DUBAI // Recovery procedures should be improved to ensure immobilised aircraft are removed more efficiently from runways, an investigation has found.
The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) made the recommendations after it took crews about 10 hours to remove a damaged Boeing 737-800 from a runway at Dubai International Airport.
The Ukranian International Airlines flight from Kiev was landing at about 10pm on September 14 last year when it suffered burst tyres. While no passengers or crew were injured, the aircraft was not moved until 8.23am the following day.
The authority found that responsibilities of various parties in removing the plane were not defined and that the recovery “was not implemented in a controlled manner”.
“Neither the procedures in the possession of the recovery team nor their training was adequate,” the report said.
“The requirements of disabled aircraft recovery, as prescribed in the UAE Civil Aviation Regulations, lack standards for competency of the recovery personnel and the need for frequent exercises to assess the adequacy of the recovery plan.”
Among the GCAA’s recommendations were that Dubai Airports conduct exercises to test the recovery plan and improve training for managers.
Dubai Airports said it is reviewing the authority’s recommendations and plans to implement some new operational procedures. “Dubai Airports has a close working relationship [with the GCAA],” it said.
“Reports of this nature are intended to provide important information to drive continuous improvement in safety and operational performance.
“They are, therefore, extremely technical and detailed and make numerous recommendations for modifications to the operational procedures of several parties, of which Dubai Airports is one such party.”
The authority also said the Emirates Airline division responsible for the recovery of disabled aircraft at the airport should change some of its procedures.
The changes should ensure prompt access to recovery tools, effective team training, sufficient empowerment of the team leader in decision making, and possession of a list of all aircraft types that operate in the airport.
Emirates Airline was not available for comment on Tuesday.
Investigators with the GCAA also found that national standards for aircraft recovery needed improvement. More stringent aviation regulations would shorten delays and minimise damage to the aircraft during the recovery work, the GCAA said.
lcarroll@thenational.ae
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Europe’s rearming plan
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Brief scores:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
Squads
India (for first three ODIs) Kohli (capt), Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Jadhav, Rahane, Dhoni, Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Umesh, Shami.
Australia Smith (capt), Warner, Agar, Cartwright, Coulter-Nile, Cummins, Faulkner, Finch, Head, Maxwell, Richardson, Stoinis, Wade, Zampa.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
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6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
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Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
NYBL PROFILE
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Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
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Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
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Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
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Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
