Middle East & North Africa

Saudia Aerospace Engineering Industries, SAEI – the maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) business arm of Saudi Arabian Airlines – is embarking on a massive growth plan to meet the demands of the expansion its parent and that of its government which has opened its borders to encourage tourism and business activities.

Since the first Bell 505 customer delivery in 2017, Bell has completed more than 360 Bell 505 global deliveries, enabling successful missions with the world’s most advanced short light single aircraft.

The MEBAA Show is set to return to Dubai, taking place on 6 - 8 December 2022 at DWC Airport.

Air Arabia is introducing a new route to Osh, in Kyrgyzstan from Sharjah starting February 20, 2022.

Sustainability and environmental considerations are coming to the fore in the world of airport design and operation.

The World Defense Show will take place in Riyadh, March 6-9. Organisers have had to build extra halls to cope with the additional demand.

The three-man team will compete in the Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo 2022, one of the most eagerly awaited events of the AlUla Moments season.

This week’s summary of the news headlines from across the aerospace industry in the MEASA region kick off with news of an ‘opportunistic’ bid from Kuwait’s NAS to acquire UK’s Menzies Aviation business.

Dubai Airports has announced the appointment of Majed Al Joker as its chief operating officer (COO).

EgyptAir will operate a new route to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, starting from March 27th.

Morocco has re-opened to international arrivals after being closed since last November due to the pandemic.

IATA has announced a partnership with GL Events to support association’s conference activities.

Qatar Airways scheduled flights to Multan International Airport, Pakistan, will resume on 22 February 2022.

Emirates has signed an MoU with Maldivian, the national airline of the Maldives.

Saudia celebrated ‘Riyadh Season’ with a series of festival-themed surprises during a special flight from Paris to Riyadh on 8 February 2022.

Dubai Airports and the Federal Youth Authority have announced a partnership that will see the allocation of commercial spaces at DXB, for young Emirati entrepreneurs.

Alton Aviation Consultancy, an aviation advisory firm, is expanding its footprint with a new office in Dubai.

To mark the occasion of the Chinese New Year, Etihad Cargo has launched a Mandarin edition of its website.

Business travel expenditure in the Middle East is forecast to rise by 32% this year, following a predicted 49% increase during 2021.

CAA International (CAAi) has been named as the training organisation of the year at a major aviation security event in Dubai.

Oman Air has moved to the new Terminal 1 at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah.

The introduction of the second daily Gatwick service takes Emirates’ total UK weekly flights to 91. Gatwick is being served by both the Boeing 777 and the A380 widebody aircraft.

Spatial, a provider of cabin crew simulators, has entered a new partnership with VietJet Air to manufacture and deliver an A330 door trainer.

Dnata has significantly enhanced its operations in Erbil, Iraq.

DC Aviation Al-Futtaim (DCAF) has expanded its fleet under management with the addition of a Bombardier Challenger 350 aircraft.