Sultanate of Oman Ministry of Tourism Undersecretary Maitha bint Saif bin Majid Al-Mahrouqi speaks at the opening ceremony. On her left are Salim Al Aufi, CEO of Oman's Public Authority for Civil Aviation; and Andrew Gordon, Airbus Director of Strategic Marketing and Analysis. On her right Eng. Ahmed Al Zadjil, Director of Aviation Regulation & Change Management, Office of Civil Aviation, Oman.
Saleh Fareed Saudi Gazette SALALAH, Oman – Passenger traffic in the Middle East will increase by 6.2 percent annually over the next 20 years, with airline fleets expected to grow nearly three times by 2031 to meet this demand, the latest market forecast for the region by Airbus revealed. The forecast was presented by Andrew Gordon, Airbus Director of Strategic Marketing and Analysis, at the 3rd Air Arabia Arab Aviation Summit held recently in Salalah. Speaking on the sidelines of the 3rd Air Arabia Arab Aviation Summit, Gordon, said “the Middle East market will witness significant growth in the aviation industry over the next 20 years and growing economies, increasing numbers of tourists and ongoing economic diversification will drive the development of passenger traffic.” He said Airbus' forecast for the Middle East region is derived from the company's Global Market Forecast, which foresees a need for some 28,200 passenger and freighter aircraft valued at nearly $4.0 trillion over the next 20 years. In various size categories, the forecast predicts total demand for 1,710 very large aircraft, 6,970 twin-aisle wide-body aircraft and 19,520 single-aisle aircraft. During the two-day event, eminent speakers from across the region as well as from global markets shed light on the rapid growth of the aviation and tourism sectors in the region.
According to the business leaders, Middle East region being a hub for both leisure and business travel is in an advantageous position and the future growth potential is tremendous for emerging economies such as UAE and Oman. In her opening remarks, Undersecretary Maitha Al-Mahrouqi said “Salalah has long been considered as a tourist destination, with the city's charming beauty and splendid weather attracting travelers from across Arabia and beyond. Aviation has helped open Salalah up to new in-bound markets, and plays a crucial role in the ongoing success of Oman's tourism sector, which is expected to contribute at least 8 percent to sultanate's GDP over the next few years. Moreover, increased connectivity contributes to increased investments, bilateral trade and job creation. Going forward, we will focus on attracting more international airlines to fly into and out of Salalah Airport.” The panel of experts discussed key challenges faced by the industry and what more needs to be done to fully realize the true potential of aviation and tourism sectors. Adel Ali, Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, said: “Nobody doubts the tremendous potential of the aviation and tourism sectors in the Arab world, but there are a number of significant challenges that still need to be addressed if it is to be fully realized. The starting point is the implementation of a full open skies policy, the introduction of more liberalized regulations allowing the free-flow of cross-border movements, and the proliferation of privately owned airlines. Together, this approach would help the Middle East aviation and tourism sector to reach its full potential, which is estimated to be equal to the size of the US economy.” Additionally, the experts have placed a greater emphasis on the need for increased skilled and trained manpower availability, which is seen as a crucial challenge for the Middle East aviation industry. Micheal Herrero, Area Manager Gulf, IATA, said: “The enormous social benefits to the region of a thriving aviation industry means there is a real urgency to overcome obstacles such as a lack of skilled aviation professionals. In addition to investing in technology and aircraft, we should also invest in the workforce. We face an unusual situation where the growth of aviation is creating jobs which we will soon not be able to fill because we do not have enough people with the right skills. More engineering-focused education programs are a must, and we need to encourage more young people across the region to think about a career in the sector. Dedicated aviation academies are an important part of the solution, and will help to ensure people receive the training they need to strengthen their skill-set and add to the talent pool.” Themed “Aviation and Tourism: Enabler of Economic Growth,” Arab Aviation and Media Summit 2013 was organized by Air Arabia under the patronage of Oman's Ministry of Tourism, in association with CNBC Arabiya, Airbus and CFM.
