The Iranian aviation industry is also undergoing significant change and earlier this month Iran Air took delivery of its first new Airbus A321. The airline has concluded deals with both Airbus and Boeing for more than 180 aircraft and is currently in the final stages of agreeing a deal with ATR for regional turboprops, albeit the first half dozen aircraft are already completed and ready for delivery.
Alfa Air is set to enter the West African business aviation market through its recently established Alfa Air of Africa unit in the Ivory Coast, reports ch-aviation.
ATR has consolidated its position in 2016 as the preferred choice of regional airlines. The modern ATR -600s ranked first among all regional aircraft sales of the year, with orders for 36 aircraft (34 ATR 72-600s and 2 ATR 42-600s). ATR confirms its leading position in the segment of 50-to-90-seat aircraft with a market share above 35% since 2010.
The planned growth follows a formal request from the Greek Government and Athens International Airport to the UAE carrier to deliver an enhanced transatlantic offering for the Greek market. US carriers United Airlines and Delta Air Lines already serve the Newark – Athens and New York – Athens markets but only on a seasonal basis in the summer only.
The new flight will, according to Emirates, give customers “greater flexibility and choice” when planning their travel and also underscores Emirates’ “commitment to Kenya and confidence in the route”. The airline first launched services in October 1995 and this has become one of its busiest air corridors in and out of Africa over the past 20 years.
Nextant Aerospace, builders of the 400XTi, has announced that its chairman, Kenneth C. “Kenn” Ricci, will receive the Lifetime Aviation Entrepreneur Award at the Living Legends of Aviation 14th Annual Awards, to be held in Beverly Hills, California, on Friday, January 20, 2017.
Japan's optical and precision electronics manufacturer Olympus Corporation will later this month open a regional HQ, for the Middle East and Africa, complete with a training centre, in Dubai.
After restructuring its operations Gulf Air has been able to better control its future growth after successfully eradicating legacy debts reducing annual losses from BHD62.7 million in 2014 to BHD24.1 million in 2015. Ahead of this, its annual debts were as high as BHD196 million in 2012.
Ali Ahmed Alnaqbi, founding chairman of the Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA), has been elected Vice Chairman of the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) Governing Board.
As it celebrates the tenth anniversary of its debut in the US market, Qatar Airways has said the new four times weekly link between Hamad International Airport and McCarran International Airport will commence from January 8, 2018. It will be flown using a Boeing 777-200LR.
Abu Dhabi Aviation has signed a 20-year fleet management programme deal with Pratt & Whitney Canada for the PT6C-67C engines that power its fleet of AW139 helicopters.
Dubbed the new ‘Silicon Valley’ owing to its reputation for being an incubator for tech start-ups thanks to a growing population of highly-educated young professionals, Zagreb is central to industry in this region of Europe. In addition to new technology and telecoms, many of the largest Croatian and Central European companies and conglomerates have their headquarters or regional offices in the city centre.
Wataniya Airways was a legacy of a liberalisation of Kuwait’s air service market during the 2000s and launched operations from Kuwait International Airport in January 2009, operating a fleet of seven leased Airbus A320s to destinations across the Persian Gulf, the wider Middle East and Europe. However, overcapacity in the local market from new entrants led the carrier to scale back operations in late 2010 ahead of its closure in March 2011.
Oman Air has won two awards at the World Travel Awards Middle East 2017. The national carrier was awarded the top position for two awards in the 'Middle East's Leading Airline - Business Class' and 'Middle East's Leading Airline - Economy Class' categories at a glittering ceremony which was held on 29th October 2017 in Dubai.
Istanbul New Airport has appointed global IT provider SITA to bring the region's most advanced airport to life. SITA will deliver a wide range of airport, passenger and baggage processing solutions to deliver a world-class experience, showcasing the future of air travel.
Saudi Arabia's flyadeal will issue a Request For Proposals (RFP) to both Airbus and Boeing for the supply of up to fifty narrow-body aircraft by year-end, reports ch-aviation.
Royal Jordanian's President/CEO Stefan Pichler held a press conference at Fairmont Hotel in Amman, today, where he presented the strategic pillars of the Royal Jordanian turnaround plan which was approved by RJ's Board of Directors during its session of October 30, 2017.
Emirates has unveiled the first aircraft in its fleet with a new livery dedicated to Expo 2020 Dubai. The decal was installed on A6-EPK, an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, at the Emirates Engineering hangar.
The static display at the Dubai Airshow will feature over 160 of the latest commercial, business and military aircraft when the show opens on 12 November.
