NEOM Airport Welcomes First Flight

 Passengers traveled to NEOM via two Saudi airlines Airbus A320 aircrafts. (SPA)
Passengers traveled to NEOM via two Saudi airlines Airbus A320 aircrafts. (SPA)
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NEOM Airport Welcomes First Flight

 Passengers traveled to NEOM via two Saudi airlines Airbus A320 aircrafts. (SPA)
Passengers traveled to NEOM via two Saudi airlines Airbus A320 aircrafts. (SPA)

NEOM Airport in Saudi Arabia's Sharma on the Red Sea Coast received its first charter flight.

The plane transported 130 NEOM Project staffers in their first official visit to hold their first annual meeting on the project site. There is a plan to establish a network of airports in NEOM that will include an international airport with world-class standards.

Saudia operated two Airbus A320 aircraft to the NEOM Airport, which carries the symbol of an airport of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of the NEOM Project, said that the trip to the project site aimed at enabling the staffers to experience the outcome of their efforts to make the ambitious project successful since its launching last year.

He continued: “There is a big difference between knowing the details of the project in theory and going into it practically and exploring its treasures, beauty, and heritage.”

Saleh Al-Jasser, director general of Saudia, said: “We have great faith in this ambitious project, and hope that this trip would mark the beginning of a long and prosperous partnership with NEOM, with its great opportunities to support the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 as well as to write a new history for the region’s future and economy.”

Encouraging economic activities is one of the basic goals of NEOM. For this purpose, an infrastructure will be developed to attract emerging firms in the 16 targeted economic sectors; the future of energy, water, mobility, biotech, food, manufacturing, media, entertainment, culture and fashion, technology and digital, tourism, sport, design and construction, services, health and well-being, education, and livability.

The entire project’s space exceeds 25,000 sq. km of land and its cost is forecast to reach USD500 billion.

NEOM enjoys an uninterrupted coastline stretching over 468 kilometers.



UAE’s Mubadala Acquires Majority Stakes in Global Medical Supply Chain, Al Ittihad Drug

The acquisition enhances Mubadala's footprint in the healthcare logistics and pharmaceutical distribution sectors. WAM
The acquisition enhances Mubadala's footprint in the healthcare logistics and pharmaceutical distribution sectors. WAM
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UAE’s Mubadala Acquires Majority Stakes in Global Medical Supply Chain, Al Ittihad Drug

The acquisition enhances Mubadala's footprint in the healthcare logistics and pharmaceutical distribution sectors. WAM
The acquisition enhances Mubadala's footprint in the healthcare logistics and pharmaceutical distribution sectors. WAM

Mubadala Investment Company has acquired an 80% stake in Global Medical Supply Chain (GMSC) and Al Ittihad Drug Store (IDS) from GlobalOne Healthcare Holding (GHH), with GHH retaining a 20% stake, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Tuesday.

This strategic acquisition enhances Mubadala's footprint in the healthcare logistics and pharmaceutical distribution sectors, aligning with the UAE's vision to establish a robust life sciences infrastructure, WAM said.

Founded in 2015, GMSC provides comprehensive end-to-end supply chain services for medical products, including demand planning, procurement, logistics, inventory management, warehousing, and maintenance.

GMSC serves over 200 medical facilities, including hospitals and clinics across the UAE. With a dedicated team of medical supply chain specialists, GMSC sources a broad array of products from almost 400 suppliers, ensuring a reliable supply chain for all medical needs.

IDS, established in 1987, stands as one of the leading distributors of pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare products in the UAE. Distributing over 1,000 products from over 40 leading suppliers, IDS services every hospital, and all, or at least most pharmacies and supermarkets within the UAE. It boasts a vast portfolio that spans multiple therapeutic categories including anti-infectives, asthma, diabetes, and oncology.

"The expanding pharmaceutical market drives an increasing demand for specialized and efficient drug logistics solutions. By integrating GMSC and IDS into our portfolio, we are poised to create a vertically integrated life sciences sector in the UAE and enable its potential to encompass the entire value chain from logistics and distribution to specialized manufacturing,” said Executive Director of UAE Clusters at Mubadala's UAE Investments Platform Ismail Ali Abdulla.

As for Low Ping, Group CEO Yas Holding, she said that the transaction “continues Mubadala's strategic growth, following another significant acquisition by its new speciality pharmaceutical business, KELIX bio, which recently acquired a 100% stake in four pharma assets from GlobalOne Healthcare Holding's, the healthcare division of Yas Holding.”

“These concerted efforts underline Mubadala's commitment to strengthening the UAE's healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors as part of broader national ambitions for drug security and economic diversification."

GlobalOne Healthcare Holding LLC serves as the dedicated Healthcare Division of Yas Holding LLC, focusing on enhancing healthcare outcomes by investing in innovative solutions across various healthcare verticals.