STORAGE + WAREHOUSES-

Al Ain Farms, Food Tech Valley to launch food logistics hub: Dubai government-backed food innovation center Food Tech Valley and newly formed Al Ain Farms Group signed an agreement to develop a 260k sq ft logistics hub in Dubai, according to a press release. The hub will focus on improving food security and supply chains, aiming to improve delivery times by 33% while cutting distribution times. The facility is slated for completion by 1Q 2027, with construction set to start later this year.

AVIATION-

#1- UAE-based cargo airline SolitAir is launching eight new flight destinations in Africa, according to a press release. The new routes include Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, Kenya’s Nairobi and Eldoret, Lusaka in Zambia, Johannesburg in South Africa, Harare in Zimbabwe, and Benghazi in Libya.

The rationale: The routes will offer direct access from SolitAir’s hub in Dubai World Central (DWC) to major African commercial trade hubs, and come at a time of growth for the continent — with forecast Cargo volumes to Africa set to double in the next two decades, the statement read, citing Boeing’s World Air Cargo Forecast.

#2- Egypt’s flagship carrier EgyptAir is set to uptake a Boeing 737-Max in January 2026 — the first of an 18-jet order secured back in 2023, according to Al Mal, citing Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s comments during his visit to the US, and a cabinet statement. This comes as the airline works on its fleet expansion goal of 125 aircraft over the next five years — up from the current 65.

#3- Thai AirAsia X will begin direct flights between Riyadh and Bangkok on 2 December, marking the AirAsia Group’s first service to Riyadh, the airline said in a statement last week. The route will run four times weekly — on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays — using a 285-seat Airbus A330 with 30 premium flatbeds and 255 economy seats. The seven-and-a-half- hour flight will connect Riyadh travelers to AirAsia’s wider network across Asean, Asia, and Australia via Bangkok. Saudi nationals can enter Thailand through e-visa and visa-on-arrival options.

ICYMI- Asia’s largest budget airline AirAsia voiced its plans to set up a new hub in the GCC this year at a yet-to-be-determined Gulf airport, utilizing the region’s proximity to Europe to support the Malaysia-based airline’s plans to expand its network to more European destinations, using “a one-stop and multi-hop strategy,” CEO Tony Fernandes said last June.

TRUCKING-

Gulftainer’s Momentum uptakes new fuel-efficient trucks: Gulftainer subsidiary Momentum Logistics has received fuel-efficient Volvo trucks from Saudi commercial vehicles provider Zahid Tractor, according to a press release. Among the delivered vehicles — handed over at Momentum Logistics’ facility in Dammam — is the FH Aero model, which is touted as fuel-efficient.

E_COMMERCE-

New incentives incoming for Egyptian e-commerce players to join tax system: The Egyptian Finance Ministry is planning to introduce new incentives to encourage local and foreign e-commerce platforms operating in the country to join the tax system, government sources told EnterpriseAM. The move comes as part of a major push by the ministry to tighten its grip over the e-commerce sector.

REMEMBER- The Finance Ministry introduced regulatory amendments to the VAT Law in 2023, subjecting non-resident service providers to a value-added tax of 14%. The amendments apply VAT on transactions made on “electronic distribution platforms”, which include websites, internet portals, e-stores, and other internet marketplaces connecting suppliers with clients.

The move proved fruitful: Taxing these platforms generated some EGP 13.7 bn in e-commerce tax revenue over the past two fiscal years — a significant increase from the EGP 85 mn recorded the year prior to the move, according to one of the sources. VAT revenue collected from e-commerce activities came in at EGP 21 bn last fiscal year, marking a 101% increase from the previous FY.

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