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Some 2,500 new passenger and freighter aircraft required over the next 20 years Aviation growth in the Middle East has been so impressive; few regions of the world can match it. In the last decade, travel to from and within the region has quadrupled earning the region the title of […]
Aviation to contribute $53.1 billion to Dubai’s economy, 37.5% to its GDP and will support over 750,000 jobs by 2020 According to the latest Oxford Economics Report, the aviation sector is all set to play an important role in shaping Dubai’s economy. The aviation section contributed USD26.7 billion (27%) to […]
The new alliance network puts itself in direct competition with the existing three largest passenger airline alliances: Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and Oneworld. ETIHAD AIRWAYS PARTNERS UNVEILED Enhanced network and frequent flyer benefits giving consumers more choice Common focus on service and quality Partnership opportunities for all airlines Etihad Airways today […]
Statistics for commuter traffic for February, released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), showed a surge in the demand for the aviation transportation with a percentage increase of about 5.4 percent. This increase has been placed in context to the commuter traffic trend for February, in the previous year. […]
Jet Etihad deal encounters yet another problem with reports emerging about envoy intervention in the passing of the deal The strategic alliance between India’s leading airline operator Jet Airways and Abu Dhabi’s premier aircraft services, Etihad Airways was touted to be the revolution to spark the entire Indian aviation sector. […]
Virgin Atlantic piloting Google Glass and Sony Smartwatch technology – A pioneering singular technological employment by one of the world’s leading aircraft operators sure to change the face of the global aviation sector If the Wright brothers revolutionised the domain of transportation by inventing the world’s first plane in the […]
Airbus to display two corporate jets at MEBA show. Widest and tallest cabins of any business jet Airbus will display two corporate jets at the MEBA show, giving visitors an opportunity to see the widest and tallest cabin of any business jet in two elegantly different arrangements. The aircraft are […]
Bombardier Vision Flight Deck world tour continues with Dubai Show debut UAE, Dubai, November 29 2012 – Bombardier Aerospace announced today that it will showcase three of its class-defining business jets at this year’s Middle East Business Aviation (MEBA) show at Dubai’s Al Maktoum airport from December 11 to December 13, 2012. On […]
In October, RAK Airways made history as the first UAE national carrier to fly domestic flights into the capital. The route has already proved popular with passengers on RAK Airways global network and on RAK – Abu Dhabi route. There is also significant interest from passengers flying from the Northern […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: Dubai sees no need to recapitalise support fund Dubai sees no need to recapitalise the financial support fund which provides aid to indebted state-linked companies, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, the head of the emirate’s Supreme Fiscal […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: British PM in the UAE to secure arms deal British Prime Minister David Cameron is in the United Arab Emirates to kickoff a three-day trade visit to the Middle East aimed at securing major UK arms deals […]
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Middle Eastern airlines by far witnessed the strongest traffic growth in September, with demand hitting 13.3% year-on-year. The region registered a growth rate of 17% in August due to seasonal impacts, including Ramadan, dampening traffic. The IATA report comes at a time […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: UAE govt approves deficit-less 2013 federal budget The United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced on Tuesday the government has approved a deficit-less 2013 federal budget with an expenditure of AED44.6 billion ($12.1 […]
Airbus opened its new A350 plant on Tuesday, triggering a new phase for fuel efficient aircraft. French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault flew to Toulouse despite unfavourable climate to inaugurate the plant and is named after Roger Beteille who was a pioneer of twin-engined long haul passenger jets. The A350 is […]
Dubai’s innovative low-cost airline, Flydubai, has received their first of the three Boeing 737-800NG aircraft, which was financed through a $117.5 million loan agreement with the Export-Import Bank of the US. The new addition will increase the fleet size to 26, many of which are already in operation. The remaining […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: UAE tops Arab capital outflow; Saudi leads regional FDI The UAE remained in the top position as the largest Arab capital exporter, investing nearly $57.8 billion in global markets, while receiving a total of $85.5 billion in […]
Fast-growing Gulf airlines have begun taking a more cooperative approach, seeking alliances rather than direct confrontation with big carriers in the rest of the world, a report said on Wednesday. Many airline observers believe the shift appears to be in response to tough market conditions and a realisation that the […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: Abu Dhabi included in the Global Cities list The fifth edition of Cities of Opportunity released by Price Waterhouse Cooper and the Partnership for New York City has ranked the city of Abu Dhabi as the 22nd […]
Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer James Hogan said on Tuesday the Middle East is one of the “strong pockets” for growth in aviation in an “uncertain world”. He delivered his keynote address to delegates at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) World Passenger Symposium taking place in Abu Dhabi. “Middle […]
Today’s top business and economy news from the Middle East and North Africa: UAE bank giants lead China expansion march Two of the UAE’s largest banks are leading an expansion drive into China as trade between the two countries continues its rapid growth. The National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) and […]
Qatar Airways announced on Tuesday it is joining an alliance of airlines including American Airlines, British Airways and nine other carriers that coordinate routes and allow passengers to earn frequent flier miles on each other’s flights. The agreement will help Qatar Airways cut costs and deliver benefits to frequent fliers […]
Today’s top business news from the Middle East and North Africa: Etihad announces partnership with Air France-KLM Rapidly expanding UAE flag carrier Etihad Airways says it has struck a deal with Air France-KLM to market some of each other’s flights as the first stage of a larger strategic alliance. Alongside […]
Iran recently made a purchase of 11 Airbus A320 and A310 passenger planes which are on the verge of joining the country’s aviation fleet, the country’s semi-official news agency quoted a minister as saying on Sunday. “The 11 passenger planes which are due to be added to the country’s airlines until […]
Rapidly expanding UAE flag carrier Etihad Airways says it has struck a deal with Air France-KLM to market some of each other’s flights as the first stage of a larger strategic alliance. Alongside the deal announced Monday, Etihad says the Franco-Dutch airline operator is launching a similar codeshare deal for […]
The first time I came to know about RAK Airways was when I was doing some research about the flag carriers of all seven emirates of the UAE. Etihad Airways is the flag carrier of Abu Dhabi, Emirates of Dubai, Air Arabia of Sharjah, and RAK Airways of the emirate […]
Today’s top business news from the Middle East and North Africa: Oman announces desalination plants worth $400m An Omani government official announced on Thursday there are plans in place to build three desalination plants at a cost of about $400 million to meet the soaring demand for water. An official […]
The world’s airports are turning to mobile apps, social media and intelligent technologies services to improve the passenger experience, according to the SITA Airport IT Trends Survey. Within the Middle East airports are investing in IT to address capacity challenges, as passenger numbers increase. The 9th annual SITA survey, […]
The head of Qatar Airways dismissed reports from sections of press on Monday that the fast-growing Gulf carrier is involved in talks with British Airways’ parent company to form an alliance. CEO Akbar al-Baker labelled the talk of a deal as nothing more than “press rumours,” adding there are no negotiations […]
Today’s top business news from the Middle East and North Africa: Economy to grow faster than IMF forecast: UAE Central Bank The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates said the federation’s economy has shown “sustained resilience” and is likely to grow faster than the International Monetary Fund forecast for […]
Travelport, the business services provider to the global travel industry, and RAK Airways, one of the flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates, have today jointly announced their first ever GDS participation agreement. Under the new deal, Galileo and Worldspan-connected users worldwide will gain access to all of RAK Airways […]
Today’s top business news from the Middle East and North Africa: Dubai’s posts record H1 trade figures Dubai’s non-oil foreign trade hit a record AED602 billion ($163.9 bn) during the first half of 2012, registering a 12% increase compared to the same period last year. Dubai’s trade totalled AED 537 billion during the first […]
The Middle East will see strongest growth of any global region in available long-haul airline seats in September, adding 22,000 extra seats per day, according to latest statistics from OAG. The FACTS (Frequency and Capacity Trend Statistics) report for September 2012 reveals an expected 5% growth in available seats to […]
Airbus said on Wednesday it expects the UAE to emerge as the world’s third single biggest market for new aircraft deliveries with total orders worth $223.9 billion in next 20 years. China will top the world’s aircraft markets with new orders worth $634bn, followed by the US at $544 billion, the […]
Dubai International Airport’s passenger traffic increased 6% from a year earlier in July, with monthly traffic surpassing 5 million passengers for the first time, Dubai Airports said on Wednesday. The airport, one of the world’s busiest, handled 5.01 million passengers in July, up from 4.72 million in July 2011. Annual growth […]
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Thursday international air passenger traffic rose 3.5% in July year-on-year with Middle East airlines experiencing strong growth rate of 11.2% compared to the same month last year. The Middle Eastern airlines, home to major international carriers including Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar […]
Etihad Airways has expressed its is interested in buying Ryanair’s 30% stake in Aer Lingus, reports coming from Abu Dhabi said on Thursday. The airline’s CEO James Hogan told Bloomberg he would be “very happy to have that discussion” while adding that Dublin has been a strong and profitable route […]
RAK Airways to launch its first domestic flight to Abu Dhabi, the UAE national carrier’s 10th destination Since its relaunch in October 2010, RAK Airways, one of the flagship carriers of the United Arab Emirates has worked on building passenger numbers, filling 250,000 seats in 2011, while gradually expanding its […]
Bahrain Air, the Gulf kingdom’s private carrier, is engaged in “serious” talks with local competitor Gulf Air for a possible merger, an Arabic language newspaper quoted a senior airline official as saying. The Al Watan newspaper cited Bahrain Air Managing Director Ibrahim Al-Hamer as saying that his airline will need to buy […]
The United States and 16 other nations, including Gulf Arab states, on Wednesday reiterated their “strong opposition” to a controversial EU carbon tax on airlines and reaffirmed they want to keep working on a multilateral framework under the United Nation’s global aviation body. The meeting, hosted by the US State Department and […]
Middle East Business News Review – A look at today’s important financial news and business updates from the Middle East and North Africa Global economic slowdown may still lead to oil price rise – report Global economic slowdown and a negative outlook towards major world economies will lead to a […]
