News
Qatar Airways Unveils “Qsuite Next Gen” At Farnborough Airshow
The Airline also showcased its Boeing 787-9 aircraft and revealed four new luxurious Qatar Executive Gulfstream G700 jets.
On the first day of the Farnborough International Airshow 2024, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer revealed the latest “Qsuite Next Gen” alongside Sama – the world’s first AI cabin crew member.
During the announcement, Qsuite Next Gen’s new and enhanced features were showcased, including fully customizable Quad Suites, window aisle Companion Suites, 4K OLED in-flight entertainment (IFE) screens, plus increased space and privacy for each suite.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer announced: “We are excited to have finally revealed the long-awaited Qsuite Next Gen at the Farnborough International Airshow. Qatar Airways has once again raised the bar for its award-winning product, the Qsuite. We look forward to welcoming media and partners to our stand throughout the week to experience the future of business class travel with the World’s Best Business Class onboard the World’s Best Airline”.
Onboard rest and relaxation have also been enhanced with increased dining space, taller, digitally controlled dividers for improved privacy, and larger lie-flat beds. In addition, Qsuite Next Gen offers a huge array of customization options, including ambient lighting to privacy controls, along with upgraded touchscreen Passenger Control Units.
Qsuite Next Gen will first appear on the Qatar Airways Boeing B777-9. The new aircraft will be in service by 2025. Meanwhile, the Farnborough Airshow presentation also saw execs show off the current Boeing 787-9 aircraft with its Adient Ascent Business Class Suite, equipped with privacy doors, wireless device charging, and luxurious 79-inch lie-flat beds.
Also Read: Top Free AI Chatbots Available In The Middle East
While highlighting the various centerpieces of his airline’s stand, Engr. Al-Meer stated: “Qatar Airways is also showcasing its state-of-the-art Boeing B787-9 Dreamliner and Qatar Executive’s all-new Gulfstream G700. We continue to build on our promise of delivering unparalleled excellence in each and every iteration of our products and services. We welcome all visitors to experience the latest era of Qatar Airways at the prestigious Farnborough International Airshow this week”.
News
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.
Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.
The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc
— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026
“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.
Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.
Also Read: Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget
The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.
Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
RØDE’s New DS3 Studio Arm Is Built For Heavier Creator Setups
Dubai Turns AI On Its Own Civil Service To Measure Productivity
Former Rockstar Director Dismisses GTA 6 Leaks As “Nothing Burger”
Qatar Airways Flies The World’s First Starlink-Equipped 787-9
Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget
Samsung And Spotify Offer Free Premium Deal In MENA
Spotify Will Now Tell You If Your Favorite Artist Isn’t Real
Instagram Redraws Its Wordmark And The Internet Reads “Instagzam”
Anghami’s New Elite Program Starts With A Three-Decade Catalog
-
News3 weeks agoSpotify Will Now Tell You If Your Favorite Artist Isn’t Real
-
News3 weeks agoInstagram Redraws Its Wordmark And The Internet Reads “Instagzam”
-
News2 weeks agoAnghami’s New Elite Program Starts With A Three-Decade Catalog
-
News2 weeks agoQatar Is Getting Its First EV Plant, Built To Cope With Gulf Heat