Middle East

Jeff Daniels looks at some of the innovative new ideas that a UAE airline is using to fuel rapid growth in business.

What do you do if you are an Arab prince whose most precious possession is a priceless racehorse scheduled to run in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp? On the other hand, what if you are the logistics manager for Save the Children and you need to airlift vital supplies to somewhere in Africa? In either case, it’s a good chance that you’ll both be on the phone to the same people.

Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) has announced the signing of a contract to construct the country’s tallest building.

Construction of the Kingdom Tower, which will measure over 1,000 metres in height, will begin imminently in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the company said.

The building is set to be the centrepiece and the first construction phase of Kingdom City, Jeddah Economic Company’s new urban development of over 5.3 million square metres of land in North Jeddah, overlooking the Red Sea and Obhur Creek.

Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company and Canary Wharf Group have signed a deal with Shell International to redevelop the Shell Centre site on London’s South Bank.

The two companies have entered into a 50:50 joint venture, and will each contribute £150 million to secure the 5.25 acre site on a 999-year lease.

Canary Wharf Group will act as the construction manager for the project and will also be joint development manager with Qatari Diar.

The first new aluminum smelter to be built in the Arabian Gulf in 25 years has become a catalyst for industrial growth in the region, making Oman an attractive destination for multinationals to locate their facilities.

Saudi Arabia’s national oil company, Saudi Aramco, has announced it is to form a joint venture to build and operate a chemicals complex in Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia.

The joint venture, Sadara Chemical Company, will be formed with the Dow Chemical Company of Michigan in the US to build what the companies have called a “world-scale, fully integrated chemicals complex”.

Steve Hartley, executive director of private aviation specialist Empire Aviation Group, talks to Jayne Alverca about the company’s approach to maximizing asset value and the flight experience in the Middle East and beyond.

The last few years have seen an unprecedented increase in new development in Abu Dhabi, matched by a dramatic rise in competition within the industry. Elie Saikali, GMO of Dhafir Development and Contracting, explains to Gay Sutton how the company’s management and operational principles have given it an edge in this challenging marketplace.

Jeff Daniels looks at a relatively new approach to providing air conditioning that is contributing greater energy efficiency to the Middle East.

Pittsburgh-based TMS International Corp, through its subsidiary Tube City IMS Corporation, has won its first contract in the Middle East and has also announced a further expansion in France.

A leading provider of outsourced industrial services to steel mills around the world, Tube City IMS has secured new contracts worth over $84 million in revenue over the life of the contracts at expected production levels.

The long-term contracts are for a variety of outsourced services at steel mills in Dunkerque, France, and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Bahrain International Airport (BIA) is to begin a new expansion program that is expected to increase the airport's capacity by 50 per cent.

"The plans we are initiating for an expanded international airport are essential to Bahrain's continued development, not only in providing businesses in Bahrain with the access they demand for the future, but also in bolstering the growing aviation and logistics industry in the kingdom," said Khalid Al Rumaihi, Chairman of the Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) in an interview with Arabian Business News.