Etihad Airways has redefined narrowbody air travel with the launch of its all-new A321LR aircraft, featuring the airline’s signature widebody First Class experience for the first time on a single-aisle plane. The inaugural commercial flight EY414 departed Zayed International Airport for Phuket, marking a milestone in luxury short- and medium-haul travel.

This rollout introduces passengers to a cabin designed to mirror the award-winning service and craftsmanship normally found on Etihad’s widebody jets, now accessible on a next-generation narrowbody aircraft. The launch follows the delivery of the first of 30 A321LRs scheduled to join the fleet, each equipped to offer exceptional comfort, refined design, and high-speed connectivity across all classes.

Arik De, Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer at Etihad Airways, said, “The A321LR symbolises our ambition to deliver extraordinary experiences on every route we serve. It allows us to bring the sophistication of our widebody cabins, including our renowned First experience, to more destinations, and to more travellers, than ever before.”

Widebody Luxury on a Narrowbody PlaneThe A321LR sets a new standard in narrowbody flying with a premium cabin layout that transforms passenger expectations:

• First Suites: Two fully enclosed private suites featuring sliding doors, lie-flat beds, and elegant design. Suites provide space for guests to dine or relax in privacy or with a companion. Amenities include a 20-inch 4K screen, wireless charging, and Bluetooth pairing, complemented by the full Etihad First Class service both onboard and on the ground.
• Business Class: Fourteen spacious seats arranged in a 1-1 herringbone configuration offering direct aisle access and window views. Each seat features 17.3-inch 4K displays, wireless charging, Bluetooth connectivity, generous personal space, and intuitive storage.
• Economy Class: 144 ergonomically designed seats with generous legroom, each equipped with 13.3-inch 4K touchscreens, USB charging ports, and Bluetooth headphone pairing. Entertainment options include a rich library of premium films, series, and games.

All cabins are fitted with high-speed Wi-Fi capable of video conferencing, streaming, and gaming, currently rolling out on Asian routes. Enlarged overhead bins further enhance passenger convenience throughout the journey.

The inaugural flight saw strong demand, with all First, Business, and Economy seats sold out, underscoring passenger enthusiasm for this upgraded narrowbody experience.

With the A321LR introduction, Etihad continues to push the boundaries of design innovation and service excellence, expanding its luxury offerings to new markets and providing travelers with unparalleled comfort on shorter routes.

M Raja Kishore has taken over as the new director of Chennai Airport, following the transfer of his predecessor CV Deepak to Delhi, where he will serve as the Regional Director at the Regional Control Scheme. Raja Kishore brings extensive experience from his previous roles, including as the Regional Executive Director of airports in the North-Eastern states and as director of Tirupati Airport. Originally from Andhra Pradesh, Raja Kishore is expected to leverage his experience to navigate Chennai Airport through its ongoing operational demands and growth.

The leadership change follows administrative decisions aligned with regular transfer policies, compounded by Deepak completing over two years of service at Chennai Airport. Deepak’s tenure was marked by notable incidents, including in August 2025 when an Air India flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Delhi made an emergency landing at Chennai due to a technical snag.

The delayed landing sparked criticism from senior Congress leader and MP KC Venugopal, who alleged that the airport authorities did not permit the aircraft to land immediately, forcing it to circle in the skies for an extended period. The incident escalated to parliamentary discussions, putting a spotlight on Chennai Airport’s crisis management and operational protocols.

Raja Kishore’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment as Chennai Airport continues to expand passenger capacity and enhance infrastructure, maintaining its status as one of India’s key aviation hubs. The airport serves as a major gateway to South India, handling both domestic and international traffic, and faces ongoing challenges related to increasing flight volumes, security, and service quality.

Stakeholders expect Raja Kishore to focus on strengthening operational efficiency, improving customer service, and addressing critical infrastructure enhancements. His prior experience with Tirupati Airport and overseeing airports in the North-East is anticipated to bring fresh perspectives to managing Chennai Airport’s dynamic environment.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which oversees Chennai Airport operations, has emphasized that such administrative transfers are part of broader efforts to optimize leadership placements across India’s airport network, ensuring best practices and professionalism.

As Raja Kishore settles into his new role, all eyes remain on how Chennai Airport will navigate future challenges, enhance passenger experiences, and support India’s growing aviation sector.

The Philippines has enacted a groundbreaking law allowing foreign investors to lease private land for up to 99 years, significantly extending the previous maximum lease term of 50 years with a possible 25-year renewal. Signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on September 3, 2025, the new law aims to boost foreign investment by providing greater lease-term stability and predictability for long-term commercial, industrial, tourism, and agricultural projects.

The legislation amends the 1993 Investors’ Lease Act and mandates lease agreements to be registered with the respective provincial or city Registry of Deeds, ensuring transparency and security for investors. It also requires foreign lessees to demonstrate social and economic contributions to the country to qualify for lease renewal.

David Leechiu, head of Leechiu Property Consultants, noted that the extended lease terms “should open up a massive amount of investment capital from foreign parties,” facilitating projects such as hotels that will further boost tourism. This move also improves the Philippines’ competitive position within Southeast Asia, where countries like Thailand already offer 99-year leases.

The law also grants the Philippine president authority to impose shorter lease durations for investors involved in vital services or industries classified as critical infrastructure or national priorities, balancing national security concerns with investment incentives.

This reform comes amid a significant decline in net foreign direct investment into the Philippines, which fell nearly 27 percent to $3 billion from January to May 2025, highlighting the need for policy changes to attract sustained capital inflows. Neighboring countries continue to outpace the Philippines in investment inflows, increasing the urgency of competitive reforms.

President Marcos has also signed complementary legislation to enhance state revenue from large mining operations through a profit-based tax system, expected to attract additional investments in that sector.

Overall, the 99-year land lease law is seen as a key policy to foster greater investor confidence, encourage economic diversification, promote joint ventures with local partners, and accelerate growth in tourism, real estate, agriculture, and industry. While ensuring protection of national interests, the law provides a more investor-friendly environment to support the Philippines’ long-term economic development goals.

Dubai further cemented its position as the UAE’s primary aviation hub in 2024, handling the majority of passenger traffic and aircraft movements across the country, according to fresh data released by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre. Dubai International and Al Maktoum International airports collectively accounted for an impressive 65 to 68 percent of all passenger and civil aircraft activity nationwide.

Passenger numbers in Dubai surged to 101 million last year, a 6.6 percent increase from 94.75 million in 2023, underscoring the city’s vital role as a leading global transit gateway. Across the entire UAE, total passenger traffic climbed 11.5 percent year-on-year to 148 million an addition of 15.3 million travelers compared to the previous year.

Passenger flows showed a nearly balanced split across arrivals (41.67 million, 28 percent) and departures (41.76 million, 28.5 percent), while transit passengers made up the largest portion at 44.5 percent, or 64.4 million. Within Dubai’s total, arrivals accounted for 28.5 million, departures for 28.8 million, and transit passengers reached 43.66 million.

Abu Dhabi International Airport ranked second nationally with 30.9 million passengers—21 percent of the UAE total marking a strong 31 percent jump from 2023. The capital’s figures included 7.94 million arrivals, 7.7 million departures, and 15.26 million transit passengers.

Sharjah International Airport came third, handling 15.3 million passengers (10.3 percent share), up 11 percent year-on-year. Notably, Ras Al Khaimah experienced the steepest growth with an 88 percent increase, serving 640,000 passengers. Fujairah also doubled its traffic, managing 61,120 passengers compared to just under 30,000 the previous year. Meanwhile, smaller local airports processed only 1,380 passengers, down 20 percent.

Aircraft movements across the UAE mirrored this growth, rising sharply to 771,800 civil aircraft operations in 2024—an 11.2 percent increase over 694,050 movements in 2023. Dubai accounted for nearly 64 percent of these operations, with 488,520 flights divided almost evenly between 244,200 arrivals and 244,300 departures, representing an 8.5 percent increase.

Abu Dhabi followed with 168,100 aircraft movements (22 percent of the total), up 21 percent year-on-year. Sharjah logged 108,110 movements, marking a 9.3 percent rise, while Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah also saw double-digit growth in flight operations, with 5,620 (up 21 percent) and 1,450 (up 18 percent) movements respectively.

These robust figures highlight Dubai’s continuing dominance in the UAE aviation sector and reflect the nation’s broader success in becoming a major global air travel and transit hub, attracting record passenger volumes and expanding its operational capacity.

Business and leisure travelers from Singapore will soon enjoy daily flights to Tokyo with Air Japan, as the airline increases frequency on its popular Singapore-Tokyo (Narita) route beginning November 21, 2025. This expansion is enabled by the addition of a third aircraft, allowing Air Japan to operate flights every day of the week, including new services on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Currently, Air Japan flies between Singapore and Tokyo on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Ticket sales for the expanded schedule started on September 4 via Air Japan’s website.

To cater to a broad range of travelers, Air Japan offers “Simple” fares starting at SGD 226 for one-way trips, with children’s fares from SGD 148 and infant fares at SGD 51 for those not requiring a seat. These fares include carry-on baggage allowance of up to 7kg, while additional options such as advance seat selection, checked baggage, and in-flight meals can be purchased separately.

The decision to increase flights responds to rising demand for travel to Japan from Singapore. According to the Japan National Tourism Organisation, a record 691,100 Singaporeans visited Japan in 2024—up 16.9% from 2023’s then-record 591,300 visitors highlighting strong and growing interest in the destination.

Emirates is accelerating its global expansion plans with the announcement of five new senior appointments to its commercial leadership team, signaling the airline’s readiness to scale up its network, fleet, and product offerings. These newly established roles, including a Senior Vice President for Network Passenger Sales Development and several Vice Presidents overseeing regional clusters, aim to boost integrated market performance and cultivate stronger corporate partnerships to drive long-term passenger growth and revenue.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, described the appointments as timely and crucial. “This period of dynamic growth calls for leaders with the right commercial know-how and the thinking to navigate our complex and evolving industry landscape, so that we can capitalise on emerging opportunities,” Kazim said.

Among the new leaders, Matthew Scott takes on the role of Senior Vice President for Network Passenger Sales Development. The airline also promoted two Emirati executives: Abdulla Al Olama as Vice President for Regional Clusters in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Rashid Alardha as Vice President for Sub-Saharan Africa. Bringing European expertise to the table, Flavio Ghiringhelli was appointed Vice President for South and Central Europe, while Pierfrancesco Carino assumes the Vice President role for West and North Europe Clusters.

These leadership changes reflect Emirates’ strategic adjustments amid a sustained period of growth. For the 2024-25 financial year, the Emirates Group reported a record profit before tax of AED 22.7 billion—an 18 percent increase from the previous year—cementing its status as the world’s most profitable aviation group during that period.

This growth trajectory has been supported by robust workforce expansion, large-scale investments in next-generation aircraft, and deliberate efforts to widen the airline’s global footprint. A recent highlight includes the introduction of a new Premium Economy cabin, enhancing the carrier’s product portfolio to better meet evolving passenger preferences.

With these appointments and initiatives, Emirates is positioning itself to navigate the increasingly complex aviation environment while capitalizing on emerging opportunities worldwide, charting a confident course for continued success.