Latest news with #SaudiAirlines
Observer
3 days ago
- Observer
First expatriate group from Oman arrives at holy land
Muscat: The first group of expatriates who left for the holy land of Mekkah for Hajj 2025 by air arrived in Madinah and was given a cordial welcome by people from different walks of life on Thursday. The group comprising 52 expat pilgrims who secured permission to perform Hajj from Oman's Ministry of Endowments and religious Affairs (MERA) through the Muscat Sunni Center left for the airport by bus from Ruwi near the Sultan Qaboos Mosque premises on Wednesday. The group proceeded on a Saudi Airlines flight to Madinah would resume their journey to Makkah on May 31 after staying in Medina for three days. Speaking to the Observer, Zakir Hussain Faizi, the Ameer of the Hajj group said that the group will return to Muscat from Jeddah on June 11 after completing the rituals of the holy Hajj. As many as 14,000 people are going to Hajj from Oman this year. Of these, 13,530 are native citizens and 470 are expatriates. Of these, 235 are expatriates of Arab origin. Out of the 235 who got a chance in the remaining non-Arab expatriate quota, made the group to Saudi. Since the new moon was sighted on Tuesday, Eid al-Adha will be celebrated in Oman along with other Gulf countries on June 6. Prominent personalities from the socio-cultural scene in Oman participated in the pilgrimage. Prior to the pilgrimage, exclusive training for the selected pilgrims was given last week at the Manbaul Huda Madrasa in Ruwi. The five-day study class and camp, which was conducted from 8 pm to 10 pm, was attended by many people from different parts of Oman, both those going to Hajj and those not going to Hajj. Anwar Haji, Ghafoor Haji, Salim Corniche, Umar Wafi, Sulaimankutty, PAV Abubakar Haji, Rafeeq Sreekantapuram and Shuhaib Pappinissery, N Muhammadali Faizi, Doctor Muhammad Ali from Al Abeer Hospital and Akhil Rahman, along with Shajudeen Basheer B Muhammad Panniyur were also present at the flag off ceremony.
Martechvibe
4 days ago
- Business
- Martechvibe
Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Informatica
Salesforce and Informatica have entered into an agreement for Salesforce to acquire Informatica for approximately $8 billion in equity value, net of Salesforce's current investment in Informatica. Under the terms of the agreement, holders of Informatica's Class A and Class B-1 common stock will receive $25 in cash per share. The acquisition is expected to strengthen Salesforce's data infrastructure, supporting the development and use of agentic AI. By combining Informatica's data catalogue, integration, governance, quality, privacy, metadata management, and Master Data Management (MDM) capabilities with the Salesforce platform, the goal is to create a unified framework for deploying AI agents reliably and at scale across enterprise environments. 'We're excited to acquire Informatica for approximately $8 billion — uniting the world's #1 AI CRM with the #1 AI-powered MDM and ETL platform,' said Marc Benioff, Chair and CEO of Salesforce. 'This combination brings together Salesforce's Einstein and Informatica's CLAIRE AI engines to forge the ultimate AI-data platform — trusted, explainable, and built to scale. Together, we'll supercharge Agentforce, Data Cloud, Tableau, MuleSoft, and Customer 360, enabling autonomous agents to act with intelligence, context, and confidence across every enterprise.' 'This is a transformational step in delivering enterprise-grade AI that is safe, responsible, and deeply integrated with the world's data.' ALSO READ: Saudi Airlines Selects Informatica to Transform Customer Experience Amit Walia, CEO of Informatica, said, 'Joining forces with Salesforce represents a significant leap forward in our journey to bring data and AI to life by empowering businesses with the transformative power of their most critical asset — their data. 'We have a shared vision for how we can help organisations harness the full value of their data in the AI era.' Upon close, Salesforce plans to integrate Informatica's technology stack — including data integration, quality, governance, and unified metadata for Agentforce, and a single data pipeline with MDM on Data Cloud — seamlessly embedding this 'system of understanding' into the Salesforce ecosystem. 'Truly autonomous, trustworthy AI agents need the most comprehensive understanding of their data. The combination of Informatica's advanced catalogue and metadata capabilities with our Agentforce platform delivers exactly this,' said Steve Fisher, President and Chief Technology Officer, Salesforce. 'Imagine an AI agent that goes beyond simply seeing data points to understand their full context — origin, transformation, quality, and governance. This clarity, from a unified Salesforce and Informatica solution, will allow all types of businesses to automate more complex processes and make more reliable AI-driven decisions.' Salesforce will also support Informatica's continued strategy of building best-in-class, AI-powered data management products — delivering a complete, end-to-end platform with industry-leading, integrated solutions to connect, manage, and unify data across any cloud, hybrid, or multi-cloud environment. ALSO READ: Informatica and Amazon Web Services Expand Relationship With New Innovations The proposed acquisition — pursued with strategic clarity and financial discipline, and aligned to Salesforce's responsible M&A framework — and the rapid integration of Informatica's premier data management capabilities with Data Cloud is a timely opportunity to further Salesforce's position in the AI revolution. 'Our acquisition strategy is methodical, patient, and decisive — targeting transformative assets like Informatica when the calculus aligns to maximise customer success,' said Robin Washington, President & Chief Operating and Financial Officer, Salesforce. 'This proposed acquisition will be a key enabler for Salesforce's next phase of AI-driven growth — and we will move quickly to integrate their capabilities and unlock synergies on a fast timeline, particularly in areas like Public Sector, Life Sciences, Healthcare, and Financial Services.' 'We're laser-focused on accelerated execution to increase our market differentiation and deliver sustained benefits for all Salesforce stakeholders.' Bruce Chizen, Informatica Chairman, said, 'Permira and CPP Investments partnership with Informatica is clear proof of the benefits of a long-term investing mindset and focus on transformational growth at scale. This exceptional outcome with Salesforce is testament to that philosophy.' Salesforce plans to invest in Informatica's ecosystem of data and infrastructure partners and apply the full power of Salesforce's marketing and distribution teams to push the growth of Informatica's cloud business. ALSO READ: Salesforce Announces Agentforce for Marketing Efficiency The Martechvibe team works with a staff of in-house writers and industry experts. View More
Express Tribune
23-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Govt says 25,698 to perform Hajj under private quota this year
Listen to article Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf announced on Friday that about 25,698 pilgrims will be able to perform Hajj this year under the private scheme. This sharp reduction follows thousands of revoked slots due to private operators' failure to comply with Saudi Arabia's booking rules and deadlines. Saudi Arabia had allocated Pakistan a total Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims for 2025. Traditionally, this quota is split evenly between the government and private sectors. However, the private sector's share dropped drastically from 89,801 to just over 25,000 after failing to meet procedural requirements set by Saudi authorities, leaving more than 67,000 prospective pilgrims affected. Yousaf said during a press conference that by February 14, only 3,600 pilgrims had submitted payments, but after a one-week extension, the number rose to 13,000. Read more: Funds for 67,000 Pakistani Hajj pilgrims sent to wrong account He also noted that while 904 private Hajj operators were registered with Saudi authorities based on the ministry's list, many pilgrims made payments to unregistered operators, ignoring official guidelines. A committee formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will investigate the issue, Yousaf added. He confirmed that Pakistani pilgrims would be transported by Pakistan International Airlines, Saudi Airlines, Air Sial, Airblue, and Serene Air. Earlier this month, the ministry urged pilgrims to verify the authenticity of private tour operators before making payments and to rely only on the ministry's official channels to avoid fraud. Some registered private operators also failed to meet Saudi deadlines for payment, prompting Premier Sharif to secure an extension, which was granted. The Hajj pilgrimage is expected to take place between June 4 and June 9. Nearly 89,000 Pakistanis are set to travel under the government scheme, with Pakistan's Hajj flight operation having started on April 29. So far, 55,642 pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia via 244 flights.
Express Tribune
12-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Flight disruptions continue in Lahore despite airspace reopening
Listen to article Despite the reopening of Pakistan's airspace following a ceasefire agreement with India, domestic and international flight operations remained disrupted on Monday at Allama Iqbal International Airport (AIIA), Lahore. Among the affected carriers, Saudi Airlines cancelled multiple flights on the Lahore–Jeddah route, including flights SV733, SV737, SV739, and SV3735. Jazeera Airways suspended its Kuwait–Lahore flights J9 501 and J9 502, while SriLankan Airlines halted operations of flights UL153 and UL154 between Colombo and Lahore, Express News reported. Airport officials urged passengers to contact their respective airlines for the most up-to-date information regarding schedules and rebookings. In contrast, operations at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport have returned to normal. The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) announced on Saturday that the country's airspace has been fully reopened for all categories of flights. The decision follows a ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and India after several days of military escalation. The announcement came shortly after US President Donald Trump said that both countries had agreed to a "full and immediate ceasefire" following four days of cross-border strikes targeting military installations. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed that both nations had agreed to implement the ceasefire with immediate effect. India's Ministry of External Affairs also affirmed the agreement.
Trade Arabia
11-05-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
IATA training to deliver vital skills for Saudi aviation
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced several training agreements with Saudi airlines, airports, and academic institutions to address critical skills needed to support the Kingdom's growing aviation sector. These agreements were concluded at the IATA Aviation Day Middle East and North Africa (MENA), taking place in Jeddah on May 6-7. In the initial phase, over 1,000 aviation graduates and employees will receive comprehensive skills training, covering a wide range of areas, including airport development, safety, airline management and ground operations. Today aviation contributes $90.6 billion, or 8.5%, to Saudi Arabia's GDP and supports 1.4 million jobs—62,000 of which are directly employed by airlines and 79,000 by the country's airports and air navigation service provider (ANSP). This contribution is expected to ramp up significantly over the next few years, with travel and tourism serving as one of the key pillars of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. To support this growth, the Kingdom has committed to a significant investment to airport infrastructure and fleet renewals. 'Saudi Arabia's aviation sector is undergoing unprecedented growth and transformation. The Kingdom is not only expanding its aviation infrastructure, but it is also investing in its people. This is vital to meet the immediate skills requirements while developing a professional workforce able to deliver on Vision 2030. IATA is working with the country's training community as it establishes Saudi Arabia as a hub of aviation excellence,' said Kamil Al-Awadhi, IATA's Regional Vice President for Africa and Middle East. The training agreements concluded for 2025 are: Riyadh Airports Company and Qassim University will become Regional Training Partners while Prince Sultan Aviation Academy (PSAA)—a long-standing Regional Training Partner—will add additional courses. Across the three entities, they will offer more than 60 training courses covering airport development and operations, safety, commercial and people skills and ground operations. IATA will provide industry awareness courses to graduates across Riyadh Air and Saudia Airlines, aimed at attracting and nurturing national talent for future leadership roles within the airlines. IATA will provide Dangerous Goods Courses to the management and operational personnel of the Saudi Academy of Civil Aviation (SACA).
