Kenyan Airways flight makes emergency landing in Sudan

KHARTOUM | Wed Jan 2, 2013 4:27am EST

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - A Kenyan Airways plane with 56 passengers on board made an emergency landing in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, after an engine caught fire, witnesses said on Wednesday.

Nobody was hurt, but the incident on Tuesday night left passengers stranded in a country difficult for travel because credit cards do not work in Sudan due to U.S. trade sanctions. Banks change dollars only at a very unfavourable exchange rate compared with the dominant black market.

The Cairo-bound Boeing 737-700 took off in Khartoum after a regular stopover following a flight from Nairobi. But it had to return to the Sudanese capital after 20 minutes, three passengers on board flight KQ 320 told Reuters.

"An engine caught fire and the plane suddenly lost much altitude. The pilot made a sharp turn and returned to Khartoum," said Souhair Mohamed Hawala, an Egyptian passenger. "There was panic on board. People were crying or praying."

Other passengers showed what they said were pictures from the damaged wing and engine of the plane.

A Kenyan Airways official said the plane had returned with an unspecified "engine problem" and needed to be repaired in Sudan. "We don't know the cause yet," he said, adding passengers would be booked on the airline's next flight out of Sudan after 24 hours. (Reporting by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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Qatar Airways files $600 mln claim over new airport

Qatar Airways new Boeing 787 Dreamliner taxis after arriving on it's inaugural flight to Heathrow Airport, west London December 13, 2012.

Credit: Reuters/Andrew Winning

DUBAI | Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:02am EST

DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar Airways said it was filing a $600 million legal claim against a contractor for a delay in opening a new international airport in Doha.

Lindner Depa Interiors, a German-Dubai joint venture DEPA.DI, holds a $250 million contract to build 19 airport lounges by the middle of 2012, Qatar Airways said in a statement on Saturday.

In a statement later in the day, LDI said it had not received a legal claim from Qatar Airways and described the carrier's allegations as "false and misleading".

It said it was not able to meet its original completion deadline because it was denied full access to the project site for the first nine months of a 16-month contract.

LDI also said it had no contractual relationship with Qatar Airways and that it was in arbitration with its client on the project, New Doha International Airport. Qatar Airways will run the airport when it becomes operational.

The $15.5 billion airport in the Qatari capital will be the hub for the airline, which has grown to a fleet of 116 aircraft since its launch 15 years ago. The new airport was scheduled to open this month but is now expected to start operating in late 2013, Qatar Airways said.

It said Doha's existing airport had reached capacity and the delay in moving to a new facility was hindering the company's expansion plans.

LDI is a joint venture between Lindner Group and Depa United Group DEPA.DI. (Reporting By Praveen Menon; Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Robert Birsel and Jane Baird)

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