Aviation Tunisair reports ‘steady’ revenue rise in first quarter Tunisian national flag carrier Tunisair has reported a “steady” start to the year with a 5.6 percent increase in revenue for the first quarter. The airline is attempting to restructure in order to resolve legacy financial difficulties and refresh its fleet. Revenues rose to TND 316 million ($100 million) at the end of March, according […] April 29, 2024
Aviation First phase of Dubai’s $35bn airport to be ready in 10 years Dubai has launched the world’s largest passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International at a cost of AED128 billion ($34.85 billion), capable of handling 260 million passengers annually upon completion. The initial phase of the project, slated to be completed within a decade, will be able to accommodate 150 million passengers annually, the UAE state-run Wam […] April 29, 2024
Aviation Abu Dhabi signs multiple deals to launch air taxi services in 2025 A commute from Abu Dhabi to Dubai could take only 30 minutes next year, with the introduction of air taxi services significantly slashing travel time between the emirates. The electric aircraft manufacturer Joby Aviation signed agreements this week with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport, Department of Economic Development and Department of Culture and […] April 26, 2024
Aviation London and India dominate airport traffic in Abu Dhabi London and Indian cities dominated traffic at Abu Dhabi’s airports during the first quarter with year-on-year visitor numbers up by more than a third. Close to 7 million passengers passed through the emirate’s five airports in the first three months of the year. Zayed International airport, formerly known as Abu Dhabi International airport, welcomed 6.8 […] April 26, 2024
Logistics Boeing plane conversion facility to be built in Casablanca A production facility is to be set up in Morocco to convert Boeing 777-300ER passenger jets into freighters. Stratos Industries will build three wide-body aircraft hangars at the Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca as part of a deal between US-based companies Kansas Modification Center (KMC) and Integrated Aerospace Alliance (IAA). KMC will convert up […] April 25, 2024
Opinion Aviation Dubai has faced the ultimate dilemma for an airline In bad weather, airport operators and carriers must make tough decisions fast. Let's cut Emirates some slack April 23, 2024
Transport Alstom to upgrade driverless transit system at Jeddah airport French train maker Alstom will upgrade the automated and driverless passenger transit system at King Abdulaziz International Airport, as the Jeddah airport aims to receive 114 million passengers by 2030. As part of the contract, Alstom will design, engineer, supply, integrate, test and commission a complete system upgrade of its Innovia automated people mover (APM) at the airport’s terminal […] April 19, 2024
Video length: 03:08 Infrastructure UAE president orders review after flooding The UAE’s president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has ordered an urgent review of the country’s infrastructure after historic levels of rainfall brought the Gulf state to a standstill, with some areas seeing more than a year’s worth of rain in one day. The president has contacted authorities “to quickly work on studying the […] April 18, 2024
Tourism Beirut airport arrivals drop as Westerners stay away The daily arrival rate at Lebanon’s only functioning international airport is down by 4 percent year on year in the first quarter of this year, according to Marwan Haber, the head of Middle East Airline’s (MEA) commercial division. Speaking at the Horeca hospitality conference in Beirut on Tuesday Haber said 95 percent of arrivals were […] April 18, 2024
Aviation Turkish Airlines nears $20bn deal with Airbus and Rolls-Royce State-backed Turkish Airlines is expected to sign an agreement with UK’s Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc and European planemaker Airbus to manufacture $20 billion worth of aircraft components locally. The deal will be announced in Istanbul later this month, Bloomberg reported, quoting Turkish officials who were aware of the agreement. Last December the Turkish national carrier announced […] April 18, 2024
Opinion Sustainability The Gulf is well-placed to soar on SAF – but not yet Sustainable aviation fuel is in its infancy but the Gulf has a hydrogen trump card April 16, 2024
Aviation DXB remains world’s busiest international airport Dubai International (DXB) has maintained its status as the world’s busiest international airport, beating London and Amsterdam, the Airports Council International (ACI), an association of world airports, said in a new report. DXB has secured the top place for the 10th consecutive year, with the number of international passengers reaching nearly 87 million in 2023, […] April 16, 2024
Aviation Third Chinese airline to launch flights to Saudi Arabia Air China is set to begin flights to Riyadh in May, becoming the third Chinese airline to establish a route to Saudi Arabia. It joins China Southern and Eastern Airlines in connecting China with the kingdom. Air China’s Airbus A330-300 will serve the Beijing-Riyadh route three times a week. NewsletterGet the Best of AGBI delivered […] April 12, 2024
Opinion Aviation Saudi Arabia’s 2030 passenger target is a hard climb The kingdom will view hard-to-achieve passenger growth figures as a challenge, not a deterrent April 11, 2024
Construction Egypt allocates land for airport at ADQ’s metropolis The Egyptian government has allocated two plots of land for the development of Ras El-Hekma international airport by UAE sovereign wealth fund ADQ. The land plots in Matrouh, a governorate in the north-west of Egypt, were handed over to the country’s civil aviation ministry, Ahram Online newspaper reported. The airport development is part of the […] April 11, 2024
Aviation Oman Airports profit up 45% in 2023 on higher revenue The combined net profit of Oman Airports surged 45 percent to OR18.5 million ($48 million) in 2023, compared to almost OR13 million in 2022. Consolidated revenue increased by 39 percent year on year to OR150 million last year, as subsidiaries reported higher income. Oman Airports Management Company generated over OR124 million, Oman Ground Handling contributed […] April 9, 2024
Aviation UAE airlines increased Saudi flights during Ramadan Weekly flights from the UAE and Saudi Arabia rose 13 percent to 383 in March, compared to 338 in February. The increase was driven by growing demand from Umrah performers during the last 10 days of Ramadan, which started last month, state-run Wam news agency reported, quoting the General Civil Aviation Authority’s (GCAA) statistics. Flydubai […] April 9, 2024
Tourism Morocco denies subsidising Ryanair domestic flights Morocco’s Ministry of Tourism has denied claims that it is subsidising the Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair’s expansion across the country. Ryanair will open domestic flights throughout Morocco from the summer as part of its $1.4 billion investment in the North African country. It had been reported that the Moroccan National Tourism Office would be providing […] April 8, 2024
Aviation Saudi Arabia and China strengthen ties with extra flights Saudi Arabia is strengthening its ties with China with the launch of new passenger and cargo flights between the two countries. Beginning on April 16, China Southern Airlines (CZ) will operate four commercial passenger flights and three cargo flights connecting Beijing Daxing and Riyadh, according to a report on the Saudi Press Agency website. This […] April 8, 2024
Opinion Lifestyle Emirates at its premium best When you’re paying for yourself, premium economy really is the only way to fly April 5, 2024
Transport Investcorp to invest in $4.2bn JFK terminal 6 overhaul Investcorp Capital, an alternative investment company listed on the Abu Dhabi bourse, will help fund the $4.2 billion redevelopment of terminal 6 at New York’s JFK International Airport. The investment will flow through Investcorp Corsair Infrastructure Partners, a joint venture formed with New York-headquartered Corsair Capital. The investment amount was not disclosed. NewsletterGet the Best […] April 4, 2024
Transport UAE carriers expand reach to 603 global destinations UAE carriers were serving 603 destinations worldwide by the first quarter of 2024, compared to 586 at the close of 2023. The three percent increase reflects the rebound in the aviation sector and a surge in travel demand, state-run Wam news agency reported, quoting data released by the national carriers. Air Arabia leads with 215 […] April 3, 2024
