Tunisia tried to smooth out emerging tensions with the United Arab Emirates on Monday after Emirates airline barred Tunisian women from boarding its flights and the North African country responded by suspending the Dubai-based carrier's operations in the air and on the ground. The spokeswoman for the Tunisian presidency dismissed any notion of a "diplomatic crisis" between the two countries, expressing Tunisia's "understanding" of a decision made by the UAE's government to "protect its territory and its airlines." After the Emirates' decision caused an outcry in Tunisia, the presidential spokeswoman had to speak publicly on a radio station to explain that the ban targeting Tunisian women followed alleged serious threats of attacks. The spokeswoman, Saïda Garrach, said the UAE's authorities explained that they made the decision following "serious security information" about alleged plans for attacks by Tunisian women, or women with Tunisian passports, from "tense hotbeds" in Syria and Iraq. UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted that the ban was temporary and due to security reasons. In a later written statement, Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi "called for overcoming these problems as soon as possible to preserve the relations of brotherhood and cooperation between the two peoples of Tunisia and UAE." But Caid Essebsi said Tunisia will maintain the suspension of all flights by Emirates to and from Tunis until the UAE's government reconsiders its ban. <br/>
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Heavy fog in the west coast of Gyeonggi Province and other inland parts of Korea on Saturday and Sunday led to a massive volume of flight cancellations and delays at Incheon Airport, causing a three-day chain effect lasting to Christmas Day. The fog is now gone, but the impact is still reverberating at the country’s biggest airport. According to airport authorities, on Monday, 280 flights were delayed due to rescheduling and two were canceled due to a lack of reservations, as of 1 p.m. On Saturday, 562 flights were either canceled or postponed. On Sunday, another 560 were canceled or delayed. If Monday’s figure is included, a total of 1,400 flights were affected by the fog during the Christmas holiday. Following the dense fog, airport authorities mobilized 120 employees and operated the compound around the clock for 24 hours in emergency mode. The express rail connecting the airport to Seoul was operated until 3 a.m., beyond its regular hours, and temporary accommodation was set up inside the airport. Flights delayed Saturday all took off Sunday, and the airport saw a record number of flights in a day. On Saturday, 595 flights departed from Incheon Airport and 568 flights landed, with the total number of flights passing through the airport hitting 1,163. Previously, 1,114 was the record set in October 2017. <br/>
Indian airlines are likely to induct more than 900 aircraft in the coming years, with IndiGo alone expected to add 448 planes, according to official data. India is one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world and most airlines have ambitious expansion plans, especially to tap the potential on regional routes. As per data available with the civil aviation ministry, budget airlines IndiGo, SpiceJet, GoAir and AirAsia are set to significantly expand their respective fleet sizes. Along with other carriers, the total number of aircraft to be inducted by the domestic players would be more than 900. With an existing fleet of 150 planes, IndiGo is readying to add another 448 aircraft - 399 A320s and 49 ATRs - in the next seven to eight years. Competitor SpiceJet too is in the process of expanding its current fleet of 57 aircraft. The no-frills airline would be adding 107 B737-800s and 50 Bombardier Q400s during the 2018-2023 period. Another budget carrier GoAir, which is yet to take off on overseas routes, would induct 119 A320 planes during the period from 2018-2022. At present, its fleet size is 34.<br/>
Passenger traffic through Thailand's key airports during the New Year holiday season is expected to surge 6.6%. Based on airline notifications to Airports of Thailand, a total of 2.94m passengers, or 420,000 a day, will pass through those airports from Dec 28 to Jan 3. Aircraft movements, referring to take-offs and landings, are projected to rise in tandem by 5.8% from the same period a year ago to 17,570 or 2,510 a day. But the passenger traffic in the period would grow by a larger percentage if not for airport slot constraints pervasive at all but one AoT-operated airport. We cannot increase our passenger throughput by much because all of the slots are fully taken," said Suthirawat Suwannawat, general manager of Don Mueang airport. Overcrowding has been an issue because of capacity shortfalls. At Suvarnabhumi airport, the country's main gateway, passenger throughput is expected to grow by 2.7% in the seven-day period to 1.32 million or 188,500 a day, with aircraft movements rising 5% to 7,200 or 1,030 a day. Don Mueang, the country's second-busiest airport and a low-cost carrier hub, expects a 4.9% rise in passenger traffic to 781,400 or 111,630 a day, with aircraft movements edging up 3.4% to 5,200 or 740 a day. <br/>
The New Year will come with a plethora of new courses to expand the skillset of those involved in Cambodia’s nascent but expanding aviation sector, with the Civil Aviation Training Center (CATC) recently announcing 26 training programmes to be offered throughout 2018. Speaking during a seminar on professional development in the aviation sector, Lim Kao, the director of CATC and vice-CEO of Cambodia Angkor Air – the nation’s flag carrier – said the upcoming courses are needed to propel the development of the local aviation industry and help bring it up to par with international standards. “With the rapid growth in the aviation sector, particularly when it comes to technology, we need to continually update our capabilities,” he said. “These courses will help the industry reach international standards of quality and service.” Kao told attendants that the new courses will comply with international standards and regulations in the industry and urged all companies in the sector to send their staff to their facilities next year to take advantage of the new training options.<br/>