RAK mulls three plane types

RAK Airways of the northern Gulf emirate of Ras Al Khaimah said it's in talks with Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier about an order for at least 10 single-aisle aircraft to meet expansion plans. State-backed RAK is looking at the Boeing 737-800, Airbus A320 and the CSeries jet from Bombardier. It hopes to make a choice by the end of the year or early next. The United Arab Emirates home to five separate airlines operating full-size jets, four of them offering short-haul services. RAK Airways currently serves nine cities including Cairo, Doha in Qatar, Kathmandu in Nepal, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Chittagong in Bangladesh using two A320s and two 737-400s. (Source: Bloomberg, 07/22/13) Gulf Coast note: Airbus is building an A320 final assembly line in Mobile, Ala.