M a r c h 2 0 1 3 | Qatar Today
The air transport sector in the Middle East is undergoing a rapid transformation as passenger traffic begins to surge in the region, primarily because of the swift expansion of airlines such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways. Meanwhile, the Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha airports have launched massive expansion projects to match future traffic forecasts. They will have a combined capacity of 340 million passengers a year by 2020. Passenger traffic at the three hubs continues to grow by leaps and bounds, regardless of regional disruptions that affected traffic in the Middle East last year. Much of this is testament to the strength of their home carriers, the development policies pursued at each of the airports and local governments’ visions to transform their cities into major aviation centres. Qatar Today puts the spotlight on Hamad International Airport, the latest entrant to the competition, to find out how it will affect the other hubs in the region. By Sindhu Nair
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