The major airports in Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi will have a combined annual capacity of 190 million passengers in 2015, according to a special research study on the GCC airports' performance.

The current capacity utilization in the GCC (passengers/capacity) stands at over 115 percent, said the study titled ‘Aviation in the GCC States - Flying High Amidst Global Turbulence’prepared by a team of specialists from aviation media.

The study also pointed out that aircraft movements in Dubai alone were expected to increase to 560,000 by 2020.

Overall the aircraft movements in the UAE are expected to grow to 620,000 in 2012 and 663,000 by 2013, including local and foreign airlines, general aviation, private operators and freighters, it stated.

The 44 page publication on the GCC airports performance and future growth trends and projections was released for the Airport Show-2012 by PR agency, Nadd Al Shiba PR and Event Management.

Mohamad Bader-Eddin, the show director at Reed Exhibitions Middle East, organizers of the Airport Show, which takes place in Dubai from May 22 to 24, said exhibitors will have free access to this study offering analysis and deep insights into the aviation sector of the GCC region.

Visitors will also be able to download this study by registering online through the show’s website www.theairportshow.com soon.  

Held under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, chairman of Dubai Airports and Emirates Airline and Group, the show will see participation of over 205 exhibitors attracting thousands of visitors from around the globe. Entry to the show is free.

The special report is one of the initiatives, alongside the seminars series, to enhance the knowledge of the aviation industry professionals about latest trends and developments in addition to offering them futuristic insights about the market landscape.

It also revealed that modern airport infrastructure in the region was encouraging hubbing operations between the East and the West.

In the near future, airlines, airports, and air traffic controls in the Middle East will need to successfully serve more than four times the 120 million passengers served this year, the report revealed.

Airbus predicts that, by 2028, the Middle East fleet will treble in size, while the Boeing forecasts that the Middle Eastern airlines will require 2,340 aircraft by 2029.

According to the report, by 2020, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad will have the capacity to carry nearly 200 million passengers: four times their current capacity.

The UAE has a total of 120,000 sq km of airspace, with 35 international air corridors - more than 50 per cent restricted to military use, the report stated.

To compensate for this shortage and the rapid growth of aircraft movements in the UAE airspace, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has heavily invested in adoption of new technologies to optimize use of available airspace capacity, it added.

By 2020, over 98 million passengers and over four million tonnes of air freight will pass through Dubai airports. 

The GCC aviation report also pointed out that the expansion would see the sector accounting for 22 per cent of Dubai's total employment and 32 per cent of the emirate's GDP by 2020.-TradeArabia News Service