The airport also clinched the title of ‘World’s Best Airport Shopping’ for the second time in a row and "Best Airport in the Middle East" for the tenth consecutive year.

Hamad International Airport's recognition is based on meticulous assessments conducted by air travellers. They evaluated the airport's performance across key performance indicators and selected it as the best in the world amongst a group of over 500 global airport contenders.

Qatar Airways Group chief executive officer,  Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, who spearheaded the development and growth of Hamad International Airport over the past decade, said: “This is a remarkable achievement for Hamad International Airport, as it celebrates its 10th anniversary of operational excellence, connecting passengers seamlessly from all around the world. It is a testament to the dedication of our team and partners, who have contributed to providing passengers with the finest travel experience. Our continuous investment in our facilities and pioneering initiatives in retail and hospitality within a single expansive terminal has made this achievement possible.”

He emphasised the importance of understanding passengers' needs and evolving travel trends: “At the heart of our growth strategy lies the passengers’ journey, their evolving needs, and our commitment to meeting and exceeding their expectations. We have introduced a diverse range of experiences at the airport, including ‘Souq Al Matar’, which brings Qatari hospitality and culture closer to travellers, “Orchard”, the ideal place for relaxation and rejuvenation between flights and an array of high-end lounges. We remain dedicated to pushing the boundaries of the industry to maintain our position as the world’s premier airport.”

Al Saud attended day four of the event focused once again on International Women in Defence.

The Ambassador spoke about the collaborative roles of diplomacy and the military, and the progress made in breaking the ‘brass’ ceiling, while also highlighting the areas that still need to be addressed.

She said: “Today, globally, 13% of ministers of defence are women, which is outstanding. And women now control many of the biggest defence budgets, not only in Europe, but in the United States, some of whom are with us today. And yet, though women make up roughly half of the world's population we remain largely underrepresented in traditionally male dominated areas of foreign policy and defence policy.”

The Ambassador highlighted the immense progress made in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a key part of the journey to provide both men and women with equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities, saying: “Our defence ministry has expanded women's roles in the military. It's opened a portal for recruitment so women can apply for military jobs in the Navy, the Air Force, Land Forces, Air Defenses, and also health services. Everybody's participation is important. Every single role in this entity in this organisation in this sector is critical. Since it opened several years ago, the Armed Forces women's cadre Training Centre has graduated 885 women who now occupy positions throughout the military.”

She also mentioned that Saudi women in the health services of the Ministry of Defense have earned medals for active service during recent Yemen operations.

The event highlighted the industry’s need to tap into the broadest pool of high-quality talent and create an inclusive culture.

The Ambassador concluded: “The future is being redefined, and only diverse organisations will succeed because it's that diversity that will help us to see the challenges of the future clearer and to address them in a better way.”

The Ambassador was joined on the stage by senior female figures in the industry addressing the audience including: Heidi Grant, Vice President of Defense Global Growth & Engagement at Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS), speaking on the pace of progress; The Honourable Barbara Barrett, Former Secretary of the US Air Force addressing Diversity for Air & Space Innovation and Stephanie Hill, President Rotary and Mission Systems, Lockheed Martin, who summarised and closed the session.

Icelandair will host IGHC in Reykjavík, Iceland, from 7-9 May 2024, with discussions focusing on achieving the industry’s net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 goal, talent retention and development, and strategic investments for long-term financial success.

"For aviation to grow its economic and social benefits, effective and more sustainable ground operations are crucial. By prioritising people, more sustainable operations, and financial resilience we are building a more robust ground handling sector. This year’s IGHC will be an important waypoint to align this important part of the value chain with the aviation sector’s efforts broad efforts to become more sustainable socially, environmentally and financially,” said Monika Mejstrikova, IATA’s director of ground operations.

Following a successful edition in 2022, which saw a remarkable 56% increase in visitors from its previous edition, the 2024 edition is all set to feature a refreshed agenda packed with new concepts.

The 10th edition of the MEBAA Show will take place from 10-12 December at Dubai World Central (DWC), Dubai Airshow Site.

The global business jet market continues to grow and is predicted to increase from US$ 42.14 billion in 2022 to US$ 62.66 billion in 2030 . The Middle East and Africa region will be a key contributor to this growth. The private jet charter market is projected to expand from US$ 566.46 million to US$ 943.39 million between 2024 and 2029, and business aviation traffic in the Middle East is set to witness a 10% year-on-year increase . While persistence of the COVID-19 pandemic during 2022 helped fuel growth, the prominence of high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) – particularly in large economies such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia – and growing aviation emission rules continue to influence the market.

Ali Alnaqbi, founding and executive chairman of the Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA), said: “The business aviation industry continues to see strong demand and as a result we are witnessing substantial investment in market infrastructure and ancillary products and services, along with the addition of new aircraft. The MEBAA Show aims to be a leader in the development of our industry, demonstrating innovation across the sector and gathering leading minds to uncover new pathways. We are delighted to be bringing local, regional and international stakeholders from across the business and private aviation landscape to Dubai, ready to chart the way forward and collectively shape the future of our industry.”

Run in conjunction with India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation and with the support of the country’s regulator, the DGCA, Aviation India and South Asia Summit and Exhibition is organised by Times Aerospace Events, who are known for the hugely successful Aviation Africa and Aviation MENA events.

Aviation INDIA Summit & Exhibition takes place at the JW Marriot in New Delhi Aerocity, on June 12-13.

With a primary focus on India’s air transport industry and under the theme ‘New India Rising’, the summit looks at how India’s air transport industry is going through a remarkable transformation with a laser-focus on long-term growth in the air and on the ground as the national economy reactivates, the middle class continues to grow and spend, and demand for air connectivity soars to new heights.

The country’s airlines, some under new ownership, with strong management teams and ambitious expansion plans, have placed orders for hundreds of single-aisles and twin-aisle jetliners to service a market with a seemingly insatiable desire for travel.

The infrastructure and resulting investment that helps deliver a customer experience to transport increasing passenger numbers is part of the story, with airports, ground service providers, MRO, business aviation operators and the entire supply chain rising to the challenge.

And it is not just India.

The summit will welcome speakers from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the Gulf. The event is also developed in partnership with leading associations in the region including MRO, business aviation, and training.

Also, under the theme ‘New India Rising’, the summit looks at how India’s aviation renaissance can achieve global ambitions.

With 700 expected attendees - government officials, regulators, airlines & operators and airport CEOs, major manufacturers, the training industry, and others across the whole supply chain will be in attendance and participating in the two-day discussions.

Aviation INDIA 2024, while celebrating growth, will also focus on some of the challenges and bring together speakers and participants to identify the issues and offer solutions.

MRO is one of these.

The Aviation Week Network (AWN) which produces the world’s top MRO shows in America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East lead the discussions.

Training – AFM, the global intelligence network for the aviation training industry, will host the training segment of the show and look at how India must act if it is to meet the country’s growth targets.

Airline and Airport leaders will look at the unique challenges in the regions. Guests will include airlines from the Gulf and across the Indian subcontinent.

Global experts on sustainability plus industry leaders from manufacturers and organisations will also be involved.

“Networking events play a key role for our exhibitors, airline representatives and summit delegates,” said Times Aerospace Events managing director, Mark Brown. “There is a cocktail welcome reception taking place on 11th and a gala reception on the evening of the 12th.”

Registration and other details can be found at www.aviationindia.aero

The event will bring together 5,000 experts and aviation leaders from over 100 countries, including ministers, regulators, manufacturers, airlines, and airports.

The Forum will find solutions to the sectors main challenges, inviting attendees to vote in person on what they see as the biggest challenge in aviation, with results announced on the final day.

The Forum, which saw the signing of more than 50 agreements and $2.7 billion in deals during the 2022 edition, will feature globally significant commercial announcements, including equipment orders, connectivity announcements and supplier partnerships, and awards ceremonies recognising achievements and innovation in aviation.

Hosted by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, the Forum will be centred on the theme: Elevating Global Connectivity.  

His Excellency the President of GACA, Abdulaziz-Al Duailej, said: “The 2024 Future Aviation Forum will once again unite global aviation leaders to solve aviation’s biggest challenges, including manufacturing supply chain issues, capacity constraints and the development of human capital across the world. Saudi Arabia is committed to providing global leadership on these issues.

The Forum will also showcase the unprecedented investment, growth, and innovation opportunities being created across the Kingdom in support of Vision 2030, for investors, suppliers, and operators.” 

FAF24 kicks off a monumental week for aviation regulators and other leaders, where the Kingdom will also play host to the Airport Council International’s annual general assembly and other sector events which will see the leaders of the International Civil Aviation Organization and International Air Transport Association attending the Forum.

Event attendees already include leading all major global manufacturers, airlines including Riyadh Air, Saudia, Flynas, and Flyadeal, and Saudi Vision 2030 projects including NEOM, Red Sea Global, airports including King Salman International Airport, among others. 

The Forum will also progress the Saudi Aviation Strategy’s (SAS) transformation of the Kingdom into the Middle East’s leading aviation hub. The strategy is unlocking more than $100 billion of investment to drive immense growth of the sector, with passenger numbers growing by 26% in 2023 to 112 million and flights increasing by 16% from 700,000 to almost 815,000. 

To-register - https://registration.futureaviationforum.com/en/join/public-delegate

Organisers of the event, Arabian World Events, said: “In partnership with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and other strategic allies, Egypt International Airshow will serve as a platform for fostering commercial partnerships and contributing to long-term commitments across the region.”

This edition of the MENA region’s largest horticultural exhibition raised climate and desertification awareness through various exhibition stands, panel discussions and public activities.

The airline collaborated on a joint venture with Hamad International Airport (DOH) to design and build the impressive Qatar Airways Garden. As one of the most-visited pavilions at Expo, the ‘Qatar Airways Garden’ attracted over 250,000 visitors during the six-month period, with Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport (HIA) playing a significant role in bringing people from nearly 170 global destinations to Expo 2023 Doha.

Visitors were greeted by a giant yellow teddy bear – a reference to Lamp Bear located at Hamad International Airport, as well as significant landmarks from across the continents served by Qatar Airways, emphasising Qatar's pivotal role as a global hub.

Qatar Airways Group chief executive officer, Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said: “With the successful conclusion of Expo 2023 Doha, Qatar is solidifying its role in hosting large-scale global events. Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport are proud to have contributed to the initiative, allowing us to welcome visitors from all around the world to experience Qatar’s warm hospitality and be a part of its promising future.”

Qatar Airways set the stage for this landmark event by welcoming the Expo 2023 Doha livery into its fleet and commemorating its role as the Official Strategic Partner. Throughout the six months, the Qatar Airways Garden hosted various activities, engaging experiences and cultural performances highlighting the diverse traditions of the world. The airline also hosted familiarisation trips to spotlight the largest horticultural exhibition in the region.

Onboard Qatar Airways flights, the airline celebrated Expo 2023 Doha with organic beverages by the renowned Qatari vegan restaurant, Evergreen Organics. Additionally, Qatar Airways partnered with local farms and Evergreens Organic to introduce an Expo 2023 Doha a la carte onboard menu. The airline also ran insightful gardening shows and videos as part of its in-flight entertainment, OryxOne.

The pavilion further offered its visitors an opportunity to experience Qatar’s cultural and sports landscape. The Qatar Airways Garden observed significant cultural moments, including the Chinese New Year and commemorated its inaugural flight to Medan, Indonesia with Qatar’s Indonesian community at its exhibition stand, coinciding with the Qatar-Indonesia 2023 Year of Culture.

The event will take place at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) in the UAE from Monday 6 to Thursday 9 May.

ATM 2024’s sold-out Travel Tech space will be 56% bigger than last year with 33% more exhibitors participating this year, thanks to unprecedented demand from companies looking to showcase their innovations in front of a global audience.

Sponsored by Sabre, the ATM Future Stage – formerly known as the Travel Tech Stage – will host over a hundred expert speakers from across the global travel and tourism industry, plus a diverse selection of cutting-edge innovations designed to improve efficiency and profitability within the sector. Delegates will explore how advanced tech can be leveraged to drive improvements across a range of segments, including payment, professional development, accessibility, sustainability and more.

Danielle Curtis, exhibition director ME, Arabian Travel Market, said: “My colleagues and I are delighted to introduce the ATM Future Stage, which will harness the ever-increasing levels of innovation our industry is witnessing while building on the long-standing success of our Travel Tech offering.”

The global travel technology market was valued at $9.4 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $21 billion by 2032, according to Allied Market Research. The ATM Future Stage will host a selection of presentations and sessions designed to highlight opportunities within this space.

These include; Navigating the Future: A Futurist's Prediction, Strategic Capabilities and Implications of AI within Business, Putting the Traveller First with AI and Unlocking the Value of Travel: Harnessing Technology for Enhanced Traveler Journeys, which will be held in association with Amadeus.

This year’s show will see the return of the ATM Start-up Pitch Battle, which will be held in association with Intelak. The third edition of the competition will see a number of the region’s most promising startups take to the Future Stage to showcase a range of innovative and potentially industry-changing solutions in front of expert judges.

Several Travel Tech exhibitors also plan to get involved in other areas of ATM 2024. Tech giant Huawei, for instance, will sponsor this year’s Capitalising on China's Predicted Tourism Surge summit on the ATM Global Stage.

Confirmed tech exhibitors include Hotelbeds, TBO.com, WebBeds, Moonline Travel and Trade, Trip.com, HeyTrip and Verteil Technologies, plus returning brands such as Travelport, The Travelbook Group, HotelRunner, gtbeds, iTrip, Techno Heaven, QuadLabs, Cover Genius, Fly Today, Traveazy, Multireisen, City Travel DMCC and Illusions.

First-time exhibitors include ExploreTECH, iClick bedsopia.com, OneVasco, GP Solutions, WegoPro, Mondee, Triple-A, Typsy, Nativex, Tour Review and SophiOutsourcing.

“With an exciting combination of ambitious startups and well-established brands, this year’s Travel Tech space is perfectly aligned with ATM 2024’s theme, ‘Empowering Innovation: Transforming Travel Through Entrepreneurship’,” added Curtis. 

ATM 2024 will also feature a ‘Best Use of Technology’ award at its annual exhibitor awards for the first time. Exhibitors will be evaluated on how and to what extent they have embraced and deployed technology on their stands.

In line with its theme, ‘Empowering Innovation: Transforming Travel Through Entrepreneurship’, the 31st edition of ATM will once again host policymakers, industry leaders and travel professionals from across the Middle East and beyond, encouraging them to forge new relationships, exchange knowledge and identify innovations that can reshape the future of global travel and tourism. From startups to established brands, the upcoming show will highlight how innovators enhance customer experiences, drive efficiencies, and accelerate progress towards a net-zero future for the industry.

More than 40,000 travel trade professionals, including 30,000 visitors, attended the 30th edition of ATM in May 2023, setting a new show record. The exhibition attracted more than 2,100 exhibitors and representatives from over 155 countries, providing a global platform for the unveiling of ATM’s net-zero pledge.

The company said it is interested in expanding its activities in the country, which spans from delivering solutions to Muharraq International Airport to working with the Royal Bahrain Air Force and Navy. The agreement was signed by Temesgen Foschi, Leonardo's Bahrain Branch Manager and Yousif Mahmoud, Director General of the Bahrain International Airshow.

Discussing the partnership with Bahrain and the Bahrain International Airshow, Temesgen Foschi, Leonardo's Bahrain Branch Manager, confirmed Leonard’s commitment to the Kingdom of Bahrain and pointed out that the company is delighted to participate and showcase its cutting-edge technology, products and services to the global audience of industry leaders, potential partners and customers.    

Yousif Mahmoud, director general of the Bahrain International Airshow, said: “I am thrilled to be welcoming Leonardo back to our flourishing airshow for the seventh time. Leonardo is a committed partner of the Bahrain International Airshow and the wider region and we thank them for their continued trust and support. We look forward to opening our doors to the international aerospace and defence sectors in November this year.”

Organised by the Bahrain Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications and the Royal Bahraini Air Force in association with Farnborough International, BIAS has cemented itself as a must-attend biennial event in the aerospace and defence industry, renowned for bringing the best and brightest of the aerospace industry in an intimate platform to do business. 

BIAS will return to the aerospace calendar 13-15 November 2024 at Sakhir Airbase Bahrain.