Middle East & North Africa

More than a hundred Indian and Emirati employees at Emirates Group joined hands to commemorate India's 68th Republic Day. The employees, who represent different backgrounds and specialities, lined up in a '68' formation to mark the special occasion.

For the sixth year in a row, Business France, the national agency for the international development of the French economy, will be running the French Pavilion at Aircraft Interiors & MRO Middle East, which will take place in Dubai on February 8-9, 2017.

The Tunisian- French Academy for Civil Aviation Security and Safety Training (AFSAC)- in cooperation with the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) - is organising a training managers meeting in Tunis on 13- 14 February for AFRAA members. The theme of the event is: “Training for the future of aviation in Africa- Creating synergies through strategic partnership.”

Jordanian MRO provider Joramco – now 80% owned by Dubai's DAE – has won a surprise contract from German carrier Lufthansa.

SaudiGulf – the new Saudi Arabian domestic carrier will make its first revenue flight on Saturday 28 January when it makes the first of three daily flights between Riyadh and Jeddah.

The first F15-Saudi Advance fighter has begun operations with the Royal Saudi Air Force, the Saudi Press Agency has reported. The new variant is part of the RSAF plans to upgrade its fleet of fighter jets, ushering in a new era in the capabilities and readiness of Saudi Arabia's air force.

Manufacturer of prefabricated, portable structures, Rubb, will be showcasing the latest technology in rapid deployment 'super structures' at the biennial International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX), taking place 19-23 February 2017 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).

The Emirates Group has awarded its highest staff recognition to 12 employees for going above and beyond their call of duty.

Spatial has been recognised as the Best Industrial Company 2016 in its size category at the recent RAK Business Excellence Awards.

Sky Prime has appointed AMAC to perform major modifications on a privately-owned A340 in Q2, 2017.

The Air Academy Qatar developed by the French Defence International Council (DCI), has become the first certified military training centre in the Middle East.

Etihad Airways has been awarded the Islamic Deal of the Year by Global Transport Finance for its debut Sukuk.

Oman Air has renovated three A330-300 aircraft First Class cabins.

In the presence of The Prime Ministers of Turkey and the United Kingdom, BAE Systems and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has signed a Heads of Agreement to collaborate on the first development phase of an indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet for the Turkish Air Force – TF-X.

Turkish Airlines and Pakistan International Airlines have expanded their codeshare cooperation starting on February 1st, 2017.

A passenger on an Oman Air flight has been bitten by a centipede.

Jazeera Airways has announced that Rohit Ramachandran has joined the airline as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective today.

Oman's SalamAir has commenced operations after the start-up secured its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) from the Oman Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) last week, reports ch-aviation.

Denel will display a range of its capabilities at the Middle East top defence exhibition IDEX next month.

Passenger traffic at Dubai World Central (DWC), Dubai's second international hub, witnessed a strong surge in 2016, climbing 84.5 per cent according to the traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports.

Air Mediterranean S.A - a new commercial airline operator based in Athens, Greece has just received its approved Hellenic EASA EU-Ops Air Operator's Certificate (AOC).

Yosouf Hamad Al Shaibani, director general of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), has announced that the centre has submitted a request to the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) to host the 71st session of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), which will be held in 2020, in coordination with the UAE Space Agency.

Etihad Airways is launching a third daily flight on the Abu Dhabi – Bengaluru route, effective 26 March 2017.

Royal Jordanian and Alitalia have signed a codeshare agreement to offer more travel choices and enhanced network connectivity between Jordan, Italy, and beyond.

Abu Dhabi-based Turbine Services & Solutions Aerospace (TS&S) signed a long term V2500 parts repair agreement today at the MRO Middle East show in Dubai. It finalised the deal with MTU Maintenance, the world's largest independent aero engine services provider