Analysis Aviation Emirates’ record dividend lifts total paid to Dubai past $6.5bn The record AED4.5 billion ($1.2 billion) dividend paid by Emirates Group for 2022-23 has pushed the Dubai government’s total earnings from its flagship airline past $6.5 billion. The group’s annual report released last week showed that over the past 34 years, it has paid 28 dividends to its owner – the Investment Corporation of Dubai, […] May 16, 2023
Masdar and Airbus combine on aviation decarbonisation Masdar will collaborate with Airbus on sustainable aviation fuels as the UAE clean energy giant and Europe’s largest airplane maker aim to decarbonise the industry. The companies have signed an agreement to work on green hydrogen and direct air capture technologies which, when combined, can produce synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). SAF remains limited in […] May 16, 2023
Aviation Bahrain and Qatar resume direct flights Direct flights between Bahrain and Qatar are set to restart on May 25, as relations improve between the two GCC members. Bahrain’s Civil Aviation Affairs agency confirmed the resumption of flights “in accordance with what was agreed upon between the concerned authorities in the two brotherly countries”, according to the kingdom’s news agency. The move […] May 16, 2023
Aviation Staff bonus gives Emirates lift-off in recruitment stakes The sizeable bonus awarded by Emirates to its staff will give the Dubai airline a significant tailwind as competition for talent takes off across the region. According to an email from the company’s chairman and chief executive, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, employees have been given a 24-week bonus this month. It comes after […] May 16, 2023
Opinion Aviation Emirates and Etihad buddy up for symbolic clout This development is more about national symbolism than equals May 15, 2023
Aviation Turkish Airlines to order 600 aircraft amid competition Turkish Airlines will order a total of 600 new aircraft in June to be delivered within ten years, company chairman Ahmet Bolat said. Such an order, if confirmed, would be the largest in the industry’s history by a single airline, eclipsing a record order by Air India for 470 Airbus and Boeing planes in December, […] May 12, 2023
Aviation Emirates soars to its most profitable year Emirates airline has recorded the most profitable 12 months in its 38-year history, despite operating costs soaring 57 percent. Dubai’s flagship carrier reported a profit of AED10.6 billion ($2.9 billion) over the last 12 months, a turnaround from a loss of AED3.9 billion in the previous financial year. The return to the black was a […] May 11, 2023
Aviation Air Arabia takes off in Q1 2023 with 17% profit rise Sharjah-based Air Arabia reported a 17 percent increase in net profit to AED342 million ($93.14 million) in the first quarter of 2023, compared to AED291 million a year earlier. The low-cost airline posted a turnover of AED1.42 billion, a 27 percent increase year-on-year. More than 3.9 million passengers flew between January and March across the […] May 9, 2023
Video length: 03:07 Analysis Aviation How the battle for the Gulf’s skies has intensified Across and around the Arabian Gulf regional airlines find themselves returning to a very different and increasingly volatile market after the pandemic. Pre-Covid, aviation in the Gulf and many neighbouring nations was largely defined and dominated by Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad. Now, as the Big Three pursue resurgence, they are being increasingly challenged, not […] May 8, 2023
Video length: 02:33 Aviation Emirates and Etihad embrace on one-ticket deal Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways, the UAE’s two flagship carriers, have joined forces to allow customers to purchase a single ticket to fly to either Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and return via the other airport. There will be no extra cost for the service which will commence this summer. The so-called interline agreement is designed […] May 5, 2023
Video length: 02:33 VIDEO Aviation Clark: Sustainable fuel on long haul flights is miles off Long-haul flights using anything but fossil fuels are currently impossible, according to Tim Clark, the president of Emirates Airline. “You will not fly an A380 to Los Angeles with 500 passengers on board, burning 200 tons of fuel, on anything other than fossil fuels for the time being. It won’t happen,” Sir Tim Clark told […] May 4, 2023
Opinion Aviation Profit is not an issue for Neom Airlines … for now Launch of new carrier is initially to service the wider project, but this may not be sustainable May 4, 2023
Video length: 02:33 Aviation Emirates no longer ‘dastardly competitor’, says Tim Clark Emirates’ new tie-ups with North American airlines are opening the door for more code-share partnerships, the carrier’s president Sir Tim Clark has said. Speaking at the Arabian Travel Market on Tuesday, Clark pointed to the Dubai airline’s deals with United and Air Canada, which were both launched within the past year. Similar agreements could follow, […] May 3, 2023
Video length: 02:33 Aviation Saudi tenders for new low-cost carrier in Dammam Saudi Arabia has issued a public tender for another airline to operate in the kingdom. Two new airlines have already been announced in the country this year – Riyadh Air and Neom Airlines. And the General Authority of Civil Aviation is looking to introduce one more. The tender invites investors “wishing to obtain a national […] May 3, 2023
Video length: 02:33 Aviation Saudi low-cost airline budgets for expansion Saudi Arabia’s Flyadeal is set to add four new aircraft to its fleet this year as it realises its international ambitions. The budget carrier, owned by Saudia, the kingdom’s flagship operator, was launched in 2017 to serve the domestic market and is now the second largest operator in the country behind Saudia. Flyadeal launched international […] May 2, 2023
Aviation Century-old Qantas picks its first female CEO Australia’s flagship carrier, Qantas Airways Ltd, has named finance chief Vanessa Hudson as its next chief executive officer, making her the first woman to lead the century-old airline. In November, Hudson will take over from Alan Joyce, whose 15 years in the job has made him the longest-serving current CEO of a major Australian company, […] May 2, 2023
Video length: 02:33 Aviation Qatar Airways CEO plays down threat of competition The CEO of Qatar Airways has said he is “very excited” by the growth of Saudi Arabia’s aviation industry, despite the prospect of tougher competition as regional airline capacity increases. “We will co-operate with them, we will support them, because we feel that relationships matter and there is a lot of business to go around […] May 2, 2023
Aviation Etihad aims to double fleet and triple passengers to 30m Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways aims to triple the number of passengers it carries to 30 million and nearly double its fleet to 150 planes by the end of the decade, the airline’s chief told Reuters in an interview in New Delhi. Etihad’s plans come amid a shift in its strategy to focus on medium to […] April 28, 2023
Opinion Aviation The aviation sector is due for a cull The regional airline market is saturated. It's time for consolidation and a strategic rethink April 25, 2023
Tourism Europe’s strikes may spell more flights havoc Strikes across Europe have led to a spike in flight cancellations and delays, and driven down bookings to cities such as Paris, despite airlines’ efforts to avoid a repeat of last year’s disruption. During the Easter holiday weekend from April 5 to 11, flight cancellations and delays of more than three hours were higher than […] April 19, 2023
Aviation Etihad ‘disappointed’ with greenwashing UK ad ban UAE flag carrier Etihad Airways has been accused of greenwashing, and has had two of its adverts banned in the UK for “exaggerating the environmental benefits” of flying with it. Following an investigation, UK advertising watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled on April 12 that the Abu Dhabi-based airline misled customers by claiming it […] April 12, 2023
Video length: 03:07 Video Aviation Labour woes and debt clip the wings of Mena aviation Labour shortages, high interest rates and sustainability challenges are the most pressing concerns facing both the global and Mena aviation sectors in the post-pandemic environment, says Hugo Santo, partner at McKinsey and Co. Travel trade body the International Air Transport Association recently reported that total traffic in February 2023 rose 55.5 percent year-on-year, and Middle […] April 12, 2023
