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United Arab Emirates aviation news

Emirates Appoints Rob Gurney to Senior Vice President North America

Emirates yesterday has announced the appointment of Rob Gurney as Emirates’ Senior Vice President North America. Reporting directly to Hubert Frach, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, West, Gurney will assume responsibility for Emirates’ commercial operations in both the United States and Canada including Commercial, Cargo, Airport Services, Finance...

flydubai and Standard Chartered close financing deal

flydubai and Standard Chartered Bank (“Standard Chartered”), through its award winning Aviation Finance team, Pembroke, have recently closed a Sale and Operating Leaseback transaction for two Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft. This transaction, which was structured and arranged exclusively by Standard Chartered, is the second Sale and Operating Leaseback deal that Standard Cha...

Yahsat to trial Ka-band in-flight connectivity on Etihad

Abu Dhabi-based satellite operator Yahsat is trial in-flight connectivity aboard an Etihad A320 aircraft via its Ka-band satellites. Yahsat says its Ka-band capacity will provide higher speeds and cheaper rates compared with other Ku-band systems. Ka-band could offer speeds of up to 50Mbps to the plane, allowing passengers to stream video and enable applications such as video conferencing. C...

Etihad is to take delivery of two freighter aircraft

During the first day of the Dubai Airshow, Etihad announced the US$637 million additional aircraft will be arriving next year. James Hogan, President and CEO of Etihad Airways, said: “Etihad Airways is delighted to exercise options for two freighters that will join our fleet next year, demonstrating our confidence and commitment to our partners at Boeing and to the global freight market.&...

Etihad Airways in million-dollar maintenance agreement with Air France

Etihad Airways has expanded its strategic cooperation with Air France-KLM through a several hundred million US dollar component maintenance agreement for its Boeing 777 fleet. The 10-year deal, effective February 2016, provides Etihad Airways and its equity partners with access to an extensive global pool of components offered by Air France-KLM’s maintenance arm, Air France Industries KLM...

Sheikh Ahmed officially opens cargo terminal at the Logistics District in Dubai South

Emirates SkyCargo's state-of-the-art cargo terminal at the Logistics District in Dubai South has been officially inaugurated Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Named Emirates SkyCentral, the cargo facility is the home of Emirates SkyCargo’s fleet of 15 freighter aircraft, and was officially opened on the side lines of the Dubai Air Show. The event was attended by a number of dignitari...

Defence Ministry agrees MoU with AgustaWestland for search and rescue aircraft

The Defence Ministry on Tuesday said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with AgustaWestland, a unit of Italy’s Finmeccanica, to buy six AW609 tilt-rotor aircraft for search and rescue operations. Major General Abdullah al-Hashimi, the ministry’s executive director of strategic analysis, told reporters at the Dubai Airshow that the aircraft would improve the capabilities of...

Smooth sailing for Dubai start-ups with AstroLabs co-working space

AstroLabs – named after the astrolabe, an ancient navigational device perfected by the Arabs – is a new co-working space in Dubai. While there have been a slew in recent years – Shelter, The Pavilion, Make, The Cribb – this latest venture, which officially opened late last month, boasts three hallmarks that set it apart. Firstly, having been launched by two successful...

Emirates to add Sabiha Gokcen Airport to its network

Emirates has announced its plans for a second gateway in Istanbul with the launch of a daily service to Sabiha Gokcen Airport, beginning December 15, 2015. The new service complements Emirates’ existing 11 weekly flights to Ataturk Airport, offering even more convenience for both inbound and outbound travellers.  Located on the Asian side of Istanbul, Sabiha Gokcen doesn’t o...

Set to blast off in the seat of power

Flying into the future of the UAE is New Zealand's Martin Aircraft Company and Martin Jetpack. The company signed an exclusive contract with the Dubai Civil Defence (DCD) at the Dubai Airshow on Monday to become the launch customer for the world’s first practical jetpack. “The fuel-run jetpack flies at up to 5,000 feet and solves problems that others can’t with its abil...

UAE signs $1.2bn surveillance deal with Saab

While all the talk in the run-up to the Dubai air show was about the prospects for large commercial orders being announced, it was the United Arab Emirates air force that opened sales, with a surprise, $1.27 billion contract with Saab for advanced surveillance aircraft. Announced during a press briefing on 9 November, the agreement – which was reached on the first day of the show –...

Air Arabia Signs Lufthansa Technik Deal

On the occasion of the Dubai Airshow 2015, Lufthansa Technik AG and low cost carrier Air Arabia, based in Sharjah, UAE, have signed an airframe related component contract for radome repair. The contract runs over a period of three years and covers radome maintenance for Air Arabia’s A320 fleet. In addition to the repair services, Lufthansa Technik will support Air Arabia as well with spare...