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eVTOL Insights • Jason Pritchard

SALAAM.earth opens first Advanced Air Mobility test site in Riyadh

SALAAM.earth (Sky Alliance for Automated Air Mobility) has opened its first Advanced Air Mobility test site in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The facility provides a dedicated regional testbed for urban air mobility concepts, enabling trials of eVTOL operations, infrastructure and integration that aim to accelerate Mideast AAM development.

2026-03-03T04:01:43.026972-08:00

Paddle Your Own Kanoo

UAE carriers partially resume flights from 2 March as regional airspace disruptions persist

2026-03-02T07:11:42.557399-08:00

Skift

Middle East escalation shuts Gulf airspace — 3,000+ cancellations, longer reroutes and surging fuel costs

2026-03-02T09:15:16.180702-08:00

FlightGlobal

London City launches consultation on 4.49° approach to permit A320neo operations from January 2027

2026-03-02T06:14:29.411317-08:00

News Timeline

eVTOL Insights

SALAAM.earth opens first Advanced Air Mobility test site in Riyadh SALAAM.earth (Sky Alliance for Automated Air Mobility) has opened its first Advanced Air Mobility test site in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The facility provides a dedicated regional testbed for urban air mobility concepts, enabling trials of eVTOL operations, infrastructure and integration that aim to accelerate Mideast AAM development.

2026-03-03T04:01:43.026972-08:00

SALAAM.earth opens first Advanced Air Mobility test site in Riyadh

Skift

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Middle East escalation shuts Gulf airspace — 3,000+ cancellations, longer reroutes and surging fuel costs Gulf airspace closures after a Middle East escalation forced airlines to cancel more than 3,000 flights, funnel traffic into narrow corridors and impose longer detours that raise fuel bills and operational complexity. The disruption exposed Dubai's hub centrality — linking 110 nations and 454,000 flights — and hit Indian carriers.

2026-03-02T09:15:16.180702-08:00

Middle East escalation shuts Gulf airspace — 3,000+ cancellations, longer reroutes and surging fuel costs

Paddle Your Own Kanoo

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UAE carriers partially resume flights from 2 March as regional airspace disruptions persist Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Air Arabia and UAE airports confirmed a partial resumption of services, with a limited number of departures beginning the evening of 2 March after widespread airspace closures across the Middle East. Operations remain constrained as disruption continues and governments coordinate citizen evacuations.

2026-03-02T07:11:42.557399-08:00

UAE carriers partially resume flights from 2 March as regional airspace disruptions persist

FlightGlobal

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London City launches consultation on 4.49° approach to permit A320neo operations from January 2027 London City Airport has launched a public consultation on an Airspace Change Proposal to introduce a new 4.49° landing angle, enabling Airbus A320neo-family operations and opening the downtown field to larger narrowbodies. The consultation runs through May with a proposed A320neo start in January 2027.

2026-03-02T06:14:29.411317-08:00

London City launches consultation on 4.49° approach to permit A320neo operations from January 2027

CNBC

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Indian carriers cut Europe and some U.S. services after Gulf airspace closures amid Middle East conflict Indian carriers have cancelled roughly 760 international services over two days and reported 87 cancellations at Delhi on Monday, after Gulf airspace closures prompted by the new Middle East conflict. Several European and some U.S. services remain suspended; Air India Express will resume Muscat on March 3.

2026-03-02T02:46:08.512581-08:00

Indian carriers cut Europe and some U.S. services after Gulf airspace closures amid Middle East conflict

Paddle Your Own Kanoo

Lufthansa ferries empty A380 from Abu Dhabi as Gulf hubs halt operations Lufthansa repositioned an A380 from Abu Dhabi to Munich empty after Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways extended a near-total suspension of services through at least Tuesday. The ferry flight — a 509‑seat A380 carrying only two pilots — comes as tens of thousands of passengers remain stranded in the Gulf.

2026-03-02T02:07:24.587077-08:00

Lufthansa ferries empty A380 from Abu Dhabi as Gulf hubs halt operations

ch-aviation

New Zealand funds 24/7 ATS at Ohakea, designates base as permanent widebody diversion alternate New Zealand has approved a NZD4.6 million (USD2.7 million) grant to Airways New Zealand to fund 24/7 air traffic services at RNZAF Base Ohakea, enabling the site to operate as a permanent widebody-diversion alternate. The funding secures continuous ATS to support long‑haul diversions and strengthen contingency for international flights.

2026-03-01T16:01:25.064819-08:00

New Zealand funds 24/7 ATS at Ohakea, designates base as permanent widebody diversion alternate

Paddle Your Own Kanoo

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Etihad suspends Abu Dhabi flights, repositions fleet amid regional airspace closures Etihad has suspended all flights to and from Abu Dhabi amid regional airspace closures and security tensions, grounding aircraft and repositioning at least three jets — including two A350‑1000s and a 787‑9 — back to Abu Dhabi from Istanbul, Muscat and Cairo ahead of a planned relaunch.

2026-03-01T09:35:32.847910-08:00

Etihad suspends Abu Dhabi flights, repositions fleet amid regional airspace closures

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ATC News

SALAAM.earth opens first Advanced Air Mobility test site in Riyadh

UAE carriers partially resume flights from 2 March as regional airspace disruptions persist

Middle East escalation shuts Gulf airspace — 3,000+ cancellations, longer reroutes and surging fuel costs

London City launches consultation on 4.49° approach to permit A320neo operations from January 2027

News Timeline