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RIYADH: ��������’s Riyadh Air is gearing up to introduce a new international destination every two months once it begins operations, as the carrier prepares to receive its first Boeing 787 aircraft. 

Riyadh Air, fully owned by the Public Investment Fund, is awaiting delivery of its initial aircraft to commence services, according to CEO Tony Douglas. 

Speaking to Bloomberg, he said the airline requires two jets to initiate a round-trip route to each new destination, adding that Saudi carrier aims to connect to 100 cities by 2030 as part of its long-term growth strategy. 

This aligns with the Kingdom’s National Aviation Strategy, which targets doubling passenger capacity to 330 million annually from over 250 global destinations and increasing cargo handling to 4.5 million tonnes by 2030. 

The carrier currently has four Boeing 787 Dreamliners in different stages of assembly at Boeing’s facility in Charleston, South Carolina. Operations are expected to begin once the first two aircraft have been delivered. 

Riyadh Air had initially planned to launch services in early 2025, but delays in aircraft handovers from Boeing have pushed back the timeline. 

“The fact that these are in production probably brings my blood pressure down,” Douglas said. “I will actually not believe they have been delivered until the day after they have been delivered.” 

Douglas also said Riyadh Air has secured the necessary landing slots for its first destinations, though he did not disclose which cities. 

At the Paris Air Show this week, the airline announced an order for up to 50 Airbus A350 long-range jets, with deliveries expected to begin in 2030. 

Riyadh Air has also placed orders for 60 Airbus A321neo narrowbody aircraft and as many as 72 Boeing 787s, including options. 

Commenting on the Airbus order, Douglas said the decision was based on the aircraft’s capabilities and favorable commercial terms when compared with Boeing’s 777X model. “It was a very close call,” he said. 

The airline’s growth strategy reflects the Kingdom’s ambition to transform Riyadh into a global travel hub and position �������� as a major player in international aviation. 

Riyadh Air aims to contribute to the broader Vision 2030 goals by enhancing connectivity and promoting tourism across the Kingdom. 

RIYADH: S&P Global has assigned the UAE its “AA/A-1+” foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings with a stable outlook as it expects strong fiscal and external positions to be maintained over the next two years.

In its latest report, the global credit rating agency said that the grades reflect the Emirates’ net asset position, which could provide a buffer to counteract the effects of oil price swings and geopolitical tensions in the Gulf region. 

According to the agency, this rating indicates a country’s strong capacity to meet its financial commitments. 

The strong rating of the UAE aligns with the broader trend observed in the Middle East region, and in March, S&P Global raised ��������’s rating to “A+” from “A” with a stable outlook underpinned by the Kingdom’s ongoing social and economic transformation. 

In its latest report, the US-based agency said: “The stable outlook reflects our expectation that the UAE’s consolidated fiscal and external positions will remain strong over the next two years, amid continued prudent policymaking and resilient economic growth.”

This is the first time S&P has issued a consolidated sovereign credit rating for the entire UAE, as opposed to the individual emirates.

Non-oil sector to drive growth

S&P Global added that the UAE’s economic growth is expected to remain resilient at 4 percent over 2025-2028, driven by strong non-oil sector performance and a rise in activities. 

“Despite lower oil prices and headwinds from a global economic slowdown, we expect that continued fiscal surpluses at the consolidated federal government and individual emirates level, along with investment income on liquid assets, will support an increase in the net asset position to an estimated 177 percent of GDP (gross domestic product) through 2028,” the report said. 

S&P Global further said that the UAE government’s fiscal surpluses are expected to average around 3.2 percent of GDP through 2028, based on assumptions that Brent oil prices will stay around $60 per barrel in 2025 and $65 per barrel through 2028. 

Government debt will remain stable at about 28 percent of GDP over the next four years as the federal government and emirates, including Abu Dhabi, plan to issue local currency debt to develop domestic capital markets. 

According to the report, the country will have limited monetary flexibility given that the dirham is pegged to the US dollar. 

“This means the UAE’s monetary policy is closely aligned with that of the US Federal Reserve, regardless of domestic economic conditions. We also consider that the domestic local currency bond market remains underdeveloped compared with similarly rated peers,” added S&P Global. 

The report comes just days after an economic update prepared by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, in association with Oxford Economics, said that the economy of the UAE is projected to expand by 5.1 percent in 2025, driven by a recovery in oil output and a 4.7 percent rise in non-oil GDP, with tourism expected to emerge as a key element propelling this growth. 

Earlier this month, the Central Bank of the UAE revealed that the Emirates’ GDP reached 1.77 trillion dirhams ($481.4 billion) in 2024, recording 4 percent growth, with non-oil sectors contributing 75.5 percent of the total. 

CBUAE added that the Emirates is expected to witness economic growth of 4.5 percent in 2025 before accelerating further to 5.5 percent in 2026.

The latest S&P Global analysis further said that the UAE’s oil production is projected to rise to about 3.5 million barrels per day by 2028, up from slightly less than 3 million in 2024, while the Ghasha gas and Ruwais liquefied natural gas are expected to significantly enhance Abu Dhabi’s production capacity.

The non-oil growth in the Emirates will be underpinned by public investment and government efforts to diversify the economy, combined with increasing trade and foreign investment. 

“Projects such as the Saadiyat cultural district and Disney Park in Abu Dhabi, and the Wynn integrated resort in Ras Al Khaimah seek to boost tourism revenue,” added the analysis. 

Affirming the growth of tourism in the country, a report released in April showed that Dubai recorded a 3 percent annual increase in international visitor numbers to 5.31 million in the first quarter of this year. 

According to the data released by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, the city also attracted 18.7 million international tourists in 2024, representing a 9 percent rise compared to the previous year. 

S&P Global added that the UAE would be modestly affected by the proposed 50 percent US tariff on steel and aluminum if no agreement is reached, as these metals accounted for 4.3 percent of the Emirates’ non-oil outbound shipments in 2023. 

In 2023, the UAE exported approximately $1.4 billion worth of steel and aluminum products to the US, representing about 0.3 percent of its GDP.

The study further noted that the UAE has also introduced structural measures to enhance the business environment, which include a foreign direct investment law that permits foreign investors to fully own businesses in various sectors, as well as rules to liberalize personal and family law.

Another initiative is the Golden Visa Program, aimed at supporting talent retention by granting long-term residency to investors, entrepreneurs, and skilled professionals.

“We anticipate that these measures will increase labor market flexibility, investment, and foreign worker inflows. This will be balanced by the nationalization of the workforce, or ‘Emiratization’ policies,” added S&P Global.

Future outlook

The analysis further stated that the UAE’s credit rating could be upgraded in the future if Emirates implements significant measures to improve the effectiveness of monetary policy, such as establishing a deep domestic capital market. 

However, the rating could be downgraded if the UAE’s per capita wealth, currently at $47,000, starts declining due to lower economic growth or higher population inflows. 

“Downside pressure could also arise if the consolidated government interest burden were to increase materially because of higher borrowing, alongside elevated external financing needs,” added the report.