Gulf to avoid aviation 'infrastructure crisis'

In what the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has described as a "looming infrastructure crisis," many countries and regions are failing to prepare adequately to meet demand - with major potential impact on the environment caused by inefficient use of airspace and flight delays.

Global airline traffic is expected to grow to 75 billion passengers by 2011 - a 29% increase on those flying last year, according to IATA.

"The numbers clearly show the world wants to fly," said David Weaver, Group CEO of ESR Technology, one of the world's leading engineering, safety and risk management companies with high profile clients in the aviation industry (see notes to editors). ESR Technology will be showcasing its activities in the aviation sector at the 10th anniversary Dubai Air Show (11 - 15 November 2007).

"For many parts of the world, however, there seems no end in sight to the problem of flight delays," Weaver added. "IATA has worked out that air traffic management bottlenecks will add 12% to airline fuel bills and cost the environment 73m tones of unnecessary carbon dioxide emissions each year. These are issues that the aviation industry must confront."

The Middle East is forecast to show the strongest international passenger demand growth with an annual average growth rate of 6.8% driven by GDP expansion and significant new routes and capacity. Within the region, the United Arab Emirates at 8.4% will show the strongest growth, according to the IATA forecast.

Total Middle East international passenger numbers are forecast to be around 105 million in 2011, an increase of 30m over 2006 levels. The total global fleet of aircraft is expected to nearly double by 2026, growing from 18,200 to more than 36,400.

Weaver said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's Director General and CEO, has described the lack of preparation to safely accommodate sustained growth in the aviation sector as "a looming infrastructure crisis." Weaver added, however: "Parts of the world are effectively managing infrastructure development to anticipate and meet demand - particularly the Middle East and China. But enormous expansion in other regions could be impacted by insufficient airport and air traffic management capacity."

ESR Technology says it is well placed to play an essential management role in the controlled expansion of the aviation infrastructure in the Middle East. "We are entirely independent from the construction industry, airports and governments," Weaver said.

"There is little doubt that the Arabian Gulf countries in particular are rising to the challenge with the sheer scale of airport development in the region which is impressive by any standard."

According to data from research company Proleads, there are currently 59 active airport projects in Gulf Co-operation Council countries worth a combined total of well over $17bn. Far and away the biggest are the colossal Dubai World Central currently under construction and Qatar's New Doha International Airport.

Dubai World Central aims to be the world's largest passenger and cargo hub. With an annual cargo capacity of 12m tonnes, it will be more than three times that of Memphis, USA, today's largest cargo hub. A passenger capacity of more than 120m will be almost 50% more than Atlanta, USA, currently the world's busiest passenger airport.

On final completion, Qatar's giant airport project it will be able to handle 50m passengers, 320,000 planes, and two million tonnes of cargo a year.

"A major reason why good aviation management during development processes is imperative anywhere in the world, is the positive impact it has on aviation safety," said Weaver. "As well as cutting down on delays, well planned and run air transport systems can progressively reduce accident risk."