Passenger demand increases steeply for Middle Eastern airlines

'Passenger loads on the key routes to and from the region – those between Asia and Europe – have fallen substantially during 2016,' Iata said in a statement on Wednesday.

Dubai’s Emirates airline added 36 new aircraft, including 20 A380s and 16 Boeing 777-300ERs, during the year, while retiring 29 older aircraft. Kamran Jebreili / AP Photo
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Middle Eastern carriers reported the steepest rise in passenger demand globally in November despite a slowdown on routes from the region to Asia and Europe.

During November, demand increased by 12.2 per cent year-on-year for Middle Eastern carriers, up from 5.9 per cent in October, according to the International Air Transport Association (Iata).

Load factor rose by 0.3 percentage points to 68.7 per cent although some key routes showed a slowdown.

“Passenger loads on the key routes to and from the region – those between Asia and Europe – have fallen substantially during 2016,” Iata said in a statement yesterday.

Capacity on Middle Eastern carriers rose by 11.6 per cent in November, the highest globally.

Dubai's Emirates added 36 new aircraft, including 20 A380s and 16 Boeing 777-300ERs, during the year, while retiring 29 older aircraft. At the end of last year, it had 255 aircraft in its fleet. Qatar Airways added 19 aircraft to its fleet last year, taking the total to 192.

Globally, passenger demand rose by 8 per cent year-on-year when capacity climbed 6.8 per cent, and load factor rose 0.9 of a percentage point to 77.1 per cent.

“As the stimulus effect of lower oil prices recedes in the rear view mirror, the strength of the economic cycle will play a key role in the pace of demand growth in 2017,” said Alexandre de Juniac, the director general and chief executive at Iata.

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