The growth of flight passenger traffic in the Middle Eastern regions has been well documented over the past five years. The strength of growth has fuelled the regions into an international hub, also referred to by some aviation professionals as the ‘aviation bridge.’
The strategic location and a newly-liberated marketplace have contributed to the success of growth, and has attracted significant investment, which is now paying off in terms of the increasing connectivity through long-haul flights from every corner of the globe.
So where are we seeing the strongest growth? According to industry figures projections, the Asia-Pacific region will achieve the biggest rises in passenger numbers, reaching an expected 38.8% growth by 2040. It is predicted that Europe will see increases of up to 26%, but with the UK’s exit from the EU in March 2019, these figures could prove to be unstable.
The Middle East could see passenger numbers increase by almost 20%, with countries like Saudi Arabia reaching 6.9% growth. Interestingly, although growth is still expected, China and Malaysia are predicted to achieve only 5.9%.
As the world becomes more connected, we can expect passenger numbers to continue to rise, particularly in emerging economies, which could surpass figures in advanced economies by nearly five billion travellers by 2040.