Middle East & North Africa

flydubai, Dubai's low-cost airline, received the Outstanding Contribution to Aviation trophy at the annual Aviation Business Awards, held last night in Dubai.

The BAE Systems Jetstream 32 regional turboprop has been given an extra lease of life.

Etihad Cargo, a division of Etihad Airways, carried a record 32,500 tonnes of freight in October, a 15% increase on the same month last year.

The Airport Show will be returning to Dubai in May 6-8 2013 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, show organiser Reed Exhibitions has announced.

Qatar Airways today announced its fifth new route of 2013 to the Sultanate of Oman's second largest city – the popular tourist destination of Salalah – effective 22 May 2013.

The second day of the Dubai Helishow 2012 saw sustained interest and activity focusing on issues of military, homeland security and civil defence.

FedEx Express - a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. and the world's largest express transportation company - is further increasing its presence in the UAE and expanding its commercial footprint in Dubai.

NasJet has announced a 6% increase in revenues for 2012, resulting in a total exceeding SR500m.

Royal Jordanian has decided to suspend its operations between Amman and Muscat, Oman, as of November 17 2012.

The Gulf Centre for Aviation Studies (GCAS), the training arm of Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), was unanimously elected to chair the International Civil Aviation Organisation's (ICAO) TRAINAIR Plus Programme Steering Committee (TPSC).

Marking its 16 years of operations in Yemen, Emirates has introduced an additional weekly flight to Sana'a, effective 28th October, to now provide a daily service from Dubai to the Yemeni capital.

Air Arabia has announced that it has welcomed 458,316 passengers in October 2012, an increase of over 22% compared to the corresponding month in 2011.

Four new airlines have been accepted into the ranks of AACO, the Arab Air Carriers organisation at today's annual general meeting in Algiers.

Russian Helicopters - part of state defence holding Oboronprom and a leading global designer and manufacturer of helicopters – has been drawing wide attention in the first day of the Helishow Dubai which runs until Thursday at the Meydan Hotel and race course.

Safety avionics from Honeywell are being used by Abu Dhabi Aviation -- the largest commercial helicopter operator in the Middle East -- on its fleet of AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters to maximise safety during its offshore oil and search and rescue (SAR) operations across the Gulf region.

A technology designed to protect rotorcraft engines and other systems from contamination by fine sand and airborne particulates, especially during takeoffs, landings and low-level flights is on show at the Helishow Dubai 2012 which opened at Meydan in Dubai today.

At the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO) Annual General Meeting in Algiers today, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) outlined five areas in which opportunities exist to further develop aviation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to benefit the region's economies.

The 45th Arab Carriers Organisation (AACO) Annual General Meeting (AGM)is under way in the Algerian capital Algiers.

Etihad Airways chief operations officer, Captain Richard Hill, has turned the first sod to mark the construction of a $15.3 million extension to the airline's flight training centre at its Abu Dhabi headquarters.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is nine years old.

Dubai World Central, Dubai's second airport, continued to register high growth in cargo volumes in the third quarter of the year with another triple-digit increase according to a traffic report issued today by airport operator Dubai Airports.

In its continuous efforts towards making customers' travel experience faster and easier Gulf Air, has introduced mobile check-in.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker shared his insights on Qatar's impact in the GCC's thriving aviation sector during a keynote address at the 21st Annual Arab-US Policy Makers Conference.

British Prime Minister David Cameron is in Dubai today as part of a three-day tour of the Gulf and the Middle East in a bid to cement UK arms sales with a particular emphasis on persuading the United Arab Emirates to buy 60 of BAE's Typhoon jets in a deal reported to be worth upwards of £3bn.

Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) received the highest accolade from the global duty free industry by winning the Frontier Award for Best Airport Operator of the Year 2012.