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Regional
airlines add 58 new routes across the GCC in 2018
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Almost
50% of new UAE routes introduced in 2018 are to destinations in Europe; with
Russia claiming the second largest share of new flights
Fourteen
airlines have already confirmed their participation at CONNECT
Middle East, India & Africa – co-located with Arabian Travel
Market 2019 and taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre on Tuesday
30th April and Wednesday 1st May.
Senior
network planning teams from Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Air Arabia, Air Asia, EgyptAir,
flyadeal, Ethiopian Airlines, Global Airways, Atlas Global, Germania, Mahan Air, Royal Air Maroc and Titan Airways will attend the
inaugural route development forum.
Throughout
2018, GCC airlines have added 58 new flight routes – focusing on areas of
consistent and substantial growth - according to research from Colliers
International - based on a sample of 10 airlines including Emirates,
Etihad, flydubai, Salaam Air, Oman Air, Gulf Air, Saudia, flyadeal, Air Arabia
and IndiGo Airlines.
Karin Butot,
CEO, The Airport Agency,
added: “2018 has been an exciting year for new flight routes both to and from
the GCC, underscoring Dubai as the ideal location to bring together
professionals from the aviation and tourism industry for the inaugural CONNECT
Middle East, India and Africa forum.”
“With
up to 400 delegates, CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa 2019 will include
unlimited one-to-one pre-scheduled appointments, a conference programme, panel
discussions and airline & industry briefings as well as an exhibition area
dedicated to airports and suppliers.”
Looking
at the UAE alone, almost 50% of new routes introduced in 2018 are to destinations
across Europe, with the second largest share of new flights connecting the UAE
with Russia.
Nick Pilbeam,
Divisional Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions,
said: “With
two thirds of the world’s population within an eight-hour flight from the GCC,
it is an ideal base for exploring some of the world’s most interesting and
previously inaccessible corners of the world. And the GCC’s airlines are making
it even easier with the continuous addition of new and direct flight routes.”
During
the period 2018 to 2020, as many as 14.5 million EU residents are expected to
travel to the UAE, while the number of Russian visitors to the UAE is expected
to increase by 69% from 530,000 in 2017 to 895,700 in 2018.
Supporting
this demand, Emirates have introduced new routes to London Stansted, Edinburgh,
Lyon and Paris; Etihad to Barcelona; flydubai to Catania, Thessaloniki, Krakow,
Dubrovnik, Zagreb and Helsinki; and Air Arabia to Prague, Moscow Sheremetyevo
and Grozny.
Pilbeam,
added: "The UAE’s introduction of visas on arrival for Russian tourists in
2017 has led to a huge demand for new flight routes. Earlier this year,
Emirates announced a third daily flight to Moscow, while in September the
airline confirmed that it would be the first to fly an A380 to St Petersburg.
“Historically,
Europe and the UAE have enjoyed excellent travel and tourism links. Building on
this, the introduction of additional flights, new routes and competitive fares
are expected to continue to attract growing numbers of EU residents to the
UAE.”
Additional
routes added by UAE airlines included, Emirates to Santiago, Newark, Riyadh and
Auckland; Etihad to Baku; flydubai to Aqaba, Kutaisi, Kabul and Kilimanjaro;
and Air Arabia to Bodrum, Asmara, Sulaymaniyah, Kabul, Izmir and Qabala.
Throughout
2018, both Oman and Bahrain introduced 12 new routes each. Of the new flights
added across Oman, the majority have been GCC and North Africa centric to
destinations including Riyadh, Kuwait City, Khartoum, Morocco and Egypt. While,
in Bahrain new routes have been Asia focused to destinations such as India,
Azerbaijan and Turkey.
In
Saudi Arabia, eight new routes - to destinations including Vienna, Malaga and
Erbil - were added during 2018, with the majority originating from Jeddah. For
these routes, Colliers International predicts the majority of demand will come
from the outbound market. However, as the kingdom moves towards attracting 30
million visitors annually by 2030, the new routes may also attract a degree of
inbound corporate, religious and leisure visitors.
“Following
recent reforms and the review of visa regulations, Saudi Arabia is poised to
capitalise on these factors as it nurtures a vibrant leisure and entertainment
sector, supported by additional and direct flight routes,” Pilbeam said.
CONNECT
Middle East, India & Africa 2019 is expected to bring together airline
specialists, aviation authorities, tourism boards, airports and tour operators,
as well as other travel-related industry professionals.
