1st Arabia and Fira Barcelona officially announced the launch of ABOFA – Aqaba Blue Ocean: Future in Action, an international event dedicated to the blue economy, taking place from September 9–12, 2026, at the Aqaba International Exhibition Center (AIEC) in Aqaba, Jordan
The TriStar plane is a commercial airliner that has been out of service and parked at King Hussein International Airport for several years. The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) recently purchased the plane with the intention of sinking it, and it was transferred to the main port to prepare it for is final role. The TriStar is the second aircraft to become an artificial reef off Jordan's coastline. In November 2017, a Hercules C130 was scuttled a bit farther down the coast.
The Dead Sea has been found to be receding at a rate of more than 3.3 feet (1 meter) every year.
The idea of linking the two bodies of water has been around for more than a century. The project began to move ahead two years ago after the World Bank determined it is possible to use the Red Sea to replenish the shrinking Dead Sea after years of studying whether such a connecting lifeline could work.
The desalination plant will produce at least 80 million cubic meters annually. Israel will buy at a cost up to 40 million cubic meters. The rest will go to Aqaba.
