Saudi Arabia has announced a 100-billion (AED 97.9-billion) riyal plan aimed at weaning the kingdom off oil, creating 1.6 million jobs and attracting as much as 1.6 trillion riyals in investment by 2030.
The investments will be made in 2019 and 2020 as part of a new industrial strategy covering 42 initiatives for creating local commercial activity in key sectors that include mining, logistics, and various other industries.
The National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP) was revealed by the kingdom’s energy minister, Khalid Al Falih during a keynote address at a conference in Riyadh to reveal the program, where he was accompanied by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
According to Al Falih the program “is one of the most important … for achieving Vision 2030, as it moves the kingdom into a new era of sustainable development, prosperity and economic diversification.”
“The mining sector will become a third pillar of the Saudi economy alongside oil and petrochemicals, while we continue to develop renewable energy and explore the diverse opportunities presented by the fourth industrial revolution through research and innovation,” he said.
Agreements worth US $53 billion were signed at the event, while agreements worth US $960 million were announced. These are in addition to more than 25 agreements that were signed during the Future Investment Initiative 2018, with a total value of around US $210-billion, of which US $165-billion are under the NIDLP program.
The minister called upon the government entities and private sector investors to join Saudi Arabia’s development journey and invest across sectors.
Saudi Arabia wants to increase its volume of non-oil exports to over US $260-billion by 2030. As part of this, agreements at the event included a pact between Saudi Aramco, the world’s biggest oil producing company, and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation to continue to the next phase of studies for an oil-to-chemicals plant in the kingdom.
Saudi Aramco also signed a deal with Dubai-base DP world, among the top five ports operator globally to build operate and transfer a container terminal at Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah port.
Two military deals were also signed with France’s Thales and international defence company CMI to manufacture armoured vehicles in the kingdom.
Under Vision 2030, the private sector’s contribution to the economy is set to increase to 65% by 2030 from the current 40% of gross domestic product.
The kingdom will provide a total of 105-billion riyals in a “financial enablement” package, and be the main financier for NIDLP sectors of mining, industry, logistics and energy, according to a brochure distributed at the conference.
It didn’t specify the timeframe for dispensing the funding, but said the Saudi Industrial Development Fund will provide up to 75% of the capital invested in the NIDLP projects.
Saudi Arabia wants to expand some of the country’s ports and airports and plans to involve the private sector in a few of its projects, Rumaih Al Rumaih, chairman of the Public Transport Authority said at the conference.
The authority is spending 74-billion riyals on rail projects separately to the NIDLP, he said. It is also expanding some of its ports, including King Abdullah Port, Jeddah and Dammam by investing 10-billion riyals. There are five airports that are being expanded or being built with as much as 3-billion riyals in investment.
DHL Medical Express Service has been launched between Brazil and the USA for customers in the pharmaceutical and clinical research sectors.
The service was piloted in Brazil in November 2018 to address customer demands for faster and more predictable lead times, given the regulatory complexities that can delay exports.
The medical service lets DHL manage the export and regulatory requirements for urgent shipments with specific temperature needs from several major Brazilian cities to most US destinations in 24 to 48 hours.
Service points in Brazil have been upgraded and validated to meet federal, state and city regulations around Ministry of Health and Sanitary controls and licencing requirements.
Mike Parra, CEO of DHL Express Americas say,: “The launch of this service in Brazil completes our ambition to offer logistics solutions in the Latin and South American countries where most clinical trials are conducted. Our strong international network, compliant certifications and combination of responsiveness, reliability and cost-effectiveness will enable this service to be advantageous to all stakeholders in the clinical trial value chain.”
The implementation of the DHL Medical Express Service clinical trial platform at DHL Express Brazil includes a dedicated Customer Service Center with bilingual staff and an onboarding team to support investigator sites.
The service includes dry ice supplies and temperature-controlled fulfillment, online tools for placing bookings and ordering supplies, and a web-based interface that connects sites.
Brian Bralynski, director of life sciences healthcare Americas at DHL Express says, “Given the complexity of regulatory requirements in Brazil, our technology solution pre-prepares many of the necessary documents required by investigator sites to complete, while enabling DHL to begin the export and fiscal approval process the day-of- booking to mitigate delays.”
Dubai World Central (DWC), the emirate’s second airport, said it saw its passenger traffic inch down by 0.5 percent year-on-year in 2018 to 900,000 passengers.
This was despite a surge in passenger numbers in the third quarter of the year (up 26 percent) and a 3 percent rise in traffic in the fourth quarter following the launch of new services.
Operator Dubai Airports did not elaborate on why the annual figures were lower, but said it is gearing up for ‘a major surge’ in activity in the second quarter of 2019, when the southern runway at Dubai International Airport will be closed for refurbishment. The closure of the runway has already led major airlines such as Emirates and flydubai, which are both based at Dubai International, to change their operational plans.
Some airlines will also be flying in and out of DWC instead of Dubai International while the runway is being renovated.
In 2018, a total of 29,959 flights took off and landed at DWC, down 12.4 percent year-on-year.
Air Arabia will commence direct flights to Serbia’s capital city, Belgrade, from Sharjah. The direct flights will start from June 28 and return flights to Belgrade will operate four times a week, every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
On Tuesdays and Fridays, flights will depart Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) at 09:00 hours arriving at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (BEG) at 13:00 local time, while return flights departs Belgrade at 13:40 hours, arriving to Sharjah at 21:00 hours local time.
On Thursdays and Saturdays, the scheduled departure time from Sharjah is 15:45 hours, arriving to Belgrade at 19:45 hours local time, while the return flight with depart from Belgrade at 21:45, arriving to Sharjah at 05:05 local time the following day.
Adel Al Ali, group chief executive officer, Air Arabia, said, “We are glad to add the capital and largest city in Serbia, Belgrade to our growing tourist hotspots with direct flights from Sharjah. The new Sharjah to Belgrade service offers our customers a unique opportunity to discover a colorful and historic city situated on the main route that connects Europe and Asia while it reflects Air Arabia’s commitment to continuously offer our customers affordable and value driven air travel.”
Dubai-based flydubai is now connecting Dubai International (DXB) to Kozhikode Calicut International Airport (CCJ) in the south Indian state of Kerala three times a week, the airline said on Monday.
Business Class return fares to Kozhikode from Dubai start from Dh2,659, while Economy Class return fares to Dubai start from Dh670.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO at flydubai, said, “As the first Dubai-based carrier to operate direct flights from Dubai to Kozhikode, we expect this route to be very popular for travellers from the UAE to the region. Similarly, passengers from Kozhikode now have easier access to popular destinations on the flydubai network as well as the Emirates network providing easy access to more destinations when visiting family and friends.”
Emirates and China Southern Airlines (IATA code: CZ) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to progress a comprehensive reciprocal codeshare agreement, which is set to open up new destinations for passengers travelling between China and the Middle East and Africa. The partnership with the Guangzhou-based carrier also allows Emirates’ passengers to enjoy seamless connectivity on domestic flights within China, adding eight new destinations to its global network. The Chinese cities covered by the codeshare agreement include Fuzhou, Chongqing, Kunming, Qingdao, Xiamen, Chengdu, Nanjing and Xi ‘an during the initial phase of the partnership, subject to necessary government approvals.
Passengers travelling from China will have more choice and travel seamlessly with minimum connection times, when flying to destinations in Emirates’ Middle East network such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Muscat, Kuwait and Cairo. The codeshare agreement also includes flights to African destinations such as Seychelles and Lagos, operated by Emirates.
With the UAE’s visa-free policy for Chinese visitors, passengers can also enjoy hassle-free stopovers in Dubai, and experience what the city has to offer before flying to their final destinations. The codeshare partnership will provide customers with the simplicity of purchasing connecting flights using one reservation, and a smooth ticketing, check-in, boarding and baggage check experience during the entire journey.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning, Revenue Optimisation & Aeropolitical Affairs said, “In addition to enhancing our global network, China Southern’s customers will be able to seamlessly travel to destinations within the Middle East and Africa and beyond on a single ticket.”
“Today’s signing is especially monumental for Emirates, as it represents the first codeshare agreement between Emirates and a China-based airline. It is also the largest airline in China by passenger numbers so we are excited by the prospects the agreement brings. This will be an important milestone in our efforts to deepen Emirates’ presence in the Chinese market,” continued Kazim.
“Strengthening cooperation is the long-term strategy of China Southern,” said Han Wensheng, Chief Operating Officer of China Southern Air Holding Company. “Emirates is our first bi-directional partner in the Middle East, and we are very pleased to enter into a codeshare partnership with Emirates. It signifies a key step for China Southern in the process of building new international partnerships. While codesharing is only the start of our cooperation, cooperative opportunities in a wider range of fields such as freight, frequent flyer benefits, lounge access, and airport collaboration will be explored in the future.”
Etihad Airways, the national airlin, has flown His Holiness Pope Francis home after a historic three-day visit to the capital Abu Dhabi. The trip, heralded as a triumph in inter-faith dialogue and a celebration of peace, made world history as the first ever visit of a pontiff to the Gulf region.
Leaving on an Etihad Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the Pope leaves behind a legacy of tolerance and peace. During his visit, the pontiff joined Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders for the Human Fraternity conference, a meeting of some of the world’s most prominent religious leaders with the aim of charting a path for global peace.
In recognition of the UAE’s Year of Tolerance, the visit reaffirms Abu Dhabi’s position as a multi-cultural, multi-faith global capital. Etihad Aviation Group, one of the city’s leading employers, echoes this diversity with more than 150 nationalities represented across its 23,000-strong workforce. The Pope’s visit is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the diversity and spirit of co-operation witnessed throughout the company.
The crew who flew the Pope home were comprised of 15 different nationalities, representing the cultural diversity at the heart of the Etihad Aviation Group.
Captain Abdulla Obaid, an Emirati pilot with more than 20 years of flying experience led the flight crew. Captain Christoph Schippel from Germany joined Captain Abdulla on the flight deck, bringing more than 30 years of flying experience to the operation.
In addition, Captain Paolo La Cava, Director of Etihad Aviation Training, the group’s acclaimed training division has been instrumental in the operation and planning of this important flight.
The flight crew completed an extensive preparation process for the special flight, including several operational planning meetings and team briefing sessions as well as bespoke simulator training sessions.
The aircraft door was specially adorned with the Vatican’s emblem and special headrests, emblazoned with the Vatican insignia were installed on the aircraft in preparation for the flight.
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