John Swift, Director, NATS Middle East looks at the key issues that will be raised at today's ATC Global event in Dubai.

The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and Eurocontrol have signed an agreement at ATC Global, currently running in Dubai, to enhance co-operation between the two for flight data exchange.

UK management and technology consultancy Helios has confirmed that the task force for the GCC FIR study will convene for the first time this week with its Director Middle East, Alan Corner saying the focus would be “very much on practical solutions.”

The US government is “taking very seriously” the request Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines and their labor groups have made that consultations begin with the governments of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar on alleged subsidies for the airlines from those countries, a US Department of State official said.

The US airline industry must safeguard itself against “atypical employment practices,” which could threaten safety as well as destroy the compact between employer and employee, a labor leader said here.

Delta Air Lines flight 2028 en route from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to New York LaGuardia made an emergency landing Thursday in Charleston, South Carolina after the MD-88’s cabin became smoky.

A Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800—enroute from Istanbul Ataturk to Nevşehir Kapadokya—flew through a flock of birds on final approach to Nevşehir on Tuesday, causing extensive damage to the aircraft’s radome.

A Jet Airways Boeing 737-800 NG, en route from Tân Sõn Nhất International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City to Delhi, was forced to make an emergency landing when its captain was incapacitated by illness during the last hour of the four-hour flight.