Latest news with #ALKHAWALDEH
Al Etihad
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Al Etihad
Archer completes first urban air taxi test flight in Abu Dhabi
2 July 2025 20:39 KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (ABU DHABI)Archer Aviation has completed the first urban test flight of its electric air taxi in Abu Dhabi, marking a major milestone in the UAE's ambition to lead the future of air mobility. The successful vertical take-off and landing flight was carried out at Al Bateen Executive Airport in the heart of the city at 7am, with Archer executives and Abu Dhabi officials hailing it as a critical first step towards commercial launch. 'This is our first global launch market. This was a vertical take-off and landing flight - the first step in our flight test operation,' Dr. Talib Alhinai, General Manager for Archer Aviation in the UAE, told Aletihad following the flight. Conducting the flight in real UAE conditions was crucial to proving the viability of the concept, Dr. Alhinai said. 'Our initial flight test operations in the UAE are focusing on evaluating the aircraft's speed, core performance in specific conditions, including humidity, temperature, and dust exposure. This also allows us to validate readiness for commercial deployment,' he said. The tests carried out in Abu Dhabi's summer environment would be key to ensuring the air taxi can perform reliably year-round. Expanding the trial programme is already underway, Dr. Alhinai said, with plans to expand the flight envelope and test pilot sites in the UAE throughout the year. 'This test flight took place in Abu Dhabi city executive airport with the backdrop of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. According to my knowledge, no eVTOL flight has taken place in an urban environment in Abu Dhabi before,' he said. Al Bateen airport is right in the middle of Abu Dhabi Island, and for us, this was a great first step and a great first place to launch our programme.' Roadmap for Urban Operations Initial passenger services are set to launch within Abu Dhabi city, before the network is expanded, Dr. Alhinai the full list of vertiport locations remains under wraps for now, Archer says the initial network will offer urban connectivity for residents and visitors, with further details expected to be announced soon. Dr. Alhinai also highlighted Archer's collaboration with local stakeholders to integrate air taxis seamlessly into the capital's broader mobility network. This was echoed by Omran Malek, Head of the Smart Autonomous Vehicle Industry Cluster at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), a major stakeholder in Archer. The emirate is building an entire ecosystem for urban air mobility, covering training, maintenance, regulatory integration, and manufacturing, Malek said. Drawing an analogy with the evolution of smartphones, he explained that air taxis are no longer an imaginary concept; they now represent a future industry. 'Think about the iPhones at the time in the early 2000s: If I told you then how much the iPhone is doing now, you would say that's impossible,' he told Aletihad on Wednesday. 'What we're doing, especially within ADIO and the SAVI cluster, is imagining what the next 20 years are going to look like in terms of mobility, logistics, and liveability.'Malek argued that amid population growth and higher traffic volumes, skyward would be the way to go. 'If we look at the airspace above you, it is empty. It's unutilised. How can we tap into that? How can we reduce emissions? How can we reduce the travel time?' he said. Malek emphasised that urban air mobility would not be an exclusive service for the wealthy. Rather, it would be priced at a point that could make it a real alternative for many Abu Dhabi residents, he said. The goal, he added, is to build enough infrastructure and air vehicles so that 'it will be scalable, and you can use it on a daily basis.'Outlining multiple potential use cases, he cited that air taxis could also serve sectors such as tourism, logistics, and healthcare for urgent medical deliveries. 'As battery technologies evolve, you will see the range of [use cases] extending, and you would have a choice between taking the high-speed train from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah or taking air taxi,' he said. Beyond Air Taxis Malek emphasised that these air mobility trials are driven by a clear goal of commercialisation.'We are not testing just to test. We're testing to commercialise. We identified that 70% of demand is on logistics, from food delivery to blood supplies and shore-to-ship deliveries,' he said. To assess demand for air mobility services, he noted that Abu Dhabi has conducted a comprehensive survey involving 52 government entities. The resulting data is guiding ADIO's priorities as it works with private sector partners like Archer. Beyond air taxis, Malek said the SAVI cluster is working on use cases for drones in logistics that could be in service even sooner. 'If we specifically talk about Archer, that's the next milestone in the coming months. If we're talking about the drones and drone logistics, it will be a lot sooner than that.'
Al Etihad
19-06-2025
- Health
- Al Etihad
UAE scores high on Social Progress Index with top marks in housing, healthcare
20 June 2025 02:32 KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (ABU DHABI) The UAE has once again demonstrated its commitment to social development as it secured impressive scores on the recently released Social Progress Index (SPI) Global Report 2025. It stood out in several categories including housing and healthcare. With an overall score of 74.04 out of 100, the UAE ranked second in the Arab world, and 49th out of 170 nations across the globe. This marks a significant improvement for the country, which has climbed seven places since 2011. The annual index measures how well countries meet the social and environmental needs of their people, beyond just economic factors like GDP. It assesses nations across three key areas: basic human needs, foundations of wellbeing, and opportunity, covering indicators such as health, education, safety, rights, and environmental UAE achieved top-tier performances in housing and healthcare, scoring 96.35 in housing, securing some of the highest global marks in this category. It boasted 100% access to electricity, universal use of clean fuels and technology for cooking, and zero household air pollution, factors SPI said were critical indicators of quality living standards. The UAE also ranked an impressive 7th globally for the affordability of housing, underscoring its efforts to ensure residents can access safe and affordable the country scored highly in water and sanitation, achieving an overall score of 96.54 and placing 12th globally. The country was found to deliver 100% of its population with basic water service and excelled in providing basic sanitation services. Healthcare was another bright spot where the UAE attained a score of 73.32, with notable strengths in areas such as equal access to essential health services and low prevalence of non-communicable diseases. The country's life expectancy at 65 and its ranking of 14th for equal access to quality healthcare signalled a well-developed healthcare system that serves both nationals and residents housing and healthcare, the UAE performed well in other pillars of social progress. It ranked 14th globally in basic education, with high primary school enrolment and high scores in gender parity in secondary attainment. Its information and communications infrastructure were graded as robust, with full marks for internet users and mobile telephone users, while access to online governance services ranked 37th worldwide. On the safety front, the UAE recorded a score of 78.22, with relatively low levels of interpersonal violence and good perceptions of personal safety, indicated by its 7th rank globally for feelings of safety when walking alone.
Al Etihad
16-06-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Abu Dhabi climbs startup ecosystem rankings despite global downturn
17 June 2025 00:15 KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (ABU DHABI) Abu Dhabi's startup ecosystem has firmly established itself as one of the most dynamic in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), ranking among the top five in the region in the 2025 Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER).The report - unveiled by Startup Genome at the recently concluded VivaTech in Paris -recognised the emirate's impressive rise in the rankings, despite a challenging global environment for startups. The GSER 2025 draws on data from more than five million companies across more than 350 ecosystems globally. This year's report highlights how Abu Dhabi soared into the top emerging global ecosystems, moving into the #51-60 tier, a significant leap from its previous #61-70 position. This advancement comes in a year when the global startup ecosystem value contracted by 14%, underscoring the emirate's resilience and strategic vision, the report said."Abu Dhabi's rise in the global rankings is a testament to the exceptional pace and cohesion of its innovation ecosystem, with Hub71 at the heart of this transformation," Samantha Evans, Managing Director MENA at Startup Genome, said in the report. "Amid a global downturn, Abu Dhabi's long-term vision and collaborative strength are driving sustained growth. We expect this momentum to accelerate, with Abu Dhabi poised to outperform many (of its) global peers in the coming years."According to the report, the emirate generated $4.4 billion in ecosystem value between July 2022 and December 2024, reflecting an annual growth rate of 6%. Abu Dhabi ranked among the top five MENA ecosystems in multiple key areas, including Performance (3rd), Knowledge (4th), Funding (5th), and the prominent Bang for Buck category, which measures the efficiency of capital deployment and returns on emirate ranked particularly high in the market reach of its ecosystem and funding availability; however, it showed room for improvement in knowledge and access to talent and Support for StartupsAccording to VivaTech, the success of Abu Dhabi's startup ecosystem is driven by a combination of forward-looking government policies, targeted funding initiatives, and a robust support infrastructure. "Abu Dhabi's rise in global rankings reflects the strength of our startup community and the impact of Hub71's ecosystem-enabling initiatives," Hub71 CEO Ahmad Ali Alwan said in the report. "Through strategic partnerships, access to capital, and a supportive regulatory environment, we are helping startups scale internationally and contribute to Abu Dhabi's economic and technological ambitions."Among the key sectors that are fuelling this growth are FinTech, ClimateTech, and Digital Assets, all underpinned by innovative regulatory frameworks and purpose-built infrastructure. Notable enablers such as the Abu Dhabi Global Market's (ADGM) expanded licensing frameworks and substantial venture funding have attracted both local and international entrepreneurs, particularly in sustainability and blockchain technology. Moreover, initiatives like the Khalifa Fund's MZN HUB have helped streamline regulatory processes and offer startups seamless access to global innovation networks, strengthening Abu Dhabi's influence on the international entrepreneurial stage.
Al Etihad
27-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
AI risks and opportunity for news industry take centre stage at Arab Media Summit
28 May 2025 00:41 KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (DUBAI)The transformative power of AI in the media landscape dominated the agenda at the Arab Media Summit in Dubai on Tuesday, with top regional officials and thought leaders urging media institutions to embrace emerging technologies or risk being left at one of the forum's headline panels, Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of the National Media Office, and Chairman of the UAE Media Council, stressed that adapting to emerging technologies and understanding how to deal with them determines the global competitiveness and relevance of media Hamed noted the global shift from traditional media to technology-driven platforms, emphasising the need for media entities to embrace this transformation.'Media platforms that fail to adapt to modern technologies will vanish,' Al Hamed said, adding the landscape continues to evolve rapidly. He called for the responsible and conscious use of modern Hamed stressed that the media must stay at the forefront of technological change to remain relevant and continue engaging younger against complacency amid rapid tech advancements, he added: 'If you don't learn it today, it will be hard to learn it tomorrow.'Dr. Ramzan bin Abdullah Al Noaimi, Minister of Information of Bahrain, highlighted the dual-edged nature of AI's rise in the industry. 'Arab media is at a critical stage due to the entry of AI,' he said. 'There is an opportunity for us to elevate our industry but also the potential to go backwards.'Al Noaimi stressed that successfully integrating AI would depend on more than just innovation, saying that institutional commitment and human adaptability were essential to ensure the proper and ethical utilisation of the technology. He called for comprehensive workforce transformation led by institutions embracing AI from the very top. 'The AI is there to help people, so we need to help them understand it and learn to use it — we need to bring people along.' Credibility amid Faster News Cycles With information cycles moving at a pace that's faster than ever, the media must also deal with the changing expectations of news consumers, said Abdulrahman Al Mutairi, Kuwait's Minister of Information and Culture.'Today, the speed of news is very important, but it must have credibility and accuracy,' Al Mutairi said. 'AI can help in that and should therefore be welcomed — although it needs to be implemented in the right way to ensure this.' Irreplaceable Human Element From a technological perspective, Dr. Marwan Alzarouni, CEO of Artificial Intelligence at Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, envisioned a future where AI lowers barriers to entry and fuels creativity. 'There will be one-person start-ups,' he predicted, highlighting how AI tools could democratise media creation and entrepreneurship. While he acknowledged the novelty and disruptive force of current AI advances, he reminded attendees that humans would remain central. 'Despite all of this advancement, the future will definitely still be human-based.' That human focus was further emphasised by Hamad Al Shirawi, Director of Projects at Dubai Future Foundation, who likened fears surrounding AI to early internet anxieties. 'When you talk about your concerns, it's only natural — just like when the internet came out,' Al Shirawi said. 'It is a wave that we will have to ride, and we will have to learn.' Once considered an optional edge, AI is now a core requirement for success, he added, calling on media professionals to see it as a change to up their game rather than a replacement for their talent. 'It used to be a secret weapon. Now it's a weapon that you must have,' said Al Shirawi. 'Don't be afraid of AI. Embrace it.'
Al Etihad
25-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
UAE retail set to reach $162b by 2028, leads GCC in e-commerce: Report
25 May 2025 23:10 KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (ABU DHABI) The UAE's retail market is forecast to reach $162 billion by 2028, growing at an average annual rate of over 5% from $127.2 billion in 2023, according to a new report by Logic Consulting. According to the Middle East-based group, the UAE leads the region in innovation, digitalisation, and sophisticated e-commerce offerings, despite having a smaller market than neighbouring Saudi Arabia. Titled "Revolutionising Retail: Unveiling GCC's Five-Year Transformation", the study positions the UAE as the most digitally advanced retail market in the GCC.E-commerce sales, which reached $3.9 billion in 2020, growing more than 50% year on year, are expected to become increasingly dominant. According to Logic, this is reflected in consumer preference, with 69% of UAE shoppers saying their loyalty increased for brands that allowed them to shop online and return-in-store. "As GCC nations continue to transition away from oil dependency, retail has become a key enabler for fostering domestic consumption, attracting private investment, and catalysing the development of adjacent industries, including logistics, real estate, technology, and tourism," the report said. The report outlines how major UAE-based retailers are leading the charge, using big data and AI to forecast demand, reduce waste, and personalise consumer journeys. Innovations such as click-and-collect, virtual fitting rooms, and loyalty-integrated apps are becoming the includes success stories from the likes of Majid Al Futtaim, Lulu Hypermarkets, and Noon – with many offering expanded services, same-day delivery, and increasingly competitive ways to shop, and receive items on demand. Moreover, the report details the rising appetite for luxury items and notes the UAE's leading role as a luxury hub in the region. According to Logic, approximately 70% of consumers in the GCC report increased spending on luxury items. "The UAE hosts a substantial number of high-net-worth individuals and millennials who drive the demand for luxury goods and immersive shopping experiences. This cohort values exclusivity, personalised services, and innovative retail environments," the report said. "'Phygital' experiences cater to their desire for interactive and seamless shopping journeys. For instance, luxury brands in the region are adopting augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to enhance customer engagement and provide unique in-store experiences." Despite rapid changes in the retail landscape, traditional neighbourhood shops – namely the 10,000 or so Baqalas on street corners – remain dominant in the UAE's grocery retail sector. A Kantar Worldpanel study cited by Logic shows that these stores continue to make up 60% of shopper traffic.
