Falcons and their owners at the flydubai business class check-in at Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 2. The birds were on their way to Azerbaijan, where there was much more prey and where the Azeris were eager to learn the art of falconry from the Emiratis. Photo by Frank Kane
Falcons and their owners at the flydubai business class check-in at Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 2. The birds were on their way to Azerbaijan, where there was much more prey and where the AzShow more

Falcons on a plane: Birds get business class treatment with flydubai



Last week Dubai sent a top level delegation to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, to further develop trade and financial relations with the Caspian country.

On Sunday night, at Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 2, I witnessed first-hand evidence of the strong relationship between the two countries.

I was dropping off my wife and daughter for a visit to Baku (my wife’s hometown). They were queuing to check in for the overnight “red eye” when my daughter suddenly burst out: “Look daddy, falcons”.

A keen ornithologist and regular poser for the falcon-on-arm pics, she knows her birds of prey, and she was dead right: there, at the flydubai business class check-in, were at least half a dozen birds – some in travel cages, some on the arms of their handlers, some sitting patiently while waiting in line.

It was one of those Dubai moments when you think: “It could only happen here”.

I had a quick chat with one of the bird’s owners, who told me they were going to fly the birds in Azerbaijan, where there was much more prey and where the Azeris were eager to learn the art of falconry from the world recognised experts, the Emiratis.

Once on the plane, I was informed in a series of excited calls from my daughter on the tarmac that the birds and their owners had taken over the business class section, and were obviously seasoned flyers (which makes sense: they are birds, after all). They were quieter and better behaved than some of the passengers in economy, my wife told me.

But flying live birds in the cabin of a modern aircraft? Surely that was against the rules?

Not at all, it turns out. Flydubai informs me that the only livestock allowed inside the cabin of their planes are crustaceans, fish and some reptiles. “And falcons of course,” the airline’s spokeswoman explained. “As you know, they are very special birds.”

So special, in fact, that they must have their own seat, on which a special cloth is spread for the duration of the flight to avoid accidents. Think falcon mid-air turn-down.

On this particular flight, the owners had booked out the entire business class cabin, which I guess was obligatory. Imagine settling in for your flight to Baku, trying to prepare for the day’s meetings there, and finding a falcon in the seat next to you. Disconcerting.

In fact, travelling falcons are a pretty regular occurrence on flydubai routes. “We treat them the same way we would VIP passengers and frequent flyers. Once an entire plane was chartered to take some birds to Bahrain,” the airline’s spokeswoman told me.

Do they get air miles? Use the airport lounges? Shop in duty free? Get bumped up to first class? Is there room for a whole new category of air travel – falcon class? The mind boggles.

fkane@thenational.ae

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Company%20Profile
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The Bio

Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”

Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”

Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”

Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”

Company%20Profile
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

The%20specs
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The specs

  Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Islamic%20Architecture%3A%20A%20World%20History
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UAE Premiership

Results

Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes

Final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, Friday, March 29, 5pm at The Sevens, Dubai

BORDERLANDS

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis

Director: Eli Roth

Rating: 0/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Sweet%20Tooth
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EA Sports FC 25
Specs
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Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

List of alleged parties

 

May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff 

May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'

Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff 

Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson 

Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party

Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters 

Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz 

Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party 

Ruwais timeline

1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established

1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants

1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed

1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.  

1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex

2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea

2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd

2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens

2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies

2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export

2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.

2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery 

2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital

2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13

Source: The National

If you go

The flights

The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings

The stay

Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.

 

Results

4pm: Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)

4.35pm: Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m; Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

5.10pm: Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Canvassed, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

5.45pm: Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Midnight Sands, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

6.20pm: Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O’Meara

6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass

7.30pm: Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Final Song, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor