The war in the Middle East is putting the global aviation industry under unprecedented pressure.

Flight schedules have become unpredictable, fuel costs have soared and ticket prices have risen sharply. Yet demand for air travel remains strong, with a record five billion passengers expected to fly this year.

For Hassan El-Houry, chief executive officer of Menzies Aviation, one of the world's largest aviation services companies, the challenge is keeping operations running across 365 airports in 65 countries while airlines face a sharp squeeze on profitability.

In this episode of The Inside Brief, Manus Cranny speaks to Mr El-Houry about the impact of the conflict on global aviation and why he expects the industry to recover quickly once stability returns.

Mr El-Houry also discusses the company's ambitious expansion plans in the Middle East, particularly the UAE, following its acquisition of American aviation services company G2 Secure Staff.

He explains why Menzies is determined to compete in the region, whether an IPO is on the table, and why delays to Heathrow's third runway risk weakening Britain's position as a global aviation hub.

The conversation also turns to Mr El-Houry's remarkable journey from becoming a refugee during Iraq's invasion of Kuwait to leading a global business.

He reflects on the lessons he learnt from military service, becoming a chief executive at just 28, and why human connection and critical thinking remain indispensable in the age of AI.

The Inside Brief with Manus Cranny is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other major platforms.

Mike Pompeo is the only person in American history to have served as both CIA director and secretary of state.

A West Point graduate who finished first in his class, a Harvard Law Review editor and a former manufacturing entrepreneur, he served under US President Donald Trump and was one of the architects of the Abraham Accords. His memoir is titled Never Give an Inch.

Speaking to Manus Cranny in New York, days after attending Senator Lindsey Graham's funeral in Washington, where Benjamin Netanyahu also met with Mr Trump, Mr Pompeo does not characterise the conflict as a Middle East war. He calls it a global one, tying Iran, China and Russia into a single axis.

On this episode of The Inside Brief, Mr Pompeo explains why he believes the Gulf states will ultimately join the US in delivering a decisive blow to Iran's military capabilities, why economic pressure is already visibly degrading life inside Iran, even if the outside world cannot see it, and what a realistic roadmap to ending the conflict looks like.

Mr Pompeo also addresses the Netanyahu-Trump relationship, the prospect of regime change in Iran, the Abraham Accords as a model for post-war Gulf unity, and whether a two-state solution is remotely realistic today.

He closes with what he considers the single greatest risk beyond the Gulf: Western civilisation losing confidence in itself.

The Inside Brief with Manus Cranny is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other major platforms.

Mohammed Alardhi joined the Royal Air Force of Oman as a cadet in 1978, trained as a fighter pilot at RAF Cranwell and rose to command the entire Omani Air Force with the rank of Air Vice Marshal, before leaving for Harvard.

He is now executive chairman of Investcorp. The alternative asset manager founded in 1982 made its name buying and selling Tiffany and Gucci, and has since grown from $10 billion to $63 billion in assets under management under his leadership.

In this episode of The Inside Brief, Manus Cranny sits down with Mr Alardhi at Investcorp's headquarters in London's Mayfair to discuss how the firm has navigated months of regional conflict without a material impact on capital flows, why he believes anyone who has bet against the Gulf in the past 50 years has lost, and where the next alpha lies as Investcorp targets $100 billion in assets under management.

They also discuss the $2 trillion in AI commitments between the Gulf and the US, whether markets are heading for a bubble, how Investcorp is deploying AI across its business, and why the firm continues to see opportunity in the UK despite its political turbulence.

Mr Alardhi also reflects on the lessons fighter pilots and investment professionals share, and what conviction, calculated risk and trusting your team mean when the stakes are high.

The Inside Brief with Manus Cranny is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other major platforms.