Mumbai flights initially set to begin in April, have been postponed to June due to pending government clearances. Flights to Delhi are planned for mid-September.

Renewal of aviation bilateral rights between India and Jordan earlier this year allows flights to increase to dailies by summer 2026. Airlines from both countries can operate up to 14 flights per week on each route, with added frequencies hinging on traffic growth, said Karim Makhlouf, chief commercial officer.

RJ will increase its present fleet of 26 to 41 by the end of 2028 to replace the existing short- and medium-haul aircraft, CEO Samar Majali confirmed last year. The carrier’s Asian growth will be driven by India said Makhlouf with flights to China planned for next year.

“We have a distinct business model for India that taps travel agents,” said Makhlouf. Jordan, known for luxury travel, is offering travel packages with free visas in India as part of its “Explore Jordan” initiative.

“We aim to present Jordan as a year-round destination suitable for families, city experiences, hiking, scuba diving, and visits to historical sites beyond Petra.” With many Hollywood films such as ‘Dune’ shot in Jordan: “We are also engaging Bollywood for film shoots,” he added.

RJ resumed direct flights between Amman and Damascus after 13-years on 31 Jan following the end of the Syrian Civil War in December 2024. The four-weekly service compliments current daily bus routes between Amman Airport and Syria.

RJs recent new twice-weekly flight to Washington Dulles, its fifth destination in North America, will offer connectivity to RJ’s catchment in the Levant region. United Airlines stopped flying to Amman from Washington last year.

Emirates has invested more than USD2.4 million in co-designing the new equipment set with Parsys, which will be rolled out to 300 aircraft over the next few years. The groundbreaking ‘telemedicine station’ has advanced features such as high-definition video conferencing, remote passenger assessment, secure data transmission and 12-Leads Telecardia ECG – enabling Emirates’ ‘highly trained’ cabin crew to save lives in emergency situations.

More safety, speed and reliability for Emirates’ customers

The kit is an integrated, portable telemedicine station designed for cabin crew to gather important information and vital signs, which can then be transmitted to Emirates’ Ground Medical Support – a dedicated team of medical professionals who sit in Emirates Group Headquarters in Dubai and are contactable 24/7. The kit includes several medical devices like a pulse oximeter, thermometer, blood pressure monitor, glucometer, and electrocardiogram (ECG). Emirates customers who need medical support onboard flights can now have their vital signs or readings automatically transmitted to the Medcapture device via Bluetooth, eliminating any need for cabin crew to take notes and relay information manually.

The Medcapture device is a tablet which contains a new software application, customised to align with Emirates’ comprehensive medical procedures. The interface has an intuitive and easy-to-use design so crew members can operate it efficiently, even under challenging conditions. It also allows Emirates cabin crew to have real-time communication with the Ground Medical Support team, ensuring immediate access to expert medical advice while in the air. The tablet enables cabin crew to connect with ground-based doctors for real-time assessment of passenger medical cases. In some instances, it allows doctors to visually evaluate injuries or medical concerns remotely if required.

Linked to the Medcapture device is the Parsys Cloud, a cloud-based platform for Ground Medical Support to receive inflight data and to communicate with cabin crew. It is safe and reliable and ensures that customer data is handled in compliance with data protection regulations.

The Emirates and Parsys kits are already installed on multiple aircraft, and the airline said the kits have been ‘instrumental’ in several successful medical cases so far.

The airline welcomed 1.6 million guests during the month, achieving a notable average passenger load factor of 89%.

Antonoaldo Neves, CEO of Etihad Airways, said: "Our passenger numbers in February saw a strong 14% growth compared to the same period last year, as we continue to be among the world’s fastest-growing airlines. 

"As our capacity continues to grow, it is pleasing to see we maintained our robust passenger load factor of 89% year-to-date, as we prepare for a busy 2025 with the launch of 14 new routes. 

"Underpinning our continued expansion is the growth in our operating fleet, and we are close to reaching three figures, with more deliveries expected throughout 2025. 

“I am also delighted to report continued growth in guest approval, with February setting another new record for customer satisfaction.”

Pearce joins the Group with extensive experience in the aviation industry, having spent his entire career in various roles across airliner and business jet operations, sales, acquisitions, aircraft management and aircraft maintenance.

Holger Ostheimer, managing director of DC Aviation Al-Futtaim, said: “At DC Aviation Group, he will bring his wealth of knowledge to drive business growth in the aviation maintenance and MRO services sector and expand the company’s technical services, to include the provision of line and base maintenance at its stations in Germany and the UAE as well as technical inspection, PPI and consultancy for new and pre-owned aircraft.

“We are delighted to welcome Andrew to DC Aviation Group. His extensive experience across all facets of the aviation industry, from flight operations and aircraft sales to maintenance and MRO services, makes him an invaluable asset to our team. Andrew’s deep understanding of the market and his proven track record of success will be instrumental in expanding our maintenance business and further solidifying our position as a leading provider of comprehensive aviation solutions.”

Dan Morgan-Evans, Group cargo director for ACS Time Critical’s parent company, Air Charter Service, commented: “Andreas joined us seven years ago after more than a decade of onboard courier experience and has helped to build up the team to the size it is today. His leadership and qualities have shone through in this time, and the natural next step is to promote him to CEO of time critical services for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.”

Spies added: “ My focus will be the further development of both our OBC and Next Flight Out (NFO) offerings, with NFO experiencing exciting growth last year."

Hamdi Osman, SolitAir’s founder and CEO, said: “Our partnership with GAC India marks a significant milestone in SolitAir’s growth strategy. India’s dynamic and rapidly expanding cargo market presents immense opportunities and GAC’s extensive experience, strong presence and commitment to excellence will be instrumental in strengthening our operations in this crucial market. We are confident that this collaboration will enable us to better serve our customers and capitalise on the growing trade between India and the UAE, particularly after the recent Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).”

Ravi Ramachandran, managing director - GAC India, added: “We look forward to representing the airline and promoting its services as their cargo sales agent. To do so, we shall work with the SolitAir team to develop and implement a bespoke marketing and sales strategy to penetrate key markets and win customers. Backed by a dedicated team of over 400 professionals, we are committed to offering the same high level of service that GAC is renowned for worldwide. We’re confident this partnership will drive growth for both SolitAir and our customers in India.”

SolitAir currently operates two narrow-body Boeing 737-800 freighters, each with a 23-tonne capacity. A third freighter will join the fleet next month, supporting the company’s expansion plans into India, Bangladesh, key markets in Africa, the Stan countries, and other Middle Eastern hubs. The airline aims to connect over 50 cities within the Global South, within a six-hour flying radius from its Dubai World Central (DWC) headquarters.

Qatar Airways chief commercial officer, Thierry Antinori, said: “Qatar Airways’ vast network of global destinations is complemented with robust flight frequencies for the benefit of our passengers. The new additions further reflect our commitment to fostering worldwide connectivity and elevating passengers’ travel experience with our award-winning hub, Hamad International Airport (DOH) – voted World’s Best Airport and World’s Best Airport Shopping by Skytrax in 2024.  At Qatar Airways, we take pride in offering unparalleled services, and with the peak summer season approaching, we are pleased to fulfil the ever-increasing demand for air travel with accessible and convenient flight schedules.”

Qatar Airways is enabling greater connectivity in the following destinations: 

Amsterdam – increased from seven weekly flights to 11

Damascus – increased from three weekly flights to 14

Dar Es Salaam-Kilimanjaro – increased from three weekly flights to seven

Entebbe – increased from seven weekly flights to 11

Larnaca – increased from seven weekly flights to 10

London Heathrow – increased from 49 weekly flights to 56

Madrid – increased from 14 weekly flights to 17 (bringing the jointly operated flights between Qatar Airways and Iberia from 21 weekly flights to 24)

Maputo-Durban – increased from five weekly flights to seven

Sharjah – increased from 21 weekly flights to 35

Tokyo Narita – increased from 11 weekly flights to 14

Tunis – increased from 10 weekly flights to 12

Held in AlUla, in the heart of the desert, Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, the event offers the highest prize money in the sport and showcases the pinnacle of endurance riding.

Peter Kerins, CEO of Magma Aviation, spoke on the unique collaboration: "We are proud to partner with Intradco Global for the meticulous transport of endurance horses to the Al Fursan Cup. This operation exemplifies our ability to meet the strict requirements of specialized cargo flights, ensuring every aspect of the journey is managed with utmost precision and care for the animals' welfare."

Intradco Global is the world’s leading equine transportation air charter specialist with over 30 years of experience, unparalleled global coverage, professional flying grooms, and equipment innovation, providing a completely bespoke service from first contact to safe arrival.

Charlie McMullen, CEO of Intradco Global, commented: "We specialise in transforming complex travel requirements into seamless journeys. For the Al Fursan Endurance Cup, our team went above and beyond to ensure the horses received the highest standard of care. Our collaboration with Magma Aviation further strengthens our ability to deliver exceptional service and uphold the safety and comfort of the animals throughout their transport."

The $440 million order for 24 of the type was made in June 2020 along with an option to acquire 12 more. Boeing began production in November 2023..

The deal also includes 551 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, 200 AIM-92H Stinger air-to-air missiles, and 558 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System precision-guided rocket kits. Africa reported

GE Aviation is supplying 48 T700-701D turboshaft engines and spare parts for the new fleet. Longbow LLC - the joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, is supplying AN/APG-78 Longbow radars.

Boeing’s vice president of attack helicopter programmes, Christina Upah, said the milestone delivery was important and will strengthen Morocco’s defence capabilities for years to come.

“Boeing’s partnership with the Kingdom of Morocco spans decades, and I am proud the Apache is now part of this legacy,” Upah said .

“This is another step forward in our long partnership with the Kingdom of Morocco,” said Jeff Shockey, Boeing Defense vice president, global sales and marketing, “Worldwide demand for the Apache is growing and we are proud to provide this best-in-class capability to Morocco.”

The AH-64E features an improved modern target acquisition designation system that provides day, night and all-weather target information, as well as night vision navigation capability. In addition to classifying ground and air targets, the fire control radar has been updated to operate in a maritime environment.

Morocco is Africa’s second-largest military spender behind Algeria and its modernisation programme includes the latest Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72 Fighting Falcons to eplace older Mirage F1s and Northrop F-5E/F Tiger IIs and augment the F-16C/Ds received from 2011. 

Achieving a 90.27% on-time performance, the airline not only secured one of the top regional rankings but also surpassed the global winner’s score of 86.70%. It’s the third consecutive year Oman Air has earned one of the top spots in the region, having scored first in 2022 and 2023.

Published in an annual report by Cirium, a leading provider of aviation analytics, the ranking upholds Oman Air’s position as one of the world’s most reliable airlines. The award was presented to Captain Nasser Al Salmi, Oman Air’s Chief Operating Officer, by Mahesh Jugoo, Cirium’s Head of Middle East & Africa, in a ceremony this week.

According to Cirium, an on-time flight is defined as one that arrives within 14 minutes and 59 seconds of its scheduled gate arrival time.

Captain Nasser Al Salmi said: “Being on time is one of the most important things we can do for our guests, and doing so requires immense coordination and dedication from our entire team. Every effort we make behind the scenes is aimed at ensuring our guests reach their destinations as planned, reinforcing their trust in our airline. We’re incredibly proud to be recognised once again and remain committed to delivering a reliable and seamless travel experience.”

Mahesh Jugoo, added: “Congratulations to Oman Air for yet another outstanding on-time performance achievement. Punctuality is key to a great travel experience and Oman Air continues to raise the bar year after year. The airline’s strong operational performance is a testament to their commitment to efficiency and passenger satisfaction.”