Emirates Employees Get Smaller Salary Bump After Record Year
Employees across its businesses in Dubai, including Emirates' namesake carrier and the Dnata airport services unit, were granted a 3% increase to their basic salaries, one percentage point less than what was handed out last year, according to documents seen by Bloomberg News.
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Skift
2 hours ago
- Skift
Etihad Airways CEO Unpacks Big Bet on Small Jets
Etihad is hoping to outmaneuver its Gulf rivals with 30 small but premium aircraft. Will passengers buy the promise of private jet-like luxury? In a region known for flying enormous 777s and double-decker A380s, Etihad's newest star is a single-aisle jet. The Gulf carrier took delivery of its first Airbus A321LR this week, a long-range variant of a plane more typically used for short economy-focused flights. The UAE airline is betting on the new aircraft to supercharge its network growth and broader brand revival. As Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves told Skift: 'Today we show the world we're back in the game, and specifically back in the premium game.' That game involves an aircraft type already familiar to many travelers. The A321LR, an evolution of Airbus' best-selling narrowbody, is new-generation, but not exactly groundbreaking. JetBlue took delivery of its first in 2021, while Aer Lingus, Air Transat, and SAS are among others to use the jet on short transatlantic hops. But it's the speed and scale at which Etihad is adding the A321LR – along with its distinctive three-class configuration – that is piquing industry interest. 30, Not 20, A321LRs on the Way Speaking at a media briefing at Airbus' Finkenwerder factory in Germany, Neves left reporters scrambling for their notes. What was meant to be a tranche of 20 A321LRs became a throng of 30. Asked for clarity on the 50% increase, Neves quipped: 'You guys are reading the wrong newspaper.' Through a mix of leased aircraft and direct orders, Etihad will now receive 30 A321LRs over the next four years. A steady flow should result in 10 deliveries by the end of 2025, followed by another 10 the next year, then five each in 2027 and 2028. From the airline's Abu Dhabi hub, the long-range jets will fly as far afield as Paris and Hanoi. Journey tim
Forbes
7 hours ago
- Forbes
What Ancient Farmers Can Teach The Modern Boardroom About AI Strategy
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Archaeological sites like Abu Hureyra in modern-day Syria reveal this wasn't a sudden break from the past but a gradual, iterative process of learning, testing, and integrating new tools into existing ways of life. This evolutionary—not revolutionary—mindset offers a key lesson: Transformation doesn't mean total disruption. It means layering innovation onto what works and building systems that scale over time. The AI transition requires a similar approach: pilot programs, feedback loops, reskilling, and workforce support must evolve hand-in-hand with technological integration. Strategy: AI Integration Requires Incremental Adaptation Just as early agricultural societies developed irrigation systems and record-keeping via clay tablets, modern organizations are building the infrastructure to support AI-enabled workflows. But success hinges not on speed, but on sequencing. McKinsey reports that although generative AI could add up to $4.4 trillion in global productivity annually, only 21% of companies have adopted AI in more than one business function as of 2023. This isn't a failure—it's a sign that organizations are proceeding thoughtfully. Boards and CFOs should be tracking AI ROI, not only in terms of cost savings but in how it reshapes value creation. That means budgeting for phased implementation and workforce transformation simultaneously. Policy: Redesigning Governance for Human-AI Collaboration Early civilizations didn't just invent tools—they also wrote laws. The Code of Hammurabi, dating to 1750 BCE, is one of the first known legal frameworks for managing agricultural property, labor, and dispute resolution. Today's version? AI ethics policies, data governance protocols, and algorithmic accountability. Regulators are already acting. The EU's AI Act, passed in 2024, imposes risk-based requirements for transparency, bias mitigation, and human oversight. Meanwhile, the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) specifically S1 and S2, under the guidance of EFRAG, now require companies to report on the impact of AI on workforce strategy and human capital governance. Boards must go beyond compliance. They must ask: The fiduciary risks are real. A poorly governed algorithm can expose companies to legal liability, reputational damage, and talent loss. Treat AI governance as a board-level issue, not just a technical one. Programs: Cultivating Workforce Resilience and Knowledge Transfer Farming didn't eliminate the need for hunting. Early societies maintained both capabilities as insurance against failure. Similarly, organizations shouldn't rush to fully automate without investing in human capital. This means reskilling must become the norm. According to PwC study on workforce hopes and fears, 40% of workers will need up to six months of training to remain relevant in the AI economy. High-performing companies are already taking the lead. AT&T's collaboration with Udacity to create nano-degree programs reduced reskilling time by 35% and boosted internal mobility. Boards and CHROs should champion programs that: If early societies could preserve astronomy, crop rotation, and animal husbandry without Google, we can certainly codify AI literacy and strategic workforce knowledge today. Measuring What Matters: Human Capital as a Source of Value The agricultural revolution spurred population growth, urbanization, and eventually, modern economies. Today's AI revolution will reshape how we measure value—especially in intangible assets like skills, collaboration, and creativity. Research by Alex Edmans shows that companies investing in employee well-being significantly outperform their peers in long-term shareholder returns. This is why ISO 30414 and SEC human capital disclosure expectations are gaining traction. Human Capital ROI (HCROI) should be tracked with the same rigor as Return on Equity or Investment. Boards should demand metrics that show not just AI adoption but how it enhances organizational resilience and workforce productivity. Final Thought: Change Is Inevitable. Human Judgment Is Indispensable. AI may feel new, but the pattern is ancient. Transformation is never just about tools—it's about how we govern change, support people, and sustain growth. The societies that thrived in the wake of agriculture weren't the most technologically advanced. They were the ones that integrated new tools into stable, human-centered systems. As we stand at the threshold of another era, it's time to remember what worked the first time: governance, adaptation, and investment in human capability. Let's not forget—we've been here before. Postscript: With appreciation to Stela Lupushor, whose co-authored blog post with me on this topic served as inspiration for this column.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Prediction: President Trump Wants to Fast-Track U.S. Drone Production, but Kratos and AeroVironment Stocks Are the Wrong Way to Play This New Defense Policy
Key Points Drones have become crucial weapons systems in foreign conflicts. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants to fast-track the production and acquisition of cheap FPV drones for the U.S. Army. The best-known defense contractors in the drone space build drones that cost too much, so they are unlikely to win these new contracts. 10 stocks we like better than AeroVironment › 2025 is shaping up to be "the year of the drone." According to data from online newspaper The Kyiv Independent, Russia launched more than 1,300 drone strikes (and 250 missiles) at Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv in 2024. That may sound like a lot, but over the course of the evening of July 9, 2025, Russia launched more than 700 attack and decoy drones at Ukraine in a single night. Ukraine famously responded to its ongoing bombardment with a drone mission of its own in June -- "Operation Spiderweb," in which a few hundred drones, smuggled into Russia and controlled by remote pilots transmitting over that country's own cellphone networks, wreaked havoc on Russia's strategic bomber fleet, damaging or destroying more than three dozen aircraft in a matter of minutes. Drones have also played a part in the recent Israel-Iran conflict. Israel's surprise attack on Iran on June 13, for example, involved drones launched from within Iran to take out its air defense systems preparatory to a wider bombing campaign. Iran's response reportedly involved the launching of more than 1,000 drones in an attack on Israel. Numbers like these cannot fail to have captured the attention of Washington, D.C. In fact, they have captured Washington's attention. Last week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth promised to "support our industrial base, reform acquisition, and field new technology" needed to equip the U.S. military "with the lethal small drones the modern battlefield requires." But what does this mean to investors? A hard deadline for drone production -- and a hard target Hegseth has proposed that every squad in the U.S. Army be equipped with "small, one-way attack drones" -- sometimes known as kamikaze drones or first-person view (FPV) drones -- by the end of the government's fiscal 2026. (That's Sept. 30, 2026.) That gives us a firm calendar deadline: We can expect this directive to play out over the next 12 to 14 months. As reported by Hegseth's primary focus is on small Group 1 and Group 2 drones, which weigh about 55 pounds or less. The Pentagon will be inviting bids from companies that can produce such drones for under $2,000, aiming to purchase 10,000 small drones over the next year. As Pentagon programs go, this is pretty small potatoes, implying initial purchases of perhaps $20 million worth of hardware -- but this could be only the beginning. As one Army colonel interviewed by explained, the Army will be using these first drones to help it answer questions like how many drones it actually needs to accomplish its mission. And the answer may turn out to be "a whole lot more than 10,000." In that case, the size of this drone purchase program could grow dramatically. Round up the usual suspects Knowing this, drone technology companies like AeroVironment (NASDAQ: AVAV) and Kratos Defense and Technology (NASDAQ: KTOS) are certain to want to get in on the action. The big question, though, is whether they would be able to deliver the quantities of drones the Army will need at prices the Army is willing to pay. AeroVironment stock, for example, has surged nearly 50% since the start of June, when drones began dominating headlines. Problem is, the company's highest-profile FPV drone model -- the Switchblade -- is reported to cost anywhere from $50,000 to $170,000 each. Likewise with Kratos. The stock's up more than 55% over the past several weeks. But Kratos is developing entirely different types of drones from those the Pentagon now wants. The company's XQ-58A Valkyrie drone, designed to accompany Air Force fighter jets as a "loyal wingman," is reportedly priced in excess of $4 million. Other defense companies may have offerings that hit closer to the mark. For example, Palantir (NASDAQ: PLTR), a defense stock up-and-comer and a specialist in the kind of artificial intelligence that can be useful for guiding drones to their targets, has reportedly teamed up with lower-cost drone producer Red Cat. But Red Cat's Edge 130 drone still has a price tag of $43,000 -- cheaper than AeroVironment's and Kratos's offerings, but still much more expensive than the drones Hegseth is looking for. Privately held defense contractor Anduril is likewise working to make affordable FPV drones, offering a Bolt-M variant that costs "in the low tens of thousands of dollars," according to the company. Again, that's closer to the mark, but still probably too costly for a drone whose day job is to be an expendable munition. What it means for investors Long story short, the competition to become the U.S. Army's provider of choice for cheap, reliable, FPV drones still looks wide open to me -- and there's no way to guess what company will win it. All I can say for sure at this point is that with drones that cost many times more than what Secretary Hegseth wants to pay for the uses he's envisioning, AeroVironment and Kratos aren't leading this race. They're losing it. Should you buy stock in AeroVironment right now? Before you buy stock in AeroVironment, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and AeroVironment wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $636,774!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,064,942!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,040% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 182% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 21, 2025 Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends AeroVironment and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Prediction: President Trump Wants to Fast-Track U.S. Drone Production, but Kratos and AeroVironment Stocks Are the Wrong Way to Play This New Defense Policy was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
