Emirates to ban in-flight use of power banks over safety concerns
Emirates Airline will prohibit passengers from using power banks during flights due to concerns over the risks of overheating, fire, and explosions.
The airline announced the new safety measures will be implemented starting Oct. 1 following a safety review.
Emirates said customers will still be allowed to carry one power bank onboard if it is stored in the seat pocket or a bag under the seat in front, not in the overhead storage.
There is already a ban in place preventing power banks from being stored in checked luggage.
“There has been a significant growth in customers using power banks in recent years, resulting in an increasing number of lithium battery-related incidents onboard flights across the wider aviation industry,” an Emirates statement said.
Etihad pitches investors on possible IPO as Mideast lifts off
The new year is shaping up as pivotal for the Middle East aviation industry as Gulf airlines look to raise money on regional stock markets and international carriers cautiously return to Israel and Lebanon.
After debating a share offering on and off for the past decade, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad is planning to talk to investors next week about the possible sale of a 20% stake through an IPO that could raise close to $1 billion, Reuters reports.
Etihad, which is owned by the ADQ sovereign wealth fund and competes with Dubai-based Emirates, would seek to arrange the share sale before the end of the first quarter with presentations aimed at both UAE and international investors, the news agency said.
In Saudi Arabia, the budget carrier flynas, which is owned by Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal’s Kingdom Holding investment company, is waiting for regulatory approval to move ahead with its own initial share offering, CEO Talal Al-Maiman told Al-Arabiya this week.
An IPO by either Etihad or flynas would be the first for a Gulf carrier since Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways sold shares in 2008.
After making a splash last year with its designer uniforms and plush cabins, Saudi Arabia’s new national carrier Riyadh Air suffered a setback this week, announcing that it will be forced to push back its launch date to the third quarter of 2025 after delays to delivery of its fleet from Boeing.
On the other hand, ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon are leading international airlines to restore their routes to Tel Aviv and Beirut, with Lufthansa, British Airways and Wizz Air announcing Israel service will start again between February and April.
Emirates announced on Friday it will resume flights from Dubai to both Beirut and Baghdad on Feb. 1 after suspending service because of the regional conflicts.
UAE stages aviation extravaganza, overcoming rivals and regional tension
Dubai’s aviation industry shrugged off new regional rivals and emerging security concerns in the Middle East with more than $50 billion in new aircraft orders from Boeing, a revised – and more upbeat – forecast for traffic through its international airport and murmurs of an IPO for flag carrier Emirates.
Competition from newcomer Riyadh Air, which Saudi Arabia will put into service in 2025, and knock-on effects to the travel industry of Israel’s war on Hamas were the headlines heading into the the five-day Dubai Airshow now underway at Al Maktoum Airport at Dubai World Central.
Dubai Airports announced today it is expecting record-breaking numbers to continue into the fourth quarter and 2024 with annual passenger traffic at Dubai International (DXB) to reach 86.8 million – surpassing 2019 traffic.
“We’re thrilled but not entirely surprised that DXB is all set to surpass the pre-pandemic milestone well ahead of our initial projections by almost a year,” Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said in a statement.
India was DXB’s top country destination in terms of traffic volume with 8.9 million passengers in the first nine months of the year, followed by Saudi Arabia with 4.8 million passengers and the UK with 4.4 million passengers.
Shares of Boeing popped on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday and have stayed buoyant as government-owned Emirates and sister airline flyDubai secured 125 Boeing wide-body jets at the opening of the airshow, leading a week of mega-deals in commercial and defense aviation that typically sees the biggest agreements inked in the first two days.
Emirates also said it plans to modernize its cabins, signing a $1 billion deal on Tuesday for the newest seats from French manufacturer Safran for every class in its new fleet of Airbus A350, Boeing 777X-9 and existing Boeing 777-300 aircraft.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and CEO of Emirates, said any decision on a potential IPO of the airline remains with the government, speaking in an interview with Arabian Business on Tuesday.
“My answer is always the same – for an Emirates IPO, the government will always make the decision for us,” Sheikh Ahmed said. He welcomed the UAE’s decision to sell stakes in 10 state-owned entities.
On the defense side, Abu Dhabi’s EDGE Group and the Tawazun Council, representing the UAE’s Ministry of Defense, have led the week. EDGE, the government-owned defense conglomerate, showcased a model of a new military testing facility occupying an entire island off the coast of Abu Dhabi. The island has a space to fly drones, a helicopter firing range and a landing beach and urban warfare training village. Established in 2019 to reduce the UAE’s reliance on foreign suppliers, 35% of EDGE’s revenues are now from exports.
Tawazun inked $1.3 billion worth of contracts on Day 1 and another major announcement is expected on Wednesday night, Matthew Cochran, a member of the board of advisors at the Dubai Airshow and CEO of the Defense Services Marketing Council, told The Circuit.
Agreements so far have been made with both domestic and international firms, underscoring the UAE’s commitment to bolstering its local defense capabilities. Halcon, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi-owned EDGE defense conglomerate, landed the largest Emirati deal with a contract to procure ammunition valued at $583 million.
One of the more interesting aircraft on display at the airshow is from BeOnd, a carrier owned by UAE investment firm Arabesque and backed by the Maldivian hotel group SIMDI. The startup, which begins service this week, has its Airbus A319 on the tarmac. Each of the 44 seats onboard are equipped with Apple iPad Pros and wireless headphones and a lay-flat configuration, catering to a growing segment of leisure travelers who prefer business class and do not want to splash the cash to charter a private plane.
The airline has confirmed four routes based out of the Maldives’ capital, Male, and landing in Dubai, Riyadh, Zurich and Munich.
