have of railway connecting cities in UAE and linking to other Gulf countries. Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Khor Fakkan will be linked by Etihad Rail when construction is completed. The Dubai Metro has operated since 2009, and the Abu Dhabi Metro is currently under construction. The Dubai Tram was launched in November 2014, and operates mainly in the Dubai Marina with new stations being constructed. Another tram system is being planned for Sharjah and Ajman. Air The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) started applying an advanced program in 2010 that allows the assessment of aircraft registered in foreign countries in order to ensure their safety and airworthiness. In 2011, it banned all aircraft registered in Congo DR, Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and São Tomé and Príncipe due to their poor safety standards. Airports Dubai International Airport was the busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic in 2014. Abu Dhabi International Airport is the second-largest airport in the UAE. There are 42 airports in the UAE Heliports: Five are known Airlines Emirates is the biggest national airline of the UAE and is owned by Dubai. Etihad Airways is the second-largest national airline and is owned by Abu Dhabi. Other airlines are flyDubai, Air Arabia and Royal Jet. Pipelines Crude oil, Natural gas, including natural gas liquids, Ports and harbours The major ports are Khalifa Port, Zayed Port, Port of Jebel Ali, Port Rashid, Port Khalid, Port Saeed, and Container Port Khor Fakkan. Other ports include Fujairah Port (a bunkering port), Das Island (tanker port). Merchant marine The merchant marine consisted of 68 ships of 1,000 gross tonnage (GT) or over, totaling 1,107,442 GT or in the following types (1999 est.): bulk, 1 cargo, 18 chemical tanker, 3 container, 8 liquified gas, 1 livestock carrier, 1 passenger, 1 petroleum tanker, 27 roll-on/roll-off, 7 specialized tanker, 1 See also Transportation in Dubai References External links