Growth in the aviation industry and liberalisation of regulations will make Asia the "new nucleus" for world air travel, said the head of Etihad Airways.
The balance of power in the industry is shifting east, partly because of tight government regulations faced by European carriers, said James Hogan, the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi airline.
"The centre of geopolitical gravity is being drawn rapidly and inexorably eastward towards Asian economic power," he said.
"We speak of Asia as the new centre of the world." Mr Hogan added that Etihad was focusing its attention on emerging economies in the East.
"Our future network hub strategy is built around the huge opportunities we see in provincial China, regional India and in other under-served growth areas."
Mr Hogan was speaking at an address on the "shifting geopolitics of aviation" held at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney.
He said that rapid growth of airlines in the emerging markets would see the focus of the aviation industry shift East. "Aviation will have a new nucleus: Asia," said Mr Hogan. "China has recently built 50 new airports. Another 50 will open before this decade is out … India, while slightly behind, is growing even faster."
The Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), a bloc of 10 countries, has proposed a plan to establish a single aviation market with no traffic restrictions by 2015.
Mr Hogan said such a transition would represent a "free and efficient framework for landing rights and air traffic control". This compares favourably to the tight restrictions on landing rights seen in the West, he added.
12/08/11 Bedn Flanagan/The National
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