Clean Engines, Clear Skies: AeroCore Touches Down in Riyadh

AeroCore Technologies, inventor of Nucleated Foam Technology™ aircraft engine cleaning, has opened its Middle East regional headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It's a big move for airlines across the Kingdom and the GCC, so let's break it down.

The new headquarters will house regional leadership, engineering, technician training, and equipment support. As a result, service teams will sit much closer to customers, supporting Saudi Vision 2030.

In other words, help is now right around the corner instead of an ocean away.

Heat, humidity, dust, and sand are tough on aircraft engines. Gas path fouling erodes exhaust gas temperature (EGT) margin, increases fuel burn, and pressures time on wing. Consequently, operators are seeing accelerated engine removals and need a better on-wing cleaning solution.

AeroCore's patented technology is field-proven across thousands of washes on U.S. military aircraft. Better yet, it cleans the full engine gas path planeside in about an hour, with no disassembly or towing. Teams can wash multiple engines at once, and all effluent is captured for environmentally responsible disposal.

Because it fits into overnight maintenance or planned ground time, it slots neatly into a data-driven engine wash program.

So what's the payoff? Commercial programs have reported EGT margin recovery of roughly 4–10°C beyond legacy wash methods. Additionally, they've seen fuel burn reductions of 0.5–1.5% and time-on-wing extensions of up to 1,500 cycles.

The technology is validated on aircraft families widely flown across the GCC, including the Airbus A320, A321, A330, and A350, plus the Boeing 737 NG and MAX, 777, and 787.

Captain Fahd Cynndy, Board Member at AeroCore Technologies, put it well: "Saudi Arabia and the GCC are building one of the world's most ambitious aviation markets, and that growth needs solutions that improve availability, extend time on wing and build local capability."

Ultimately, AeroCore's Riyadh headquarters brings that capability closer to operators, right on their ramps and around their schedules.

Rocks, Riyals, and Roundtables: Riyadh's Mineral Party Is Back

**RIYADH, Saudi Arabia** is gearing up for something big. The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources announced that the sixth Future Minerals Forum (FMF) will run from 12–14 January 2027. It takes place under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, with the theme "Global Collaboration for Resilient Mineral Supply."

The fifth edition drew 21,500 participants from 175 countries. Moreover, delegates signed 132 agreements and MoUs worth over USD 26.7 billion. Altogether, five editions have produced 398 deals valued at more than USD 75.2 billion.

This year, organizers will focus on mobilizing finance and speeding up project development. Furthermore, they aim to help emerging suppliers across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The government-led Ministerial Roundtable will headline the event. Meanwhile, "Gateway to Funding" will connect investors with scalable projects.

The Kingdom's mining sector has grown right alongside the Forum. Exploration spending jumped from USD 54.7 million in 2020 to USD 362.7 million in 2025. Likewise, active exploration companies climbed from six to 191.

Additionally, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman announced that Jabal Sayid holds an estimated 114 million tons of rare earth ore.

FMF 2027 will issue a global call to diversify mineral supply. Therefore, start planning now. Visit futuremineralsforum.com to register.

From 20 to 500: How etisalat Is Building the UAE's Digital Superhighway

In Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan witnessed etisalat launch a bold digital infrastructure project. Honestly, it's a big deal.

The timing makes sense, too. After all, AI keeps demanding more capacity every single day.

First, etisalat will lift international connectivity from 20 Tbps to more than 500 Tbps by 2030. That's over twenty-five times today's capacity!

Plus, diverse routes will deliver fast, low-latency, reliable performance. In other words, the UAE stays directly connected to the global digital economy.

Sheikh Mansour calls digital infrastructure a pillar of a knowledge-based economy. Moreover, he wants the UAE to help create technologies, not just use them.

Likewise, Chairman Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Alzaabi says the UAE should govern AI and build with it. Therefore, strong infrastructure comes first.

Meanwhile, etisalat operates across 38 countries and serves over 250 million subscribers. So the impact stretches well beyond the UAE.

Finally, the launch coincides with etisalat's 50th anniversary and its new strategy built on four business engines. Clearly, the next fifty years start now.