Firoz Tarapore, chief executive of state-owned plane lessor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise. Leslie Pableo / The National
Firoz Tarapore, chief executive of state-owned plane lessor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise. Leslie Pableo / The National
Firoz Tarapore, chief executive of state-owned plane lessor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise. Leslie Pableo / The National
Firoz Tarapore, chief executive of state-owned plane lessor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise. Leslie Pableo / The National

Boeing and DAE's engineering unit to set up freighter conversion line in Jordan


Deena Kamel
  • English
  • Arabic

Boeing and the engineering unit of plane lessor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) have agreed to set up a new freighter conversion line in Jordan, bringing the service closer to customers in the Middle East, North Africa and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Amman-based Joramco – DAE's commercial aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) subsidiary – will convert Boeing 737-800 passenger planes into freighters, serving domestic and foreign airlines, DAE said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The new 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) capability we’re bringing to our MRO is another major milestone for Joramco," said Fraser Currie, chief executive of Joramco.

"Our geographic location in Amman, our deep MRO experience and the opportunity to work together with DAE on their customers’ requirements makes this a very exciting opportunity for Joramco.”

Since acquiring Joramco in 2016, the unit's revenue has more than doubled, according to Firoz Tarapore, chief executive of DAE.

"We continue to expand our presence at our Amman, Jordan-based facility, which is expected to reach 22 maintenance lines by the end of 2024," Mr Tarapore said.

"We look forward to continuing to deepen our relationship with Boeing as well as developing new product offerings for Joramco’s global customer base.”

The US plane-maker expects "robust demand" for dedicated cargo freighters to continue, despite the cyclical nature of this sector, due to growing e-commerce and evolving supply chain networks, Boeing said in its latest Commercial Market Outlook in June.

Air cargo will continue to outpace global trade growth, with airlines requiring 2,800 dedicated freighters. This includes more than 900 new wide-bodies as well as converted narrow-body and wide-body models.

Deliveries will include 1,810 regional jets and 925 freighters over the next 20 years.

“We continue to look for opportunities to bring freighter conversion capacity closer to our customers,” said Mike Doellefeld, commercial programmes vice president of Boeing's engineering services, converted freighters and sub-components.

“Connecting with Joramco reflects the potential of a growing region combined with an MRO partner capable of producing the BCF with the quality our customers expect.”

Joramco's MRO plant serves a range of customers in the Middle East, Europe, South Asia, Africa and the CIS, offering services on several aircraft models including Airbus, Boeing and Embraer.

Located in the free zone area in Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, it features five hangars that can accommodate up to 17 planes. Joramco is certified by international regulatory authorities including the European Aviation Safety Agency, the US Federal Aviation Administration and the Jordanian Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission, according to its website.

Elsewhere in the region, Emirates, the world's biggest international airline, in May said it expected 10 Boeing 777-300ER planes from its passenger-to-freighter conversion programme over the next five years.

Etihad Airways in 2021 said its engineering arm had signed a partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries to provide passenger-to-freighter conversions on Boeing 777-300ER wide-bodies.

The belly-hold of passenger jets returning to service due to rebounding travel appetite and airlines' strong demand to convert older passenger aircraft to freighters has meant additional capacity entering the global air freight market.

Global air cargo demand in June contracted at its slowest rate in 16 months since February 2022, according to Iata, as volumes continue to return to those seen before the peaks recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Middle Eastern airlines posted a 0.5 per cent increase in air cargo volumes in June compared to the same month a year ago. This was up from the 2.9 per cent year-over-year decline registered in May. Capacity rose 11.1 per cent for the month.

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Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Director: Scott Cooper

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong

Rating: 4/5

House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
  2. Westminster, London 
  3. Camden, London 
  4. Glasgow, Scotland 
  5. Islington, London 
  6. Kensington and Chelsea, London 
  7. Highlands, Scotland 
  8. Argyll and Bute, Scotland 
  9. Fife, Scotland 
  10. Tower Hamlets, London 

 

Analysis

Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more

Race card:

6.30pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; 2,000m

7.05pm: Handicap; Dh165,000; 2,200m

7.40pm: Conditions; Dh240,000; 1,600m

8.15pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 2,000m

8.50pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed; Dh265,000; 1,200m

9.25pm: Handicap; Dh170,000; 1,600m

10pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 1,400m

RACE CARD

6.30pm Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $36,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

7.05pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Turf) 2,410m

7.40pm Meydan Trophy – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (T) 1,900m

8.15pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 - Group 2 (TB) $293,000 (D) 1,900m

8.50pm Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m

9.25pm Handicap (TB) $65,000 (T) 1,000m

RESULTS

5pm: Rated Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: AF Mouthirah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AF Alajaj, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Hawafez, Connor Beasley, Abubakar Daud

6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Tair, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel

7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham

7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner: Son Of Normandy, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash

RESULTS

5pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner AF Nashrah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

5.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m

Winner Mutaqadim, Riccardo Iacopini, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.

6pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner Hameem, Jose Santiago, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

6.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner AF Almomayaz, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

7pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m

Winner Dalil Al Carrere, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.

7.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner Lahmoom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

8pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner Jayide Al Boraq, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.

SCORES IN BRIEF

Lahore Qalandars 186 for 4 in 19.4 overs
(Sohail 100,Phil Salt 37 not out, Bilal Irshad 30, Josh Poysden 2-26)
bt Yorkshire Vikings 184 for 5 in 20 overs
(Jonathan Tattersall 36, Harry Brook 37, Gary Ballance 33, Adam Lyth 32, Shaheen Afridi 2-36).

Company Profile 

Founder: Omar Onsi

Launched: 2018

Employees: 35

Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)

Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners

New UK refugee system

 

  • A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
  • Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
  • A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
  • To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
  • Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
  • Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
RESULTS

5pm Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m

Winner Thabet Al Reef, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)

5.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m

Winner Blue Diamond, Pat Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi

6pm Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m

Winner Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi

6.30pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m

Winner Shoja’A Muscat, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

7pm Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m

Winner Heros De Lagarde, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

7.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m

Winner Good Tidings, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Xpanceo

Started: 2018

Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov

Based: Dubai, UAE

Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality

Funding: $40 million

Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)

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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Updated: August 22, 2023, 12:04 PM