Emirates airline makes financing history; Secures US$413.7m aircraft financing in first-ever public bond offering backed by US Ex-Im guarantee

Dubai, UAE, 8th October 2009 - Dubai-based Emirates airline announced today the successful pricing of its inaugural US bond offering guaranteed by the Export Import Bank of the United States (the "Ex-Im Bank") related to a loan facility secured for three new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The transaction is in the amount of US$413.7m with a fixed rate coupon of 3.465% per annum. The secured notes are due 21 August 2021 and are payable in instalments of principal and interest on a quarterly basis. "This transaction is very important for the industry as it represents the first offering of its kind directly into the global public capital markets. We believe bond markets represent an important source of capital for the airline industry in general and for Emirates in particular," said Brian Jeffery, Senior Vice President, Corporate Treasury at Emirates. "Emirates is constantly in search of innovative structures and alternative sources of financing for our aircraft acquisition programme and this structure will go a long way in bridging the funding gap which is evidently present in these difficult market conditions. We are very pleased to be the first airline to complete this innovative product and we would like to pay special tribute to the long term vision of Ex-Im Bank and to the structuring and execution expertise of our arrangers Calyon and Goldman Sachs. This could not have come at a better time for the airline industry." Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Calyon Securites acted as joint bookrunners and joint structuring agents. Clifford Chance represented Emirates as issuer's counsel and Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP acted as underwriters' counsel. Vedder Price PC acted as counsel for Ex-Im Bank. Emirates airline operates over 1,000 flights per week from its base in Dubai International Airport to over 100 destinations in 61 countries across six continents with 138 wide bodied Airbus and Boeing aircraft and another 154 aircraft on order. The airline has financing in place for its aircraft deliveries up till summer 2010.

Etisalat and HTC to launch 'HTC Magic'

Dubai, October 7th, 2009: Etisalat, in collaboration with HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile phone innovation and design, has announced the launch of the eagerly awaited "HTC Magic" in the UAE, the Emirates’ first Android™-powered smartphone, providing a whole new range of mobile capabilities. The launch of the region's first Android phone is the result of a successful collaboration between Etisalat and HTC, which aims to offer innovative and superior mobile solutions to the UAE's rapidly growing consumer base.

A device with a sleek and unprecedented compactness for a smartphone featuring the Android platform, the HTC Magic enables a superior mobile Internet experience, providing broad flexibility for personalisation.

HTC Magic is pre-installed with top-notch applications from Google, including Google Search™, and Gmail™ creating multiple layers of advanced mobile internet capabilities for users who are frequently on the road. Furthermore, HTC Magic is equipped with a 3.2-inch HVGA touch screen display, a trackball and optimised navigational buttons, a 3.2 mega-pixel camera and GPS.

Essa Al Hadad Chief Marketing officer, Etisalat, said, “Etisalat has a history of launching pioneering initiatives that provide the best value and technology experience to our customers and we are delighted to now bring the first ever Android-powered mobile device in the UAE. HTC Magic will provide unparalleled technology experience to our customers with its innovative, advanced and intuitive internet connectivity features. The launch of this new smartphone is in accordance with our goal to remain highly responsive to the emerging and evolving needs of our customers. HTC Magic perfectly complements our diverse range of connectivity solutions with its superior mobile internet capability and advanced applications."

Kevin Chen, General Manager, Middle East and Africa said, “Taking advantage of the revolutionary capabilities of the Android platform, HTC Magic is equipped to satisfy the most challenging demands of smartphone users, particularly in the UAE where mobile connectivity has become an integral part of everyday life. HTC Magic's cutting-edge technology and user-friendly interface are significant value-added features that enable users to enjoy mobile and internet applications practically anywhere and in any situation."

"We are excited to be partnering with Etisalat to launch this powerful phone within one of the most important mobile markets in the region. Furthermore, this partnership is a testament to HTC's continued commitment to innovate and develop new solutions, as well as leveraging strategic partnerships to enhance our value proposition to our consumers,” added Chen.

HTC Magic features the Android-optimised Web Kit browser, while it is also equipped with a variety of email options such as POP3, IMAP and Google Talk™ for instant messaging, aside from regular SMS and MMS messaging. The feature-packed HTC Magic also comes with Outlook® synchronization, Smart Dialer, and has an onscreen QWERTY keyboard with predictive text. The onboard SlideME Application Manager (SAM) provides access to variety of software and games for download.

HTC Magic, which comes in the colour black, will be available in the market late October at a retail price of AED 2199 for the prepaid customers with one month free 5GB data package. Attractive offers will be available for post paid customers as well. The device will be available from all the Etisalat Business centres.

Dubai participates in French travel market exhibition

The Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), along with six co-participants, took part in Top Resa-2009 exhibition in Paris from September 22 to 25.

Dubai Stand at the international French travel market measured 80 square metres and this was the 20th consecutive year participation by DTCM at the show.

The Dubai delegation was headed by Ali Abdul Wahab, Head of East and West Europe Region at DTCM’s Overseas Promotions Department.

He said: “Our continued participation in Top Resa speak volumes about the importance we accord to this exhibition to reach out to this part of the world and further consolidate our share in the French and European outbound markets.”

There has been a consistent year-on-year increase in the number of French tourists coming to Dubai.

DTCM operates a Representative Office in Paris to tap the French market.

The emirate last year recorded a 27 per cent increase in French guests staying with the hotels and hotel apartments. Dubai played host to 156385 French guests in 2008, up from 123,094 in the previous year.

This year’s Dubai co-participants were Akkad Tours, Atlantis The Palm, Gulf Circle Tours, One and Only Royal Mirage, Rida International Tourism and SNTTA Emir Tours.

Increase in number of consumer material samples tested in Dubai Central Lab

The number of consumer material samples tested in the Dubai Central Laboratory (DCL) of Dubai Municipality is on the increase. The DCL received about 7,000 requests for testing consumer materials during the last nine months of 2009 and 6,223 tests were conducted on these samples. The samples included various consumer goods of gemstones, precious metals, toys, cosmetics, electrical appliances and others.

Eng. Hawa Bastaki, Director of Dubai Central Laboratory Department said that in line with the quality policy followed by Dubai Municipality, the DCL provides testing services in the field of consumer materials using the best ways and techniques to make sure that the required standards are maintained in accordance with approved specifications and as per the procedures for the purpose of achieving credibility and trust of the public.
She that in the framework of the efforts of DCL to improve the quality of performance and consumer protection, the Laboratory has been conducting studies and surveys on certain consumer goods available in the market.
Bastaki said the Laboratory has taken all the necessary preparations to provide testing services for its customers in a timely manner to ensure completion within the time required.
She also noted the DCL's efforts to reach out to the global level include making available all modern technologies to conduct these tests according to international standard test methods.

Bastaki stated that one of the testing services is the testing of cosmetics "Dioxane 1.4 - Diethylene Glycol" and testing the quality and safety of textiles and fabrics.

She said these services come as part of achieving the objectives of Dubai Municipality's strategy to maintain public health and safety and in line with the focal point of the Dubai Strategic Plan.
The new textile testing lab conducts analyses and tests on various textile products such as the fabrics of curtains, carpets, furniture and various types of clothing. The tests include measuring pH, which reflects the degree of influence on the acid and alkali, heavy metals and ignition test. It also includes tests to identify fiber types that are used such as silk, wool and synthetic fibers.
Bastaki said that the establishment of a well-qualified laboratory for testing textiles and fabrics will support the Dubai's economic role in the region in import and export of textiles, especially since the city of Dubai is considered as a vital market in the import and export of various types of fabrics.
She said work is under way to conduct a study to change some of the methods of measurement in line with the local environment such as high temperature in the country and the Gulf region as the global analysis was designed based on cold European countries.
She said the cadre of human resources available in the laboratory includes many skilled nationals and expatriates, who have the qualifications and long experience in testing and evaluating consumer materials.

"For the purpose of ascertaining the accuracy of the tests and giving credibility to the results, the laboratory has approved many tests of consumer materials in accordance with the specifications of international standard, which has helped the results being accepted by many bodies," Bastaki said.

She said the laboratory has also developed plans and future programmes to position it to deal with the expected increase in tests of samples of consumer materials in the coming months of 2009.

IGCSE and GCSE examinations success for GEMS students

Dubai, October 6, 2009: Once again students from GEMS schools have excelled at the recent IGSCE and GCSE examinations, surpassing the UK national average, highlighting the leading position of GEMS students in international exams.

· GEMS students are achieving scores 25 percentage points above the UK national average.

· This year 72% of year 11 GEMS students attained 5* A – C, including Maths and English.

· In comparison, the 2008 UK national average figure was 47.2% for similar aged students.

· 34 per cent of marks achieved by GEMS students were A* to A – this is 12 per cent higher than the UK.

At Jumeirah College, 97 per cent of students obtained 5 A* to C marks in all subjects. Toppers at the school included Lucinda Anis who achieved 10 A* and Aman Gupta who achieved 9 A*.

Results at Wellington International School were higher than the year before with 88 percent of the students obtaining 5 A* to C marks in all subjects. Abhinav Mathur came out on top at his school with 11 A*, while Leanna Shuttleworth received 10 A*.


Ralph Tabberer, Chief of Schools with GEMS Education said, “The impressive results highlight the hard work of our students and the dedication of the teachers. Exam results performance is not the only benchmark but this year’s results have again shown we have first rate British curriculum schools and we congratulate our students for their exceptional academic achievements”.

“I also want to acknowledge the incredibly important role that our parents are playing in supporting their children at home in helping raise overall educational achievements.

GEMS Education prides itself on its world class teachers and educators which help achieve high standards of education to ensure GEMS students are given the very best opportunity to attend the world’s best universities.

GEMS Education manages a growing network of nearly 100 high quality international schools around the world. GEMS network of schools provide education to 100,000 students from over 125 countries, employing over 7,000 education professionals, specialists and staff from over 60 nationalities. Supported by a network of eminent international advisors in the field of education, GEMS global network of multi-skilled specialists and in-house experts provide invaluable support and guidance in all areas related to schools, delivering world class standards of education. ‘GEMS Education’ offers total school management solutions: From project inception and planning to ongoing operations of schools. GEMS provides all round management of new school projects and existing schools.

Microsoft Continues To Protect Local Customers and Partners with Ongoing Anti-Piracy Efforts

Dubai, UAE: October 7th, 2009: In its ongoing efforts to curb the spread of pirated software and ensure a level playing field for the region’s legitimate resellers, Microsoft Gulf today announced that it had filed criminal complaints which led to four anti-piracy raids on resellers in the UAE over the last two months. Three raids were conducted in Dubai and one in Sharjah and resulted in the confiscation of several pirated software CDs and personal computers (PCs) loaded with fake copies of Microsoft Windows and Office.

As an active member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the international association established by the global software industry to promote a safe and legal digital world, Microsoft continues to educate customers and partners about the negative effects of software piracy on the local economy and to increase awareness about the risks of counterfeit to consumers using counterfeit or hacked software, such as exposure to security issues like viruses, identify or credit card theft. By partnering with local government bodies, Microsoft has also stepped up its regional efforts to take legal steps against those who manufacture and distribute illegal software.

H.E. Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdulaziz Al Shihhi, General Manager of the UAE Ministry of Economy said, “In addition to the impact on economies and innovation, software piracy poses very real risks to businesses and consumers. It is for this reason that protecting Intellectual Property Rights is at the top of the agenda for the Ministry where we partner with organizations such as Microsoft in the development of strategies and mechanisms that will help tackle this issue in the Arab world.”

“Microsoft takes the issue of the pirated software very seriously because our customers expect and deserve the highest-level of satisfaction when purchasing our products”, said Jawad Al Redha, IPR Manager, Microsoft Gulf. “Therefore, we work with stakeholders across the Gulf, including governments, industry partners and educational bodies, to build awareness of the value of intellectual property as a driver of economic growth and encourage respect for intellectual property rights. Through the Genuine Software Initiative (GSI), Microsoft is committed to advancing education amongst our customers while investing heavily in engineering world-class anti-counterfeiting technologies and to supporting government and law enforcement on taking action against counterfeiters.”

Dale Waterman, Microsoft’s Corporate Attorney for Anti Piracy for the Middle East and Africa region, added, “Every year, millions of consumers and businesses are hurt by counterfeit software that they acquire unwittingly. Consumers, businesses and resellers continually ask for help in mitigating the threats posed by pirates. We are heavily investing our resources and time into winning the battle against piracy by intensifying our collaboration with government and law enforcement agencies in the Gulf region to ensure that pirates are brought to justice. Our enforcement efforts are a key component in our battle against piracy.”


Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ:'MSFT') is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft Gulf opened its Dubai-based headquarters in 1991. Microsoft Gulf today oversees Microsoft activities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. Microsoft Corporation's address on the worldwide web is: www.microsoft.com and Microsoft’s Gulf web site is: www.microsoft.com/gulf.

Emaar Retail joins hands with Emirates airline to offer real-life airline environment at KidZania® edu-tainment centre

Dubai, UAE; October 7, 2009: Emaar Retail has joined hands with Emirates airline, Dubai’s international airline company, to introduce children to the thrills of an aviation-related career in a real-life airline environment experience at KidZania®, the Middle East’s unique edu-tainment attraction at The Dubai Mall.

KidZania® is an award-winning children’s edu-tainment concept that is being introduced to the region for the first time at The Dubai Mall. Opening shortly, it is an 80,000 sq ft interactive mini-city featuring life-sized streets, buildings and shops scaled down to a smaller, child-friendly size. KidZania® allows children to dress up and role-play by performing realistic tasks in a fun and meaningful way. Children can choose from 70 different real-life roles ranging from doctors, teachers, construction workers, artists and mechanics.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group said: “KidZania® will be a remarkable destination and an excellent addition to The Dubai Mall’s expanding entertainment precinct when it opens shortly. For Emirates, our partnership with Emaar Retail represents our mutual desire to help the younger generation get excited about their futures through stimulating, educational activities.

“Pilots and cabin crew have long been an iconic representation of the dream job, travelling the world and experiencing new and exciting destinations on a daily basis. It is our hope that through this partnership, children who visit KidZania® will now see and understand for themselves how rewarding and varied a career in aviation can be.”

His Excellency Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties, said: “Dubai continues to be at the forefront of innovation, creativity and execution. This is highlighted by the impressive success of Emirates airline, which reiterates the visionary zeal, ambition and determination of the city to make a global imprint in every aspect the city undertakes.

“Emaar Retail has already set global benchmarks with the opening of attractions such as Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, SEGA Republic, Reel Cinemas and Dubai Ice Rink at The Dubai Mall. The partnership of Emaar Retail and Emirates airline is a perfect example of sharing synergies and competencies for the overall benefit of the society. Emirates will further enhance the edutainment centre’s appeal to children, and with this, we are ensuring that our future generations get the best professional role play experience that will help them tremendously in the long-run.”

Through the partnership with Emirates, KidZania® will offer children the opportunity to enact their dream roles as pilots and cabin crew. A highlight is the fuselage of an actual aircraft fitted out complete with realistic flight simulators. Emirates check-in desks are also set up as the main entrance point to KidZania®, where children can “check-in”, get their boarding passes, go through the make-shift x-ray machines and enter the new city - KidZania®.

All designs as well as various activities recreate the real life environment of working for Emirates. For example, children can work as pilots and fly from Dubai to KidZania® in flight simulators. Meanwhile, other children can act as cabin crew offering a mock trolley service and making realistic in-flight PA announcements while their parents can look on from the spectator viewing window. Emirates will also provide wardrobes and training programmes to KidZania® that are in line with its actual work standards.

Mr Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Executive Vice President, Engineering and Operations said: ‘At Emirates we are extremely passionate about our commitment to service and quality. We want all children who visit KidZania® to receive as realistic an experience as possible, which is why we have enlisted the support of our experienced trainers to instruct the KidZania® staff. We firmly believe that Emirates' product and service is unlike any other offered in the industry, and we are confident that this will resonate through to the KidZania® experience.”

Mr Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Retail, said: “KidZania® is all set to offer an unparalleled leisure attraction for children that will greatly appeal to parents for its edutainment value. This is part of the commitment of Emaar Retail to bring in wholesome leisure experiences to The Dubai Mall. We work with the best in the industry and our association with Emirates brings in a global dimension to KidZania®, which children from around the world can enjoy on visits to Dubai.”

KidZania® will also feature offices, schools, a fire station, race track, radio station, pizzeria, hospitals, a bank, ATM machines, theatre and fashion ramps, all scaled down to a smaller, child-friendly size. Kids can choose a preferred ‘role’ and be provided with costumes and other accessories for the complete real-life like experience.

KidZania® is one of the three new leisure attractions at The Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination. SEGA Republic, the 76,000 sq ft indoor theme park; and the 22-screen Reel Cinemas with a seating capacity of up to 2,800 seats, are already open.