The man (Strodel) resurfaced...
Liwa on runway to success in the Gulf
An expected ban in the UAE on aircraft older than 25 years will open new opportunities for carriers in the region, according to start-up freighter airline Liwa Air.
CEO Robert Strodel told IFW the legislation was expected to be announced in 2007 or 2008, creating a demand for replacements for aircraft such as IL-76s, B727s, An-12s and some A300-B4s.
He said the ban, alongside strong growth in the Gulf economies and the UAE's geographic position between key growing cargo markets such as India, China and Africa, convinced him his new airline – registered and funded in Abu Dhabi – would be a success.
Liwa Air began operating charters this autumn with one An-74, and this month, the first of three modern Tupolev 204s arrived.
The new carrier is operating on a charter basis, with demand strongest between Dubai and places such as Afghanistan, Iraq and north and east Africa.
Scheduled flights will be gradually introduced, with Dubai's new Jebel Ali airport expected to form the main operational hub.
Capable of carrying 30 tonnes on flights of up to four hours, Strodel said the Tu-204s were perfectly suited to meeting the growing need for capacity in and around the Middle East, Africa and central Asia.
Developing destinations such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan had no dedicated freighters services with the UAE and the modern loading systems of the Tu-204s meant they could be loaded and offloaded in an hour, compared with several hours for the bulk loading freighters that generally serve those markets.
But Strodel said he also had plans to start longhaul services at the end of next year and would take a decision shortly on aircraft to serve markets such as the Far East and Europe.
He had already decided to use Leipzig as a European hub.