Etihad Airways on Friday confirmed its order for 28 Boeing wide-body aircraft with GE engines, a move that underlines accelerating momentum in its plan to double its fleet by 2030.
The $14.5 billion commitment between Boeing, GE Aerospace and Etihad was signed during US President Donald Trump's visit to Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Deliveries of the Boeing 787 and 777X jets are expected to start in 2028, a statement from the Abu Dhabi-based airline said on Friday.
The deal reflects "Etihad’s ongoing approach to aligning its fleet with evolving network and operational needs," it said. Boeing did not immediately comment on the deal.
“This commitment reflects our approach of carefully managing our fleet and expanding in line with demand and our long-term network plans,” said Antonoaldo Neves, Etihad's chief executive. “Since 2023, we’ve made consistent additions to our fleet and this latest step ensures we continue to meet our future requirements.”
Etihad has outlined plans for its so-called Journey 2030, a seven-year growth agenda announced in November 2023 when it marked its 20th anniversary. The strategy calls for doubling its fleet to 170 planes and tripling the number of passengers its carries annually to 33 million as it expands its global route network.
"Etihad is currently finalising a detailed plan that will shape the airline’s strategy through to 2035," it said in Friday's statement, without providing further details.
The airline currently uses 99 planes and flies to 72 destinations as of last month, according to its latest available data. The fleet is a mix of Boeing 787s and 777 wide-bodies, as well as Airbus A380s, A350s, A320s, A321s and the newly announced long-range narrow-body A321LR.
The new deal expands Etihad's orderbook that includes a deal made in November 2013 for Boeing 777X jets, which has been delayed until 2026 by the US plane maker.
Etihad Airways will invest nearly $1 billion to retrofit its older Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliners as it awaits delivery of new planes.
Mr Neves said the airline will take delivery of 20 to 22 new aircraft this year. It plans on opening 16 new destinations in 2025 alone, he said.
Etihad, compared to its older and bigger neighbours Emirates and Qatar Airways, operates a smaller fleet. Dubai-based Emirates, which operates the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft, had 260 planes in its fleet as of March 31. Its orderbook has 314 aircraft pending delivery, including 61 of the A350s, 205 Boeing 777x, 35 of the 787s and 13 of the 777Fs.
In a separate statement on Friday Etihad Airways said it will start non-stop flights to Charlotte, North Carolina, starting May 2026, becoming the first airline in the region to connect to the American city.
Charlotte becomes Etihad’s sixth destination in the US, joining New York, Chicago, Washington, Boston, and Atlanta, which launches July 2. The route will operate four times per week on Etihad’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
“A thriving centre for finance, technology, motorsport and culture, Charlotte is home to major US corporations and attracts millions of visitors annually for both business and leisure,” the airline said.
Boeing gains momentum with record Gulf deal
The Etihad announcement is the latest in a string of deals that Boeing secured during Mr Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE this week.
The US plane maker had its moment in the sun during the Gulf visit, backed by major endorsements from the US President, as it scored the biggest plane order in its history.
Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg signed a deal with Qatar Airways for up to 210 wide-body planes, a mix of 787 Dreamliner and the larger 777X model with GE engines, at the Qatari Royal Court.
Besides the Etihad Airways order in Abu Dhabi, it also signed a smaller $4.8 billion deal with Saudi Arabian plane lessor AviLease for 30 of its 737-8s.
This offered much-welcome relief for the company a year after it survived a major management shake-up and a prolonged safety and quality crisis that spurred its restructuring efforts.
Since his appointment last August, Mr Ortberg has tackled a workers' strike, redressed the company’s balance sheet with a new financing round, and outlined a pathway to increase output of Boeing's best-selling 737 Max narrow-body and the 787 Dreamliner.
The Gulf deals have handed Boeing much-needed momentum, as its delivery rate is starting to improve.
Mr Trump's trade negotiations with some of its partners and "increased buyer comfort" that previous manufacturing issues are resolved means Boeing orders "could pop", Bloomberg analysts say.
"US trade negotiations may spur more orders for the country's largest exporter, while regular customers book on increased confidence that manufacturing problems are behind it," said George Ferguson, Bloomberg Intelligence's senior aerospace analyst.
Overall, the US on Thursday announced major commercial investments with the UAE worth $200 billion during Mr Trump's state visit to the UAE, which marks the last leg of his Gulf tour.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
Profile of Tamatem
Date started: March 2013
Founder: Hussam Hammo
Based: Amman, Jordan
Employees: 55
Funding: $6m
Funders: Wamda Capital, Modern Electronics (part of Al Falaisah Group) and North Base Media
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The biog
Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:
- Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
- He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
- There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
- After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
- In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
NATIONAL%20SELECTIONS
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MATCH INFO
Bayern Munich 2 Borussia Monchengladbach 1
Bayern: Zirkzee (26'), Goretzka (86')
Gladbach: Pavard (37' og)
Man of the Match: Breel Embolo (Borussia Monchengladbach)
Company%20profile%20
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