Iran Air Looks for Planes and Partners in Post-Sanctions Order
Iran's national airline is preparing for the day when it's finally released from the US sanctions that have worn down its fleet and crimped access to other nations.
With nuclear talks under way between Iran and the US, executives from Iran Air used the annual gathering of the International Air Transport Association in New Delhi last week to sound out potential airline partners and suppliers who were in attendance, according to people familiar with the matter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Skift
26 minutes ago
- Skift
Flyadeal CEO on Its Unconventional Playbook for Scaling the Saudi Airline
Saudi Arabia's Flyadeal is surely rewriting the low-cost rulebook. From widebody orders to a rare partnership with Cebu Pacific, this domestic darling is now eyeing global scale, all without losing sight of its lean, point-to-point roots. Flyadeal, the budget subsidiary of Saudi Arabian national carrier Saudia, is keen to reshape what it means to be an LCC in the Middle East. By 2030, flyadeal plans to triple its fleet size to over 100 aircraft and also increase its network three-fold to more than 100 destinations. Two weeks ago, Flyadeal and Cebu Pacific signed a deal to wet-lease two Cebu Pacific A320s for Saudi Arabia's busy summer season. In return, Cebu Pacific may take Flyadeal A320s for Southeast Asia's winter peak. This kind of reciprocal wet-leasing arrangement is rare in low-cost aviation. CEO Steven Greenway references the Sunwing-TUI model from Canada and Europe as a blueprint: 'They were one of the very few to do it… So that's the model I sort of see as my Northern Light.' The Flyadeal-Cebu Pacific partnership also opens doors to collaboration in maintenance, engineering, and training. But for now, both carriers are focused on executing the summer operation successfully before expanding the scope. 'I'd love to have 10 aircraft of Cebu Pacific in my fleet by next year,' said Greenway. Flyadeal CEO Steven Greenway. Widebody Order and Long-Haul Ambitions Flyadeal's decision to order 10 Airbus A330neo widebodies, with 10 more on option, is a clear signal that it's ready to compete on longer routes. The airline has already been operating wet-leased widebodies on routes from Europe to Africa and Asia, which has helped it prepare operationally. 'We understand the economics, we understand the operation… if it's our own aircraft, our profitability margins will be far, far superior,' said Greenway. The new aircraft will carry 420-440 passengers each, with a focus on volume-driven markets such as pilgrim traffic and labor flows into Saudi Arabia. Greenway also stressed crew and fleet commonality to keep training and operational costs low: 'Our Airbus aircraft are the same… we can get a pilot on a 320 and move over to a 330 with 10 days training.' The long-haul plan aligns closely with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. While Greenway is careful to note there's no formal government directive for flyadeal, he says the environment is supportive: 'It's more like a carrot approach — how can we help you, how can we build this together?' Flyadeal to Commence Flights to Syria One of flyadeal's boldest steps this year could be its planned entry into Syria, with flights potentially launching as soon as July. As diplomatic and trade barriers begin to ease, the airline is positioning this move as both a humanitarian response and a smart business decision. 'There are 2 million Syrians, who haven't been able to go home because of the war, and that's unacceptable,' said Greenway. 'We want to be part of the reconstruction effort for Syria. If we don't start going in, someone else will.' Most international carriers pulled out of Syria during the civil war, which began in 2012. Before the conflict, more than a dozen global airlines flew to Damascus. But that changed with years of unrest and sanctions. Last month, the U.S. government relaxed sanctions on Syria following President Donald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia. Qatar Airways resumed flights to Damascus earlier this year. Turkish Airlines followed shortly after, and Emirates plans to restart service from mid-July. With its large domestic network and narrowbody fleet, flyadeal sees an opening. According to Greenway, Flyadeal's A320s can directly connect Saudi Arabia with secondary Syrian cities that larger carriers often overlook. 'One way of rebuilding the country, at least part of it, is providing connectivity into the country,' Greenway said. How Flyadeal Is Building for Scale While flyadeal is growing fast, it's doing so with discipline, according to its CEO. 'Our fleet only grew 19% yet our number of flights on a daily basis grew 54%,' Greenway explained. 'We're squeezing more out of our assets every day. Utilization is going up. Unit cost is going down.' That efficiency is driven by investments in back-end systems, from crew rostering to enterprise resource planning, geared to support long-haul operations and future growth. Flyadeal's ambition isn't to become a legacy-style global carrier, but rather a regional carrier that extends its reach through targeted international connections. 'We'll still be the point-to-point for a lot of stuff, particularly domestically,' said Greenway. 'But internationally, a lot of it will be connecting — either onto us or onto Saudia (the parent airline).' That means more secondary city routes, more synergy with Saudia's hubs, and using long-haul aircraft not just for tourism, but also for vital connectivity across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Flyadeal CEO Steven Greenway at Skift Global Forum East 2024
Entrepreneur
an hour ago
- Entrepreneur
"We Got Funded!" Shake Your Plants (SYP) Secure Shark Tank Funding
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Entrepreneurs Lia Coelho and Justine Dampt have never been discouraged from their mission to launch their functional drinks startup Shake Your Plants (SYP). And they got a huge boost with a recent appearance on Shark Tank Dubai that led to an investment of AED1.2 million from Amira Sajwani, Managing Director at DAMAC, Founder of Prypco, co-founder and COO at Amali Properties, in exchange for 20% equity in Shake Your Plants. The deal also comes with a AED2 million line of credit. The female entrepreneurs were also offered deals from fellow Shark Tank Dubai judges Elie Khoury, CEO and Chairman at Vivium Holding, and Mona Ataya, founder of Mumzworld. "We are thrilled to partner with Amira, whose entrepreneurial insight and strategic support will help us scale responsibly while retaining most of our equity through smart capital diversification. She is a strong advocate for female founders, and we will be very proud to be part of her portfolio companies," said Dampt, who welcomed a new baby just two weeks prior to the show which was filmed last year. The SYP founders have bounced back from multiple setbacks but are now enjoying plenty of upward momentum for their brand, positioned as a clean, plant-powered alternative to sugary electrolyte drinks. Image courtesy of Shake Your Plants. Lean and clean Their journey began during COVID-19, when Dampt started experimenting with powders in her kitchen to make a different kind of wellness drink. "We have had a lot of challenges physically (including failed pregnancies) and what really helped us was to keep a lifestyle that was very clean and plant-based," says Dampt. As a health coach and certified nutritionist, she has always recommended people to add more water and more plants to their diets. So the pair started experimenting and came up with Shake Your Plants, which comes in sachets to make an instant hydration drink. "We're challenging people's habits," Coelho explains. "We want to use water as a vehicle for wellness." This means moving beyond traditional electrolyte drinks to create products that support overall health. And they prioritize "ugly" fruits that might otherwise be discarded, turning potential waste into nutritional powerhouses, while reducing waste and their carbon footprint. Their first major hurdle came in summer 2022 when they were forced to recall 80,000 sachets due to crystallization issues, just days before their launch. "We almost did not survive that moment," Dampt recalls. But resilience became their trademark. Instead of giving up, they picked themselves up and recovered. The manufacturer carried out a lengthy investigation before finally recognizing it was its mistake. "I literally sat down for two months in Germany in the office to get our money back on the product, because it was kind of like a make-it or break-it moment," says Dampt. "We had invested a lot of money in this product launch. All the campaign was done and we were ready to go." While others might have decided to quit then and there, something kicked in and the business partners pushed forward. "I don't think we wanted to quit, because we are very resilient people. But it was very difficult because, especially in the beginning, you need to pay everything up front. So we paid for the entire production 100% upfront, and we invested everything that we had," adds Coelho. More water With summer here, hydration becomes even more vital. The SYP founders cite statistics showing that 94% of people are chronically dehydrated, and 92% lack key vitamins or minerals—a clear opportunity to make hydration functional and enjoyable. Currently, the company offers three products focusing on gut health and hydration, and uses natural, carefully sourced ingredients. Its kombucha-based sachets incorporate elements like organic blueberries from the UK and fermented tea from Taiwan. The products are natural, with no added sugars or artificial colors, appealing to health-conscious consumers, while each sachet costs less than AED8.50. But what truly makes Shake Your Plants stand out from the crowd? "The taste," Lia emphasizes. "A drink has to taste delicious for people to want it." While it sounds like a simple philosophy, creating products people genuinely enjoy consuming, not all companies get it right. And they are starting to win fans and followers. They prefer to use micro-influencers to spread the word on social media about their products, and some have approached SYP about doing it for free. A new product is in the pipeline at the end of the year. "I think that it's so important to build a strong community. Everything we're trying to do, the way we're communicating to people on our struggles, the running the business, we're being very open about it. And we're very open about the ingredients that we use," says Coelho. The Female Founder Edge Being women founders brings its own set of challenges. "There's no such thing as balance," Dampt admits. "I'm a full-time founder and a full-time mum." But instead of letting that hinder them, they've used it to sharpen their focus and time management. With eyes on new markets, SYP is preparing to scale into Saudi Arabia and the UK, where consumer testing is already underway. The roadmap also includes new products, targeting everything from sleep to energy, as they continue to broaden their wellness offerings.
Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Bloomberg
DHL to Invest €500 Million on Africa, Middle East Expansion
Logistics giant DHL Group plans to invest about €500 million ($575 million) in health-care services in Africa and the Middle East over the next five years to capitalize on China's push into the regions. The German company is looking particularly at Africa for growth opportunities, with time-critical shipments of vaccines, stem-cells and cryogenics all target areas, EMEA health-care head Annette Naude said in an interview.
