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Saudi Airlines: Electric Aircraft Will Connect Key Regions of the Kingdom by End of 2026

The official spokesperson for Saudi Airlines, Engineer Abdullah Al-Shahrani (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The official spokesperson for Saudi Airlines, Engineer Abdullah Al-Shahrani (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Airlines: Electric Aircraft Will Connect Key Regions of the Kingdom by End of 2026

The official spokesperson for Saudi Airlines, Engineer Abdullah Al-Shahrani (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The official spokesperson for Saudi Airlines, Engineer Abdullah Al-Shahrani (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The official spokesperson for Saudi Airlines, Engineer Abdullah Al-Shahrani, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the 100 electric aircraft purchased from the German company Lilium will begin official operations in the second half of 2026, with the delivery of the first aircraft.
This follows a deal between Saudi Airlines and Lilium in July, marking one of the largest orders the company has received to date.
Speaking during the first day of the Global Logistics Forum in Riyadh, Al-Shahrani explained that a major test flight is scheduled for February next year. After that, infrastructure development and pilot training will begin, leading to the official launch in the second half of 2026. The full fleet will be delivered over six years, he remarked.
At the forum, Saudi Airlines showcased a real-life model of the Lilium electric aircraft. Al-Shahrani noted that each aircraft can reach a speed of 270 km/h and cover distances of up to 170 kilometers. Saudi Airlines plans to build a wide network of Lilium planes to link major areas in the Kingdom, with flight times ranging from 20 to 40 minutes, emphasizing the efficiency and time savings these aircraft offer.
The Lilium electric planes are expected to significantly increase the frequency of flights and reduce travel times by up to 90%, especially to tourist destinations that currently require longer journeys. They will also provide a solution for travel in congested areas, easing traffic and saving time.
Al-Shahrani further detailed plans to use the electric planes to connect King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah with key religious sites such as the Grand Mosque, Muzdalifah, Mina, and Arafat, utilizing landing zones near these locations. Similarly, they will link King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with entertainment districts like Qiddiya and Diriyah. Future plans include connecting the Red Sea Project resorts with regional airports and integrating the aircraft into the NEOM region.
This initiative aligns with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, contributing to the growth of the tourism, entertainment, and sports sectors. It will also facilitate the movement of 330 million travelers and 150 million visits, as well as support the transport of pilgrims during Hajj and Umrah, helping achieve the target of 30 million Umrah visitors.

 

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Business

AI Borrowing Binge Rattles US Markets

Tech giants are raising debt to finance the construction of data centers that power AI. Brandon Bell / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Tech giants are raising debt to finance the construction of data centers that power AI. Brandon Bell / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
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AI Borrowing Binge Rattles US Markets

Tech giants are raising debt to finance the construction of data centers that power AI. Brandon Bell / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Tech giants are raising debt to finance the construction of data centers that power AI. Brandon Bell / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

The world's richest companies can no longer rely on their massive cash piles alone to stay in the artificial intelligence race and have suddenly started borrowing massively in a shift that is sending repercussions across the world.

Rising US interest rates, including on the Treasury bonds that anchor the global economy, are sending tremors through the financial world, and some analysts point to the AI borrowing bonanza as one of the culprits, said AFP.

From next to nothing in 2024, tech sector borrowing has reached around $500 billion in the nine months since January, as Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft and others raise debt hand over fist to finance the chips, servers and data centers that power AI.

Goldman Sachs expects a further ramp-up in 2027, to $1.2 trillion.

"This is not something that we've seen before," said Chris Della Fave, senior vice president at fundraising advisory firm Post Oak Group, who estimates that AI now accounts for 25 percent of all corporate bond issuance, up from 4 percent two years ago.

In inflation-adjusted terms, the AI sector is expected to borrow more this year than US cable operators did to build out the entire internet, or than railroad companies did during the 19th-century US rail boom.

So far, investors have eagerly snapped up the chance to lend to the tech giants, but they have demanded returns that would have been unthinkable for such blue-chip companies not long ago.

Even Meta has had to offer more than 7 percent a year, while riskier cloud data center specialists have gone above 9 percent.

The impact reaches well beyond the companies building AI -- their debt is even starting to crowd out demand for the US government bonds that anchor the financial system.

An investor who might otherwise buy a US Treasury bond "might decide to buy Microsoft" instead, said Mark Malek, chief investment officer at Siebert Financial, referring to the tech giant's bonds.

That shift pushes up the rates Washington pays to borrow, he explained.

This adds to the other force driving up US borrowing costs: inflation, fueled by the war against Iran and high energy prices.

The interest rate on 10-year US government bonds -- Wall Street's benchmark and widely seen as the most important number in global finance, setting the tone for everything from mortgages to car loans -- is now above 5.30 percent, its highest level since 2002.

- 'Sharper correction' -

Adding to the volatility, hedge funds had piled into US government bonds like never before, holding 7 percent of all those in circulation at the end of 2025, though that share has since fallen.

Hedge funds, which place big bets on markets, move their money far faster than more cautious investors such as insurers and pension funds.

Even if the war and the oil situation stabilized, Della Fave said, "I wouldn't expect the yields to dramatically reduce, to be honest, because of this influence of the AI debt situation."

Beyond the rising cost of borrowing, some are questioning the risks of betting on an AI boom that could hit a wall, as the dot-com bubble did in 2000.

Even a moderate slowdown in the frenzied pace of construction, delays on certain projects or weaker-than-expected revenue growth could trigger a shock in financial markets, Malek warned.

In late September, the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee warned that "the risk of a sharper correction persists," particularly if concerns about the pace of AI development or adoption hit earnings expectations.

In July, amid some second-guessing about the AI boom, the tech-heavy Nasdaq index fell nearly 7 percent.

Against this backdrop, cloud specialist Oracle is sometimes seen as a bellwether.

With massive debt ($125 billion), cash reserves that shrink every quarter and a possible delay on a huge data center project in New Mexico, several warning lights are flashing for Larry Ellison's group.

"Let's say Oracle has a problem... They can't pay for something," Malek said. Trouble with its debt "could trigger contagion" across AI finance as a whole, he added.

Business

Gold Inches Lower as Firmer Dollar, Higher Yields Weigh

A woman passes in front of a gold shop in Hong Kong (AFP)
A woman passes in front of a gold shop in Hong Kong (AFP)
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Gold Inches Lower as Firmer Dollar, Higher Yields Weigh

A woman passes in front of a gold shop in Hong Kong (AFP)
A woman passes in front of a gold shop in Hong Kong (AFP)

Gold eased on Tuesday, pressured by a firmer US dollar and rising Treasury yields, though losses were limited by easing expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike this month.

Spot gold slipped 0.3% to $4,128.69 per ounce by 0155 GMT. US gold futures were little changed at $4,156.00.

The dollar held firm, making greenback-denominated commodities more expensive for holders of other ‌currencies, Reuters said.

The 10- ‌and 30-year Treasury yields hit 24-year ‌highs ⁠on Monday as persistent ⁠bond market weakness weighed on sentiment.

"Fundamentals remain supportive of gold in the long term. The next big catalyst is likely to stem from geopolitical risk in the Middle East," said Kyle Rodda, senior financial market analyst at Capital.com.

"Alternatively, a significant change in US rate expectations could provide an ⁠impetus for the next break-out, so every ‌piece of price data will ‌be important."

Expectations of a US rate hike in October eased ‌after data on Friday showed US job growth slowed ‌more than expected in September and nonfarm payrolls for the prior two months were revised lower.

Traders are still pricing an 87% probability of an increase in December, according to CME's FedWatch Tool.

Higher ‌interest rates increase the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding gold.

Data showed US services sector activity ⁠slowed ⁠in September, while strong domestic demand stretched supply chains and pushed a measure of prices paid by businesses for inputs to its highest level in more than four years, suggesting inflation could remain elevated into 2027.

Elsewhere, Yemeni government forces staged a lightning advance to retake the coast around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait up to the city of Mocha, the government said, pushing the Iran-backed Houthis out of most of the areas they seized last month.

Among other metals, spot silver fell 0.6% to $60.67, platinum lost 0.7% to $1,710.08 and palladium eased 0.2% to $1,170.15.

Business

Oil Stocks in US Strategic Petroleum Reserve Fall to Lowest Level since 1982

Crude oil, gasoline, and diesel storage tanks at Kinder Morgan's facility in Los Angeles (Reuters)
Crude oil, gasoline, and diesel storage tanks at Kinder Morgan's facility in Los Angeles (Reuters)
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Oil Stocks in US Strategic Petroleum Reserve Fall to Lowest Level since 1982

Crude oil, gasoline, and diesel storage tanks at Kinder Morgan's facility in Los Angeles (Reuters)
Crude oil, gasoline, and diesel storage tanks at Kinder Morgan's facility in Los Angeles (Reuters)

Stocks of crude oil in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve fell to 283 million barrels last week, the lowest level since October 1982, according to data from the Department of Energy, Reuters reported.

The drawdowns are part of a US agreement to release 172 million barrels from the facility.

Additionally, the Trump administration last week said it is offering to loan energy companies 40 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.