Middle East & North Africa

UAE-based Starlight Airlines, the largest cargo operator to and out of Iraq, has entered into an agreement with Emirates SkyCargo to launch cargo operations between its Sharjah hub and Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

The first phase of the renovation and expansion of the King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah is now underway.

Dubai-based Empire Aviation Group (EAG), has appointed a new Director of Ground Operations.

An automated target detection system for UAVs currently being deployed in Afghanistan in support of both Australian Army and Air Force operations will be on display at next week's IDEX show in Abu Dhabi

Sharjah and Dubai-based Gama Aviation is making a Gulf first with the introduction of a Bombardier Challenger 850, into service in the region.

Rolls-Royce has won a $2.2bn TotalCare long term services contract from Emirates, covering Trent engines for 70 Airbus A350XWB aircraft. The agreement will bring the airline's Rolls-Royce powered fleet of 128 aircraft, in service and on order, under TotalCare arrangements.

Boeing dramatically unveiled its new 747-8 Intercontinental to a packed out audience of 10,000 at Boeing's huge factory headquarters in Everett, Washington, yesterday.

Dassault Falcon has received operational certification from the FAA for the Falcon 7X Enhanced Vision System (EVS). This follows certification received from EASA in July, 2010.

Air Partner is celebrating the first anniversary of its operations in Turkey

Business Aviation Services Provider is seeking a Manpower Planning Specialist to plan manpower requirements and put into practice the organisation structure necessary to achieve business objectives.

Qatar Airways has announced plans to introduce a second daily service on its popular Singapore route.

The Gulf Defence Conference (GDC) is now just over a week away and due to security reasons there will be no on-site registration on the day so the last chance to register for a place is Thursday February 17, 2011, the conference orfganisers warned today.

German Air Ambulance Specialist and VIP-Carrier FAI rent-a-jet is on target to open a line station in Dubai in the second quarter of this year.

Emirates chief Tim Clark, said in Washington yesterday that passenger load factors have declined in the wake of political tensions in the Middle East.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker today hit back at comments made by the Secretary General of the Association of European Airlines about the dramatic rise of Gulf carriers and their impact on the global aviation industry.

The roll-out of the special edition TBM 850 to celebrate the centenary of the French airframer will take place on February 17th.

Plane spotters are likely to join with art critics in admiring the tail of a Global Express XRS owned by Vistajet.

Jordanian aviation training company, Ayla, is heading a three day leadership training course for potential industry leaders throughout the region

Preparations are underway for the regio0n's largest defence fair, IDEX, which takes place in Abu Dhabi from February 20-23.

Beirut international airport is now housing a new secure parcel and courier package facility built for DHL.

2 Financial Controllers are required to join an exciting entity in Abu Dhabi within what is one of the most bouyant markets in the Middle East - Aviation. Rarely do opportunities like this arise in a sector and global region, which coupled together are rapidly capturing market share.

Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic) and AeroMobile announced today that Emirates Airline has extended its commitment for in-flight mobile connectivity with an order for an additional 84 eXPhone systems for installation.

French high-tech specialist Sagem – a subsidiary of the Safran group- has signed an exclusive five-year contract with Emirates Airline, covering maintenance services for all Sagem equipment on the airline's fleet of 37 Airbus A330 and A340 long-haul jetliners.

Middle East airlines have been leading the way in cabin interior for some time allowing for passenger satisfaction. With the world's largest event that encapsulates everything that is happening within the cabin environment, Aircraft Interiors Expo, it will be interesting to see what is on offer for the future of aircraft interiors.The event takes place at the Hamburg Messe in Germany, from 5 – 7 April.

Emirates has been conferred the prestigious 'Airline of the Year' award for 2011 by the American publication Air Transport World, in recognition of the Dubai-based carrier's “strong commitment to safety and operational excellence, trendsetting customer service and superb financial performance”.