Massive airport development for Middle East

Keen on building a strong and sustainable future for their airports, Middle East countries in general and Arabian Gulf states in particular are pumping in billions of dollars to build new airports or expanding existing facilities. This is being done to meet demands of future air travelers and expanding fleets of airlines, especially their national carriers.

The airport infrastructure investments and challenges will be in the spotlight at the 14^th edition of Airport Show. The event is scheduled to take place from 11-13 May 2014..

Angela Gittens, director general of Airports Council International (ACI) said: “Simply put, airports are capital intensive businesses highly dependent on economies of scale. Even in a downturn airports have to invest to provide capacity for the future. The future is going to be challenging of course for airports. The aviation sector is definitely going to grow. There will be winners and losers but growth is inevitable.”

A study by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) has revealed that spending on airport construction projects globally is worth over US$385 billion. It said the Middle East is also undertaking major investment, notably in the Arabian Gulf airports, as operations of its main airlines continue to expand rapidly.

IATA said the Middle East continues to be a great success story in the aviation industry. It noted that “about US$40 bn are being invested in airport infrastructure in the Arabian Gulf alone by far-sighted” governments. It forecasts that by the year 2017 the total passenger numbers are expected to rise to 3.91 bn. The Middle East region will see strongest international passenger growth with CAGR of 6.3%.

Over 250 companies will be showcasing their portfolio of products, solutions and services at the Airport Show and GALF. The events expect to attract an attendance of 7,000 attendees, 100 hosted buyers and over 100 regional aviation authorities.