Monarch plans to open the MENA region’s first electric aircraft facility in Abu Dhabi

First MENA electric aircraft factory to open in Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi-based infrastructure investment company Monarch Holding and China’s EHang Holdings, an Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) technology company, have signed an agreement to establish the first facility in the MENA region for the manufacturing of electric powered aircraft for passengers and cargo drones, Wam reports.

The details: The agreement also includes the creation of command and control centers, vertiports, and training of the Emirati workforce in the sector.

The UAE is going big on electric aircraft: Last month, Canadian air mobility infrastructure developer Vports signed an MoU with the UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah Airport to build and operate a vertiport designed for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts, Enterprise Climate reported. Another vertiport terminal located next to Dubai International Airport — the first of four planned for Dubai — will also be operational by 2026, as part of an electric vertical take-off and landing infrastructure (eVTOL) network that will connect Dubai’s transportation hubs by providing high speed, zero-emission travel.

It’s also establishing itself as a site for testing: Vports signed in December a 25-year lease agreement with the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority and the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub to build a eVTOL flight testing site, which Japan’s SkyDrive will be testing its eVTOLs at. The country also granted US logistics firm United Portal Services a temporary flight permit to conduct flight tests to trial its eVTOL fleet.

IN OTHER AVIATION NEWS-

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways aims to double its fleet to 150 planes by decade’s end,Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves toldReuters. This is part of a shift that will see the company move away from ultra long-haul flights and instead focus on growing its medium and long-haul destinations, with India being a priority, Neves said. The airline currently serves Delhi and Mumbai, and has plans to add six other cities. Connecting the GCC, China, India, and Southeast Asia to Europe and the US is also part of the company’s new strategy.

Organic growth takes precedence: The airline’s growth will be “organic,” Neves said, noting that it’s not currently eyeing any mergers or equity partnerships in its target markets. Instead, it will look at codeshare and interline agreements, he added.