The 10th Al Khor Fly In Day 2017 opened Friday by providing visitors with a unique educational entertainment through a series of aerobatic shows and interactive activities aimed at creating awareness on aviation among children.

The two-day annual event, organised by the Civil Aviation Authority under the patronage of HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti, features free flying, paramotor, gyrocopter and light aircraft, and formation flying shows.
A series of flying stunts by light aircraft like autogyros and weight-shift microlight planes stormed the skies of Al Khor during the kick off on Friday, enthralling hundreds of spectators, including families, at the air strip.
Speaking to Gulf Times, Qatar University’s Air Sports Club president Abdulatif al-Qahtani said the event is aimed at attracting the youth to aviation and air sports.
“For our part, we are here to introduce four kinds of air sports: paramotor, paragliding, skydiving, and radio controlled (RC) planes and we hope to entice young people to engage in such endeavour,” he noted. “This is our first time to participate in this event.”
Al-Qahtani said that many pilots from different organisations in the country and overseas gather and meet at the Al Khor Fly In Day to share their experiences with others.
“We learn a lot of new things from Saudi, Kuwaiti, and Bahraini (and other GCC) pilots, we discuss and exchange ideas about air sports,” he added.
Qatar Aeronautical College’s (QAC) Meterology Department head Dr Najim al-Barazanchi shared the same view saying the event continues to entice young children to develop an interest in aviation.
“We have more than 440 male and female students this year and 60% are from Qatar,” he said, citing a steady increase in the number of students annually who take aviation and other-related courses such as aeronautical engineering.
QAC regularly holds various art and interactive activities annually at the event to promote aviation as a sport and a hobby, as well as to educate young visitors about the industry in an entertaining way.
Al-Barazanchi noted that the growing demand for pilots around the world is attracting many Qataris to pursue careers in aviation.
The annual event, which runs on Saturday from 8am to 5pm, also features a number of entertainment shows and heritage activities such as arda dance and other traditional performances.
Children can also fly their kites at a designated location within the venue apart from the giant inflatable play area.

Tenders this year for HIA, Hamad Port expansion

HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti said some tenders will be awarded this year for the expansion of the Hamad International Airport (HIA) and Hamad Port to receive more passengers.
He was speaking after opening the 10th Al Khor Fly in Day 2017 Friday. HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment Mohamed bin Abdullah al-Rumaihi was also present.
About the new company that will manage the HIA, HE al-Sulaiti noted that the management will be in agreement with the Civil Aviation Authority.
“We hope that they will have more success not just for the management of HIA but also for its external expansion,” al-Sulaiti added.
About Al Khor Fly In, he stressed that the event is “a good support” for tourism in Qatar, especially for young people in the GCC and aviation fans.
The Minister lauded the organisation of the event, which attracts an increasing number of participants annually.
He said development of the Al Khor Fly In is under evaluation and study, but expects more participation and activities next year, hoping it will become an international event in the future.