News
Private Jet Operator AirX Wins Saudi Aviation Clearance
The Malta-based aircraft charter company has formalized entry into the Kingdom as private jet traffic climbs.
Malta-headquartered private aviation operator AirX has secured approval from Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation, clearing the way to base and operate aircraft in the Kingdom.
The sign-off marks AirX’s formal expansion into Saudi Arabia after years of serving the market through international charters. With the license in hand, the company plans to increase aircraft availability locally and deepen relationships with corporate and government clients.
“Saudi Arabia represents one of the most strategic and dynamic aviation markets globally,” said Houssam Hazzoury, Group CEO of AirX. “With Vision 2030 driving unprecedented growth in tourism, investment, and international engagement, we see a clear opportunity to support the Kingdom’s premium private aviation sector with world-class long-range aircraft capability, safety standards, and service excellence”.
AirX operates a fleet of 20 aircraft, spanning heavy jets, Lineage models and widebody VIP configurations. The company is entering the Saudi market with support from AstroLabs, which advises foreign firms setting up in the Gulf.
The move lands as business aviation traffic accelerates across the Middle East. Saudi Arabia recorded 23,612 business jet flights in 2024, up 24 percent year on year. The rise tracks with Vision 2030’s push to attract global companies, investors and tourists, alongside major aviation infrastructure spending.
Relocation trends are also reshaping demand. Reports point to a 700 percent increase in millionaire relocations (a figure of 2,400) in 2025, adding fuel to premium charter activity. The Kingdom’s private aviation market is forecast to reach $2 billion by the end of the decade.
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For AirX, the GACA approval is operational, rather than simply symbolic. It allows aircraft to be positioned in-market rather than flown in ad hoc, tightening response times and expanding capacity across Riyadh, Jeddah and emerging hubs such as the NEOM project.
“AirX’s expansion comes at a pivotal time as Saudi Arabia consolidates its position as a global aviation and tourism hub,” said Fouad Fattal, Vice President, Commercial at AstroLabs.
As more multinationals anchor regional headquarters in Riyadh, competition among charter operators is set to intensify. AirX is betting that scale, long-range capability and early regulatory alignment will secure it a larger slice of the Kingdom’s fast-maturing private aviation segment.
News
Max Fashion Brings AI Virtual Try-Ons To Gulf Online Shoppers
Landmark Group’s value fashion brand is using Google Cloud’s generative AI to tackle the returns problem that has dogged ecommerce since its beginning.
Buying clothes online has always involved a gamble. A garment that looks right on a model may hang differently on the person ordering it, and the result is a cycle of returns that costs retailers money and customers patience. Max Fashion, part of Dubai-based Landmark Group, is betting that generative AI can improve the experience.
The brand has launched what it describes as one of the region’s first virtual try-on experiences, built on Google Cloud’s Virtual Try-On API and generative AI vision models delivered through the Gemini Enterprise platform. Starting in the UAE, shoppers browsing Max’s digital platforms can see realistic previews of how garments drape, fit and move across different body types before committing to a purchase.
For many online shoppers, uncertainty is the single biggest barrier between scrolling and buying. “It helps address real purchase barriers, particularly around fit and confidence, while allowing us to create a richer and more engaging shopping journey,” explained Hani Weiss, chief executive officer of Max Fashion, who framed the rollout as part of the brand’s ambition to make fashion more accessible.
Bala Subramaniam, senior vice president and head of omnichannel at Max, seemed even more enthusiastic about the technology: “For the first time, a customer browsing on their phone has the same confidence as one standing in our fitting room”.
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Whether AI previews can genuinely match a fitting room remains to be proven at scale. The technology’s value will depend on how accurately it renders fabric and fit across the full range of bodies that shop at a value fashion brand, and on whether shoppers trust what they see enough to change their behavior.
For Google Cloud, the deployment is also a statement about where regional retail is heading. “AI-driven personalization is no longer a luxury, it is a core business imperative for forward-thinking retailers,” says Ziad Jammal, general manager for Google Cloud UAE, Levant and North Africa. If the returns data eventually backs that up, the rest of the region’s retailers will be watching closely.
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