RAK Airways  

Ras Al Khaimah RAK Airways Airlines

RAK Airways new budget airline 2010 ...

Update 26 September 2010: RAK Airways held a press conference to announce their relaunch, new logo and branding, and start of flights from 10 October 2010.

• "Conditions have markedly improved lately to the point where international passenger demand has soared, ... The time is right for us to make a spectacular re-entry into the market," - RAK Airways Chairman, Sheikh Omar Bin Saqr Al Qassimi, at a press conference 25 or 26 September 2010 announcing the relaunch.
• Most press reports of the September 2010 news conference said that RAK Airways emphasised that they are not a Low-Cost Carrier (LCC).
• Gulf News 26 September 2010, in their usual RAK-bashing manner, finished their report with comments from Saj Ahmad, an aerospace analyst at FBE Aerospace in London, who sounded skeptical about the future success of the airline, saying "The likes of flydubai have become the second biggest traffic generator at Dubai Airport. How RAK can even hope to emulate that at a less busy airport in Ras Al Khaimah is dubious and there is a very real possibility that the airline will struggle all over again. ... They just don't have the market base, efficient enough fleet or capital resources to compete with their Emirati neighbours, much less other state backed entities in other countries."
• 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 domestic UAE flights

• 18 Sep 2012 (Arabian Business) - flight time and price information according to the CEO, John Brayford, who was quoted as saying "Initially RAK will offer a AED 410 return trip to Abu Dhabi with a flight time of 45 minutes"
• 15 Aug 2012 (WAM) - RAK Airways announced they would start operating domestic flights between Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi. Flights start 03 October 2012. Operate 4x per week? Detailed information about schedule and fares not supplied. Passengers require an Emirates ID card to board.

RAK Airways international destinations

• Bangkok, Thailand - announced 30 January 2012, flights 4x weekly start 01 June 2012.
• Damman - new route to be added in 2013?
• Calicut - frequency to increase to daily flights in 2013 with an increase in fleet size.

RAK Airways codeshare with Etihad Airways

• 05 Sep 2012 (press release) - codeshare agreement announced with Etihad Airways. Etihad EY code will be on RAK Airways flights between RAK and Abu Dhabi. RAK Airways code RT will be on Etihad Airways flights between Abu Dhabi and Bangkok, Dublin, Geneva, London Heathrow, Manchester, and maybe more to follow. 18 Sep 2012 update - other EY destinations might include cities in Germany and USA.

RAK Airways fleet

• 18 Sep 2012 - RAK Airways will add a 4th aircraft in March 2013, and a fifth in November 2013 (news reports).
• As of September 2012, RAK Airways has 3 Airbus A320 aircraft.

RAK Airways destinations and flight schedule 29 March 2011 - 29 October 2011

Flight times for RAK Airways destinations changed significantly from 29 March 2011 compared to previous schedule.

1. Arrival next day.
2. Significant timing change from previous schedule (31 October 2010 to 28 March 2011).

• Flight schedule as of 16 March 2011 (based on RAK Airways website information).

RAK Airways ticket payment methods

• At RAK Airways sales offices in UAE in Ras Al Khaimah, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain; overseas in Cairo, Calicut, Chittagong, Dhaka, Jeddah.
• By telephone at the RAK Airways 24-hour call centre.
• Online at the RAK Airways website.
• At branches of UAE Exchange in the UAE after booking tickets online. Not clear if payment can be made at overseas branches of UAE Exchange, assume no unless you have official information saying otherwise (21 March 2011 press release).

RAK Airways destinations and flight schedule 31 October 2010 - 28 March 2011

1. Arrival next day.
2. End date but presumably flights to continue at same times in 2011.
3. Flight schedule updated from RAK Airways website information as of 16 March 2011, date of change unknown.

• Calicut - flight frequency to be increased from 4x to 5x weekly from 31 October 2010. Timings appear to have changed also according to the press release 17 October 2010.
• Other destinations planned include the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), GCC countries, the Levant region, the Indian subcontinent.
• Launch fares from AED 10 according to press reports and website booking 26 September 2010. But add AED 50-200 taxes and surcharges for Saudi Arabia. Other fares seem to be from AED 60-300 one way depending on date and destination (based on quick check of website 26 September 2010).
• No additional charges for food and luggage - "... we will be allowing passengers to take up to 30kg of luggage with them as well as the normal hand baggage allowance. They will also get a complimentary full hot meal with beverages served on board," according to Omar Jahameh at a press conference announcing the new launch of RAK Airways.
• Website says Alcoholic beverages can be purchased onboard at a separate cost (checked 26 September 2010).
• Baggage allowance of 30 kg. Excess baggage charges AED 40 per kg (RAK Airways website 26 September 2010).
• Free bus service between Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah for RAK Airways passengers.
• Aircraft used from relaunch will be one or two leased Boeing 737-400s (both figures reported). Aircraft capacity 168 passengers in all economy class seating configuration.
• RAK Airways also operates a Boeing 757 on lease but for charter flights only.
• An additional 4 Boeing new generation NG 737-800s are on order with delivery of 2 planes expected in 2011, and another 2 planes in 2012. RAK Airways has purchase rights for a further 2 planes. Order value when signed in 2008 was AED 1.1 billion ($300m). The deal is reportedly under some sort of renegotiation as of September 2010.

RAK Airways contact details 2010-

• Call center for flight reservations, tickets, bookings tel +971-7-2075000 (24 hours).

1. Reservations office opening hours (to be updated)

• Free shuttle bus service from Ajman, Dubai, Sharjah to RAK Airport.
• Fujairah office opening announced 20 November 2011 (press release). Free bus service announced between Fujairah and RAK Airport (timings not supplied).

RAK Airways management

• 25 April 2012 - Omar Jahameh reported as resigned from CEO position, quoted as saying "I wish RAK Airways all the best, but I felt that it’s the right time for me to move on and pursue other options." Replacement John Brayford reported at the same time.

RAK Airways 2005-2009

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 launch dates

RAK Airways history and timeline

• 03 Oct 2012 - first domestic flights (RAK to Abu Dhabi) to start (announced in Aug 2012).
• 08 Sep 2012 - Codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways announced.
• 28 November 2010 - Cairo, Egypt destination announced, starting 15 December 2010 with flights 3x per week (press release).
• 21 November 2010 - new destinations Chittagong and Dhaka announced, with flights 3x per week to both destinations, start date 15 December 2010 (press release).
• 26 September 2010 - RAK Airways will relaunch with flights start date 10 October 2010, destinations to include Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and Calicut, India with 4 flights per week on each route.
• 30 June 2010 (press release) - RAK Airways will relaunch by the end of 2010 with flights possibly to Africa, the Gulf Region, and the Indian Subcontinent. The RAK Airways Chairman, Sheikh Omar Bin Saqr Al Qassimi, said "We are now ready to make a strategic re-entry into the market,"
• 03 February 2010 (The National) - RAK Airways dismissed its CEO, Kristian Kirchheiner, and said it was renegotiating its aircraft order for 4 Boeing 737-800NG planes worth AED 1.65 billion (US$449 million). The Chairman of RAK Airways was reported to have said "What we are doing is renegotiating the contract; it's going to take a little bit of time". It also sounded like the Kabul flight launch had been delayed.
• 03 January 2010 (The National) - RAK Airways plans to start flights from Kabul to Dubai and Frankfurt from 01 February 2010 on behalf of Ariana Afghan Airlines pending approval from the UAE GCAA.
• 31 May 2009 (Arabian Business) - The RAK Airways CEO, Kristian Kirchheiner, said the airline wasn't closing down - "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". The report also said that RAK Airways was still operating an aircraft on a wet lease basis to Hewa Bora Airlines in the Democratic Republic of Congo with charter flights from Kinshasa to Paris, Brussels and Johannesburg. Which sounded different from what the Emirates Business report said on the same day ...
• 31 May 2009 (Emirates Business 24-7) - RAK Airways is no longer in operation according to the Chairman, Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, who said "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."
• 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?
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• June 2007 - RAK Airways CEO Kishu Teckchandani is shown the door (did he even complete his probation period?).
• February 2007 - CEO Jack Romero asked to resign, Kishu Teckchandani appointed as new CEO.
• 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.
• 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.
• May 2006 - Jack Romero appointed as CEO of RAK Airways (was previously Chief Operating Officer)
• 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 Trade 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.
• 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.

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.

Old RAK Airways information (left here for reference)

RAK Airways destinations 2007-2008

• 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 contact details 2006-2008

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

Last update Sunday 30-Sep-2012

Related pages

• RAK Airport
• Ras Al Khaimah UAE - general information and guide
• Visas RAK

Related websites (new window)

• www.rakairways.com - RAK Airways website with online booking available again September 2010.
• www.rakairways.ae is not the RAK Airways website (at least not when last checked July 2010).
• 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)
• Dubai directory - add your link free

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