The chairman of one of the world's leading airline conglomerates has paid tribute to Bahrain's government and its civil aviation authorities.

Swire/Cathay Pacific Group supremo John Slosar made his remarks at a dinner at the exclusive China Club in Hong Kong, attended by key senior officials, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

He particularly praised Jamil Wafa, head of Unitag, "for all the untiring efforts he personally exerted to ensure smooth clearance of airlines' landing and traffic rights through the country".

Wafa "known affectionately as the airline's Godfather in Bahrain, has helped support it together with government and civil aviation for 40 years" - the length of time it has been operating here.

He was a special guest at the dinner, being the airline's general sales agent in Bahrain.

The Swire Group celebrates 200 years of its family operations next year.

It is a highly diversified global company, with many of its core businesses within the Asia Pacific region, where traditionally Swire's operations have centred on Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Within Asia, Swire's activities come under the group's publicly quoted arm, Swire Pacific Limited. Elsewhere in the world, many businesses are held directly by parent company John Swire and Sons Limited, in Australia, Papua New Guinea, East Africa, Sri Lanka, the US and the UK.

They are major shareholders in both Cathay Pacific and Dragon Air, as well as being significant real estate developers, and owning hotels.

The group has recently embarked on a giant project in Miami, building a first-class hotel, apartments, and large shopping mall, investing $1.2 billion. - TradeArabia News Service