Saudi Aerospace Engineering Industries (SAEI) says its new $1 billion maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility will be open for business by the end of 2016.

The crash, possibly caused by a bomb explosion, was a “game changer in our industry,” Emirates Airline President Tim Clark believes. The consequences will have to be “addressed on an industry level, but it is not in the hands of the airlines.”

Dubai Airports is looking at new technology inside the terminals and airside measures to further increase the capacity of Dubai International Airport.

FlyDubai plans to keep a small sub-fleet of all-economy aircraft even though its move into offering business class is considered a success according to CEO Gaith Al Gaith.

Boeing officials say they have won a couple of fighter competitions in the Middle East that have yet to be formally approved and are “frustrated” at the slow action. _

The United Arab Emirates Air Force is to upgrade its two Saab Erieye airborne early-warning aircraft and will buy two new multi-mission systems on a Bombardier Global 6000 platform in a deal valued at $1.27bn.

Among the biggest obstacles to the development of the global unmanned aircraft market are the legal and technical issues preventing routine flights of UAS alongside conventional air traffic. Last year, an experimental flight took place in Dubai that answered some of these questions.

The United Arab Emirates Air Force is planning for the introduction a new fleet of airborne early warning and control aircraft as part of a push to enhance the air and missile defense capability of the Gulf state.