Ras Al Khaimah: The Ras Al Khaimah government has established a reconstruction committee to look into the operations of failed national carrier RAK Airways, an aviation official from the emirate said on Tuesday.
The independent committee, established under the Ras Al Khaimah Department of Civil Aviation, began looking at RAK Airways in late March, said Mohammad Qazi, who is heading the committee.
Qazi spoke to Gulf News following a press conference announcing the start of Air Arabia operations in Ras Al Khaimah.
The committee will take three months before it submits its findings to the Department of Civil Aviation. The committee will also look at what debt is owed by the former airline and whether any money is owed to the airline.
However, the future of RAK Airways is still unclear, despite suspending services earlier this year. The airline had said at the time that it will return to operations after a restructuring process.
Qazi, who is also acting chief executive at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, said the committee is in its ‘early days’ and that it is difficult to comment on what it will recommend or submit to the Department of Civil Aviation.
However, Qazi confirmed that RAK Airways staff had been made redundant and are being paid their final settlement.
Air Arabia, the Sharjah-based low-cost carrier moving into Ras Al Khaimah from May 6, will not take on any of the RAK Airways employees, according to comments from Adel Ali, Air Arabia Group chief executive.
Shaikh Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of RAK Department of Civil Aviation and RAK Airport, said that discussions with Air Arabia had been underway prior to RAK Airways demise.
Al Qasimi, who is the former vice-chairman of RAK Airways, declined to comment on the emirate’s failed airline.
RAK Airways is believed to have since returned its two leased aircraft and Qazi said it had issued refunds to passengers who had directly purchased their tickets from the airline, except for a small few who had not contacted the airline.
He added that those who had not received refunds should contact their place of purchase and that travel agents who have sold tickets have been directed to issue refunds.
