Middle East passenger numbers ‘will double to hit 530 million in 2043’
Kamil Al Awadhi, IATA’s Regional VP for Africa and the Middle East, was speaking to media on Sunday ahead of its annual general meeting (AGM) in Dubai.
Dubai: Middle East passenger numbers are expected to double and hit 530 million in 2043, an International Air Transport Association (IATA) official told media on Sunday ahead of its annual general meeting (AGM) in Dubai.
According to Kamil Al Awadi, IATA’s Regional VP for Africa and the Middle East, passenger traffic is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 3.9 per cent from 2023 to 2043.
Moreover, the IATA official also said that the passenger traffic of Middle Eastern carriers has fully recovered post-pandemic.
“There is also an improvement in cargo performance, with a 6.4 per cent increase as of April 2024. The Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPK – a way of calculating the number of kilometres travelled by paying customers) show a slight increase of 0.5 per cent from the 2019 numbers,” Al Awadi explained. Al Awadi said that Middle East Cargo Tonne Kilometers currently stand 6.4 per cent above 2019 levels.
Middle Eastern airlines saw a 14.2 per cent year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 9.9 per cent year-on-year, and the load factor increased +3.0 percentage points to 79.3 per cent compared to April 2023, according to IATA’s monthly passenger traffic reports.
Middle East airlines soared, reporting a 33.3 per cent uptick in air traffic in 2023 compared with the previous year, according to the aviation body. Data revealed that capacity in the region also increased by 26 per cent year-on-year, with passenger load factor climbing 4.4 percentage points to 80.1 per cent.
Al Awadi’s comments come ahead of IATA’s AGM and the World Air Transport Summit (WATS), which are scheduled for June 2-4 in Dubai.
This is the first time the event is being held in the UAE, and Dubai’s flagship carrier, Emirates, is the host airline. Over 1,500 participants, including industry leaders and government officials, are expected to attend. WATS follows the AGM for a comprehensive program addressing aviation’s critical issues, including supply chain challenges, labour supply shortages, and geopolitical issues leading to capacity constraints.
[via gulfnews]
