ETIHAD/AACO
Etihad Airways will soon start hosting regular Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO) training courses at its home base in Abu Dhabi. It follows a successful period of collaboration between the two organizations during the past year when AACO held aviation courses for personnel working with member airlines at the Etihad Training Academy. Initially, the new agreement will allow AACO to conduct the aviation security (AVSEC) professional management course at the academy. AVSEC is a regulatory course for the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority. An official signing for the agreement took place at Etihad’s head office last week between James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive, and Abdul Wahab Teffaha, AACO’s secretary-general. “We are extremely proud that AACO has chosen us as one of its key locations to host training courses,” Hogan said. “Etihad’s new headquarters and training academy are among the best in the world and we look forward to starting the aviation security courses there,” Teffaha said.
ZAHID TRACTOR
Zahid Tractor, the exclusive dealer for Daewoo buses in the Kingdom, has signed a contract with Saudi Oger to supply Daewoo buses. The first batch of buses has already been delivered and the second lot will follow soon. “This deal exemplifies the continued long standing relationship between the two companies which will prosper further in the years to come,” Nasser Jamil Bayram, GM, commercial vehicle division at Zahid Tractor, said. “Zahid Tractor, with over 50 years of experience in this market, focuses on a fundamental commitment in providing carefully selected range of the world’s finest equipment, backed by outstanding product support, in addition to superior customer service evident in its vast network,” he added.
IL VILLAGGIO
“Il Villaggio Restaurants & Lounges, Jeddah, has recently been awarded the seal “ristorante Italiano.” The Italian ministry for agriculture and the organization CIAO ITALIA award the prestigious seal to restaurants representing the cultural heritage of the traditional and authentic Italian cuisine worldwide. To obtain this award, each restaurant has to prove that authentic Italian recipes are thoroughly followed, the original ingredients with the appropriate quality standards (origin, freshness, taste) are used and that Italian nationals instruct, train and supervise the work of the kitchen brigade. Earlier this year, it has also been accepted among the well-known “La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs” — the internationally highly regarded Association of gourmets and friends of fine dining. It offers a “journey to Italy without leaving Jeddah.” Or, its chefs may be sent home for cooking. Its GM Joerg M. Wickihalder, Executive Chef Emanuele Esposito, Pastry Chef, Vincenzo Raschella, AGM Toni Riethmaier have been credited with for their efforts.
ITFC
During a consultative meeting held in Casablanca, last week, Dr. Waleed Al Wohaib, CEO of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Islamic Center for Development of Trade (ICDT), represented by the center’s General Manager Alal Rushdi, which will shape the future of coordination between ITFC and the center. The memorandum includes areas of cooperation such as trade promotion activities by holding specialized exhibitions, organizing seminars and workshops for businessmen discussing supply and demand of potential trade commodities, and establishing a mechanism for exchanging business information by developing trade media networks. “This MoU is the first step in the process of building a strategic relationship between ITFC and the Islamic Center,” Dr. Al Wohaib said.
DOW
Dow Water Solutions, a business unit of the Dow Chemical Company (Dow) and a global major in water purification, seawater desalination, contamination removal and water reuse solutions, has addressed the Middle East’s pressing issues in the realm of water scarcity at POWER-GEN Middle East. The region’s premier conference, which is dedicated to the power generation, transmission and distribution, and water industries of the Gulf, ended at the Bahrain International Exhibition Center yesterday. Dr. Andreas Gorenflo, global large projects manager, Dow Water Solutions, participated in a special conference, “Water scarcity: Regional water and wastewater issues in the Middle East,” alongside other speakers from the UN and the International Water Association (IWA). “The Middle East is particularly vulnerable to the global trend of water scarcity. The combination of rapid industrialization and a growing population have accelerated the need to address water scarcity issues,” Gorenflo said.
NISSAN
Nissan Middle East has announced the official launch of the Nissan GT-R, a new multi-dimensional performance machine that lives up to the concept of “an ultimate supercar for anyone, anywhere, at anytime.” The Nissan GT-R arrives in selected ‘Nissan High Performance Centers’ across the GCC featuring a newly developed Premium Midship package, including the world’s first independent transaxle 4WD developed independently by Nissan. The Nissan GT-R was developed with a new understanding and appreciation of the Earth’s natural forces — gravity, inertial force and aerodynamics — and translates those forces into a completely new design, maximizing tire grip and airflow. “Our objective was to create a flagship model to promote our technology and also to develop a new type of supercar. Our new multiperformance supercar can be driven fast and skillfully by just about anybody in just about any road condition,” Kazutoshi Mizuno, chief vehicle engineer and chief product specialist for the Nissan GT-R, said.
