The Middle East is establishing itself as a new world aviation super hub with new long-haul routes being launched at a rapid pace and fleet size expanding by huge numbers to service the new destinations.
“Aviation has come a long way since 1943, when Qantas operated the world’s longest commercial flight with a weekly service between Perth and Colombo,” said Dean Wicks, Chief Flights Officer for Wego, a leading travel search site in the Asia Pacific and Middle East.
“The duration of the flight was 28-32 hours, and seated three passengers on a tiny Catalina aircraft travelling at 200km/h,” he added.
Emirates will become the new record holder for the longest flight duration on February 1, from Dubai to Panama City flying a total of 17 hours, 35 minutes. That’s 13,821 km on Emirates Boeing 777-200LR aircraft.
This year, the aviation landscape is about to change yet again with a lot of new records, thanks on the most part to Middle Eastern carriers, according to Wicks.
“The new Emirates service places Qantas back to second, but it will be interesting to see how long they retain that position, as the Australian national carrier has already expressed its intention to operate a direct Perth to London service, a distance of 14,000 km, when it receives its 787-900 in 2017.”
“Of the top 11 longest flights in the world, eight are serviced by Middle Eastern carriers - Emirates, Etihad, Qatar and Saudia,” Wicks continued.
“The Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region continues to display its commitment to the travel industry with impressive fleet additions, and new and renovated airport investments. Istanbul’s new airport, slated to open in 2018, potentially could launch 200 new routes to over 150 destinations,” said Wicks.
“Dubai will also exceed London’s Heathrow Airport lead of number of international passengers, and become the world’s busiest international airport, and in anticipation of Iran’s return to the international scene, the country just days ago placed an order for 114 aircraft from Airbus.”
“According to the most recent statistics, 2016 will see 1,100 new services scheduled from 170 airlines the world over. Competition in aviation has never been so fierce and the Middle East region is stepping up to be a leading contender,” he said.
“New aircraft, services and airports, coupled with intense competition and further drops in the oil costs, equates to greater choice and airfares for the traveler, no matter where they’re located or what destination they’re travelling to. 2016 is promising to be a big year in the aviation industry, and a great time to travel,” Wicks concluded.
