Aviation Istanbul Airport remains Europe’s busiest Daily flight arrivals in Turkey’s Istanbul Airport have surpassed major European airports such as Amsterdam, London, and Paris in 2024, making it the continent’s busiest. The airport received an average of 1,401 daily flights last year, an increase of 2 percent year on year, thus retaining its position as the busiest air hub in Europe […] January 27, 2025
Aviation $4bn expansion planned for Morocco airports Morocco will invest MAD42 billion ($4.1 billion) in airport expansion by 2030, the country’s transport and logistics minister has said. The investment aligns with the strategy to strengthen the country’s airports as a global gateway, Morocco World News reported citing Abdessamad Kayouh. The investments intend to modernise major airports, including Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Marrakesh, Fez, […] January 24, 2025
Aviation Saudi budget airline Flynas expects IPO approval soon Saudi low-cost carrier Flynas is likely to get approval soon from the market regulator for its planned listing on the Riyadh stock exchange. Talal Al Maiman, CEO of the airline’s part-owner Kingdom Holding, said in an interview with Al Arabiya TV at the World Economic Forum that Flynas planned to list 30 percent of its […] January 23, 2025
Interview Aviation Wizz Air Abu Dhabi predicts slower growth Wizz Air Abu Dhabi expects slower growth in 2025 as delays of new aircraft deliveries, engine issues in some of its existing fleet and regulatory problems in some new markets affect its ambitious expansion plans. The airline, a joint venture between Hungary’s Wizz Air Holding and Abu Dhabi’s state-owned investment holding ADQ, is navigating global […] January 23, 2025
Aviation Riyadh Air delays launch after Boeing setbacks Riyadh Air has been forced to push back its launch date to the third quarter of 2025 after delays to deliveries from Boeing. The new Saudi airline had been scheduled to begin flying early this year. It is a blow to Saudi Arabia’s tourism ambitions to attract 150 million visits a year. Riyadh Air was founded […] January 17, 2025
Logistics Emirates increases capacity to meet rising cargo demand Dubai national carrier Emirates Airline has taken delivery of two additional aircraft to increase capacity and meet growing demand for its cargo service. The company has signed multi-year leasing deals for two Boeing 747 freighters, which have raised Emirates’ cargo capacity by 15 percent, the airline said in a statement. Emirates SkyCargo transported almost 1.2 […] January 17, 2025
EXCLUSIVE Aviation Wizz Air increases flights from UAE to Israel after ceasefire The budget carrier Wizz Air is increasing the number of flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv after the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The airline had previously scaled back its Tel Aviv-Abu Dhabi service to four flights a week because of the conflict, down from its pre-crisis schedule of two flights a day. […] January 16, 2025
Retail Sales rise 18% for airport retailer Qatar Duty Free Airport retailer Qatar Duty Free has reported an 18 percent sales increase for 2024. The rise was higher than passenger growth at Hamad International Airport in Doha, which increased 15 percent to 52.7 million. Qatar Duty Free, a subsidiary of Qatar Airways that owns and operates the airport’s shopping and food outlets, did not release […] January 14, 2025
Business of Sport Qatar Airways signs $97m deal to sponsor new rugby tournament Qatar Airways has agreed a $97 million deal to sponsor the new World Rugby Nations Championship. The eight-year deal will cover the qualifying matches and finals for the first four editions of the rugby union tournament from 2026 to 2034. The agreement is the biggest title sponsorship in international rugby, according to The Guardian. The […] January 13, 2025
Analysis Aviation Middle East investors turn to airports for safe returns Middle Eastern money is making its way into airports around the world as investment in aviation assets continues to catch the eye. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia), the UAE’s largest sovereign wealth fund, is the latest headline-grabber as its estimated $4 billion takeover bid as part of a consortium for Malaysia’s Airports Holdings was confirmed […] January 13, 2025
Aviation Turkish Airlines carries 83m passengers in 2024 State-owned Turkish Airlines flew 83.4 million passengers in 2024, up 2 percent annually, driven by its global expansion drive. The flag carrier served 31.7 million international passengers, an increase of 6.4 percent year on year, as the number of destinations rose 4 percent annually to 352. Overall, the load factor fell by 0.4 percentage points […] January 10, 2025
Trade Jet fuel makes UAE Kenya’s second largest exporter The UAE has moved ahead of the US, Pakistan, Netherlands, Tanzania and the UK to become Kenya’s second largest export market, according to latest government figures. The Emirates are second, behind Uganda, after exports from the Gulf state more than doubled, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) said in its latest report. However, the […] January 9, 2025
Aviation Adia-backed bid for Malaysia Airports nears threshold A takeover offer for Malaysia Airports Holdings by a consortium that includes the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia) has edged closer to the threshold required to take it private. The group, which includes Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah, BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners and Malaysia’s Employees Provident Fund, said it has secured an 84.1 percent stake […] January 9, 2025
Aviation DAE acquires Irish aircraft lessor Nordic Aviation Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, the Middle East’s largest aviation services company, has acquired aircraft leasing company Nordic Aviation Capital. No details on the terms of the transaction were disclosed. DAE said Nordic Aviation’s fleet in September 2024 comprised 252 owned and committed assets on lease to approximately 60 airline customers in approximately 40 countries. Based in […] January 8, 2025
Transport Passenger traffic at Turkish airports rises to 230m in 2024 Passenger traffic at Turkish airports grew by 7.5 percent year on year to more than 230 million in 2024, according to the country’s transport and infrastructure minister, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu. More than 95 million domestic and 134 million international passengers were served last year, he said. The number of aircraft movements, including landings and take-offs, rose […] January 7, 2025
Transport Turkish bidder offers lower fee for Islamabad airport operations A Turkish consortium aims to take over the operations of Pakistan’s Islamabad airport after offering a concession fee below the minimum threshold, Sadiq ur Rehman, the chairman of the bid evaluation committee, has said. The cash-strapped South Asian country is looking to generate revenue by speeding up its privatisation push, including outsourcing the running of three major […] January 3, 2025
Giga-projects Neom’s air taxi partner Volocopter files for insolvency Volocopter, the German air taxi developer backed by Saudi Arabia’s Neom giga-project, has filed for insolvency, blaming difficulties in securing fresh funding. The company, whose high-profile backers include Mercedes-Benz, Honeywell, Daimler, Intel and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, said its operations would continue during the insolvency proceedings as it seeks new investors. The insolvency raises concerns […] December 31, 2024
Opinion Aviation An ambitious year ahead for Gulf aviation New airlines, routes and aircraft will increase competition across the industry and widen consumer choice December 31, 2024
Opinion Aviation How to break the impasse that stops African airlines soaring The onerous taxes and fees in the aviation sector stem from charges set unilaterally by governments December 26, 2024
Transport Abu Dhabi loans $40m for Maldives airport expansion The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) will provide AED147 million ($40 million) to support the completion of the Velana International Airport project in the Maldives. This follows a loan of AED183.5 million provided in 2017 for the project’s initial phases, state-run Wam news agency reported. ADFD’s director general Mohamed Al Suwaidi said the additional […] December 26, 2024
Analysis Aviation Middle East airlines expected to ride out delivery delays Aircraft delivery delays will continue to dog Middle East airlines in 2025, according to the International Air Travel Association (Iata). The issue will have little bearing on the bottom line, however, and the industry is expected to continue growing regardless. Globally, Iata forecasts that 1,802 aircraft will be delivered over the next 12 months, down […] December 24, 2024
Aviation Turkey’s Pegasus places firm order for 100 Boeing jets Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines has placed a firm order for 100 Boeing 737 Max-10 aircraft with the option for an additional 100 jets. The Max-10, the largest model in the 737 Max family, can accommodate up to 230 passengers and has a range of 3,566 miles (5,740 kilometres). The aircraft offers a 20 percent reduction […] December 20, 2024
