Aviation Air Arabia declares 25% dividend as revenue soars UAE low-cost airline Air Arabia has increased its dividend payout after turnover grew by double-digits in 2024, the company said in a statement. Based in Sharjah and traded on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), Air Arabia will pay a 25 percent cash dividend or AED1.2 billion to shareholders. The company’s shares have risen 11 percent […] March 18, 2025
Aviation Riyadh Air seeks tie-up with Indian carriers Saudi Arabia’s newest airline Riyadh Air is exploring potential tie-ups with Indian carriers IndiGo and Air India, CEO Tony Douglas has said. The conversations are at an early stage but offer a “win-win” proposition, he told The Indian Express news daily. India is a “super important” market, Douglas said, as Saudi Arabia expects India to […] March 17, 2025
Aviation Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways CEO buys shares in his own airline The CEO of Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways has bought 80,000 shares in his own company as the airline embarks on a five-year plan to boost performance. Barathan Pasupathi purchased the shares between March 9 and 13, according to company disclosures on the Kuwaiti Bourse, buying shares worth $250,000 in a series of transactions last week. Shares […] March 17, 2025
Aviation Dubai Aerospace buys 17 aircraft for $1bn Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), the Middle East’s largest aviation leasing and engineering company, has acquired 17 aircraft for $1 billion from multiple sellers, the company said in a statement. Eighty percent of the aircraft are manufactured by Airbus, while the remaining 20 percent are from Boeing. The aircraft have been leased to 11 airlines in […] March 17, 2025
Analysis Aviation Saudia ‘still a flag carrier’ ahead of Riyadh Air launch Saudi Arabia’s flag carrier Saudia is upgrading its fleet with new Boeing and Airbus aircraft even as the government prepares to start a new airline later this year. The 80-year-old carrier has 118 aircraft on order, most of which will replace older models in its existing fleet of 147, and are scheduled to arrive through […] March 14, 2025
Opinion Transport The rhythms of Ramadan business travel The data challenges conventional wisdom about travel patterns during the holy month March 13, 2025
Opinion Aviation Schedule shift signals a busy summer for Middle East airlines As airlines prepare to switch timetables, the Gulf looks set for growth, new routes and cautious optimism March 10, 2025
Aviation AirAsia raises $226m but stays quiet on PIF The parent company of Malaysian budget airline AirAsia has raised 1 billion ringgit ($226 million) to complete its reorganisation plan, according to a news report. “We have a 1 billion (ringgit) placement,” Capital A group CEO Tony Fernandes said at a press conference. “Don’t ask me questions on PIF’s placement order book – we are not […] March 10, 2025
Aviation Qatar Airways strives to avoid Etihad’s mistakes Like Etihad before it, Qatar Airways is expanding by buying stakes in other airlines. The Abu Dhabi carrier’s acquisition strategy ended badly, however. Three airlines in which it invested went bust and it lost $1.87 billion in one year alone in 2016. Qatar Airways may have better luck, analysts say. The state-owned carrier, which started […] March 10, 2025
Aviation PIF plans major investment in Malaysia’s AirAsia Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, is to invest $100 million in Malaysia’s Capital A-owned budget airline AirAsia, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Middle East investment forms the majority of AirAsia’s approximately one billion ringgit ($225 million) fundraising target, with the company also in discussions […] March 7, 2025
EXCLUSIVE Aviation US startup Doroni to bring recreational flying cars to Gulf Doroni Aerospace, a US developer of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, last week secured an additional $150 million from a Saudi investor. The investment came only days after the company announced an initial $30 million deal with Kingdom Aero Industries (KAI). Florida-based Doroni was launched in 2017 and is working to manufacture US […] March 6, 2025
Aviation Emirates to spend $5bn on refitting 220 aircraft UAE flag carrier Emirates will spend around $5 billion on refitting 220 of its aircraft in order to sustain its network, president Tim Clark said on Wednesday, as the industry struggles with delivery delays for newer jets. “We have no choice,” Clark told reporters. “This one is the only way we could sustain the network, grow the network.” […] March 6, 2025
Aviation Airbus weighs production of military aircraft parts in UAE European planemaker Airbus is exploring the possibility of manufacturing components and setting up a maintenance facility for the A400M, a military transport aircraft, in the UAE. The plan includes integrating local entities – including EPI, part of defence company Edge Group, and Strata, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi investment vehicle Mubadala – into the A400M’s global aerospace […] March 5, 2025
Aviation Qatar Airways to order large wide-body aircraft soon Qatar Airways will soon place a sizeable order for wide-body jets to underpin its longer-term growth plans, the airline’s chief commercial officer told Reuters late on Monday. “To secure the growth of tomorrow by continuing to have a very strong and the best fleet in the industry, our CEO is working on the RFP (request […] March 5, 2025
Aviation Etihad Airways delays $1bn IPO launch to next month Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways will push back its planned $1 billion initial public offering (IPO) until at least next month, after the Eid Al Fitr holiday, two people with knowledge of the matter said. Etihad had not officially announced a date for its IPO, but sources had told Reuters that the airline would make an announcement […] March 5, 2025
Aviation Falcon to invest $100m in Dubai aviation repair facility The Dubai-based aviation company Falcon will invest $100 million to upgrade its aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Mohammed Bin Rashid Aerospace Hub, a free zone in Dubai South. The investment will be spread over the next five years, which includes building a new private jet terminal. In 2024, the company received approval from […] March 4, 2025
Aviation SalamAir adds planes and routes in Oman tourism drive Oman’s only low-cost airline, SalamAir, plans to double its fleet size and almost treble passenger numbers over the next three years, its CEO has told AGBI. Adrian Hamilton-Manns said SalamAir’s fleet would increase from 13 Airbus planes today to 25 aircraft in 2028. It is aiming for annual passenger numbers of 8.5 million in three […] March 4, 2025
Analysis Aviation Etihad IPO likely to attract ‘significant’ investor interest Abu Dhabi-owned Etihad Airways is likely to attract “significant” investor interest if and when it sells shares in an initial public offering expected in March in the first Gulf Arab airline IPO in almost 20 years, analysts have said. Owned by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ, the airline may raise as much as $1 […] February 28, 2025
Opinion Aviation Egypt’s aviation sector must strive to reach its potential Improved connectivity and new infrastructure will help the country regain market share February 28, 2025
Aviation Flynas secures $132m to acquire 3 A320neo aircraft Saudi low-cost carrier Flynas has secured a sharia-compliant loan of SAR495 million ($132 million) to acquire three Airbus A320neo aircraft, the airline said in a statement. The funding has been provided by Bank AlJazira, which trades on the Saudi stock exchange, the statement said. The new aircraft are expected to support Flynas’s network coverage, improve operational […] February 28, 2025
Manufacturing PIF weighs investment in Boeing’s Italian parts maker Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is holding talks about investing in the aerostructures unit of Italian defence company Leonardo, a news report said. The talks are at an early stage with no agreement guaranteed, Bloomberg reported. The investment could lead to the Italian company building a civil aviation manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia, the […] February 27, 2025
Aviation Qatar Airways gets nod to buy 25% of Virgin Australia The Australian government has cleared an offer by state-backed Qatar Airways to acquire a minority 25 percent stake in Virgin Australia from Bain Capital, a US private equity company, the companies said in a statement. The Gulf carrier made the offer to buy the stake in October, but the Australian transport minister, Catherine King, rejected […] February 27, 2025
