ANTONOV AN-12 PLANE BANNED FROM UAE AIRSPACE

DUBAI, Feb 19 (Bernama) -- The Antonov An-12 aircraft will be banned from
United Arab Emirates's (UAE) airspace from March 1.

The decision was made by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) after
an audit by a special technical committee showed that the plane did not meet
international safety standards.

Ismail Mohammed Al Balooshi, director of safety at GCAA, said there had been
numerous incidents involving Antonov aircraft in 2008, including three minor
incidents at Sharjah International Airport (in UAE) and one crash in Iraq.

"That's why the GCAA made an initial decision to temporarily ban this
aircraft model which posed a threat to air safety, pending the results of the
assessment by the technical committee regarding the airworthiness of Antonov
An-12.

"The assessment showed that this aircraft can't be operated safely," he told
the media.

The GCAA said the ban was aimed at raising safety standards in UAE's civil
aviation sector.

-- BERNAMA