All Middle East articles – Page 33
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NewsJudge rules Airbus-Qatar A350 case must head for early trial
Airbus’s legal clash with Qatar Airways over A350 skin-paint degradation appears likely to go to trial in summer 2023, after a judge ruled that the case should be tried at the earliest opportunity. Qatar Airways is claiming a degree of success from securing the expedited hearing but the airframer – ...
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Airline BusinessAirline Business Index shows industry recovery stalling in Covid-hit start to 2022
The latest Airline Business Index shows the global airline industry’s progress towards its pre-Covid size stalled during the first quarter of 2022, as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 weighed on the performance of most markets.
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NewsSaudi’s Flyadeal claims kingdom’s first all-female crewed flight
Saudi Arabian flag-carrier Saudia’s budget division Flyadeal is claiming to have operated the first all-female crewed flight by an airline of the kingdom. Flyadeal says the crew – most of whom were Saudi citizens – operated the Airbus A320neo on the F3117 service between Riyadh and Jeddah. The aircraft (HZ-FAV) ...
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NewsEl Al tries to stem pilot disruption as it copes with recovery demand surge
Israeli carrier El Al is urging pilots to ensure flight schedules are met, after multiple cancellations over a dispute with the company. El Al says it has contacted its pilots’ committee seeking “immediate” negotiations over the matter. The company says it has been forced to cancel services in recent days ...
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NewsEl Al prepares for share issue and finalisation of loyalty loan
Israeli flag-carrier El Al is preparing for a share offering valued at around $62 million, as part of its effort to solidify its financial position. The airline is also finalising discussions with insurance firm Phoenix Group over a $130 million loan against its frequent-flyer programme, and expects to finish the ...
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NewsRecovering El Al looks towards profitability next year
Israeli flag-carrier El Al is working to restore its operation to pre-crisis levels with the intention of shifting to profitability from the second half of 2023. It has posted a $66.3 million net loss for the first quarter of 2022, a 23% improvement on the previous year’s figure for the ...
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NewsMalaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways beef up partnership with codeshare expansion
Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways have expanded their codesharing agreement, as the two carriers deepen their long-term partnership.
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NewsYemenia A320 flight marks restart of operations at Sana’a after ceasefire
Commercial operations have restarted from Yemen’s capital Sana’a airport, after a six-year suspension during the conflict in the Middle Eastern state. The Yemenia Airbus A320 departed for Amman in Jordan on 16 May. Yemen’s civil aviation and meteorology authority says the aircraft transported 137 occupants on the route. The flight ...
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NewsRoyal Jordanian confident of government backing as losses persist
Royal Jordanian Airlines believes the Jordanian government will continue to support the flag-carrier as it strives to restore profitability. The airline turned in a JD29.7 million ($41.9 million) pre-tax loss for the first quarter to 31 March, compared with a JD36.4 million loss for the same period in 2021. Revenues ...
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NewsOver half of Emirates A380s have returned to service
Middle Eastern carrier Emirates had returned more than half of its Airbus A380 fleet to service by the end of the financial year in March, having already restored full Boeing 777 operations. Passenger seat capacity for the company over 2021-22 was around 56% down on pre-crisis levels, according to the ...
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NewsDubai government injects more capital into Emirates as it looks to restore profits
Emirates Group has disclosed that it received a Dubai government capital injection of Dhs3.5 billion ($954 million) during the last financial year, in which the company turned in a loss of Dhs3.8 billion. But the group, which also benefited from Dhs11.3 billion in government aid the year prior, is expecting ...
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NewsCargojet turns to IAI for freighter conversion of 777-300ERs
Canadian operator Cargojet has signed for conversion of four Boeing 777-300ERs into freighters, through an agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries. The Israeli firm has been developing a freighter modification for the twinjet type, a programme initiated in co-operation with US lessor GECAS – since acquired by AerCap. Cargojet is taking ...
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PodcastAirline Business Podcast: Reining in the recovery and Chinese market reversal
Graham and Lewis discuss big airline expectations from the recent results season, alongside the operational challenges that threaten to limit the recovery and the uncertainty regarding what might follow. And as more of the Asia-Pacific region brings down border restrictions, they consider the impact of China’s continued ‘zero-Covid’ policy on ...
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NewsRand report highlights shortcomings of Russian air power in Syria
A US Air Force-sponsored analysis of Russian air strikes in Syria presents a mixed review of Moscow’s air power capabilities.
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NewsDAE starts filing insurance claims after writing off unretrieved aircraft in Russia
Middle Eastern lessor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise has started filing a series of insurance claims over aircraft abandoned to Russian operators. The lessor has disclosed an asset write-off amounting to $576.5 million for the first quarter, as a result of seizure of aircraft by the Russian government in response to air ...
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NewsRoyal Air Maroc to enter Emirates codeshare pact
Royal Air Maroc has entered a codeshare agreement with Middle Eastern operator Emirates, intended to lift connections between Dubai and Casablanca. The two carriers will commence the codeshare at the end of May. Emirates will have access to 17 destinations in Morocco, other than Casablanca, along with 63 international cities ...
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Airline BusinessAirline Business Covid-19 recovery tracker: May 2022 update
Our regular examination of the latest global data for several key airline market indicators, including traffic and capacity in passenger and cargo markets, in-service and stored fleets, jet fuel costs, and share price trends for the world’s largest groups.
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NewsQatar Airways, Virgin Australia team up for codeshares
Qatar Airways has signed a wide-ranging strategic partnership with Virgin Australia, becoming the latest Middle Eastern carrier to join forces with an Australian airline.
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NewsWizz Air aims to explore Saudi Arabian air transport potential
Central European budget carrier Wizz Air has signed a preliminary agreement with Saudi Arabian authorities aimed at looking into potential for airline expansion in the Middle Eastern state. The memorandum of understanding, it says, reflects a “shared vision” between the two sides on the potential for Wizz to “stimulate new ...
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NewsTexel Air to take another pair of 737-800 freighters
Middle Eastern operator Texel Air is ordering another pair of Boeing 737-800 converted freighters, having received the region’s first example in January. The Bahraini cargo carrier has signed an agreement to acquire the additional jets, according to Boeing. It already had orders for two of the modified jets and will ...