Middle East & North Africa

Qatar Airways launched scheduled flights to Poland yesterday, its latest entry into Central Eastern Europe and 12th new route of the year.

Gulf Air and Mindshare, a media agency dedicated to innovative brand development for its clients, were recently awarded a Silver Effie for their campaign to promote Gulf Air as a 'family friendly' airline at the GEMAS Effie MENA Awards 2012.

Airbus will display two corporate jets at the MEBA show, giving visitors an opportunity to see the widest and tallest cabin of any business jet in three different arrangements.

Air Arabia has announced the start of services to Basra, its third destination in Iraq.

EgyptAir is aiming to finalise its long-term strategy over the coming months, in preparation for a sizeable fleet renewal and the introduction of a new 200-seat type.

The European defence and aerospace giant EADS - the organisation that owns Airbus – is undergo a major ownership change.

The UAV captured by Iran has been confirmed as being an American Boeing Scan Eagle.

Dubai World Central is to become the new business aviation hub for Dubai as early as next year.

Reuters has reported that new low-cost African carrier Fastjet is in potential partnership talks with Emirates Airline, sending the new African airline's shares up as much as 7% on London's stock market.

British Airways celebrates its 80th anniversary of flights to Bahrain and the Middle East with an event tonight at the British Embassy in Manama.

Alitalia, Italy's flag carrier, has begun direct services from Rome to Abu Dhabi.

Turkish MRO company, Turkish Technic has signed an agreement with Azerbaijan Airlines for 10 sets of Airbus A320 landing gear overhaul services.

Plans call for Dassault to deliver six Falcons to Middle East customers over the next 18 months, growing its fleet by 10%. More than 60 Falcon business jets already operate in the region.

Travelport, the business services provider to the travel industry, has appointed Stuart Laird-Smith as Head of Commercial Strategy for the Middle East and Africa.

The European blacklisting of Jordan Aviation has been lifted following a meeting of the European Commission to consider its aviation blacklist.

Emirates has touched down in Lyon, making it the third destination in France and fourth new European destination for the airline since the start of 2012.

Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) welcomed yesterday the first route from a Chinese carrier to Abu Dhabi when the inaugural flight from Hainan Airlines arrived at Abu Dhabi International Airport from Beijing. The new route will be operated twice weekly connecting Beijing to Luanda via Abu Dhabi.

The FAA has ordered inspections of Boeing 787 aircraft after improperly installed fuel line hardware has been discovered on in-service aircraft and on the production line according to the Seattle Times.

Boeing projects the world's airlines should see reasonable liquidity and pricing for new-aircraft delivery financing in 2013 even as jet builders ramp up production to meet demand, the manufacturer announced today in issuing its fifth annual finance market forecast.

Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) has celebrated the expansion of its global network at Abu Dhabi International Airport with the start of the operation of Garuda Indonesia flights connecting Abu Dhabi to Jakarta, Indonesia and Amsterdam, Holland.

flydubai, Dubai's innovative low cost airline, has reached yet another milestone, having become the first airline in the world to show high definition (HD) movies from all six major Hollywood studios.

European defence manufacturer MBDA confirmed today that the Royal Guard of Oman (RGO) has successfully carried out the first operational firing of a VL MICA missile.

On behalf of the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation, Iraqi Airways, the national carrier of Iraq, has taken delivery of its first A330-200 becoming a new operator for the type.

Airbus has successfully completed the main structural assembly and system connection of A350 XWB 'MSN-001' – the first flight-test aircraft.

Qatar Airways today announced plans to launch scheduled flights to Chengdu – its sixth gateway in the People's Republic of China - beginning March 19 next year.