UAE‑India trade & flights
UAE‑India trade is being pushed toward a $100 billion annual target, with the UAE now India’s third‑largest partner and an energy‑security pivot — a strategic backdrop for cross‑border business (x.com). Air India has expanded West Asia capacity to about 22 daily flights including multiple UAE routes, easing travel and highlighting UAE MRO capacity as a regional aviation hub ( ).
India‑UAE bilateral trade reached about $100.06 billion in fiscal year 2024‑25, up sharply after the 2022 CEPA came into force on May 1, 2022. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Trade volume between the two countries rose from roughly $59.1 billion in FY20 to $100 billion in FY25, and the UAE’s share of India’s global trade increased from about 7.5% to 8.6% over that period, while “clean” non‑oil trade grew from $19.9 billion to $32.9 billion. (moneycontrol.com) On energy ties, ADNOC Gas signed a 14‑year LNG supply agreement to deliver up to 1.2 million tonnes per annum to Indian Oil Corporation, underscoring multi‑year fuel contracts that anchor UAE‑India energy security links. (adnocgas.ae) Air India and Air India Express operated an updated West Asia schedule on March 27 that included 22 scheduled and non‑scheduled services, while the carrier flagged additional ad‑hoc UAE options to relieve passenger demand. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Several outlets reported that carriers deployed dozens of ad‑hoc UAE flights to cope with disruptions, with up to 32 extra non‑scheduled round‑trips covering Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al‑Khaimah across operators. (mid-day.com) The UAE is expanding MRO capacity to support that surge: Sanad and Etihad Engineering renewed a long‑term lease to consolidate Abu Dhabi and Al Ain engine MRO capabilities, while industry research pegs the UAE MRO market at about $3.06 billion in 2025 with multi‑billion‑dollar growth projections ahead. (sanad.ae)
