Aviation Emirates SkyCargo bullish on US despite tariff turbulence Emirates SkyCargo has said it remains fully committed to the North American market despite escalating trade tensions and uncertainty sparked by Donald Trump’s tariffs. The cargo division of Dubai’s state-owned airline Emirates operates freighter services to cities such as Chicago and Houston. It also uses the belly-hold capacity of passenger aircraft to transport goods in […] April 15, 2025
Food & Drink UK company enters Dubai’s crowded rapid-delivery market Despite the congestion – in the market and on the streets of the UAE’s most populous city – yet another competitor, UK company Zapp, is entering Dubai’s rapid-delivery market. This is evidence there is still room for growth, analysts say. Zapp focuses on rapid grocery deliveries from its own so-called dark stores. A dark store is […] April 15, 2025
Analysis Logistics Fujairah’s grand plan could fall victim to tariff shock The emirate of Fujairah’s plans to expand its storage facilities and develop cleaner fuels and petrochemical production may be delayed as a result of the impact of tariff-led global trade tensions, according to a local authority. After Singapore and Rotterdam, Fujairah is the largest so-called “bunkering”, or ship-fuelling, port. It lies almost immediately outside the […] April 15, 2025
Analysis Transport Tesla trumpets Saudi launch but China is waiting Tesla’s well-publicised launch event in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, last week attracted a large and boisterous crowd. But the competition is stiff, especially from the Chinese, now the world’s largest maker of EVs, and the charging infrastructure for electric-powered vehicles in the world’s second-largest oil producer is still lacking. Saudi Arabia wants 30 percent of […] April 14, 2025
Aviation Saudi Arabia invites bids for charter airline Saudi Arabia’s aviation regulator is inviting bids to set up a national charter airline. The General Authority of Civil Aviation opened the bid process on April 13 and has set a submission deadline of May 21, it said in a statement. All the bids will be opened on May 22. In February the regulator announced […] April 14, 2025
Logistics Outbound containers drive bumper March for Saudi ports A significant increase in the number of exported containers from Saudi Arabia helped drive a spike in volumes for ports across the country, according to the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani). Exported containers rose 32 percent in March compared with the previous year. 280,341 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a common industry measurement, were exported compared to […] April 14, 2025
Logistics Morocco seeks operator for Africa’s largest shipyard Morocco is seeking global companies or consortiums to run what it says will be Africa’s largest shipyard in Casablanca, according to a news report. State-owned National Ports Agency issued a tender last week, inviting bids from shipyard operators to develop, equip and operate the 52-acre facility for 30 years, Bloomberg reported citing communications director Abdellatif […] April 14, 2025
Aviation Etihad passenger volume up as fleet and destinations rise A growing fleet size and increased destinations have allowed Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways to expand passenger volume in the first quarter of 2025. Passenger numbers rose 16 percent to 5 million in the January to March period, compared to 4.3 million a year ago, according to data released by the state-backed airline. Antonoaldo Neves, CEO […] April 14, 2025
Infrastructure Egypt hires US company to modernise locomotives Egyptian National Railways has awarded three contracts worth more than $235 million to US company Progress Rail to modernise its rail locomotive fleet. The contracts include the modernisation of 1,000 diesel-electric locomotives valued at $185 million and a 15-year agreement to supply parts for 141 locomotives worth $42 million, the US Embassy in Egypt said […] April 14, 2025
Logistics Oman targets $5bn investment with port expansion Oman’s Sohar Port and Freezone is seeking to draw in billions of dollars in additional investment, as the first phase of the project nears full occupancy, according to a media report. The expansion will increase annual throughput to more than 2.5 million tonnes of cargo, over $5 billion in investment and an addition of 500 […] April 14, 2025
Logistics Emirates to squeeze more from fleet with parcel deliveries Emirates has launched a premium package delivery service to open up new streams of revenue from its existing fleet and compete with the likes of DHL and Fedex for a share of a market worth nearly $500 billion. “Just like passengers, packages will travel from origin to destination directly,” the airline said in a press […] April 11, 2025
Logistics DP World starts work on expanding Canada port terminal Dubai ports operator DP World has started construction on the Duke Point Terminal expansion in western Canada, enhancing Vancouver Island’s connectivity and trade with international markets. Once completed, the terminal’s berth length will nearly double from 182m to 325m, while cargo handling capacity will expand to 280,000 twenty-foot equivalent units annually, the state-owned company said in […] April 8, 2025
Aviation Fuel price down but airlines fear fewer passengers While the lowest oil prices in four years may translate into lower jet fuel costs for airlines, slower economic growth in Europe and Asia could dampen international travel demand for Gulf carriers, analysts say. At Dubai’s Emirates, for example, jet fuel represented the company’s largest single cost in its fiscal year to March 31, 2024 […] April 8, 2025
Aviation PIF-backed AviLease agrees Turkish Airlines rentals Saudi Arabia’s Aircraft Leasing Company (AviLease) has signed long-term leases with state-owned Turkish Airlines for Airbus A320neo aircraft. Two of the aircraft have already been delivered, with the remaining six scheduled for delivery throughout 2025, the airline said in a statement. Riyadh-based AviLease’s CEO Edward O’Byrne, said these aircraft will support Turkish Airlines’ growth plans and […] April 8, 2025
Opinion Aviation US policy rattles Middle East aviation industry Tariffs and weak demand leave Middle Eastern carriers wary of market shifts April 7, 2025
Logistics AD Ports moves ahead with Angolan port upgrade State-controlled Abu Dhabi ports operator AD Ports Group is to upgrade Angola’s largest port as it expands its reach in Africa, the company said in a statement. The company has appointed UAE-based Mar Construction Civil & Obras Publicas to design and build the port’s infrastructure, the statement said. Additionally, the company has engaged Lebanon-based Dar Al […] April 7, 2025
Aviation Saudi Arabia clears Riyadh Air for takeoff Saudi Arabia’s aviation watchdog has granted official permission to Riyadh Air to commence flights to and from airports across the kingdom. The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) chairman Saleh Al-Jasser handed the air operator certificate to Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas, state-run SPA news agency reported. The certificate follows the Public Investment Fund-backed airline’s completion […] April 7, 2025
Aviation Mid-East passenger demand keeps rising but cargo slows Middle Eastern carriers have reported a yearly increase in passenger demand in February, albeit slightly down on the previous month because of factors including trade tensions, according to the International Air Transport Association (Iata). The latest monthly figures from Iata showed a 3 percent year-on-year increase in demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, in February, […] April 1, 2025
Aviation Low-cost carrier Flynas to offload 30% on Saudi bourse Saudi low-cost carrier Flynas has received the market regulator’s approval to offload nearly a third of its shares on the local stock exchange in the latest of a series of bourse flotations. The airline, partly owned by billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, will sell 51.3 million shares or 30 percent of its stock in an initial public […] April 1, 2025
Transport China’s Baidu to launch robotaxis in UAE Chinese tech company Baidu, which is listed on the US Nasdaq stock exchange, is planning to launch an autonomous ride-hailing service in the UAE by the end of 2025, according to a statement. Apollo Go, a Baidu unit, has signed an agreement with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to start autonomous driving testing and […] March 31, 2025
Infrastructure Turkey to tender rail project under Development Road plan Turkey plans to float a tender for a new rail project that is part of the Development Road Project, a new freight link planned between Asia and Europe, according to a news report. The tender will be issued in the coming months, Daily Sabah newspaper reported, citing transport and infrastructure minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu. Ankara is […] March 31, 2025
Aviation Qatari bank buys stake in Edinburgh Airport A sharia-compliant Qatari investment bank has acquired a minority stake in Edinburgh Airport through an infrastructure-focused investment fund. “This investment aligns with the bank’s strategic focus on resilient asset classes and marks the bank’s entry into the global infrastructure investment market,” Lesha Bank said in a press release. Edinburgh Airport, Scotland’s busiest and the sixth […] March 27, 2025
