Transport

New Bahrain-based airline to launch operations

The first privately owned, low-cost airline in Bahrain, Bahrain Air, aims to start accepting bookings on 16 December.

Goodrich to open Dubai plant

Goodrich Corp. will open its US$25m aircraft-maintenance facility in Dubai this month. The 115,000-square-foot plant will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul services to aerospace customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Saudi NAS Air plans IPO to value it at US$2 billion

Saudi Arabia's National Air Services said it plans to sell 30 percent of its shares in an initial public offering valuing the firm at about US$2 billion next year to help finance aircraft purchases. "We are eyeing by mid-2008 to launch an IPO listed on the Tadawul," company President Taher Agueel told reporters at an air show in Dubai. "Initial valuation of the company is US$2 billion."

Gulf Air to renew entire fleet

The struggling Bahrain-based airline Gulf Air said it plans to announce orders for as many as 35 planes to renew its entire fleet. "Our plan is to renew the entire fleet ... (ordering) roughly 35 all-new planes... in a matter of weeks," the carrier's board chairman, Mahmood al-Kooheji, told reporters at the Dubai air show.

Boeing, Qatar Airways confirm 30 787s and five 777 freighters on order

Boeing and Qatar Airways held a signing ceremony at the Dubai Air Show to mark the airlines order for 30 787 Dreamliners and five 777 Freighters. The airplane deal is valued at over US$6.1 billion at list prices. The airplanes were previously listed on Boeing's Orders & Deliveries Web site as unidentified.

Regional airport growth soars with US$60 billion developments on horizon

Airport development in the Middle East, Africa and the Indian subcontinent shows no sign of slowing with an estimated US$60 billion in planned and ongoing projects.'Fuelled by strong economic growth and increased passenger traffic, the region is one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world.'

Major projects currently underway in the Gulf include the US$8.2 billion Dubai World International Airport at Jebel Ali, the US$6.8 billion expansion of Abu Dhabi International Airport, the US$5.5 billion New Doha International Airport in Qatar and the US$11.3 billion upgrade of King Abdul Aziz, Madinah and Tabuk airports in Saudi Arabia.

News Analysis: Dubai air show fuels global growth

The Dubai air show saw a blaze of aircraft orders from Middle-Eastern airlines and entrepreneurs. Aircraft deals at the biennial show had topped an estimated US$85 billion. The wealth of new orders is expected to push demand for big jets to a record level this year, exceeding the previous peak set in 2005.

It will cap an unprecedented three-year buying spree by the world's airlines which are seeking the most fuel efficient aircraft to counter record oil prices.