Aviation Sheikh Ahmed: China’s Boeing rejects won’t fly for Emirates Emirates Airline’s chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum has downplayed speculation that the carrier could buy Boeing planes originally destined for China. Speaking at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai on Tuesday, Sheikh Ahmed said Emirates was actively exploring options to expand its fleet, but the Boeing aircraft – ordered by Chinese carriers but […] April 29, 2025
EXCLUSIVE Aviation Boeing delays are hampering Flydubai expansion, says CEO Delays in the delivery of Flydubai’s first wide-body aircraft from Boeing are hampering the carrier’s expansion into long-haul routes and it may seek compensation, its CEO has told AGBI. The low-cost carrier is waiting for 30 Boeing 787-9 twin-aisle planes, part of an $11 billion deal announced at the 2023 Dubai Airshow. The first deliveries […] April 29, 2025
Aviation ‘I expect more Europeans to come’: Etihad chief shrugs off tariffs Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways is not seeing any effects from the turmoil caused by US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, its CEO Antonoaldo Neves told Reuters on Monday, while adding it was too early to fully gauge the impact of the levies. Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs on dozens of US trading partners this month […] April 29, 2025
Aviation Riyadh Air willing to buy Boeing planes cancelled by China Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas has said that the Saudi startup carrier would be ready to buy Boeing aircraft destined for Chinese airlines if they are not delivered due to the escalating trade war between the United States and China. Boeing is looking to resell potentially dozens of planes locked out of China by tariffs […] April 28, 2025
Aviation Oman Air cuts a quarter of workforce after losses Loss-making national airline Oman Air has let go of at least 900 people – equivalent to almost a quarter of its workforce – after posting yet another loss last year, newspapers including the Times of Oman reported. Of the 900, more than 500 are expatriates and the remaining 400 Omani nationals, Saeed bin Hamoud Al […] April 28, 2025
Analysis Transport Saudi Arabia’s EV ambitions face ‘chicken and egg’ dilemma Few of the car enthusiasts who attended Tesla’s launch in Riyadh last month arrived in electric vehicles. Hundreds turned out for the much-heralded opening event in Riyadh, an indication that the furore around the Tesla brand and its owner Elon Musk has not crossed the Atlantic. Despite this, public enthusiasm for electric vehicles (EVs) in […] April 28, 2025
Transport Morocco launches 430km high-speed train project Morocco has started construction of the Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed rail line in the capital city of Rabat. This phase will add 430 kilometres of high-speed rail connecting Kenitra (an industrial centre on the coast in north-western Morocco) to the country’s economic hub, Casablanca, and further south to the historic city of Marrakech, serving the airports of […] April 28, 2025
Aviation Saudi aircraft lessor AviLease secures $1.5bn credit facility Saudi Public Investment Fund unit Aircraft Leasing Company (AviLease) has finalised a $1.5 billion credit facility to fund aircraft purchases and business expansion, a local newspaper reported. The three-year facility, which was oversubscribed, garnered interest from 25 international and domestic banks, Arab News reported, citing AviLease CEO Edward O’Byrne. “Together with our existing revolver of […] April 28, 2025
Video length: 02:01 Opinion Transport Is the DB12 the supercar to lead Aston Martin’s recovery? The model could be a turning point in the fortunes of the iconic brand April 25, 2025
Aviation Oman Air posts 2024 loss while airport passenger numbers rise Oman Airports, the company managing Muscat International Airport and three others, posted a 15 percent increase in net income last year on more passenger throughput, a local newspaper reported. At the same time, national carrier Oman Air reported a OR72 million ($187 million) loss, before interest and taxes, for 2024. The airline has made an […] April 25, 2025
Aviation China’s Boeing boycott opens doors for Gulf carriers China’s escalating trade standoff with the US is reverberating through the global aviation industry, offering opportunities for Gulf airlines, as Chinese carriers refuse to accept US-built Boeing aircraft. Speaking on a first quarter earnings call on Wednesday, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg confirmed that several Chinese customers have declined to accept new aircraft due to retaliatory […] April 25, 2025
Logistics CEO of Dubai’s logistics company Aramex resigns Othman Al-Jeda, group CEO of Dubai-listed logistics company Aramex, has resigned, the company said in a filing to the Dubai Financial Market on Thursday. Othman resigned “for personal reasons”, the company said, adding that the board of directors has appointed current chief financial officer Nicolas Sibuet as acting group CEO effective April 24. Nicolas joined […] April 24, 2025
Opinion Aviation Opportunity knocks for Middle East airlines during tariff turmoil American and Chinese uncertainty could open earlier aircraft delivery slots elsewhere April 24, 2025
Aviation Saudia signs Airbus deal for up to 20 wide-body aircraft Saudia, Saudi Arabia’s national airline, has finalised a new agreement with European manufacturer Airbus to buy up to 20 new wide-body A330neo aircraft. Of these, 10 are firm orders for Flyadeal, the group’s budget airline, the carrier said in a statement. The delivery of these aircraft is set to start in 2027, with the last […] April 24, 2025
Aviation Dubai jet leaser wins $282m settlement in Russian case Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), the Middle East’s largest aviation leasing company, has received a $282 million cash settlement from unnamed insurers for aircraft leased to Russian Federation carriers. This latest payment brings DAE’s total insurance recovery to $601 million. With this settlement DAE and its partners have resolved all claims against the involved insurance and […] April 24, 2025
Opinion Industry Everyone’s losing sleep over tariffs – except Gulf car buyers The majority of our new (and used) vehicles arrive on ships from Asia, Europe and China April 22, 2025
Aviation Syrian Air restarts flights to Dubai and Sharjah Syria’s flag carrier, Syrian Air, will resume direct flights to Dubai and Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, the airline said in a Facebook post. All flights between Syria and the UAE had been suspended in January after Islamist-led rebels toppled the country’s former leader, Bashar al-Assad, in December last year. The announcement […] April 18, 2025
Exclusive Aviation China ‘unlikely to overthrow Boeing-Airbus duopoly’ China’s state-owned planemaker, Comac (Commercial Aircraft Corp of China), is decades away from breaking up the global dominance of Boeing and Airbus, according to the head of the world’s largest airline trade association. The result will be that Gulf Arab carriers such as Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways have little choice but to stomach […] April 18, 2025
Analysis Transport Mena business travel surged before tariff storm hit The number of business travel trips booked in the Mena region increased by more than 50 percent in the first quarter of 2025. However, the onset of a trade war and a projected slowdown in economic growth may temper performance for the foreseeable future, according to travel experts. Business travel company Tamodo said it expected […] April 17, 2025
Exclusive Aviation IATA chief: Boeing and Airbus woes are a win for jet leasing Aircraft leasing companies in the Arabian Gulf are profiting from prolonged delivery delays at aircraft makers Boeing and Airbus, with order backlogs at the manufacturers unlikely to clear before the end of the decade. “These [aircraft leasing] guys are in a fantastic position because they have a fantastic fleet of aircraft,” Willie Walsh, director general […] April 16, 2025
Transport 2026 launch on track for Lucid’s midsize electric SUVs EV maker Lucid is on track to launch its midsize electric SUV in 2026, as it looks to tap an increasingly competitive segment dominated by rival Tesla’s bestselling Model Y crossover. “There are a lot of crazy things going on in the world that can affect that [timeline]. But currently we are on track,” said Lucid […] April 16, 2025
Aviation Kuwait’s Agility buys major US aviation support firm for $305m Agility Public Warehousing Company of Kuwait is buying the American company G2 Secure Staff, one of the world’s largest aviation service providers, for $305 million. G2 provides aviation support services to almost all major airlines in the US in more than 70 US airports, including ground handling, cabin cleaning and passenger assistance The company was […] April 15, 2025
