Director of Analytical Studies at OAG Aviation, Rob Shaw, during his presentation yesterday. Salim Matramkot
BY RAYNALD C RIVERA
DOHA: The Qatari aviation market is forecast to witness a huge leap in 10 years as its national carrier aggressively spreads its wings and the Hamad International Airport soon opens its doors, says an aviation expert.
Rob Shaw, Director of Analytical Studies at OAG Aviation, a global aviation intelligence provider, the Qatar’s market share in GCC capacity is set to grow by 17.1 percent by 2023, which is very high compared to the projected GCC share in global capacity for the same period at 5.2 percent.
The annual scheduled seat capacity growth for Qatar is also high at 15 percent compared to GCC at 9 percent and 3 percent for the world, added Shaw who was addressing the last day of the Qatar Transport 2013 conference at Renaissance Doha hotel.
One of the drivers for this growth is the continuous expansion of Qatar Airways acquiring more aircraft and introducing new destinations.
“Qatar Airways continues to expand adding new routes to its network and expanding its fleet,” he said.
There has been huge growth in the aviation sector of Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi from 1996 to the present, he said, adding future prospect is optimistic.
In terms of the number of aircraft on order, there is a total of 454 aircraft on order by the three leading players in the region including Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad.
Liberalisation of the rules and regulations of the international aviation industry would also drive growth in the region, including Qatar and there are currently signs the GCC may soon move towards it.
In the Middle East, only Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, and Lebanon have formally adopted open skies policies.
“Open skies has enabled the growth of Low Cost Carriers (LCC) and stimulated those markets to where they are today,” he said, adding it presents opportunities for LCC and regional expansion.
LCC in the Middle East is relatively young but rapidly growing such as the case of Fly Dubai and as the region adopts open skies in the next decade, he said the possibility of Doha having LCC is not remote.
“Doha might have LCC, but not necessarily a spin-off of Qatar Airways,” he said.
The opening of the Hamad International Airport would also play a big role in Qatar aviation market growth and the opening of a host of new airports including Riyadh Airport, Dubai World Central and Abu Dhabi Midfield Terminal Complex along with Istanbul Yeni Havalimani would create an exciting competition in the region.
The Peninsula
