Aviation Riyadh Air takes aim at online travel giants Saudi Arabia’s new airline, Riyadh Air, is to compete with global travel companies such as Booking.com and Expedia by developing a one-stop digital platform for customers to plan and manage entire trips. The website will cover flights, accommodation, car rentals, AI-generated itineraries and tickets to attractions and concerts. It will also include shared shopping cart […] October 31, 2024
Logistics Egyptian company buys into Neom-backed seaglider United Marine Egypt Shipping will be the launch customer for a large passenger seaglider that is designed to travel at high speeds over water. US maritime transport company Regent said UME will be the first to receive its Monarch seaglider. The Monarch is a 50-to-100-passenger electric craft that Regent says will travel up to 650km […] October 31, 2024
Analysis Trade Nigeria-UAE trade tipped to recover as Emirates restarts flights Nigeria’s trade with the UAE is expected to rise significantly following the resumption of Emirates flights to Lagos this month. The daily return flights from Dubai offer more than 300 tonnes of “bellyhold” capacity – cargo carried in the hold on passenger flights – every week. Emirates suspended the flights nearly two years ago after […] October 30, 2024
Opinion Logistics A new dawn for logistics as the GCC and India draw closer For both parties to benefit, investment in transport infrastructure is needed October 30, 2024
Aviation Saudia reports 10 percent increase in passengers Saudia, Saudi Arabia’s national flag carrier, transported more than nine million passengers during the third quarter of 2024, a 10 percent increase on the same period last year. Saudia said it operated more than 49,500 flights, a 9 percent increase from last year, with an on-time performance rate of 87.8 percent. Five million of its […] October 29, 2024
Aviation Dubai Aerospace Enterprise buys 10 aircraft for $500m Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), a global aviation services company, has acquired ten narrowbody aircraft for around $500 million. DAE will lease the next-generation aircraft to four airlines across four countries, the company said on Tuesday. “These young aircraft with long remaining lease terms are expected to be favourable to our portfolio’s metrics, once delivered,” said […] October 29, 2024
Transport Houthis target three ships in Red and Arabian Seas Yemen’s Houthis said on Monday that they targeted three ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, attacks they called part of their efforts to enforce a naval blockade on Israel. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a televised address the vessels were targeted with missiles and drones for attempting to approach ports bound […] October 29, 2024
Opinion Aviation Qatar’s Virgin Australia deal makes business sense Australia is Qatar Airways' seventh most important market, with nearly 900,000 seats on sale each year October 25, 2024
Analysis Giga-projects Saudi Arabia pins branding hopes on Riyadh Air launch Saudi Arabia still hasn’t found the magic sauce for branding its social and economic reforms. Hopes are high that the launch of Riyadh Air will do for the kingdom what Emirates airline did for Dubai, industry experts say. “We saw the journey of the UAE, how brands started there then became iconic on a global […] October 25, 2024
Renewable Energy Hydrogen taxis to hit the road in Saudi Arabian trial Saudi Arabia has announced a trial operation of its first hydrogen powered taxi. The Transport General Authority (TGA) said the pilot phase will use Toyota Mirai vehicles, as it seeks to reduce carbon emissions and reduce reliance on internal combustion engine vehicles. The emission-free Toyota Mirai car has a range of 350 kilometres and the […] October 24, 2024
Transport Billion-dollar deals signed for upkeep of Kuwait’s roads Kuwait has signed road maintenance contracts worth KWD400 million ($1.3 billion) with 18 local and foreign companies. The three-year contracts aim to improve Kuwait’s 8,400km of roads, which are a persistent source of frustration for residents of the Gulf state. Khaled Al-Osaimi, head of the Public Authority for Roads and Land Transport, said: “This is […] October 24, 2024
Aviation Adia to invest $750m in debt of India’s GMR Group Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia), the UAE’s largest sovereign wealth fund, will invest about $750 million in the debt of India’s GMR Group, giving it a foothold in one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets. The investment will also allow the Indian company to reduce the pledged shareholding on its airports business. Adia has invested […] October 23, 2024
Aviation Qatar Airways partners with Elon Musk’s Starlink Qatar Airways has operated its first flight with internet provided by Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service. The airline says all of its Boeing 777s will have the service within a year. On-board access to Starlink-enabled internet will be completely free of charge, Qatar Airways said. In a video call with Qatar Airways executives, Elon […] October 23, 2024
Industry Morocco plans to increase its military spending in budget Morocco is planning to increase its military spending by 6 percent next year, as it looks to improve national security and modernise its local capabilities. The defence budget in Morocco’s 2025 Finance Law will be MAD133 billion ($13.4 billion), an increase on the MAD124 billion in the current year’s budget. The Minister of Economy and […] October 23, 2024
Logistics More freighters on order at Emirates Emirates, Dubai’s flagship airline, has ordered more freighters in a push to expand its cargo operations, reports in local and international media said. The airline has ordered five Boeing 777 freighters, which are due to be delivered from 2025/2026 and brings the total number of 777 freighters on order to 14. “Demand for Emirates’ air […] October 21, 2024
Aviation Dubai Airports has big plans for biometric tech Dubai Airports is pushing ahead with its plans for Dubai International Airport (DXB), and air taxis, biometric upgrades and improved accessibility for disabled passengers are among its efforts to modernise the passenger experience. Omar Binadai, Dubai Airports’ chief technology and infrastructure officer, told AGBI the operator is working with regulators to secure licences and establish […] October 21, 2024
Markets Neom-backed robotaxi operator Pony Ai files for US IPO Pony AI, a Chinese autonomous driving company backed by an investment arm of Saudi giga-project Neom, has filed for an initial public offering in the US. The Guangzhou-based company applied to be listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange but did not reveal the size of the offering. Pony AI operates a fleet of more than […] October 18, 2024
Analysis Logistics Gulf companies can capitalise on spare supply chain capacity Global supply chains have more spare capacity than at any time in the last 14 months – marking a window of opportunity for the Gulf to increase production and cut costs, experts say. Overall global demand for raw materials and commodities has deteriorated, according to the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index, whereas it has remained […] October 18, 2024
Opinion Transport How to make hybrid cars sexy? Call them Ferrari Ferrari's new hybrid is a beautiful car – as it should be for the best part of AED1.4 million October 18, 2024
Editor's Insight Transport Trains, planes and more trains (or metros) Is it finally happening? It was conceived back in 2013 and was supposed to take four years to build but the Riyadh metro looks like it is about to open. To the hard-pressed inhabitants of the Saudi capital, that can only be a good thing. Alternatives to the car and bus – Riyadh has a new […] October 18, 2024
Manufacturing PIF-backed Lucid shares tumble on anticipated Q3 losses Shares of Saudi-backed US luxury electric vehicle maker Lucid fell more than 12 percent in pre-market trading on Thursday. The drop came after the company announced it anticipates reporting a larger-than-expected loss for the third quarter and a public offering of more than 262 million shares. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, already a majority shareholder […] October 17, 2024
Transport Dubai Taxi partners with Bolt to take on Uber Dubai Taxi Company has signed a deal with the Estonian company Bolt to launch its “e-hailing” platform in the emirate, competing with existing operators such as Uber and Careem. The launch of the platform was announced during a signing ceremony between DTC and Bolt at Gitex Global. Mansoor Rahma Alfalasi, CEO of Dubai Taxi, called […] October 16, 2024
