Abu Dhabi launched its first test flight for drone parcel delivery, seeking a solution to speed packages through the capital city’s chronic traffic jams.

The pilot project by aviation technology company LODD, announced on Wednesday, took place through a partnership involving the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and investment group 7X.

Emirates Post, the UAE mail service, and express delivery provider EMX are among 7X’s holdings.

In Dubai, the government has been testing a Chinese-made drone to deliver food and medicine.

​​Saudi Arabia is ushering in a new era of corporate leadership, with the average age of CEOs at top-listed companies falling to 47 in 2024.

Global consulting firm Korn Ferry attributes the shift to the kingdom’s Vision 2030 industrial blueprint, as companies increasingly turn to younger, Saudi-born leaders to drive transformation.

The data shows 65% of newly appointed CEOs are stepping into the role for the first time, and 71% were promoted from within, which the firm said is evidence of growing trust in homegrown talent.

With 88% of recent appointments going to Saudi nationals, Korn Ferry says Saudi Arabia is focused on building a leadership pipeline from within its borders.

After bracing for a prolonged period of flight disruptions, Middle East airlines started to resume their full schedules with the advent of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire to the Iran-Israel war.

Airports in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait began to resume full operations today, while international carriers were assessing when they could safely restore regular flights.

The truce was secured hours after Iran fired missiles at the Al Udeid U.S. air base in Qatar. The missiles were intercepted without causing damage or injuries.

The break in the 12-day war prompted shares of European airlines to surge on Tuesday, with Deutsche Lufthansa, Ryanair Holdings and British Airways owner IAG all rising 4% or more, Bloomberg reports.

Air France-KLM surged 10% in Paris, and Turkish Airlines advanced 6.7% in Istanbul.

Oil prices fell, meanwhile, and stocks gained amid cautious optimism that the ceasefire negotiated by the Trump administration may bring a resolution to the conflict.

The benchmark Brent crude fell 3.5% to $69 a barrel today, retreating from five-month highs after the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday.

S&P 500 futures rose 0.8%, signaling a second day of gains for the U.S. index, Reuters reports. European stocks advanced 1.3%, while a gauge for Asian shares headed for its biggest gain in more than a month.

Riyadh-based Sport Clubs Company is limbering up for an IPO that will seek to raise $69 million, bringing one of Saudi Arabia’s largest fitness networks into the public eye.

Since 1994, the company has built a strong presence across 18 cities, with 41 men’s gyms under the veteran Body Masters brand and 15 women’s clubs under the newer Body Motions banner.

As Saudi Arabia’s IPO pipeline heats up, the listing taps into growing investor interest in lifestyle, health and wellness.

The company set a price range for its IPO on Riyadh’s Tadawul Exchange between 7 and 7.50 Saudi riyals ($1.87 – $2) per share, according to financial advisor Saudi Fransi Capital.

Abu Dhabi and Washington are working to identify tangible projects that could be bankrolled through the $1.4 trillion package the UAE has pledged to invest in America.

U.S. President J.D. Vance hosted a meeting at the White House on Friday with Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Chief Executive of ADNOC and Executive Chairman of XRG, and UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba where the initiative was discussed in detail.

Talk centered on investments in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, energy and manufacturing, The National reports.

The UAE has sought to position itself as a leader in AI infrastructure, developing partnerships and investments with U.S. companies including Microsoft, Nvidia and OpenAI.

Investors are girding for the possibility of more oil price spikes, shipping disruptions and flight cancellations following the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday.

Goldman Sachs floated a scenario for benchmark crude prices rising more than 40% to $110 a barrel if oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is cut in half for a month and supply shortages of 10% continue through the next year.

Brent crude jumped as much as 3% today to its highest level since January.

Air France, Singapore Air, Iberia and Finnair are among the international carriers that have canceled flights to several Gulf destinations this week, including Dubai, Doha and Riyadh.

Investment banks and other international firms that have been building up their presence in the Gulf are reviewing contingency plans for evacuating employees and their families out if the conflict escalates.

Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group has started to pull the families of staff out of locations including Dubai, and will consider evacuating workers if they need to accompany them, Bloomberg reports.

The Mizuho and Sumitomo Mitsui firms are also talking to staff about returning to Japan from offices in Qatar, the UAE and other locations.

Gulf leaders, meanwhile, are in close touch with each other to assess the impact of escalating military conflict in the region.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed held a round of phone calls on Sunday with Gulf neighbors including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman; Sheikh Mishal Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait; Sheikh Tamim Al Thani,  Emir of Qatar, and Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq.

He also spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik has approved a personal income tax law to be implemented on individuals earning more than $110,000 annually.

The measure, which will be imposed starting in 2028, positions Oman as the first Gulf state to levy personal income tax, part of broader efforts to diversify revenue away from oil.

An earlier draft proposing separate thresholds for Omanis and expatriates was rejected by the Sultan.

With 2.7 million workers – 1.8 million expatriates – the reform is projected to raise over $285 million annually.

Two of China’s top e-commerce companies, JD and Meituan, are joining the fray in Saudi Arabia’s booming home delivery market.

JD has launched JoyExpress, a same-day delivery service across the kingdom.

Meituan, meanwhile, is investing $267 million to expand its food delivery brand Keeta in the region.

Both companies are rapidly scaling their operations in the kingdom, establishing warehouses, sorting centers and delivery networks to support their regional growth.