All Middle East articles – Page 5
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NewsFirst Riyadh Air 787-9 rolls off Boeing’s assembly line
Saudi Arabian start-up carrier Riyadh Air says that its first 787-9 has left Boeing’s assembly line in Charleston, and will soon feature its soft purple paint scheme.
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NewsIsrael to acquire two additional KC-46 tankers
Israel’s defence ministry has announced plans to acquire two additional Boeing KC-46 tanker aircraft, supplementing four previously ordered examples in a deal valued at approximately $500 million.
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NewsFleet and network expansion fuel Emirates recruitment drive
Gulf carrier Emirates Airline is mid-way through a global flightcrew recruitment drive as part of a wider push to bring in 1,500 new pilots over the next two years.
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NewsSaudia Cargo introducing A330 freighters under wet-lease agreement
Saudia Cargo is introducing a pair of converted Airbus A330-300 freighters, which will be operated under a wet-lease by ASL Aviation Holdings. The Middle Eastern carrier has identified the initial twinjet as MSN1272 – a GE Aerospace CF6-powered airframe previously operated as a passenger aircraft by China Airlines. Registered with ...
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NewsConflict pushes Jazeera Airways’ early summer demand into third quarter
Kuwaiti budget carrier Jazeera Airways is facing a tricky beginning to the second half of the year, after a sharp decline in second-quarter performance. But the company says it is maintaining a “positive outlook” for the full year. Jazeera points out that the 12-day Israeli-Iranian conflict caused a reduction in ...
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NewsAir Arabia expects deliveries from 120-jet order to begin this year
Middle Eastern budget carrier Air Arabia expects to begin receiving the initial Airbus A320neo-family jets, from its order for 120 aircraft, by the end of this year. Air Arabia placed the order in late November 2019. At the time it comprised 73 A320neos and 47 A321neos, including 20 long-range A321XLRs. ...
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NewsEmirates becomes latest carrier to clamp down on carriage of power banks
Middle Eastern carrier Emirates is banning the use of all electronic power banks on board, and tightening regulations allowing them to be carried. It is the latest airline to take such steps, following broad concern about the safety of lithium-ion battery devices – particularly in the aftermath of an Airbus ...
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NewsFunding for Syrian Arab A320 fleet features in Qatari-led Damascus airport investment
Syrian Arab Airlines is in line to receive $250 million in financing in order to acquire Airbus A320s, as part of a Qatari-backed project which includes redevelopment of Damascus airport. Qatari construction specialist UCC Holding – part of the diverse Power International Holding conglomerate – is leading a five-company consortium ...
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NewsIAI converted 777-300ERSF demonstrates capability for Trent 1000 transport
Israel Aerospace Industries has carried out a loading trial for its converted Boeing 777-300ERSF freighter in which a Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine was taken on board. The engine – designed for the Boeing 787 – was taken through the freighter’s main-deck cargo door, and put into position with the Collins ...
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NewsTurkish Airlines diversifies into Islamic financing to fund A350
Turkish Airlines has opted to use an Islamic financing transaction for the first time, in order to fund the acquisition of an Airbus A350. The carrier says the aircraft’s financing has been structured in Swiss francs with Dubai Islamic Bank, through an Ijarah arrangement – similar to a finance lease. ...
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NewsEtihad identifies routes for initial three-class A321LR
Middle Eastern carrier Etihad Airways is to put its first long-range Airbus A321LR into service on the route to Phuket at the beginning of August.
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NewsWizz to ‘rationalise’ A321XLR fleet and curb growth after Abu Dhabi axe
Wizz Air chief Jozsef Varadi says the budget carrier is “rationalising” its Airbus A321XLR programme, following the decision to suspend its Middle Eastern operation. The airline is to axe its Wizz Air Abu Dhabi division from 1 September. Wizz started taking delivery of 47 A321XLRs in its fiscal first quarter, ...
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NewsRoyal Jordanian takes spare engines for Embraer E2 fleet
Royal Jordanian has acquired a pair of spare engines for its Embraer E2-family regional jet fleet, supported by a loan agreement. The carrier – which is taking up to 10 aircraft, a mix of E190-E2s and E195-E2s – introduced five of the jets over 2024. It expects to bring in ...
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NewsAir Arabia and Saudi partners to establish budget carrier at Dammam
Saudi Arabian authorities have granted Air Arabia and Saudi partners the right to establish a national low-cost carrier to operate from Dammam’s King Fahd airport. The airline is intended to build a fleet of 45 aircraft, and serve 57 international and 24 domestic destinations. Saudi Arabian civil aviation regulator GACA ...
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NewsIAI completes main-door cut for A330-300 converted freighter
Israel Aerospace Industries’ Airbus A330-300 freighter conversion programme is progressing with completion of the crucial main cargo door cut. The modified twinjet – designated the -300BDSF – will have a forward main-deck door. IAI chief Boaz Levy says completion of the cutting phase is a “pivotal milestone” in the programme. ...
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NewsAir Arabia expanding Abu Dhabi operation as budget rival Wizz Air backs out
While Wizz Air is withdrawing from its Abu Dhabi venture, budget carrier Air Arabia’s similar operation has revealed plans to expand. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi was established in co-operation with Etihad Airways – which is based in the United Arab Emirates capital and which has also newly unveiled plans to ...
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NewsEl Al to seek new chief as Ganancia decides to step down
Israeli flag-carrier El Al’s chief executive, Dina Ben Tal Ganancia, is to step down from her post by the end of this year. Ganancia, who has served in the top job for three years, is the airline’s first female chief. She has overseen the company’s emergence from the Covid-19 pandemic ...
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NewsEtihad unveils several new Abu Dhabi routes as Wizz Air pulls out
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has unveiled several new destinations, hours after the disclosure that Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is suspending services. Etihad is opening seven new routes, most of which are to cities on the Wizz Air network from the United Arab Emirates capital. They include Almaty, Baku, Bucharest, Tashkent, ...
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NewsL3Harris to upgrade Moroccan C-130s
The American defence systems integrator will provide an avionics update, depot maintenance, engine overhaul and other support efforts for the Royal Moroccan Air Force’s C-130H transports.
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NewsWizz Air axing Abu Dhabi venture after struggling with operational and political obstacles
Budget carrier Wizz Air is suspending operations with its United Arab Emirates venture, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, and plans to withdraw from the company.



















