Recent News

New Delhi, 26th Nov 2022: Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh will co-chair 4th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue with the Minister of Armed Forces of the French Republic Mr. Sebastien Lecornu on his visit to India from 26-28 November, 2022. The visiting French Minister shall also meet External Affair Minister and the National Security Advisor. This is the first visit of Mr Sebastien Lecornu as French Minister of Armed Forces to India. He is also scheduled to visit Headquarters Southern Naval Command at Kochi and see India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. India and France have close and friendly relations. In 1998, the two countries entered into Strategic Partnership, marking convergence of their views on a range of international issues apart from a close and growing bilateral relationship. India and France are partners in defence and armaments, contributing to India’s policy of strategic autonomy in the defence sector through numerous industrial cooperation.

New Delhi, 21st Nov 2022: At the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Cambodia Samdech Pichey Sena TEA Banh, Defence Minister of India Rajnath Singh will pay an official visit to Cambodia from November 22-23, 2022. Cambodia, as the chair of ASEAN Defence Ministers Plus (ADMM Plus) meeting is hosting the 9th annual meeting at Siem Reap, Cambodia and the Raksha Mantri will address the forum on November 23, 2022. He will also call on the Prime Minister of Cambodia.To commemorate 30 years of India-ASEAN relations, India and Cambodia will co-chair the maiden India-ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting on November 22, 2022, presided over by Rajnath Singh. Various initiatives to boost India-ASEAN partnership are planned to be announced during the meeting. India became the dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992 and the inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi, Vietnam on October 12, 2010. Since 2017, ADMM-Plus Ministers have been meeting annually to further the dialogue and cooperation amongst ASEAN and the Plus countries. India and ASEAN have elevated their relationship to ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ in November 2022. Apart from the ADMM-Plus meeting and India-ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting, the Defence Minister will hold bilateral discussions with Defence Ministers of the participating countries. During the talks, Rajnath Singh will discuss defence cooperation matters and ways to further strengthen the mutually beneficial engagements.

Manama,11th Nov 2022: Texel Air, a Bahraini Cargo Airline, has levelled up its horse charter ability with the purchase of HAY Horse Stalls from VRR www.vrr.aero in the Netherlands.HAY Horse Stalls are heavy-duty non-collapsible stalls allowing up to three horses to be transported per stall, a quarter million euro investment for Texel Air. George Chisholm, CEO of Chisholm Enterprises, the parent company of Texel air, says it was important for Texel Air to invest in a state-of-the-art solution for horse transport. “At Texel Air, we recognise that carrying large animals, especially horses, requires extreme care and consideration. After extensive research, we found that horses travel best in certified stalls, so it was a no-brainer to invest in the VRR HAY Horse stalls. It’s important for our clients who have chosen Texel Air to transport their livestock, that we offer the best capabilities and provide the utmost of care for both groom and animal. All deserve to have a safe and stress-free experience.” HAY Horse Stalls are certified by EASA. The HAY Horse Stalls have the availability of kick-doors, ramp entrances, vibration-damping base, easy water and feeding access, as well as adjustable ventilation to reduce stress and guarantee the safety of the horse during transport. VRR Horse Stalls have been designed in collaboration with grooms, using their input to ensure that care for the horse is considered at every step. The HAY Horse Stalls will be used on Texel Air’s full fleet of aircraft fitting up to 21 horses. per flight and grooms for each horse. Previously, Texel Air used collapsible stalls that were only suitable for internal aircraft use,which was a timely exercise, sometimes requiring up to five hours to prep the aircraft and load the horses. “HAY Horse Stalls are not only safer for the animals but more efficient when travelling with a large number of horses.” Chisholm explains.

TEL AVIV – 26th October, 2022 Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will exhibit at the Bahrain International Airshow, taking place November 9-11th. IAI will showcase a variety of its state-of-the-art aviation products, including civil aviation, radars and avionics, air defense systems, coastal guard and drone guard systems. This is the first time that an Israeli company is participating in the event. Amir Peretz, Chairman of IAI’s Board of Directors: “The Abraham Accords have opened the door for us to participate for the first time in this exhibition and to work collaboratively with our neighbors to deal with the common threats we face in the region. IAI’s capabilities, alongside the impressive relationships that we developed over the last two years with our colleagues in the Gulf States, will allow us to continue to expand the company’s contribution to both technology and defense in the region, whereby our proven capabilities can help ensure a higher degree of regional stability.” Boaz Levy, IAI President and CEO said: “As we celebrate two years since the signing of the Abraham Accords, IAI is thrilled to participate in the Bahrain International Airshow and to broaden cooperation with business partners in the Gulf region. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet with our partners and prospective partners and showcase the cutting-edge solutions IAI has developed. We believe that there are several opportunities to work together, share our knowledge, and develop new defense and civilian solutions with our partners in the Gulf region, and together, to create a brighter and safer future for our region”.

Langley UK, October 25, 2022: Travelport, a technology company and Malaysia Airlines announced that they have reached a multi-year renewal agreement that will continue to bring Malaysia Airlines’ content to Travelport- connected customers worldwide. With the new expanded multi-source content agreement, Travelport customers will also be able to access the airlines’ future New Distribution Capability (NDC) content via Travelport+, Travelport’s next- generation travel retailing platform. Izham Ismail, Group Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Airlines comments: “Travelport has continued to impress us with its technical knowledge and dedication in helping us to fulfill our business needs throughout our decades-long partnership. We are confident that Travelport+, Travelport’s next-generation travel retailing platform will be our strategic partner in achieving our future business goals. Our expanded partnership is important to our long-term transformative business plan, especially with our NDC initiative implementation.” Since Malaysia’s international borders officially reopened on April 1, 2022, flight bookings overall have increased and have shown an upward trajectory. This has rejuvenated the aviation industry that was hard hit by Covid-19. The expanded partnership between Travelport and Malaysia Airlines will ensure smooth and seamless airline content delivery to all the Travelport-connected customers and travelers across the globe. Sue Carter, Head of Air Partners Asia Pacific at Travelport, says: “With this expanded multi-year distribution agreement renewal, we are thrilled to be working even closer with Malaysia Airlines to continue to deliver our Travelport Rich Content and Branding solution which helps to further elevate the airline’s retail product offerings through our Travelport+ platform. Together, we will also be working hand in hand to embark on Malaysia Airlines’ NDC journey, jumpstarting innovations which will improve modern travel retail customer experiences.”