Dubai’s Emirates Airline is planning a multi-billion-dirham investment in staff housing while Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Air moved into the global freight market with the launch of its cargo operations.
Emirates said it has signed an agreement with Dubai Investments Park to acquire land for a purpose-built Cabin Crew Village that will house up to 12,000 crew members. The mixed-use development will comprise 20 residential towers of 19 floors each, offering one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments designed to support the airline’s expanding workforce.
Separately, Riyadh Air announced the start of cargo services under the brand “Riyadh Cargo,” marking the activation of belly-hold freight capacity across its wide-body fleet. The move signals the Saudi carrier’s entry into the global air cargo market as it prepares for commercial passenger operations.
Riyadh Cargo plans to leverage capacity on more than 120 wide-body aircraft on order, using the fleet to move goods across international routes and connect key global markets.
