 2007. The fleet would expand by 2 planes per year, and destination list would expand to Russia and CIS countries in year 2, and Europe including France, Germany, Italy, Scandanavia, and UK in year 3. Passenger numbers expected to be 230,000 passengers in the first year, 580,000 passengers by the third year, and up to 2.7 million passengers by the fifth year.
• February 2007 - CEO Jack Romero asked to resign, Kishu Teckchandani appointed as new CEO.
• June 2007 - RAK Airways CEO Kishu Teckchandani is shown the door (did he even complete his probation period?).
• 23 June 2007 - the first RAK Airways flight takes off according to a report in the Khaleej Times 26 June 2007: "RAK Airways ... saw its first flight take off from the emirate last Saturday, 23 June ... Khater Massaad, said yesterday". Destination was not supplied, and since a later press release (in November 2007) announced the inaugural RAK Airways flight to Dhaka, one is left with visions of a deserted plane racing down the runway with RAK Airways staff chasing after it, like something out of Benny Hill.
• 22 November 2007 (press release) - "RAK Airways ... announced that its inaugural flight will take off to Beirut on Thursday 29th November". Captain Khalid Almeer, Chief Operating Officer of RAK Airways, said that RAK Airways expected to ferry 1 million passengers per year, and growth rate of 20% per year. Future destinations and flights would include Colombo and Dhaka 3x per week, Sofia 1x per week, and India, Nepal, Qatar, and Tanzania within 2-3 months.
• 29 November 2007 (press release) - RAK Airways flights begin. First flight went to Dhaka in Bangladesh, suprising all the passengers who had expected to go to Beirut in Lebanon. Flight schedule 3x per week. Chief Operating Officer of RAK Airways Captain Khalid Almeer. Other planned destinations within the following 3-6 months include GCC countries, India, Napal, Tanzania. Further trans-continental flights within the next 2 to 3 years planned with a total of 20 destinations in East Africa, the GCC, Middle East, and South Asia. Aircraft in operations Boeing 757. Dr Khater Massad - CEO RAK Group.
• 03 December 2007 (Zawya Dow Jones) - A RAK Airways Initial Public Offering (IPO) is a possibility within 2-3 years according to Khalid Almeer, the Chief Operating Officer.
• 25 February 2008 - RAK Airways announces an AED 1.65 billion deal to buy 4 new-generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Two will be delivered in 2011, and another two planes in 2012. RAK Airways presently has three leased aircraft.
• 15 March 2008 (press release) - RAK Airways flights to Chittagonog, Bangladesh begin. Flight schedule is 3x per week. Chief Operating Officer K Ravindran said flights to Kozhikode in Kerala, India are expected to start on 15 April 2008, pending clearance from Indian Civil Aviation. Other destinations to be announced soon would include Katmandu in Nepal and GCC countries.
• 07 May 2008 (press release) - RAK Airways launches a holiday promotion for Colombo in Sri Lanka. No further details supplied in press release except for the usual self-promotional blah.
• September 2008 (press release date unconfirmed) - RAK Airways employs the first female airline pilot in the UAE, Farah Mohammed, a UAE national who completed her pilot training in the USA. Although there was a Captain Aysha Al Hamli who was also apparently the first female pilot in the UAE a few years earlier. She started flying for a UAE based airline in 2000 according to a GCAA press release 17 June 2007, or started flying for Abu Dhabi Aviation in 2003 according to arabianbusiness.com 01 September 2007.
• 06 November 2008 - Gulf News reports that RAK Airways had suspended all flights to Colombo, according to Shaikh Omar bin Saqr Al Qasimi, the Chairman of the RAK Airways ... except that the Chairman of RAK Airways is Shaikh Saud?

RAK Airways Air Congo

17 July 2008 (Reuters) - RAK Airways are reportedly planning to launch a new airline called Air Congo, in the Democratic Republic of Congo before October 2008, according to Marc Orphanides, a representative for RAK Airways in the Congo. Initial flights would be to RAK in the UAE, and African destinations, and later on flights to China via Ras Al Khaimah (RKT). At the time of the report, all Congolese airlines are banned from flying to Europe so either there's plenty of potential market share for all those RAK Airways flights to Europe that haven't materialised, or RAK Airways thinks they're on a par with other airlines operating in the Congo. Good luck to them.

RAK Airways cargo division

In a press release 15 February 2007, the RAK Airways CEO at the time, Jack Romero, said that RAK Airways was planning to launch a dedicated cargo division in four years, implying a 2011 start date.

RAK Airways and Hamra Air / Hala Air

There is some connection between Hala Air in Sudan, and RAK Airways and Hamra Air / Al Hamra Airlines in Ras Al Khaimah. It appears as though Hamra Air is the owner of RAK Airways (according to wikipedia and pprune.org, which seems to contradict the private placement of RAK Airways shares in 2006 unless Hamra Air bought them all), and Hamra Air might also be the owner of Hala Air in Sudan. In December 2005, WAM reported that Al Hamra Airlines had been renamed as the soon to be launched RAK Airways.

Last update Monday 09-Nov-2009

Related pages

• RAK Airport
• Visas RAK

Related websites (open in new window)

• www.flyrak.com - forwards to rakairways.com
• www.hamraair.com or www.hamra-air.com might have been Hamra Air websites but nothing available when last checked (May 2009)
• www.rakairways.com - RAK Airways website. Nothing at www.rakairways.ae, or if there is then it's probably not for RAK Airways (it wasn't in the past).
• Dubai directory - add your link free

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