H.E. Dr. Ahmed Abdulrahman AlBanna, Ambassador of the UAE to India took part in the India Aviation 2016 in Hyderabad, the state capital of Telangana on March 16-20, 2016. A flagship aviation show organized by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India and FICCI was inaugurated by the President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee.

During his maiden visit to the Indian state, H.E. Dr. AlBanna was accompanied by Mr. Ahmad Alfalahi, Commercial Attaché of UAE to India and held series of interactions and meetings with both Airline Representatives and senior Government leaders and officials.

For his remarks on the participation, H.E. Dr.  AlBanna said; “Participating in such exhibitions is very vital to show to the world the advancement that the UAE has achieved in the aviation sector. We have become leaders in the aviation industry through our national carriers and aviation companies.”

The Ambassador along with the Commercial Attaché visited the Etihad airways & Jet airways at the exhibition where he was greeted by the senior airline officials. During his ensuing discussions, he noted the importance of the Indian aviation sector for the UAE. H.E. AlBanna was briefed by Mr. Kevin Knight, Chief Strategy & Planning Officer, Etihad Airways on how the Etihad’s partnership with Jet airways has benefitted the latter. He also informed the Ambassador that this partnership is currently catering to around 9 million international passengers to and from India. It is the largest by any comparison.

The Ambassador and the Commercial Attaché also visited the Emirates Airlines chalet where he met Mr. Ahmed Hashem Khoory, Senior Vice President, Emirates, and Mr. Essa Sulaiman, VP India and Nepal – Emirates. During the meeting, Emirates officials apprised H.E. Dr. AlBanna about the flying rights issues faced by them and their intent to fly to new tier - two cities in India. Dr. AlBanna, for his part, said that UAE needs to focus on an open sky policy with India given the immense potential this sector presents for both UAE and India.

As part of his numerous engagements, H.E. Dr. AlBanna also held a one to one meeting with Mr. Mohammad Mahmood Ali, Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana. The Ambassador was accorded a warm welcome by the Deputy Chief Minister.  During their meeting, the two sides discussed various facets of the UAE – India bilateral relations including political, economic and social and vowed to work together to further enhance mutual cooperation.

During the discussion, the Deputy Chief Minister urged the UAE Ambassador to explore the possibility of establishing a UAE Consulate in Hyderabad as the UAE hosts a large number of expatriates from the state. The Minister restated that such a move would strengthen the ties between UAE and the state of Telangana. For his part, Dr. AlBanna informed Mr. Mahmood Ali that UAE Government acknowledges the economic contribution made by the native population of the state and is in conformity with the Minister’s suggestion of opening a Consulate in the State. Further, the UAE Ambassador said that once all the initial formalities are completed, the UAE Government would approach the State Government of Telangana to allot land for Consulate premises. Dr. AlBanna also reiterated that India and UAE have historically enjoyed close and friendly relations anchored on mutually beneficial commercial exchanges and extensive people to people contacts.  The two sides also discussed important regional and international issues of mutual interest.