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Private Aviation Booms in Gulf Countries, Saudi Arabia Leads the Growth

A Vista Global airplane. Asharq Al-Awsat
A Vista Global airplane. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Private Aviation Booms in Gulf Countries, Saudi Arabia Leads the Growth

A Vista Global airplane. Asharq Al-Awsat
A Vista Global airplane. Asharq Al-Awsat

The Arab Gulf region is witnessing a rapid growth in private aviation, led by Saudi Arabia, and followed by the Emirates and Qatar.

Dubai-based company, Vista Global, which specializes in business travel services, said that the Middle East region maintained its position as one of the company’s top markets, during the first quarter of 2023.

Europe is one of the main destinations for flights departing from the Middle East, starting with France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In addition, the most frequent routes for regional flights within the Middle East were between the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The business travel company said that a number of factors stimulated growth during the last period. Those included an increasing demand from India, and private travel from and to the city of Neom in Saudi Arabia.

Moreover, many international companies are opening their regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia, while the Saudi tourism sector is developing at a rapid pace.

In information sent to Asharq Al-Awsat, Vista Global said that Qatar was witnessing an increasing interest in tourism and business after the World Cup. The UAE, for its part, has become an international travel hub linking East and West.

Vista Global expressed optimism about the outlook for the rest of 2023 and beyond.

“We have witnessed tremendous growth in this vital market,” it said, adding that more and more travelers were seeking the services provided by the company.

The information also revealed that the company has expanded its fleet to meet the growing demand, noting that it added 117 net aircraft in 2022, including 85 through the acquisition of Air Hamburg and Jet Edge, expanding scale in the Middle East, Europe and the US.

Vista Global also indicated that the first quarter of 2023 showed exceptional growth in the Middle East, stressing that the region contributed significantly to the overall global growth of the group. It added that combined flights to Dubai International Airports continue to strengthen the Emirate’s position as the number one destination for the company in the GCC countries.

Sales of the group’s subscription products set all-time records during the first quarter of 2023, registering a 55 percent global increase in total flying hours sold under the VistaJet program.

Chief Commercial Officer for Vista Ian Moore said that the first quarter of 2023 saw record results and ground-breaking progress worldwide, reinforcing the company’s position as a global leader in the industry.

He added that the Middle East has been “a major and growing market for several years now.”

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Business

Saudi Arabia, Australia Discuss Climate Cooperation Opportunities

Saudi Minister of Energy and Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz and Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen meet in Jeddah. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Energy and Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz and Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen meet in Jeddah. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia, Australia Discuss Climate Cooperation Opportunities

Saudi Minister of Energy and Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz and Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen meet in Jeddah. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Energy and Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz and Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen meet in Jeddah. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Energy and Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz met in Jeddah on Monday with Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen.

They discussed opportunities for cooperation on climate action and joint efforts in connection with the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), scheduled to be held in Türkiye in November this year.

Talks focused on advancing the objectives and principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, with a view to achieving inclusive, balanced and practical outcomes that take into account the national circumstances of member states.

They reviewed Saudi Arabia’s initiatives and efforts to address the impacts of climate change, including the deployment of renewable energy, emissions management, reduction and removal, the Saudi Green Initiative, as well as the implementation of the Circular Carbon Economy approach and its technologies and other national and regional programs and initiatives.

Bowen toured the Shuaibah Solar Power Project, one of the largest projects under Saudi Arabia’s National Renewable Energy Program.

His visit also included a tour of Historic Jeddah, one of the Kingdom’s leading cultural and tourism destinations, as well as a visit to King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), where he was briefed on the university’s research environment and academic programs in science, engineering and biotechnology.

Business

Mideast Oil Exports Rebound to 12.8 Million Barrels Per Day

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, September 28, 2026. Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, September 28, 2026. Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
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Mideast Oil Exports Rebound to 12.8 Million Barrels Per Day

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, September 28, 2026. Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran, September 28, 2026. Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA/via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

Crude oil exports from key Middle East producers rebounded in September to 12.8 million barrels per day, the highest since the US-Israeli war with Iran started in February, data from Kpler showed on Monday, as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates boosted exports.

The rebound came following a recovery in exports via the Strait of Hormuz, ⁠which were set ⁠to hit about 7.4 million bpd this month, as Saudi Arabia diverted oil exports from the Red Sea port of Yanbu following attacks that damaged its East-West pipeline, the preliminary data showed.

While exports from the region - which includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Oman, ⁠Qatar, Kuwait, Iran - have rebounded, they were still about 6 million bpd down from 18.8 million bpd in February, according to Kpler.

The region's top exporter Saudi Arabia was on track to ship about 5.4 million bpd this month, rebounding from 2.446 million bpd in August, the data showed, according to Reuters.

September shipments from the Ras Tanura port in the Gulf jumped to about 3.6 million bpd, from 929,000 bpd in August, but still lower than the 6.411 million bpd ⁠recorded in ⁠February, according to the data.

A total of 19 very large crude carriers, carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi oil each, exited the Strait of Hormuz last week, Kpler data showed.

The figures exclude any vessels that might have crossed the strait with their Automatic Identification System transponders turned off to avoid detection.

Before the Iran war started on February 28, the strait typically handled about 125 large commercial vessels per day, including tankers, gas carriers, bulkers and container vessels, accounting for some 20% of the world’s daily crude oil and liquefied natural gas supply.

Business

Syria Central Bank Expects More Than $1 Billion to Establish New Banks

President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a decree appointing Nebras Mohammad Wahid Khayyata as first deputy governor of the Central Bank of Syria. (X) 
President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a decree appointing Nebras Mohammad Wahid Khayyata as first deputy governor of the Central Bank of Syria. (X) 
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Syria Central Bank Expects More Than $1 Billion to Establish New Banks

President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a decree appointing Nebras Mohammad Wahid Khayyata as first deputy governor of the Central Bank of Syria. (X) 
President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a decree appointing Nebras Mohammad Wahid Khayyata as first deputy governor of the Central Bank of Syria. (X) 

Syria expects more than $1 billion in foreign capital to flow into the country to establish new banks, Central Bank Governor Mohammad Safwat Raslan said, as the bank seeks to encourage investment, protect customers’ rights and open secure money-transfer channels through official institutions.

Raslan told state news agency SANA on Sunday that licensing requirements already exist for both Islamic and conventional banks. Key criteria include applicants’ experience and reputation and the founders’ financial solvency, as well as a requirement for a strategic banking partner to hold at least a 10 percent stake in the new bank.

The timeframe for granting licenses depends on applicants submitting the required documents and meeting the stipulated conditions, he explained. The Central Bank is working to ensure that preliminary licenses are issued within three to four months of receiving all requirements.

Raslan dismissed concerns about financial risks, noting that the law allows foreign investors to retain 60 percent of their paid-in capital in foreign currency. Investors’ rights to profits and their transfer are also protected, he added, pointing to the removal of all restrictions on buying, selling or transferring foreign currency.

On regulatory risks, Raslan stressed that the Central Bank issues its regulatory and supervisory decisions in accordance with international risk and accounting standards, meaning investors should find no difference between standards applied in Syria and those in their home countries.

The Central Bank is also encouraging international money-transfer providers to enter the Syrian market through Syrian financial institutions to create secure transfer channels for Syrians and foreigners and protect their rights and interests.

Daily and monthly transfer limits will be determined by agreements between Syrian financial institutions and banks or service providers abroad, according to the official.

Separately, President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued Decree No. 176 of 2026 appointing Nebras Mohammad Wahid Khayyata as first deputy governor of the Central Bank of Syria. The decree also repealed any provisions conflicting with its terms.