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To: Baldur Fjvlnisson who wrote (297813)	9/18/2002 12:56:32 PM
From: JEB	Respond to of 769670

Icelandic airline welcomes Muslim pilgrims By Sigga Hagalin REYKJAVIC A charter airline based in Iceland is weathering the aviation industry downturn aggravated by the September 11 attacks better than many rivals. Many airlines, already facing a decline in business from the economic slowdown last year, saw passengers staying away for fear of more suicide hijacks after the attacks on New York and Washington. Not Air Atlanta, which is enjoying a boom in business. It specialises in flying Muslim pilgrims from around the world to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, from where they continue their journey to the holy city of Mecca. Arngrimur Johannsson, the owner of Air Atlanta – the biggest airline in its field - sips coffee quietly in his modest office in a quiet Reykjavik suburb, and admits his company has not been doing badly this year, although it felt the impact of the attacks on the United States. "After September 11 we lost three good contracts," Johannsson said. "It was a terrible shock, but we were back on track in two months. We were heading for a record profit last year, but the attacks prevented us from getting there." Despite the blow, Air Atlanta turned in a profit in 2001 of 150 million Icelandic crowns ($1.72 million), and increased it dramatically to 729 million in the first quarter of 2002. Last year's turnover was 21 billion crowns. The reason may be that Atlanta is not a traditional airline. From his headquarters in Iceland, Johannsson runs the world largest aircraft leaser in passenger transports, with 21 wide-bodied aircraft and a staff of 1,400 flying to destinations as remote as Indonesia, Australia and Argentina. The company leases the planes to other airlines and tour operators, complete with crew, maintenance, insurance, and usually the colours and livery of the leaser. This is why last year's disasters did not hit Air Atlanta as hard as other companies, Johannsson said. "We are different from other airlines," Johannsson said. "We are an airline servicing other airlines. Most of our staff have temporary contracts, and we only own about half of our fleet. That makes us incredibly flexible." While most of the company's assignments are regular passenger flights, they also range from flying top officials and accompanying reporters in exclusively business class cabins with lounges and cocktail bars, to ferrying devout Muslims on their pilgrimage to Mecca. Johannsson said about 20 percent of the company's income comes from the base in Jeddah. Air Atlanta transports the pilgrims from Asia and Africa to Saudi Arabia, and back again when they have performed their sacred duty. Johannsson said this wide range in services has not proved problematic. "We educate our staff to deal with different situations," he said. "Part of the training is in religious theory, and the staff receive a detailed manual about acceptable behaviour in Muslim countries." metimes.com