Etihad Airways today announced the appointment of Shaeb Ahmed Alneaimi as its first Airport Manager at Incheon International Airport (IIA) in South Korea.

Gulf Aviation Academy (GAA), Bahrain's first aviation training academy, has been approved as a Type Rating Training Organisation (TRTO) by the Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs (BCAA) and the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) to operate as a TRTO for conducting Type Rating training programmes that are required by pilots to operate different aircraft types.

Sir Maurice Flanagan KBE BA Hon.FRAeS FCILT, Executive Vice Chairman of Emirates Airline & Group, has been awarded The Guild Award of Honour by The Guild of Air Pilots & Air Navigators (GAPAN) in recognition of his `unsurpassed achievements in the airline industry and outstanding lifetime contribution to aviation`.

Tony Smith has joined Sharjah Aviation Services as General Manager.

Messier Services signed an agreement with SriLankan Airlines covering landing gear MRO and exchange for all five A340-300s operated by the carrier. Work has already started at Messier Services Asia in Singapore and will be completed in 2010. SR Technics signed a three-year engine services contract with Biman Bangladesh Airlines under which it will provide engine maintenance, overhaul and repair services on six PW4000s powering Biman's A310s.

Pratt & Whitney and ITR-Turborreactores signed an agreement establishing ITR's Queretaro, Mexico, 156,700-sq.m. facility as a "designated service provider center of excellence" for JT8D component repair. ITR will also have the capability to perform comprehensive compressor vane repairs on JT8D stator vanes, it said.

Gore Design Completions which is well known in the Middle East for its extensive experience in head-of-state and VVIP aircraft has announced a new organizational structure and leadership appointments.

Bahrain Airport Services Aircraft Engineering Training Centre (BAETC) has appointed international services company Serco, to improve training policy and procedures, facilities, increase performance and install best-practice to BAETC.