BEIJING // An Emirates Airline Airbus A380 yesterday became the first superjumbo to arrive in China on a scheduled service when it landed in bright sunshine at Beijing Capital International Airport. Its arrival heralds further strengthening of aviation ties between the UAE and the world's most populous nation.
An A380 will now fly one of Emirates's two daily services between Dubai and Beijing. It joins the route seven years after Emirates became the first airline to launch a non-stop service between the Middle East and the Chinese mainland. "This momentous touchdown of the world's largest aircraft not only reiterates Emirates's commitment to the development of the China market but also begins a new era for China's civil aviation," said Richard Jewsbury, Emirates's senior vice president, commercial operations, Far East and Australasia.
Mr Jewsbury said he hoped having the A380 on the route would further help to grow trade between the UAE and China. "We look forward to progressively growing our operations in China in the future," he said. Trade between the UAE and China was worth US$21 billion (Dh77.12bn) last year, making the UAE China's largest trading partner in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia. It peaked in 2008 at $28bn, with last year's dip blamed on the global economic slowdown.
Speaking in Shanghai earlier this year, Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, the Minister of Foreign Trade, said bilateral trade was likely to pick up this year. Senior officials from major Chinese companies including the energy giant Sinopec, China Construction and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China travelled on yesterday's inaugural service to Beijing. The Emirates A380, configured for up to 517 passengers, is scheduled to depart from Dubai each day at 4.10am local time and land in Beijing about 11 hours later.
As well as its two daily services from Dubai to Beijing, Emirates has twice-daily services to Shanghai and Hong Kong, as well as a daily service to Guangzhou. The airline has 11 A380s in service, flying to London, Paris, Toronto, Seoul, Bangkok, Jeddah, Sydney and Auckland, as well as Beijing. Just as Emirates is increasing capacity on its Dubai-to-Beijing route, so Etihad Airways, based in Abu Dhabi, is looking to expand its services between the capital and China.
On a visit to Beijing two months ago, James Hogan, the chief executive of Etihad, said the airline wanted to make its Beijing service, currently five times a week, a daily service. In addition, the airline is hoping to launch a service to Shanghai and after that a route to Guangzhou. Etihad began its Beijing service in March 2008 with four services a week, increasing this to five two years later. In addition to its passenger services to China, Etihad also operates freight services to Shanghai, Tianjin and Guangzhou and is looking to increase the frequency of these flights as well. Robert Bruce, a Hong Kong-based aviation analyst for CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, said the expansion of services by the UAE's carriers came amid a positive outlook for the Chinese aviation sector.
"Overall, the growth in outgoing passengers remains a strong trend in the medium term," he said. dbardsley@thenational.ae
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
ICC T20 Rankings
1. India - 270 ranking points
2. England - 265 points
3. Pakistan - 261 points
4. South Africa - 253 points
5. Australia - 251 points
6. New Zealand - 250 points
7. West Indies - 240 points
8. Bangladesh - 233 points
9. Sri Lanka - 230 points
10. Afghanistan - 226 points
Other key dates
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Finals draw: December 2
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Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENomad%20Homes%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHelen%20Chen%2C%20Damien%20Drap%2C%20and%20Dan%20Piehler%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20and%20Europe%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20PropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2444m%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Acrew%20Capital%2C%2001%20Advisors%2C%20HighSage%20Ventures%2C%20Abstract%20Ventures%2C%20Partech%2C%20Precursor%20Ventures%2C%20Potluck%20Ventures%2C%20Knollwood%20and%20several%20undisclosed%20hedge%20funds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mobile phone packages comparison
The specs: 2018 Honda City
Price, base: From Dh57,000
Engine: 1.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 118hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 146Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
