Italian defence and aerospace giant Leonardo is partnering with Abu Dhabi's Falcon Aviation Services to develop a new helicopter terminal as the company remains bullish on business in the Middle East, its chief executive said.
The VIP terminal will be based in Dubai to support Falcon Aviation helicopter transfer services to the Expo 2020 site, using the AW169 helicopters manufactured by Leonardo, Alessandro Profumo, Leonardo's chief executive, told The National in an exclusive interview before the Dubai Airshow on Sunday.
"It features private, airport-like comfort and ease of transport, and is an important investment in modern passenger transport services and mobility, with a dedicated facility that will support Expo 2020's visitors’ helicopter transfer," he said. "In the UAE we have very good demand on the civil side with our helicopter business."
Leonardo has also signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi Aviation Training Centre to house the AW169 and AW139 pilot training simulators in a deal facilitated by Tawazun Economic Council, the body tasked with developing a homegrown defence industry.
Leonardo expects to boost its annual Middle East sales beyond $1.5 billion (Dh5.5bn) as it pursues deals for its naval combat systems, cybersecurity and helicopters amid plans to buoy overall global revenue. Its Middle East business accounts for up to 10 per cent of its total order book.
The firm last week said it invested in Skydweller Aero, a start-up that is developing solar-powered drones capable of unlimited flight without refuelling.
While the company has not yet held talks with Middle East customers on the new venture, it sees potential uses for the technology in the region where sunlight is in abundant supply and governments are increasingly investing in renewable sources of energy.
"It's a region where solar power will be incredibly important and this is a piece of tech that could be relevant in terms of future application and can be relevant in many sectors," Mr Profumo said. "We’re very interested in having co-operation with local companies."
Autonomous flights of the drone are projected for 2020 and the first production model of the unmanned version of the aircraft is expected in 2021.
Leonardo is bullish on business opportunities in the Middle East despite headwinds that have weighed on regional and global economies.
"In spite of the economic slowdown, the region is experiencing an increased need for security and defence, offering opportunities to companies with a wide but focused portfolio of technologies such as Leonardo's," Mr Profumo said. "This spans from cyber security, to counter drone systems, critical infrastructures security, land and blue border control to air defence.”
Defence companies will be gauging demand for security and early warning systems at the air show, pushing to secure order commitments after the region witnessed a number of attacks over the summer amid escalated tensions.
Leonardo also sees opportunities for its Air Traffic Control (ATM) and Unmanned aerial systems Traffic Control (UTC) as the region focuses on urban mobility innovation and copes with an overcrowded commercial airspace.
"We are already in talks with UAE companies for business opportunities, and we hope to be able to disclose some exciting news next week at the Dubai Airshow," the executive said.
The company sees potential for a deepened relationship and more synergies after the creation of UAE defence conglomerate Edge, which includes some of its existing partners such as Abu Dhabi Ship Building, he said.
The firm will be showcasing a range of its products at the Dubai Airshow including the AgustaWestland AW169 helicopter, training aircraft M-346 and M-345, and its latest drone Falco Xplorer.
In the UAE, Leonardo already has partnerships in the helicopter maintenance, shipbuilding and security fields. It supplies the SF-260 and MB-339 advanced training aircraft for the UAE Air Force. The UAE Navy also uses Leonardo's naval defence and combat management systems.
At a global level, the company is unlikely to see much impact from a potential hard Brexit, despite its significant defence business ties to the UK.
"Leonardo has run extensive evaluations of potential impacts of Brexit on its activities and we do not expect a material impact on the business in the short-term," Mr Profumo said. "We believe that the UK will continue to be an integral element of European defence industrial system."
Italy has agreed to join Britain for work on its planned Tempest fighter plane programme. The Tempest has raised questions about the future of European defence co-operation as France and Germany pursue their own air combat programme.
Asked about the feasibility of two fighter jet programmes in Europe, Mr Profumo said: "We still believe that, for Europe, it would be more efficient and more sustainable at an economic, industrial and commercial level, if in the end, the two programmes would converge."
Leonardo is not currently pursuing specific acquisitions, but is open to evaluating opportunities, and is focusing on pursuing a financial strategy aimed at regaining investment grade from major credit rating agencies, he said.
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Huddersfield Town permanent signings:
- Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
- Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
- Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
- Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
- Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
- Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
- Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
- Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
