All Middle East articles
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NewsA330neos among batch of Avolon aircraft divested to Saudi lessor AviLease
Fledgling Saudi Arabian lessor AviLease is supplementing its portfolio with the acquisition of 13 aircraft from Irish-based leasing firm Avolon. Among the aircraft covered by the agreement are two Airbus A330neo twinjets, six A320neos and an A321neo, plus a Boeing 737 Max 8. The other three jets comprise two older ...
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Israir Group records strong surge in first-quarter revenues
Israeli leisure operator Israir Group is attributing a strong first-quarter performance to increased demand and the expansion of its Airbus fleet. The company’s revenues in the three months to 31 March – totalling $94 million – amounted to a two-thirds increase on last year’s figure, and double the level of ...
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News
Absence of information scuppers probe into An-124’s undershot landing at Riyadh
Investigators have disclosed that attempts to probe an Antonov An-124’s short landing at Riyadh reached a dead end owing to an absence of information. The aircraft (UR-ZYD), operating for Ukraine’s Maximus Airlines, had been arriving at the Saudi Arabian capital after a service from Bechar in Algeria on 15 January ...
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El Al 737 freighter introduction held up by regulatory hitch
Israel’s El Al is yet to introduce the Boeing 737-800 freighter it had been planning to use from April, owing to a regulatory issue. The airline signed an agreement in February this year to dry-lease the aircraft which had recently been converted from passenger to cargo configuration. But El Al ...
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El Al includes Airbus in request for single-aisle fleet-renewal proposals
Israeli flag-carrier El Al has included Airbus in a request for proposals to replace single-aisle aircraft from 2025, while incumbent Boeing as well as engine manufacturers have also been contacted for the campaign. El Al is looking to modernise its single-aisle fleet – currently exclusively comprising 24 Boeing 737-800s and ...
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News
Portfolio sale to Macquarie slashes Kuwaiti lessor ALAFCO’s revenues
Kuwaiti lessor ALAFCO’s operating lease revenues dropped by two-thirds over the first half of the year, after its decision to sell a large quantity of its aircraft portfolio to Macquarie Airfinance Group. The lessor recorded revenues of just under KD17 million ($55 million) in the six months to 31 March, ...
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Royal Jordanian firms orders for eight Embraer E2 jets
Middle Eastern carrier Royal Jordanian Airlines has firmed-up orders for eight Embraer E2-family jets following a memorandum of understanding signed with the airframer in October last year.
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Flydubai enhances UAE-Canadian links with Air Canada codeshare
Closer air transport ties between Canada and the United Arab Emirates are being further tightened with a codeshare agreement between Air Canada and Flydubai. The two sides have increased co-operation with Emirates opening a new route to Montreal – its second service to Canada – and Air Canada’s cargo division ...
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Oman Air 737 grounded in Iran after sustaining debris damage on landing
One of Oman Air’s aircraft has been damaged by runway debris while landing in Iran, forcing the grounding of the jet. The Boeing 737-900ER had been operating the carrier’s WY2435 service – a chartered flight – from Muscat to Shiraz on 15 May. Oman Air says the twinjet sustained damage ...
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In depth
Airline Business Covid-19 recovery tracker: May 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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Jazeera chief stays coy on fleet requirements for Saudi carrier
Kuwaiti budget carrier Jazeera Airways is expecting to have around 35 aircraft by 2025, with a number of them potentially allocated to its proposed Saudi Arabian joint venture. Speaking during a briefing earlier this month, chief executive Rohit Ramachandran referred to ‘Jazeera Saudi’ – a start-up in which the Kuwaiti ...
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Iraqi regulator confirms engine incidents behind A220 grounding
Iraq’s civil aviation regulator has clarified its measures to restrict Iraqi Airways Airbus A220 operations, citing engine damage to two airframes. The Iraq Civil Aviation Authority states that it took the decision to suspend A220 operations over a “sense of responsibility to preserve the safety of passengers and air traffic”. ...
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Emirates surges back to profit
Profits at Dubai-based Emirates Group have soared to record levels for the year ended 31 March 2023, hitting Dhs10.9 billion ($3 billion), reversing two consecutive years of pandemic-driven losses.
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Iraqi Airways aims for May delivery of first 787
Iraqi Airways has indicated that it will receive its first Boeing 787 at the end of May. The airline has been co-ordinating the introduction of the twinjet with the US airframer, and states that it is completing discussions on technical and operational preparations. Iraqi Airways has 10 787s on order, ...
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Emirates creates $200m sustainability fund as chief warns on decarbonisation pace
Middle Eastern carrier Emirates is creating a $200 million fund to accelerate research into reducing commercial aviation’s carbon impact. The Dubai-based airline is warning that the sector needs more effective options to decarbonise. Its sustainability fund is focused on engine, fuel and energy concepts. “It’s clear that, with the current ...
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Israir claims ‘positive’ signs from Smartwings shareholders
Israeli operator Israir Group has received a “positive indication” from shareholders in Smartwings regarding its proposal to take over the Czech airline. Israir Group has been pursuing an acquisition of Smartwings for several months and is trying to seal a binding agreement for the carrier. Its proposal has centred on ...
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Qatar Airways aims to receive all 737 Max 8s by end-July
Qatar Airways has introduced a second Boeing 737 Max 8, and will bring in another seven of the type by the end of July. The Middle Eastern carrier took delivery of its first in mid-April after taking advantage of an opportunity to introduce a batch of the twinjets to its ...
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Oman Air equips training centre with 737 Max simulator
Middle Eastern carrier Oman Air has equipped its training centre with a Boeing 737 Max 8 simulator. The airline says the system has been acquired from specialist CAE, and installed in the flight-training centre at Muscat. Oman Air has 13 Max 8s in its fleet of 45 aircraft. “The [Max ...
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Emirates returns to 747 freighter operations to lift SkyCargo capacity
Middle Eastern carrier Emirates is wet-leasing a pair of Boeing 747-400 freighters to lift capacity for its SkyCargo division. Their introduction – a return to 747 operations after an absence of several years – illustrates the Dubai-based operator’s “confidence” in the cargo market, it states, and provide “immediate” increased capability ...
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Emirates and Etihad tighten ties with interline aimed at UAE tourism
Middle Eastern carriers Emirates and Etihad Airways are to forge a closer co-operation through an interline agreement giving travellers greater flexibility when flying into and out of the United Arab Emirates. Under the agreement passengers will be able to purchase a single ticket allowing inbound flight to either Dubai or ...
