Bahrain Air

Bahrain Air, a private national carrier from Bahrain operating within MENA countries and to the Indian subcontinent, opened its sales office in Abu Dhabi. Mohammed Hamed Al-Mouawta, Bahrain ambassador to the UAE, and Khalifa Al-Mazrouei, chairman of Abu Dhabi Airport Company (ADAC), were among those present. Ibrahim Abdullah Al-Hamer, MD, Bahrain Air, said: “This is our first step toward launching the Bahrain Air service from Abu Dhabi and we are fully committed in providing world class services to all our valued clients, both corporate and individuals. In the current economic scenario, I think budget airlines will be the preferred choice for travelers and that’s where Bahrain Air’s premium service at affordable rates can garner sizeable chunk of this market” said Yusuffali MA, managing director of EMKE group, the parent company of Space Travels.

STC

STC has signed an agreement with the Saudi Industrial Property Authority (SIPA) to provide all of the authority’s security patrols with “Tatabo’o” tracking service. The agreement was signed by Tawfeeq Al-Rabea’a, general manager of SIPA and supervised by Saleh Al-Rasheed, manager of the authority’s IT administration. The new system is already operational in more than 60 security vehicles in 14 industrial cities around the Kingdom. STC’s spokesperson said that the Tatabo’o tracking service is considered as the best electronic tracing and monitoring systems ever devised.

JAL Hotels

JAL Hotels, Japan’s leading international hotel chain, has appointed Vanessa Waldow as cluster director of sales and marketing for the Hotel JAL Tower Dubai and Hotel JAL Fujairah Resort & Spa. In her new role Waldow will be responsible for all sales and marketing activities concerning the two properties. “With her demonstrated Middle East sales and marketing know-how, we are confident that Vanessa will prove herself a valuable asset to the JAL Hotels group in further developing our brand and business goals within the region,” said JAL Hotels’ Middle East Executive Officer C. Fujimoto said.

Audi Abu Dhabi

Audi Abu Dhabi, represented by Ali & Sons Co. LLC Motors Division, has announced the appointment of two key personnel to its management line-up for 2009. Mark Jones takes the position as director of motors overseeing operations. He has over 20 years’ experience in the Middle East, mainly in the premium automotive sector. Roberto Cossutti, who also has a strong background in the premium automotive sector and specifically in Abu Dhabi, is filling the role of group after sales manager. Jones said: “Abu Dhabi is still a hugely untapped area of potential both in terms of sales and after sales. With the difficult market conditions right now, we need to invest in further improvement to remain abreast of the competition, be it in terms of personnel, training or facilities.”

Air Arabia

Air Arabia, described as the first and largest low-cost carrier in the Middle East and North Africa, and Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), claimed to be the world’s first full-fledged Islamic bank, have announced the launch of a fast and convenient ticket payment facility for Air Arabia customers via DIB’s electronic banking channels. Through this service, ticket payments can now be made anywhere in the UAE through DIB’s cash deposit machines (CDM). DIB is currently in the process of enabling Air Arabia payments through the bank’s e-channel network, including Internet banking, mobile banking, phone banking, and Automated Teller Machines (ATM). Ali Al-Hamdany, director of IT and corporate projects, Air Arabia, said: “Through this partnership, Air Arabia now offers its customers even more options to pay less and fly more.”

Qatar Airways

Rolls Royce and Bentley car enthusiasts were invited guests of Qatar Airways for a reception at the Four Seasons Hotel. Qatar Airways is the official airline for the Arabian Gulf Adventure, a Rolls Royce and Bentley car owners’ tour, and the first tour of its type in the Middle East. The Rolls Royce and Bentley car owners Arabian Gulf Adventure takes place in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Oman, and Dubai over a three week period. Over 70 cars are involved in the tour, which is only the third rally of its kind in the world. During the reception, the airline’s CEO Akbar Al-Baker extended a warm welcome to the touring party, saying that there was no better place to start their drive than in Doha at the very heart of the Arabian Gulf.

Emaar

Emaar Middle East, currently developing Jeddah Gate and Alkhobar Lakes in Saudi Arabia, hosted a delegation of 30 students, graduates, and faculty members, headed by Vice Dean Hisham bin Ali Murtada, from the College of Environmental Design and Architecture of King Abdul Aziz University (KAAU) on a tour of Jeddah Gate. The visit was to share Emaar’s knowledge and expertise in project management with the students. Emaar Middle East’s senior architects and engineers welcomed the delegation and presented an overview of Jeddah Gate and Alkhobar Lakes projects, and their latest construction progress.

SABB

SABB Takaful has been named global “Best Takaful Provider” by Euromoney Magazine in its prestigious annual Islamic Finance Awards. The company beat competition from across the world to secure the award for the first time. The Euromoney Awards, which were presented in London recently, cited SABB Takaful’s excellent performance in the short period since its creation. “It has grown impressively in the past 12 months in Saudi Arabia. During 2008, the insurance provider has taken SR195 million ($52million) in contributions, with 80 percent coming from Family Takaful products.” Yazid Al-Ohaly, chairman of the board of SABB Takaful, said: “It’s a great honor to be named best Takaful provider by Euromoney in their annual, global awards. We are a young business and I believe this award is recognition of the hard work and expertise of our people, combined with the appeal and success of our products.”

Aramex

Aramex received a certificate of appreciation in recognition of its support for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), particularly in providing logistics support and facilitating its regional customer database to boost sales of UNICEF’s annual Seasons Greetings card campaign, “Send a Card, Save a Life”, in the Gulf region. “UNICEF is grateful for Aramex’s dedication to making a positive contribution to children’s lives. Our annual campaign was highly successful thanks to the logistics company’s unwavering support of our project,” said Ayman Abulaban, UNICEF Representative for the Gulf Area.