Maisour, a leading crowdfunding platform specialising in fractional ownership of Dubai real estate, Thursday announced a landmark collaboration with the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards as the investment partners for the highly anticipated IIFA Weekend & Awards 2024. This agreement, a first-of-its-kind in the 23-year history of the annual film awards ceremony, marks a significant milestone for Maisour and Meteora Group as they align themselves with one of the most prestigious global celebrations of Indian cinema. As part of the understanding, while Maisour will partner with both IIFA Utsavam and IIFA Awards this year, Meteora Developers, one of Dubai’s leading real estate developers will partner with IIFA Utsavam, the South India focused chapter of the annual IIFA Festival.

Praveen Sharma, Group CEO & Partner of Maisour & Meteora Group, expressed his excitement about the association, by saying: “This collaboration marks the start of a monumental chapter, especially for Maisour. As a crowdfunding platform for fractional ownership in Real Estate in Dubai, we are absolutely thrilled to have partnered with a global platform like IIFA that unites and celebrates the best of Indian cinema in what is a dazzling showcase of stardom. This highly anticipated cinematic extravaganza in Abu Dhabi sets the perfect stage for this partnership.”

The IIFA Festival 2024, taking place from September 27 to 29 at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, promises to be a spectacular event. This year’s festival, held under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, and in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and Miral, will feature a dazzling line-up of events that includes the NEXA IIFA Utsavam Awards, the NEXA IIFA Awards, and Sobha IIFA Rocks.

“At Maisour, we champion creativity and innovation while making Real Estate investment in Dubai affordable in helping create a lasting legacy for millions, starting from AED 500, thus seamlessly resonating with the iconic positioning of the IIFA Awards. Together, we aim to elevate the fan engagement and offer them opportunities for investment and excellent returns,” added Sharma, who co-founded Meteora Developers with his Jordanian partner, Omar Al Amour, early last year before going on to carve a niche for themselves in the real estate market, selling out their first four projects – The East Crest, 7 Park Central, Vita Grande and Park Boulevard.  “This collaboration represents a new chapter in Maisour’s mission to make real estate investment in Dubai more accessible and impactful through cutting-edge technology and a global platform,” Sharma added.

With Maisour’s involvement, the partnership highlights the intersection of cinematic brilliance and innovative real estate investment opportunities, allowing fans and investors to experience and engage with both worlds.

This year’s IIFA Awards are happening on September 28 and will see superstar Shah Rukh Khan and filmmaker-producer Karan Johar share the stage as hosts. The awards night will see the who’s who of Indian cinema including Rekha, Shahid Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Prabhu Deva, Rana Daggubati, Raashi Khanna,  Janhvi Kapoor and others, lighting up the stage with their electric performances.

Joby Aviation, Inc., a company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, today announced it has taken the first step towards becoming a certified air taxi operator in the United Arab Emirates.

During the International Civil Aviation Organization’s inaugural Advanced Air Mobility Summit, taking place in Montreal, Canada this week, JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby Aviation, met with His Excellency Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director General of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), and presented Joby’s Letter of Intent to initiate Joby’s Air Operator Certificate application.

In February 2024, Joby signed a definitive agreement with Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) to launch air taxi services in the Emirate of Dubai, positioning the city as a world leader in the next generation of fast, clean and quiet air mobility.

In April 2024, Joby expanded its partnership with the UAE through a multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Municipalities and Transport – Abu Dhabi (DMT), the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (DED) and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), paving the way for Joby to establish and scale air taxi services in Abu Dhabi and beyond.

Bevirt commented: “There is incredible momentum behind the adoption of clean flight across the UAE, and we’re excited to be working with a wide range of partners, including the GCAA, to lay the groundwork for one of the world’s first electric air taxi networks, delivering fast, clean and quiet journeys using our revolutionary aircraft.”

H.E Saif Al Suwaidi said: “The Letter of Intent for the operator certificate application from Joby Aviation marks a significant milestone in the UAE’s journey towards becoming a global leader in EVTOL operations. Our readiness to support these advanced technologies underscores our commitment to fostering advanced air mobility solutions that will be part of the future of transportation in the UAE and beyond. We are excited to work closely with Joby Aviation to ensure the highest standards of safety and efficiency as we advance towards the realization of commercial EVTOL operations in our skies.”

Issued by the GCAA, the Air Operator Certificate is required to operate commercial air transport in the UAE. Joby will follow a five-stage application process that will see the Company develop a full complement of air taxi operating manuals, undergo inspections of its UAE-based facilities, and complete GCAA observation of pilot and aircraft mechanic training as well as flight operations.
Joby completed a similar process to receive its U.S. Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration in May 2022 and has operated traditional aircraft in the U.S. for more than two years, refining aspects of the Company’s intended air taxi operations while using its proprietary ElevateOS software system.

Joby’s electric air taxi is designed to carry a pilot and four passengers at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, with a journey from Dubai International Airport to Palm Jumeirah, which typically takes 45 minutes by car, expected to take just 10 minutes.

The UAE fuel price committee on Saturday announced petrol and diesel prices for the month of September 2024.

Super 98 petrol will cost Dh2.90 a litre, compared to Dh3.05 a litre in August, while Special 95 will cost Dh2.78 a litre, compared to Dh2.93 a litre the previous month. E-Plus category petrol will be available for Dh2.71 a litre, compared to Dh2.86 a litre in August, while diesel will now cost Dh2.78 a litre, compared to Dh2.95 a litre the previous month.

he UAE has been revising retail petrol prices on the last day of the month ever since the government deregulated oil prices in August 2015 to bring them at par with the global rates.

The approved fuel prices by the Ministry of Energy, according to the average global price of oil, whether up or down, after adding the operating costs of distribution companies.