Emirates is now seventh biggest airline

Dubai: Emirates rose to take the seventh position among international airlines while other Gulf carriers also climbed the charts in the latest report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The Dubai carrier flew 16.7 million passengers in 2006 to edge past Cathay Pacific according to findings from IATA's recently published World Air Transport Statistics. Lufthansa again took the number one spot among international airlines with 38.2 million passengers flown, followed by Air France, British Airways and KLM.

The UAE's Etihad Airways came in 63rd and Air Arabia was 78.

Qatar Airways moved up one position to 29 after carrying 7.1 million passengers while Gulf Air, the embattled Bahrain carrier, also climbed a position to 31 after flying 6.4 million customers.

The findings show Emirates flying less than half as many passengers as the top international carrier. But using other criteria, the results show Emirates drawing much closer to reaching the top. Emirates flew 73.9 billion passenger kilometres, while leader Air France flew 112.7 billion passenger kilometres.

Boston Consulting Group, for one, has suggested Emirates could become the number one international airline by 2015.

At Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways, passenger growth is projected to rise 68 per cent in 2007 on the back of an ambitious route development programme. This growth suggests it will be well-positioned to join the ranks of the world's largest airlines in next year's report.

Like many budget carriers, Air Arabia is not a member of IATA and so its figures were not verified by the industry body. The company's own statistics report 1.7 million passengers carried in 2006.

Because none of the Gulf carriers cater to domestic travel, all placed lower in the overall rankings.

American Airlines was the world's largest airline by passenger traffic in 2006, with 99.8 million passengers. Only Emirates and Iran Air made the top 50 among Middle East airlines.

Among wide-bodied fleets, Emirates airline's 101 aircraft was the world's 11th largest. By contrast, freight airline Federal Express operates 264 aircraft. Qatar Airways came in at 25 with 37 wide-body planes.

In the freight category, Emirates was the world's 10th largest cargo operator after carrying 1.1 million tons of freight. Qatar Airways carried 224,000 tons, Gulf Air took 214,000 tons, and Etihad reported 189,000 tons carried.