
Saudi PE Firm Jadwa Plans $104 Million Raise For Mideast Deals
Saudi Arabia's Jadwa Investment Co. plans to raise as much as 400 million riyals ($104 million) for a fresh round of deals in the Middle East as it looks to expand its portfolio of companies and list them in the the region.
The private equity firm aims to secure the money before year-end, taking total fundraising for its flagship blind pool fund to 1.7 billion riyals, according to Rabie Dagher, managing director of private equity.
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Upper and business class cabins have expanded to the point where the top tier resemble hotel suites more than passenger pods. But what happens now airlines have no more room to offer? All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. Not so long ago, direct aisle access along with the ability to lie horizontally were the hallmarks of comfort on airplanes if on entering you happened to be turning right and not left. Fast-forward a decade and the prevailing new high-water mark is now the private suite with sliding doors, expansive entertainment screens and even double beds. Qatar Airways' Qsuite allows four passengers to dine together face-to-face, while Virgin Atlantic's Retreat Suite offers an oversized version of business class that aims to blur the line between where the suits sit and first. At the very front of the plane, showers and private bedrooms have raised the bar even further. However, as airlines continue to compete on seclusion, space, and spec, the business appears to have flown itself into a dilemma: If square footage is the ultimate flying luxury, now we live in a world where your sky space can be more akin to a bijou hotel room, what happens when there's no more room left to give? 'Business class used to be all about hardware—the seat, the screen, the privacy door,' Nigel Goode, chairman of design studio PriestmanGoode, says, agreeing that the sky-high space race is coming to a close. 'But now it's about human-centred design. The Qsuite that we originally developed for Qatar Airways broke the mold because it gives passengers so much more scope. They can sit as a four, they can be in a family, there's a double bed option. You can adapt your own privacy level.' Airline cabins are becoming hybrid communal spaces where passengers can decide to be alone or interact with others—but now there's no more room to expand. Courtesy of Qatar Airways This shift is apparently redefining cabin formats around intent rather than hierarchy, and unlocking new revenue models for airlines. Key trends? Technology that supposedly can reflect passenger mood, hybrid layouts that balance solitude with sociability, and sustainability as status with lightweight materials that tell a carbon story. Nippon Airways, for example, has just announced "THE Room FX" cubicle coming in 2026 for business travelers that despite the extra kit involved in being a private cabin seat, the whole pod has a comparable weight to the current Boeing 787-9 business class seat. But as the physical airplane seat is approaching its design limits, it looks like the airline business is being forced to bank on the next wave of upselling innovation being emotional, and so far more nebulous. NewTerritory, a brand experience studio currently working with LATAM Airlines, over 12 months conducted more than 400 hours of behavioural research with five global airlines surveying 258 passengers. Its findings? Seventy-five percent of business class passengers polled said empathy—in how airlines address fatigue, jet lag and stress—is the strongest driver of loyalty. 'Passengers want to feel like valued guests, not just ticket holders,' says founder Luke Miles. 'Just as we expect comfort and care in a high-end hotel, travellers now expect the same in the sky.' 'The future of business class isn't about seats or service in isolation,' Miles says. 'It's a composite, symphonic experience where every element—from preflight to landing—works in harmony to create something emotionally resonant and brand authentic.' So in other words, as innovation in hardware levels out, brands are being forced to lean into hoping differentiation will come from journeys that feel personal, restorative, and intentional. This, however, is hardly groundbreaking thinking. The luxury world is awash with such watchwords. And, according to Mariel Brown, director of foresight at design agency SeymourPowell, this next leap in air travel will be all about another overused luxury watchword: customization. 'Luxury in 2035 won't be about square footage. The new differentiator will be control—the ability for passengers to tailor their environment effortlessly. From climate and lighting to when and how they eat or connect, seamless personalization will matter more than physical boundaries.' Well, as long as those physical boundaries still include a double bed and sliding doors. Expect to see embedded, adaptive tech—smart armrests, modular wellness trays, mood-sensitive lighting—replacing one-size-fits-all features. 'The magic is in the margins,' Brown says. 'A light that softens as you close your eyes. A seat that remembers how you slept last time. These don't have to be expensive innovations, just well-considered ones.' Inexpensive innovations or not, if self-softening lights do start appearing on planes, they'll almost certainly be for the expensive seats, initially at least. Qatar Airways' Qsuite broke new ground by allowing four passengers to dine together face-to-face. Courtesy of Qatar Airways Wellness is apparently becoming foundational to the premium cabin experience. Brown sees a future in biometric responsiveness—seats that passively monitor hydration and posture or adjust lighting to your circadian rhythm (Collins Aerospace has introduced its Hypergamut lighting system that purports to do just this.) 'Designing with neurodivergent travellers and limited mobility in mind should be standard, not a bonus,' Brown says. 'When that happens, everyone benefits.' Goode cites the Finnair AirLounge—a business-class seat that his team developed with, again, Collins Aerospace—as a more lifestyle-led response. "It's a nonmechanical seat, more like a sofa. Lighter, more flexible and built for movement. It reflects a domestic mindset, not just an aviation one.' Of course, the problem for airlines is that innovation in this tightly regulated, risk-averse space isn't easy. 'Airlines often have to offer the same thing—but just a bit better,' Goode says. But that hasn't stopped experimentation. PriestmanGoode's latest concept, Maya—developed with Collins Aerospace and Panasonic Avionics Corporation—features curved wraparound screens, 3D-knitted materials, and seats embedded with sound-absorption and haptic vibration. 'Passengers won't just be watching entertainment,' Goode says. 'They'll be interacting with their own micro-environment.' So it seems set that because there's no more cabin floor space to conquer, the next game-changing business class features will not be bigger berths or screens. Not onboard bars. Not mood lighting. The airline industry is banking on a technological leap that will yield cabins that learn, adapt, and respond. Where personalization is functional, not performative. Where the best tech is hidden, not on display. And where luxury is measured not just in inches, but in the degree of emotional impact the airline can impart as you favorite those movie choices and peruse the wine list. But until we get to a reality where your lie-flat pod knows who you are as you approach the single-digit seats, here is a rundown of what the major airlines have planned for pimping their plane service in 2025. United Airlines Debuting in May 2025, United's eight 'VIP' Polaris Studio suites with 25 percent more space than a standard Polaris seat are located at the front of each business class cabin. With 27-inch 4K OLED screens (up from 19 inches), privacy doors, companion ottomans, and high-speed Starlink Wi-Fi, the new studios have been designed to try and cater for both work and downtime. There's also a new caviar service and a retro-style sundae cart with Tillamook flavours elevate the onboard experience. United Airlines' new 'VIP' suites—caviar service and a retro-style sundae cart not pictured. Courtesy of United Airlines Air France From July this year, Air France will be rolling out new Sofitel MY BED mattress pads from the French hotel brand. The newest iteration of the airline's business class seats are upholstered in natural wool and full-grain French leather (for a more organic sensory feel, apparently.) On the culinary front, triple Michelin-starred chef Régis Marcon and pastry chef Nina Métayer have drawn up a menu of dishes inspired by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (think Royale of salmon and prawns in a "tangy sauce" with snow peas and yellow carrots.) Air France has turned to Sofitel hotels to get their seat mattresses worthy of return flights. Courtesy of Virginie Valdois/Air France Qatar Airways Launching on Boeing 777-9 aircraft this year, the Qsuite Next Gen features nearly 4.75-foot suite walls and sliding doors—among the tallest in the sky. Passengers can opt to sit in a quad layout around a shared table or convert two central seats into a double bed. Qsuite passengers also get manoeuvrable 4K OLED HDR 10+ Panasonic Astrova screens (a world-first, apparently) and PIN-lockable storage for valuables, these suites marry innovation with intimacy. Qatar's Qsuite Next Gen pods feature world-first 4K OLED HDR 10+ Panasonic Astrova screens. Courtesy of AMER SWEIDAN/Qatar Airways Riyadh Air Set to take off by the end of 2025, this new Saudi airline benefits heavily from generous investment from the country's sovereign wealth fund. With no expense spared, the cabin itself has been designed by British firm PriestmanGoode. Business class seats are Safran's Unity model, and have integrated Devialet speakers in the headrest so travellers don't need to wear headphones. At the front of the cabin, four Business Elite suites come with 32-inch 4K OLED screens (10 inches bigger than in the rest of business class), and can also be made up as double beds for couples. Riyadh Air's business class seats boast integrated Devialet speakers in the headrest so travellers don't need to wear headphones. Courtesy of Riyadh Air