STORAGE + WAREHOUSES-

#1- QFZ debuts new cargo facility: Qatar Freezones Authority (QFZ) and global logistics solution provider Bin Yousef Cargo have inaugurated a new storage facility at Ras Bufontas Freezone, according to a statement. The facility — located near Hamad International Airport and Hamad Port — is set to help Bin Yousef Cargo provide value-added services, customized packaging, stock management, and order processing for several businesses across different sectors within Qatar. The warehouse’s size and investment ticket were not disclosed.

#2- Amazon lands in Kezad: Amazon — in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office — has launched its first fulfillment center in Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (Kezad), according to a statement released on Thursday. The facility is slated to boost fulfillment capabilities, ease delivery times, and increase customers’ product selection on offer.

What’s in store? The center boasts an 8 mn unit storage capacity, with half dedicated to sellers using the firm’s tailored Fulfillment by Amazon services. The center also integrates advanced automation to streamline deliveries — capping lead times by 59% to date and enabling same-day delivery across a wide range of products.

SHIPPING + MARITIME-

#2- Al Seer JV adds new vessel to its fleet: IHC’s maritime solutions subsidiary Al Seer Marine and Geneva-based energy trader BGN have received a third very large gas carrier (VLGC) under their joint venture ABGC, according to a press release (pdf) published on Thursday. The VLGC — delivered by South Korea’s Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries — can carry up to 88.4k cbm and is kitted out with ammonia-carrying capacity.

Immediate deployment: The vessel, under the management of Fleet Management Singapore, has already set sail to the US Gulf to load its first propane and butane shipment.

Part of a bigger picture: The vessel comes as part of a three-vessel package order — financed through a facility led by Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank. The firm is set to receive two other carriers — ordered back in 2023 — during this quarter: a VLGC from Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, slated for delivery in November, and an LPG/NH3 carrier from Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries expected next month.

AVIATION-

#1- Syria receives new air navigation equipment: Syria’s Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) has received new Turkish navigation equipment to be installed at Damascus International Airport in a bid to improve the country’s aviation safety, SCAA head Omar Hassari told Syrian state news agency Sana on Friday. The equipment includes an instrument landing system — for harsh weather conditions — along with Doppler very high frequency omni range and distance measuring equipment systems, which help jets measure direction and distance accurately.

ON A RELATED NOTE- Damascus will start receiving Etihad Airways flights from June 2026, adding Syria to its Middle East network for the first time in over a decade, according to a press release published last week. The airline will run four weekly flights serviced by Airbus A320 aircraft.

Why now? There is growing demand for the route, the press release read, and the move comes after the General Civil Aviation Authority greenlit the resumption of flights between the countries in April. Earlier in the year, a Syrian Airlines flight to Sharjah was the first international flight from Damascus since the ousting of former President Bashar Al Assad.

#2- Joramco partners up with Air India: Dubai Aerospace Enterprise’s Jordan-based maintenance, repair, and overhaul unit — Joramco — has inked a maintenance agreement with Air India, according to a statement released last week. Joramco will provide heavy maintenance services on Air India’s Boeing 777s and 787s for an undetermined time period.

This is Joramco’s second MRO contract with an Indian airline this year, after the company inked an agreement in March with India’s largest carrier IndiGo. The agreement covers MRO and end-of-lease services for the airline’s aircraft.

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