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Israel Aerospace, Etihad to Open Aircraft Conversion Site in Abu Dhabi

Visitors watch a demonstration at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) booth in the IMDEX Asia maritime defense exhibition in Singapore May 19, 2015. (Reuters)
Visitors watch a demonstration at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) booth in the IMDEX Asia maritime defense exhibition in Singapore May 19, 2015. (Reuters)
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Israel Aerospace, Etihad to Open Aircraft Conversion Site in Abu Dhabi

Visitors watch a demonstration at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) booth in the IMDEX Asia maritime defense exhibition in Singapore May 19, 2015. (Reuters)
Visitors watch a demonstration at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) booth in the IMDEX Asia maritime defense exhibition in Singapore May 19, 2015. (Reuters)

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) said on Wednesday it signed an agreement with Etihad Engineering to establish a facility in Abu Dhabi that will convert Boeing 777-300ER passenger planes into cargo aircraft.

The new facility, which will operate as the company’s maintenance center in Abu Dhabi, aims to meet the growing demand for large cargo jets.

“Not only do we see the demand, but we view it as a greener, more profitable, highly innovative solution for our airline customers, and an excellent way to drive value for our business,” Tony Douglas, chief executive of Etihad Aviation Group, said in a statement.

Demand for cargo plane conversions has been on the rise with the increase in ecommerce and the decline in value of used planes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

State-owned IAI currently converts Boeing 737, 747 and 767 passenger aircraft for cargo use. It has said it is currently developing a conversion method for the Boeing 777 and expects to finish the licensing process in 2023.

The deal comes a year after Israel and the United Arab Emirates agreed to normalize relations under the US-sponsored Abraham Accords.

Over the past year, Israeli firms have forged a number of deals in the UAE.

In March, IAI said it would jointly develop an advanced drone defense system with the UAE’s state-owned weapons maker EDGE.

Yossi Melamed, head of IAI´s Aviation Group, said the latest deal adds a “significant tier to the relations between Israel and the Gulf States” and that “additional agreements with companies in the region will arrive, and they will economically benefit all sides involved.”

IAI already operates cargo conversion sites including an existing line at its headquarters at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.

Etihad Engineering is one of the largest commercial aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services providers in the Middle East, and the center in Abu Dhabi will be the largest and most advanced in the Middle East, IAI said.

It noted the facility will be certified by the UAE Civil Aviation Authority, the US Federal Aviation Administration, and the European Aviation Safety Agency.

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China Has ‘Very Big’ Policy Room to Spur Growth, Central Bank Adviser Says 

A man walks past office buildings at the central business district in Beijing on March 17, 2025. (AFP) 
A man walks past office buildings at the central business district in Beijing on March 17, 2025. (AFP) 
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China Has ‘Very Big’ Policy Room to Spur Growth, Central Bank Adviser Says 

A man walks past office buildings at the central business district in Beijing on March 17, 2025. (AFP) 
A man walks past office buildings at the central business district in Beijing on March 17, 2025. (AFP) 

China wields significant policy room to stimulate its economy this year while some reform was needed to boost consumption, Huang Yiping, an advisor to China's central bank and a professor at Peking University, said on Wednesday.

China has unveiled fresh fiscal measures, including a rise in its annual budget deficit, to help hit an economic growth target of around 5% this year, which analysts have described as ambitious. The central bank has pledged to cut interest rates and pump more money into the economy at an appropriate time.

"There is still very big space in terms of macro policies," Huang told Reuters on the sidelines of the annual Boao forum.

Macro policies will help tackle cyclical problems, while some structural challenges could be resolved in the future, he said.

Some reform measures, including those to increase people's incomes and confidence, are needed to boost consumption, on top of recent moves unveiled by the government, Huang said.

Peng Sen, chairman of the China Society of Economic Reform, told the Boao Forum on Tuesday that China should take steps to boost consumption as a share of gross domestic product to 70% by 2035 from around 55% currently, narrowing the gap with developed nations.

Wider structural reforms include changes in institutional frameworks, income distribution, and fiscal and taxation systems will be needed to help boost spending, Peng said.

The Boao Forum, an international summit seen as Asia's version of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, is being held in China's Hainan province from Tuesday through Friday.

Policymakers have put expanding domestic demand, especially consumption, as the top priority this year as they try to cushion the impact of the Trump administration's tariffs on its crucial export engine.

Huang also told the forum that globalization, which has benefited many Asian economies, could be reversed.

"Many of the most successful economies in the last half century or more, like East Asian economies - China and so on -all benefited from globalization, but there is certainly a risk that the US-led globalization may be reversed," Huang said.