Gulf carriers one up on Western airlines

London: The prodigious growth of airlines in the region has left their European competitors playing catch-up. Middle-East airlines Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways are among the fastest-growing in the world, fuelled by huge infrastructure development projects in the booming Gulf region.
These projects include the construction of the world’s biggest airport at the Dubai World Central development, which will comprise six runways and capacity for 120 million passengers a year. In addition, the Gulf airlines have marketing muscle. Dubai airline Emirates sponsors a range of sports events and teams around the world, including Arsenal FC and its stadium, while Abu Dhabi rival Etihad has just signed a deal with the Ferrari Formula One team.
Moreover, the airlines’ hubs are positioned at what Etihad chief executive James Hogan describes as ‘the crossroads of the world’, the geographical centre-point between East and West, leaving them ideally placed to serve the rapidly-developing economies of India and China.
17/05/08 Jane Simms/Economic Times

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Foreign May 2008