UAE Carrier RAK Airways Suspends Operations ‘Indefinitely’

Gulf carrier RAK Airways has suspended all operations for a second time in four years. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) national airline, based in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, suspended all operations from January 1, 2014 having cancelled operations on some of its routes in December last year. It previously stopped flights in 2009 citing the global financial downturn but resumed services from the start of 2011.

Although not to the scale of its UAE rivals Emirates Airline and flydubai in Dubai, Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi and Air Arabia in Sharjah, RAK was attempting to establish a network to support developments within Ras Al Khaimah and its emerging tourism potential. Alongside a domestic route to Abu Dhabi, which operated in partnership with Etihad Airways, RAK also offered flights to Calicut, Doha, Islamabad, Jeddah, Kathmandu, Lahore, Jeddah and Riyadh, mainly supporting migrant markets.

Although the cancellation of its Cairo and Amman routes from December 11, 2013 and December 16, 2013, respectively, may have provided warning of the carrier’s intentions, the complete closure of the business at such short notice has been a surprise. In a statement the carrier said the decision for suspending operations was taken following “increased pressures on the carrier’s performance due to continuous market conditions, increased operating costs and the impact of the regional political instability” on the overall aviation industry.

“The board of directors took the decision to suspend the operations until further notice. We believe this decision is in the best interest of the airline and its shareholders,” it added. The management team said it will now “take this time to re-evaluate the best options available for RAK Airways’ future as well as those that fit the industry requirements of the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.”

Using data from OAG Analyser we highlight the scheduled flight operations of RAK Airways since it resumed flight operations in January 2011. In total the carrier has served 16 different markets from Ras Al Khaimah during the past two years and is the dominant carrier at the Emirate’s International Airport, holding a 99.7 per cent share of capacity in 2013. Its annual capacity grew from 197,640 seats in 2011 to 316,174 seats last year.