Middle East & North Africa

Boeing has appointed Fahad Al Mheiri as vice president for the Middle East, Gulf and North Africa, starting in January 2026.

Libya is moving to revive its aviation sector with plans to launch a new national airline, Libyan United Airlines, expecting to begin operations in early 2026.

Saudi LCC Flyadeal has opened a new, expanded Integrated Operations Control Center (IOCC) at its headquarters in Jeddah.

The U.S. Navy on Dec. 18 announced it had for the first time fired a newly developed one-way attack drone from a ship in the Middle East.

Ryanair plans to open a base in Morocco’s capital Rabat in April 2026; it will be the airline’s fifth base in the country.

Dubai Airports is entering the winter travel season with a strong push to expand services and add airlines at DXB and DWC.

Royal Air Maroc is pushing ahead with its expansion plans for 2026, as it prepares to roll out new direct routes across Africa, the Americas and Europe.

Swiss startup Jekta has partnered with UK-based Open Skies Network to develop electric amphibious aircraft operations across the Gulf region.

Saudi Arabia’s GACA has awarded two National Charter Air Carrier tenders to alliances led by Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways and luxury leisure airline BeOnd Aviation.

Bombardier said that construction is progressing on its new service center in the United Arab Emirates.

The nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) plan to establish an overarching Gulf Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) for the region.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has issued Flexjet a Foreign Operator Certificate.

Emirates has deployed its first ultra-long-range variant of the Airbus A350-900 on its service connecting Dubai and Adelaide, Australia.

Egypt has moved closer to establishing its first commercial-scale SAF plant after Shell signed a long-term agreement to purchase SAF from Green Sky Capital.

As development advances on Riyadh's massive King Salman International Airport (KSIA), Saudi Arabia says work is set to begin on a new passenger terminal there designed to handle up to 40 million travelers annually.

Abu Dhabi Airports and air transport technology provider SITA have agreed to explore the development of an AI-driven airport management platform.

Royal Jordanian is developing its non-core activities to increase revenue streams, its chief commercial officer says.

Cabin-furnishing specialist F/LIST has expanded its presence in Dubai as demand for aftermarket services in the Middle East continues to rise.

Airbus has forged an agreement with UAE-based Calidus that could potentially lead to the creation of an MRO facility for the A400M airlifter in the UAE.

Under the agreement, signed during the Dubai Airshow and announced Nov. 21, Mubadala’s Strata aircraft parts-making unit would get work packages on the A400M.

Turkish Airlines and Air Algerie are to strengthen cooperation and broaden the scope of their existing codeshare agreement under a new memorandum of understanding

An Indian Air Force Tejas Mk.1 Light Combat Aircraft crashed at the Dubai Airshow on Nov. 21, killing the pilot.

Aviation Week TV captured the highlights and analysed the effects of some key announcements and demonstrations to the industry as a whole.

As the 2025 Dubai Airshow ends, this week’s Flight Friday examines flights of lower-cost carriers in the region as compared to the equivalent month in 2019.

Despite the possibility of Saudi Arabia receiving the F-35, Boeing’s ambitions for a renewed F-15 sales push in the region may still have merit.