Gulf States Shake Up Region’s Airline Sector With New Carriers And Management Changes

Gulf States Shake Up Region’s Airline Sector With New Carriers And Management Changes

Share to Linkedin File photo of Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways planes on display during the 2015 Dubai Airshow in ... [+] Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Photo: Victor Fraile/Power Sport Images/Getty Images) The past few weeks has seen talk of large aircraft orders in the Middle East, along with speculation about new airline launches and management changes at existing carriers. It all points to a sense of revival for an industry that is still emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic and also suggests that the oil-rich Gulf states continue to see aviation as a key component of their plans to revamp their economies. In recent weeks, the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ has been handed full ownership of Etihad Aviation Group by the emirate's Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs, giving it control over the flag-carrier Etihad Airways. Earlier in the year, the airline group's ancillary businesses, including ground handling, training and cargo services, were moved into ADQ. The fund, which also has a stake in Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, is now the most important actor in Abu Dhabi's aviation sector. In a separate deal, ADQ has also offered to form a new aviation services group by merging two