The operator of the Indian capital’s international airport, majority owned by GMR Airports, is suing the government for allowing commercial flights from a nearby defence aerodrome, legal papers show in a case to be heard on Monday.

The airport is one of India’s busiest, with about 73.6 million passengers using it last year, though it made a loss of $21m because of higher government fees. In contrast, by Sunday, the number of airbase users was about 1,400.

Read-Here’s how Dubai stacks up among world’s busiest airports

The Delhi airport will become “economically and financially unviable,” after the government permitted commercial flights from the defence airbase in Ghaziabad, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said in the March 10 lawsuit.

In the suit, which Reuters is the first to report, DIAL told the Delhi High Court the government breached aviation rules barring a new airport within an aerial distance of 150 km (90 miles) of an existing one, unless there is passenger demand.

The state-run Airports Authority of India also has a stake in DIAL. India’s civil aviation ministry did not immediately respond to e-mails seeking comment.

DIAL seeks to overturn the government’s decision, and cites media reports for its contention that flights by Air India Express began operating in March from the Hindon Airforce Station, about 30 km (19 miles) from the Delhi airport.DIAL is represented by Trilegal, a law firm based in India.

Worker remittances from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries totalled $131.5bn in 2023, marking a slight decline of 0.4 per cent from the previous year, according to recent data released by the GCC Statistical Centre (GCC-Stat).

Despite the marginal dip of approximately $500m compared to 2022, the GCC remains the largest source of worker remittances globally, followed by the US.

The slowdown follows consecutive years of growth, with remittance inflows rising by 9.2 per centin 2021 and 3.8 per cent in 2022.

Remittances’ share in GCC GDP dropping in recent years, shows data

The data also showed that remittances as a share of the GCC’s gross domestic product (GDP) at current prices have declined in recent years, falling from 8.1 per ent in 2020 to 6 per cent in 2022.

However, the trend reversed slightly in 2023, with remittances accounting for 6.2 per cent of GDP.

Remittances from the GCC are a vital source of income for many developing economies, particularly in South Asia and the Philippines, where millions of expatriates are employed across key sectors such as construction, retail, and domestic services.

GCC labour force and workforce policies

In other news, data issued by GCC-Stat revealed that the total labour force in GCC countries reached 31.8 million, representing 54.2 per cent of the total population.

Male workers accounted for 78.7 per cent, while females made up 17.6 per cent.

The number of working citizens in the GCC stood at 5.6 million, constituting 23.4 per cent of the total labour force, with 60 per cent males and 40 per cent females.

GCC-Stat’s data also showed a 600,000 increase in the number of working women in the region since 2011.

The data indicated that the government sector is still the largest employer of Gulf workers, with a wide scope for localisation in the private sector.

The percentage of employed citizens working in the public sector reached 83.5 percent compared to 14.2 percent in the private sector.

Statistics also revealed that GCC countries’ citizens work mainly in the services sector, particularly in public administration activities.

GCC countries have introduced policies to localise the workforce, such as the GCC Common Market and the Comprehensive Development Strategy, which aim to address imbalances in population structure, workforce distribution, and industrial development.

These policies aim to increase the national workforce’s contribution to the industrial sector.

Additionally, the population strategy seeks to enhance the role of women in development, balance population and workforce structures, and improve national workforce training programmes.

All GCC countries give priority to young workers, promote economic diversification efforts and move towards creating green and environmentally friendly jobs.

Read: GCC to outpace the global economy in 2025: FAB

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has forecasted partly cloudy to cloudy weather for today, with rainfall expected in some areas and a drop in temperatures.

According to the NCM, the lowest temperature recorded over the country this morning was 13.4°C in Mebreh Mountain (Ras Al Khaimah) at 06:30am UAE Local time.

The centre’s daily weather report also indicates that humidity levels will rise during the night and Tuesday morning, particularly in coastal regions.

Light to moderate winds, which will occasionally intensify, are anticipated to impact the area, as reported by state news agency, WAM.

Winds are forecasted to be south-westerly to north-westerly, shifting to a more consistent north-westerly direction, with speeds ranging from 10 to 25 km/h. However, gusts could reach up to 40 km/h in some locations.

In terms of sea conditions, the Arabian Gulf is expected to experience slight to moderate waves, while the Oman Sea will see only slight waves.

Global ratings agency S&P raised Saudi Arabia’s rating to ‘A+’ from ‘A’ with a stable outlook on Friday, underpinned by the ongoing social and economic transformation in the country.

Read-Saudi Arabia cuts oil prices to Asia for first time in three months

Fitch said the country’s Vision 2030 project provides some flexibility in managing capital expenditure and debt issuance.

The sustained momentum in this project can help boost activity in construction, logistics, manufacturing and mining sectors, prompting GDP growth over 2025-28, the report said.

Earlier last week, the ratings agency had said it expects Saudi government to cut capex and associated current spending in 2025.

With Saudi’s main aim to diversify its economy away from its reliance on the hydrocarbon sector, Fitch said the current investments should boost consumption by Saudi Arabia’s young population and increase the productive capacity of the economy.

Last week, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund had signed a new memorandum of understanding worth $3bn with Italy’s state export credit agency SACE.

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has completed 40 per cent of its upgrade to the nol system, transitioning from the current card-based ticketing system to a more advanced account-based ticketing (ABT) technology.

The new digital payment system is designed to align with global advancements in digital payments and financial technology (fintech), adhering to international best practices.

The upgrade is expected to be completed by the end of Q3 2026.

Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, outlined the scale of the project, which has a total cost of Dhs550m, and noted that it has been divided into three key phases.

Project phases and timeline

The first phase will upgrade the central system to create digital accounts for users, linking them to their existing nol cards.

In the second phase, a new generation of nol cards will be introduced, incorporating advanced technologies that ensure compatibility with international banking card standards.

The third and final phase will complete the system upgrade, enabling the acceptance of alternative payment methods such as bank cards and digital wallets for public transport fare payments across Dubai.

New system features

The upgraded nol system will introduce several new features for users.

The system will allow users to create digital accounts, link their Nol cards to these accounts, add cards to smartphone wallets, and purchase tickets using QR code technology via digital channels. Additionally, the system will implement a flexible fare concept across public transport.

Al Tayer explained that with the upgraded system, users will be able to manage their accounts, link their own and family members’ nol cards, and control account settings, such as allocating top-up amounts for each card.

Users will also have the option to activate automatic balance top-ups by linking accounts to banking services, view daily transaction statements, and easily suspend cards to retrieve balances.

The system upgrade will also involve improvements to systems, devices, and smart kiosks at public transport stations, enabling users to pay fares using various methods, including QR code ticketing, the next generation of nol cards, facial recognition, fingerprint authentication, bank cards, and digital wallets.

Moreover, the upgraded system will extend the use of the cards beyond public transport, allowing users to make purchases across digital platforms and retail outlets in the UAE, similar to how bank cards are used.

Read: Dubai Metro, Tram launch new integrated system to benefit commuters

nol card to support seamless travel

Launched on September 9, 2009, alongside the Dubai Metro, the nol system was designed to facilitate seamless travel for public transport users.

In recent years, RTA has introduced several enhancements to the nol system, including incentive packages for students in collaboration with the International Student Identity Card (ISIC), a global organisation specialising in student discounts.

Additionally, RTA has launched nol Terhaal promotional and incentive cards for tourists and residents, and has enabled nol card payments for shared mobility services, such as e-scooters, supporting first- and last-mile connectivity.

The card remains a key element in Dubai’s drive to lead the world in smart mobility applications.