Middle East and North Africa a growing force: IATA

09 Nov 2012 2040 | Business & Trade Fairs

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has been identified as a growing force in aviation by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The past decade has seen a rise from five percent to 11.5 percent for the Middle East share of global international traffic, according to IATA director general Tony Tyler.

“The rise of the Gulf carriers is an amazing story,” Mr Tyler said, adding that Gulf carriers are leading Middle East traffic growth while even the less-headline-grabbing carriers in North Africa are showing a healthy performance.

At the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO) Annual General Meeting, Mr Tyler identified opportunities to further develop aviation in MENA.

“Safety is a top priority and global standards such as the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) are critical to achieving industry-levels of safety across MENA,” Mr Tyler continued.

Big thinking in the Gulf area has allowed aviation to prosper and building on world class infrastructure and business-friendly policies has allowed the Gulf carriers to extend their reach through alliances, equity stakes and innovative partnerships.

The director general also pointed out growing traffic in the MENA region must be matched with sufficient airspace capacity.

“MENA must avoid the inefficiencies that we see in Europe; there is no room for complacency.”

Environmental sustainability was noted as a key priority for the global aviation industry that contributes to about two percent of global carbon emissions.

Last of all is the capabilities of distribution, with the recent approval of a foundation standard for a new distribution capability (NDC) that will enable airlines to sell their full range of products through all distribution channels.

“The NDC will allow airlines to make their product offers available in the way that they would like to present their products, and allow GDSs and new entrants to develop new solutions to revolutionize airline retailing,” Mr Tyler concluded.

Sourced: etravelblackboardasia