With the Gulf an emerging centre for global air travel, the region's growing airline fleets require ever increasing repair services.
While Dubai and Abu Dhabi's international airports have become magnets for global maintenance firms, the biggest investments have come from a UAE company: Mubadala Development, a strategic investment company owned by the Abu Dhabi Government.
Its Mubadala Aerospace division has made investments in Malta and other parts of the world as part of a strategy to become one of the biggest global providers of aircraft maintenance services.
With its two main brands, Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (Adat) and SR Technics, the company hopes to establish a presence in the biggest markets including Europe, the US, Asia and the Middle East.
SR Technics' aviation maintenance facility in Malta is part of a strategy for the company to set up lower-cost operations in Europe to serve some of the continent's carriers.
It follows the 2009 closure of an SR Technics facility in Dublin, Ireland, on the grounds of cost.
SR Technics is also repositioning its Swiss facilities to offload labour-intensive services and focus on high-end, specialised repair work on aircraft components.
Mubadala's most recent initiative has been to create a financing arm, called Sanad Aero Solutions. Sanad's aim is to provide financing to airlines for components and engines, and tie the repair of this equipment into long-term maintenance contracts with its sister companies, Adat and SR Technics.
Last year, Air Berlin and Etihad Airways signed up for US$130 million (Dh477.4m) worth of financing provided by Sanad.
With a keen eye on the heavy spending on military aircraft in the region, Mubadala has also moved into the defence repair market.
Last year, it joined Sikorsky Aerospace Services and Lockheed Martin, both based in the US, to commit to an $800m military aircraft maintenance centre in Al Ain, called the Advanced Military Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Centre.
igale@thenational.ae
Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
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if you go
The flights
Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.
The hotel
Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850
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Events and tours
There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com
For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art.
More information
For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com
Company%20Profile
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Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5