All Middle East news – Page 12
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News
Israel’s El Al receives long-deferred final 787-8
Israeli flag-carrier El Al has finally taken delivery of the last Boeing 787 from its original order, bringing its fleet of the twinjets to 16. The aircraft is s 787-8 variant (4X-ERD) and arrived in Tel Aviv from Seattle on 31 July. It was subsequently put into operation on routes ...
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News
Israir Group agrees six-month extension to Smartwings negotiations
Israeli operator Israir Group has agreed a six-month extension to the deadline for completing negotiations over its proposed acquisition of Czech carrier Smartwings. Israir Group says the 180-day extension – which commences on 4 August – has been agreed with Smartwings shareholders. The negotiations between the parties concern particular aspects ...
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News
Bahrain takes delivery of first single-seat F-16 Block 70 fighter
Lockheed Martin has delivered its first single-seat Block 70-model F-16 to Bahrain, with the transfer announced in late July.
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Analysis
Why Etihad is bringing Airbus A380s back online
While the move by Etihad Airways to return the Airbus A380 into service for the first time since the pandemic is primarily a way of increasing its capacity options, it also marks a step towards the renewed growth ambitions of the Middle East carrier.
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News
Iberia enters BA and Qatar Airways joint venture
Iberia has become part of the joint venture between by fellow Oneworld carriers British Airways and Qatar Airways, expanding what had already been described by its founders as “the world’s largest airline joint business”.
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News
Iraqi Airways to auction old 747s parked at Tunisian airport
Iraqi Airways is putting up for auction a pair of Boeing 747s which have been parked at Tozeur-Nefta airport in western Tunisia. One of the two is a 747SP (YI-ALM) while the other is a 747-200 (YI-AGP). Both aircraft were manufactured in 1982 and are fitted with Pratt & Whitney ...
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News
Saudi Arabia to obtain Baykar’s Akinci UAV
Turkish aerospace firm Baykar Technology has signed a deal with Saudi Arabia for its Akinci unmanned air vehicle (UAV).
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In depth
Airline Business Covid-19 recovery tracker: July 2023 update
Our regular examination of the latest global data for several key airline market indicators, including traffic and capacity in passenger and cargo markets, in-service and stored fleets, jet fuel costs, and share price trends for the world’s largest groups.
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News
Emirates aims to cut catering waste with pre-order service
Middle Eastern carrier Emirates is aiming to cut food waste by offering a pre-order service for on-board catering. The airline is to introduce the service initially in the business-class cabin on flights between Dubai and the three main London airports from 25 July. It will enable passengers to select meal ...
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News
USA deploys additional fighter assets to Middle East, citing Iranian naval activity
Washington will deploy additional combat aircraft to the Middle East, including fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters, following the attempted seizure of merchant vessels by Iranian naval forces.
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In depth
The Airline Strategy Awards 2023: winning stories
Alaska Airlines’ Ben Minicucci, Pegasus’ Guliz Ozturk and Singapore Airlines’ Goh Choon Phong were among those recognised at this year’s Airline Strategy Awards on 16 July in London, alongside former American Airlines chief executive Doug Parker.
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News
El Al faces potential $40m claim over pricing of group bookings
Israeli flag-carrier El Al has disclosed that it is facing potential legal action centred on claims that its ticketing system unfairly charged higher fares for multiple purchases. El Al says the class action – which features a damage calculation of 147 million shekels ($40 million) – has been filed with ...
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News
Emirates offers VIP charter flights with Phenom from Dubai
Middle Eastern carrier Emirates is introducing a regional charter service with Embraer Phenom 100 business jets out of Dubai’s Al-Maktoum airport. The airline is offering the Phenom for on-demand flights to destinations within the Gulf region, including those outside of the Emirates network. Emirates says the four-seat aircraft provides privacy, ...
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News
Global airline passenger traffic closes to within 4% of pre-Covid levels
Global airline passenger traffic was at 96.1% of 2019 levels in May this year, as the industry neared parity with pre-Covid levels of demand after three years of deficit.
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News
Russian fighters intercept American UAV over Syria, in latest Middle East incident
The US Air Force’s Middle East headquarters says Russian fighter aircraft conducted an unsafe intercept of an American MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle over Syria, marking the latest incident in the conflicted airspace where both countries are operating.
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News
Doubling of passenger revenue drives Qatar Airways profit
Qatar Airways posted a net profit of QR4.4 billion ($1.2 billion) for the year ending 31 March 2023 on turnover boosted by a doubling of passenger revenues.
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News
Iran taken to United Nations court over Ukrainian 737 shootdown
Four countries have collectively filed to initiate proceedings before the United Nations International Court of Justice over the destruction of a Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 shot down over Tehran. Ukraine, Sweden, Canada and the UK have submitted a joint application against Iran alleging violation of obligations following the loss ...
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News
Israir pays deposit to advance Smartwings acquisition talks
Israir Group has paid a €500,000 ($544,000) deposit in favour of Chinese firm CITIC Group, as part of the Israeli operator’s negotiations to take over Czech airline Smartwings. CITIC is linked to the Chinese economics ministry and holds just over 49.9% of Smartwings. Israir Group has been negotiating with Smartwings’ ...
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News
Israel announces plans for 25 more F-35 fighters
Israel plans to order an additional 25 Lockheed Martin F-35 fighters, which will allow it to stand up a third squadron of the type.
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News
El Al would have avenue to SkyTeam membership under Delta co-operation pact
Israeli flag-carrier El Al could potentially join the SkyTeam alliance with Delta Air Lines’ support, following a strategic co-operation agreement sealed between the two airlines. El Al and Delta will implement reciprocal codeshares and loyalty benefits as part of the tie-up, which is intended to offer more convenient connections between ...