To lift it from the current deteriorating conditions it is suffering from:Yemenia offers to manage Sanaa Intl Airport [Archives:2004/765/Community]

Yemen Airways (Yemenia) offered to take charge of the management of Sana'a International Airport. Yemenia aims to restructure the airport and enhance its services to match standards set by other international airports.
In a press conference with tens of journalists from local and international media organizations, Yemenia's Chairman Captain Abdulkhaliq Al-Qadhi responded to a question from the Yemen Times about the need to enhance Sana'a International Airport. He agreed that with the increasing demand it was necessary to rise to acceptable standards.
“We will be ready to take charge of Sana'a International Airport if the government allows us to. If the government is not willing to restructure and enhance the airport, then we are ready to do it ourselves, and we will be happy to be held accountable for all the actions we take, and we will ensure that we achieve positive results in the end.” Mr. Al-Qadhi told Yemen Times.

From the verge of bankruptcy to competency
Al-Qadhi said during the press conference, which was organized as part of a tour to Yemenia's facilities, at its headquarters and at the airport, that Yemeni has achieved massive successes and reformation in various aspects. “It is amazing how Yemenia has been lifted from the brink of collapse and bankruptcy in 1995, to becoming one of the major players in the region today.” He said.
“This was only made possible by the collaborative efforts of the airline's staff and management, and with the encouragement of the state. I am glad to say that among fierce competition in the region, we have not only managed to survive, but in fact, we have achieved record sales in this year.”

Investments in health
Yemenia officials also mentioned that the airline has focused on enhancing its provision of health services for its staff by expanding the Yemenia health service center – by hiring more doctors and constructing more buildings. Concurrently, Yemenia has also invested in the health sector by becoming a major shareholder in the Saudi-German Hospital, which will become Yemen's largest and most advanced hospital. The hospital is expected to raise the overall health standards of the country, by strict adherence to international health service standards.

60% discount for journalists
Furthermore, Captain Al-Qadhi announced a 60% discount on market ticket sales for all Yemeni journalists. “We have decided to take this step to ensure our commitment to supporting journalists and their mission to pursue the truth and present it bluntly to the public”, he said.
“We are always keen to building bridges with Yemeni journalists because we believe in transparency and openness. We respect articles seemingly critical of Yemenia when they are based on facts. In fact we encourage this, as it helps us to fix our own problems. On the other hand, we strongly disagree with any attempt to use the press for blackmail or defamation.”

Difficulties assessed
Mr. Al-Qadhi mentioned a number of difficulties facing the airline including the fierce competition of airlines in the region. “We are facing competition from airlines that are heavily supported by their governments. We are still competing with them, despite the big gap between us in terms of government support”, Al-Qadhi commented.
“We are now expanding our fleet, by purchasing new planes and we are expanding our maintenance services and spare parts unit, which includes over 37,000 parts. We are doing this to become stronger players in the region, and we hope that we will succeed with the support of our clients and fellow citizens.”
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