Aviation Saudi Arabia to cut airport charges by up to 35% Saudi Arabia announced this week it is reducing its airport charges for airlines by up to 35 percent, as part of its $100 billion investment strategy to boost its capacity to 330 million passengers per year by the end of the decade. The reductions will apply to Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam airports and will range […] July 22, 2022
Analysis People & Lifestyle Biden’s first win: Saudi Arabia opens airspace to Israel Saudi Arabia has announced it will open its airspace to all air carriers, including Israeli flights – marking a stepchange for the kingdom which has a historical stance of not officially recognising Israel. The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) issued a statement on Thursday saying that the country’s airspace was now open to all […] July 15, 2022 In association with
Exclusive Aviation Emirates chief: ‘We’re almost back to normal’ Dubai airline still needs 5,000 more staff and 900 pilots, says COO Dubai’s Emirates airlines will splash $2 billion on new hires and aircraft upgrades as demand for flights ramps up, a top executive has revealed. Aviation was among the worst hit sectors during the global pandemic as international borders shuttered during lockdowns. In 2020 […] July 6, 2022
Analysis Aviation Re-opening of long-haul routes helps reduce airline losses Middle East aviation industry losses are expected to narrow to $1.9 billion in 2022 after the region’s airlines lost $4.7 billion last year. According to the latest figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the re-opening of many long-haul routes in particular has been a “welcome boost” to airlines in the Middle East. […] June 20, 2022
Aviation 58 million travellers expected at Dubai airport in 2022 Dubai International Airport (DXB) is set to serve over 58 million passengers this year, more than double the amount in 2021, as the UAE’s aviation sector continues to rebound from the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic. The figure was revealed by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, chairman […] June 16, 2022
Aviation World Cup, Russians and business travel help airlines rebound Middle Eastern airlines reported a 265 percent year-on-year increase in demand in April, according to the latest monthly data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Industry analysts also reported that while demand in the region is still operating at around two-thirds what it was pre-pandemic, the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Russian tourists […] June 10, 2022
Analysis Tourism Golden age of Saudi tourism ‘needs new airlines to soar’ Hospitality experts say 310,000 hotel rooms will be added by 2030 and more carriers are needed 'rapidly' for the predicted influx of tourists May 25, 2022
Tourism First Neom flights set to boost Saudi tourism push The new city of the future’s Neom Bay Airport will launch Saudi Airlines flights to Dubai and London Neom, arguably Saudi Arabia’s most ambitious development project, has announced a partnership with the country’s national carrier to drive tourism to the $500 billion city of the future. The deal with Saudi Airlines, known as Saudia, will […] May 23, 2022
Tourism ‘Flying taxi airports’ to get the green light in UAE The UAE is expected to issue draft regulations on so-called vertiports – micro-scale airports that can support the expected growth of vertical take-off and landing aircraft (VTOLs) – in the first quarter of 2023. Mohammed Faisal al Dossari, senior director, Air Navigation and Aerodromes Department, UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said the regulations would […] May 18, 2022
Aviation Emirates pins hopes on premium economy The seats will be launched on routes to London, Paris and Sydney in August, making Emirates the first Gulf airline to offer premium economy May 17, 2022
Aviation First commercial flight takes off from Yemen Yemen’s national airline operated its first commercial flight in years from the capital Sanaa today, raising hopes for renewal of a United Nations-brokered truce in the seven-year-old conflict that has pitted a Saudi-led coalition against the Iran-aligned Houthis and put Middle East security in peril. Water canons sprayed Sanaa airport’s runway as an airplane of […] May 16, 2022
Aviation Emirates should be allowed to fly to Berlin, says German exec The bilateral air service agreement between Germany and the United Arab Emirates should be expanded to allow Dubai’s Emirates airline to operate direct flights to more cities, including the capital Berlin, a senior official from the Middle East office of the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) told AGBI. Under the existing air services agreement between […] May 16, 2022
Analysis Aviation Billion dollar battle to begin for planes grounded in Russia Lessors with hundreds of jets stuck in Russia are preparing for what one said would be a “vigorous” pursuit of insurance claims while maintaining discreet contact with some customers after Moscow blocked the jets from leaving. The loss of over 400 leased planes worth almost $10 billion since Western countries sanctioned Russia has led to […] May 11, 2022
Aviation Air travellers ‘still risk Covid infection,’ study warns Passengers are still at risk of coronavirus infection while travelling on aeroplanes and in airports, researchers have warned. A study in the Journal of Travel Medicine reported that two Covid-positive passengers infected 15 other people during a 10-hour flight from Dubai to Australia in July 2020 – despite mandatory face masks for passengers, the use […] May 10, 2022
Aviation Leasing giant AerCap says Boeing will ‘bounce back’ The head of the world’s largest aircraft leasing company threw his weight behind Boeing on Monday, saying the jetmaker would overcome a spate of industrial and certification problems. “I think Boeing will bounce back. There are a few scenes in this movie to be played out yet,” Aengus Kelly, AerCap’s chief executive, told the Airline […] May 9, 2022
Analysis Aviation Gulf’s top airlines take different paths to soar post-Covid The air travel industry was among the worst hit globally by the coronavirus pandemic and its ensuing lockdowns and border closures — and the Middle East’s industry was no exception. According to a report by McKinsey & Company, the pandemic caused global aviation revenues to drop by 60 percent in 2020, and airlines lost a […] May 9, 2022
Aviation Lufthansa sees return to profit as air travel rebounds Germany’s Lufthansa is looking to return to an operating profit this quarter as demand for travel rises with the easing of coronavirus curbs and the airline raises ticket prices to offset higher costs. The group, which owns the German airlines Lufthansa and Eurowings as well as Swiss, Austrian and Brussels Airlines, doubled sales in the […] May 5, 2022
