Doha
Air traffic congestion remains the fundamental obstacle to growth in the Middle East aviation industry, said Tony Tyler, Director General and chief executive of International Air Transport Association (IATA), on Tuesday.
Regional stakeholders have long complained about the burgeoning congestion issue building up in the skies above the Gulf. Regional governments have divided airspace between commercial and military aircraft, however, prioritising the latter.
Discussions with governments to free up some of this space is ongoing, Tyler said, at a media roundtable on the sidelines of the IATA annual meet in Doha.
The Gulf emerged as an important aviation hub over the past decade or so that has been built off the back of strong growth from indigenous airlines including Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways. The three, along with other airlines, are feeding traffic into what is a very small geographical area.
In April, passenger demand in the Middle East grew 18.6 per cent while capacity increased 13.1 per cent compared to the same month a year earlier, according to the latest IATA statistics.
“Our people here are working with various air navigation service providers to try to get things moving in terms of better coordination between the different airspaces,” Tyler said.
Capacity constraints on the ground have also become an issue as airlines demand infrastructure that will support long-term growth strategies. Qatar Airways moved to its new home, Hamad International, last week, while last October Dubai opened Al Maktoum International, which when completed, will be a up to 200 million passengers-a-year capacity super hub. Abu Dhabi is also building a new Dh10.8 billion terminal.
Earlier this week, Tim Clark, Emirates President, reportedly said the airlines growth could be constricted by capacity limitations at its current home, Dubai International. It is unclear when, or if, Emirates will move to Al Maktoum International with the possibility it may stay put while other airlines move over to free up space.
On Tuesday, Tyler said that “compared to other parts of the world, the Middle East, the Gulf particularly, has done a very good job in keeping up with airport infrastructure”.
Dubai International is currently being expanded to a 90 million passengers-a-year airport.
