The 95th International Airlines Technical Pool (IATP) Convention, hosted by Gulf Air, began today at the Gulf Hotel Convention Centre.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Civil Aviation Affairs Under Secretary Captain Abdulrahman Al Gaoud and Gulf Air Acting President and Chief Executive Ahmed Al Hammadi and other dignitaries.
"In order to meet these challenges, new collaborations and partnerships are vital; brainstorming and pooling of ideas is critical and, sharing and exchanging issues of concern are essential," said Mr Al Hammadi in his opening speech, highlighting the dominant role played by technology and the challenges due to technology changes in the aviation industry.
He also underscored two issues currently faced by the aviation industry: "On one hand we see an enormous growth in the number of aircraft but the phasing out of old aircraft is much less. On the other hand we have a very limited capacity of hangars. This has lead to a critical situation; shortage of bays and demand for slots has pushed up maintenance costs, adding a heavy burden on airlines, which are already over-burdened with mounting fuel costs.
Fuel is still a global headache – both in terms of cost, and as importantly, in terms of the new focus on carbon emissions," he added.
IATP Chairman and Cargolux International Airlines Director of Maintenance and Production Ted Moos thanked Gulf Air for playing host to the conference and gave an overview of IATP's role and objectives.
He also praised the cooperation among the member airlines in various technical issues.
The three-day event is being attended by about 400 delegates representing global aviation and related industries, including aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing.
Over several technical sessions and workshops, delegates will discuss technical issues relating to the introduction of A380 and Boeing 787aircraft including spares provisioning, the business related to ground handling and ground maintenance equipment, aircraft recovery kit contents and certification of kits.
As hosts to the event, Gulf Air took the delegates, who have come from far and wide, on a tour of the Kingdom and accorded an evening reception at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) yesterday (Sunday March 11), where the guests were introduced to traditional Arabian folk music and dance, henna painting and falconry.
The IATP meet is hailed as an important gathering of technical professionals from global aviation industry, who, in the spirit of co-operation, gather twice a year and discuss sharing of resources, thus generating economic savings, while improving operating efficiency and other issues.
The IATP, established in 1948, is a convention of airlines made up of over 100 member airlines, 28 associate members including aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus and Boeing with over 400 members from the aviation industry on its roll.
Over the years, the organisation, which contributes immensely to the aviation industry, promoting unparalleled safety in the skies and forging strong bonds between airlines around the world, has aimed at providing a global airline network to facilitate the exchange of ideas and cooperation.
About Gulf Air
Founded in 1950, Gulf Air, owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman, is the only truly Pan Gulf carrier in the Middle East region.
The regional, geographic and cultural values that the airline has embraced over more than half a century are still central to defining its brand and service ethos.
Today the airline’s network stretches from Europe to Asia and covers 50 cities in 30 countries. The fleet comprises 34 aircraft and has the distinct advantage of possessing the strongest network across the Middle East.
A platform for sustained commercial operation has been established over the past three years as part of a multi-phased turnaround programme. It has also provided a framework for a succession of innovative products and services including the unique Sky Chefs and Sky Nannies that form part of Gulf Air’s ’smart airline, successful business’ vision.
International recognition has been achieved as a result of the turnaround programme leading to numerous awards for the airline’s innovative and high quality products and services: These include:
• Best Onboard Catering in First and Business Class (Skytrax World Airline Catering Awards 2005)
• Best designed in-flight magazine (American Creativity Awards,2005)
• Middle East Leading First Class Airline (World Travel Awards 2005)
• World’s Leading Airport Lounge (World Travel Awards 2005)
• Middle East & North African Platinum Best Airline (MENA Travel Awards 2004
• Most Improved Airline (Skytrax Awards 2004)
• Middle East First Class Airline (Arabian Business Awards)
• Best new product launch for in-flight services (PAX international Readership Awards)
• Best First Class Onboard Food (Skytrax Food Category 2004)
• Best Business Class Check-in (Skytrax Check-in Category 2004)
• Middle East region’s best airport restaurant for its restaurant in Bahrain International Airport lounge (PAX International Readership Awards 2005)
