Aviation Airline passengers to get takeaways delivered onboard Airline passengers will soon be able to pre-order meals for their journey from a delivery app, a leading industry executive has predicted. The Dubai-based global air and travel services provider Dnata launched a trial of a pre-flight order and delivery scheme in the Netherlands four years ago. Robin Padgett, divisional senior vice-president of the company’s […] June 5, 2024
Aviation Turkish Airlines says engine issues delaying Boeing order Turkish Airlines is in talks with US planemaker Boeing for a potential order of 225 jets, but any deal rests on engine pricing negotiations, chairman Ahmet Bolat has said. The potential order is for 150 737 Max narrowbody jets and 75 wide-body 787s, Reuters reported, quoting Bolat at the International Air Transport Association’s annual meeting […] June 5, 2024
Aviation Boeing delays cost Emirates $3bn Delays in delivering new orders by the US aircraft maker Boeing have cost Emirates $3 billion, the airline’s president Tim Clark has revealed. Emirates has an order for 205 777X jets, which were due to be delivered four years ago. The plane has been delayed by problems including hold-ups in certification. As it waits for […] June 4, 2024
Aviation Sustainability chief calls for tax on oil companies Oil companies should be taxed and renewable alternatives incentivised in order to meet ambitious sustainability targets in the aviation industry, according to the sector’s industry trade body. “It’s too easy today to make money by drilling for oil,” said Dr Marie Owens Thomsen, senior vice president for sustainability and chief economist at the International Air […] June 4, 2024
Aviation Groundwork to begin soon on Dubai’s $35bn airport Work will begin shortly on the world’s largest passenger terminal in Dubai. Major groundwork at Al Maktoum International will start this month, Emirates president Sir Tim Clark said. The first phase of the AED128 billion ($34.85 billion) project, slated to be completed within a decade, will be able to accommodate 150 million passengers annually, the […] June 4, 2024
Aviation Lebanon among biggest debtors to global airlines The money owed to international airlines in Lebanon has fallen by almost 9 percent year on year, but still totals $129 million, the International Air Transport Association reported on Sunday. Lebanon takes the fifth spot in a 2024 list of countries where funds are overdue for repatriation, IATA said. It was the No 1 country […] June 4, 2024
Aviation Emirates chief backs Chinese plane maker Comac The president of Emirates, Sir Tim Clark, has given his backing to Chinese aircraft manufacturer Comac as problems persist at the US plane maker Boeing. Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, based in Shanghai, has been courting attention across the Gulf in recent months as Boeing grapples with delivery delays, a spate of accidents and whistleblower […] June 3, 2024
Aviation Airline margins ‘wafer thin’, says IATA’s Willie Walsh The profit global airlines make per passenger is only enough to buy a single espresso in a Dubai hotel coffee shop, according to Willie Walsh, the director general of the International Air Travel Association (IATA). Global airlines are expected to make $30.5 billion in profits this year, but margins remain “wafer thin”, Walsh told the […] June 3, 2024
Aviation Emirates seeks damages from Boeing over jet delays Emirates is seeking compensation from US planemaker Boeing for delays in the delivery of the 777X wide-body aircraft, a news report said. Boeing has not provided a clear timeline for the delivery of the new 777X jet, Reuters reported, quoting Emirates president Tim Clark. While the Dubai-headquartered airline is refurbishing many of its existing 777 […] June 3, 2024
Aviation Flyadeal confirms order of 51 Airbus narrowbody jets Flyadeal, Saudi Arabia’s low-cost airline, has ordered 51 narrowbody Airbus aircraft to fuel its expansion plans. The carrier confirmed on Thursday it will receive 12 Airbus A320neos and 39 A321neos as part of the announcement by its parent company, Saudia Group, for 105 aircraft, the “largest deal in Saudi aviation history”. Deliveries of the […] May 31, 2024
Logistics Air cargo between Middle East and Europe up by 30% Middle Eastern carriers reported a year-on-year increase in demand for air cargo of more than 9 percent in April, industry figures said. Air cargo between the region and Europe experienced the strongest rise with a 30 percent lift on the same time last year. Asia grew by over 10 percent, according to the latest data […] May 30, 2024
Aviation South African Airways denies talks with Qatar Airways South African Airways has denied it is talking to Qatar Airways about an equity injection, as observers suggest RwandAir is the Qatari carrier’s most likely target. Qatar Airways’ CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer set rumours racing earlier this month when he revealed that the state-owned airline was “at the final stage of an equity investment” […] May 29, 2024
Aviation Oman seeks investors for new low-cost airline Oman plans to launch a new low-cost airline amid a global tourism rebound and the continued expansion of the Gulf state’s aviation sector. In a post on the social messaging platform X (formerly Twitter), the country’s civil aviation authority (CAA) announced an investment opportunity for a new low-cost airline operator in the sultanate. No further […] May 29, 2024
Aviation Riyadh Air not buying from China’s Comac ‘for now’ Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier, will not consider China’s Comac for its narrowbody order to be announced later this year. However, the airline said it saw a future in Saudi Arabia for Comac, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, as the Chinese alternative to Boeing and Airbus. “The narrowbody order is in its […] May 27, 2024
Aviation Malaysian airport deal faces Gaza war backlash Plans by a consortium, including the UAE’s largest sovereign wealth fund, to buy a stake in Malaysian airports have been hit by protests against the deal from local business organisations in the Asian country. As many as 22 organisations have called upon the Malaysian government to block US investment bank BlackRock’s participation in the bid […] May 27, 2024
Aviation Chinese planemaker banned by US woos Saudi airlines The boss of a leading Chinese planemaker arrived in Saudi Arabia this week to pitch his aircraft just as the United States said it was close to finalising a defence agreement with Riyadh that is meant to limit its trade links with China. Dongfeng He, chairman of Comac, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, wants […] May 24, 2024
Opinion Aviation Is Saudi Arabia’s aviation strategy cleared for landing? The masterplan is in place – all the kingdom needs now is passengers May 24, 2024
Aviation Oman plans six new airports in tourism push The majority of Oman’s six new airports are expected to be operational by 2028 and 2029, as part of the government’s initiative to promote tourism, a senior government official has said. Work is under way on designing the new projects, which will increase the number of airports to 13, Naif Al Abri, chairman of the Civil […] May 23, 2024
Aviation Turkish Airlines revenue rises 10% to nearly $5bn Revenue at Turkey’s national carrier Turkish Airlines rose 10 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2024 to $4.8 billion, driven by growing passenger numbers. Turkish Airlines flew 18.5 million passengers from January to March, up 8.4 percent annually, it said in its latest investor presentation. Passenger revenue climbed 5 percent year on year […] May 23, 2024
Aviation More low-cost airline routes planned for Saudi Arabia Plans to privatise domestic airports have been announced by Saudi Arabia as part of an aviation expansion strategy, which includes imminent licences for more low-cost airline routes, the kingdom’s civil aviation authority said this week. The General Authority of Civil Aviation has signed an agreement with a consortium led by the Turkish airport operator TAV […] May 21, 2024
Aviation Passenger traffic at UAE airports increases 15% Passenger traffic at UAE airports rose 15 percent year on year to 36.5 million in the first three months of 2024, according to data released by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Arrivals reached 10.7 million, while departures stood at 10.9 million. The number of transit passengers was 14.9 million, the state-run Wam news agency […] May 21, 2024
Aviation Saudia announces ‘largest deal in Saudi aviation history’ Saudia, one of Saudi Arabia’s national carriers, has ordered 105 aircraft from Airbus, with the first batch due for delivery in early 2026. Saudia director general Ibrahim Al-Omar told an aviation industry forum in Riyadh that it is “the largest deal in Saudi aviation history”. A similarly large order has been made by new carrier […] May 20, 2024
