- Airlines like Emirates (pictured above) and Etihad are leading the expansion of the Arab world’s carriers.
- European Pressphoto Agency
Airlines of the Arab world will carry double the number of passengers by 2026 as the region’s carriers, particularly those of the Persian Gulf, buy hundreds more planes and governments invest in airports on the ground. That’s according to the latest figures from the Beirut-based Arab Air Carriers Organization, of which the big Gulf three of Emirates Airline, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways are all members.
Here are some of the key points from AACO’s forecasts.
– AACO members will carry 300 million passengers by 2026, from 150 million today. The number of passengers flying through Arab airports will grow from 268 million to 571 million by 2026.
– Despite the large increase in passengers carried by Arab airlines, the region’s share of passengers flying through and within the region will remain largely the same, at about 66%.
– The fleet count of Arab carriers will grow from 1069 to 1685, yet the average age of the region’s fleets will increase from 7 years to 8.2 years as airlines replenish their fleets at a slower rate.
– The growth in passengers flying on Arab carriers will be driven by the overall jump in the numbers of people flying, rather than scores of new destinations being served. Arab carries will serve 409 destinations by 2026 up slightly from 365 today.
– Traffic between Asia and the two regions of sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America will provide the greatest growth opportunities to Arab carriers going forward as the region’s airlines continue to pursue a strategy of transit traffic.
– Arab airlines will capture 16% of global traffic between other continents by 2026, up from 12% today.
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(via WSJ Blogs)
