Airports and airlines gear up for Middle East air freight boom

The Middle East’s strategic position half-way between Europe and Asia has made it a fast-growing global hub for air transport.
Last year, the Middle East was again the fastest growing region for cargo traffic in terms of freight tonne kilometres (FTKs), recording full-year growth of 16.1%, according to IATA. And at Middle East airports, freight is expected to grow more strongly than passenger traffic, rising 7.9% annually to 2010, according to Airports Council International (ACI) forecasts.
So it’s no surprise to see a strong presence from the region’s ambitious cargo airlines and airport operators at Asian Aerospace 2007, targeting new business from the Far East.
The boom in air freight is good news for aircraft manufacturers, as Middle Eastern airlines are growing extensive fleets of dedicated freighters.
In the past 12 months, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar have all placed orders for dedicated widebody freighters, while Gulf Air has said it is considering similar purchases.
Competition for business in the region is intense. Etihad of Abu Dhabi is another airline that has moved into dedicated cargo operations, launching Etihad Crystal Cargo in September 2004 with a dedicated service between Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt. The division currently operates a fleet of three Airbus A300-600Fs, with a payload of 44 tonnes. These currently serve ten destinations: Frankfurt and Milan in Europe; Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi in India; Addis Ababa, and Khartoum in North Africa and Zhengzhou in China.
03/09/07 Flight Daily News/Flight International

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Categories: Foreign Sep 2007