{"id":62579,"date":"2017-07-11T10:59:03","date_gmt":"2017-07-11T08:59:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/?p=62579"},"modified":"2017-08-24T15:42:58","modified_gmt":"2017-08-24T13:42:58","slug":"middle-east-companies-gulf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/middle-east-companies-gulf","title":{"rendered":"Middle East: Gulf carriers fall into line"},"content":{"rendered":"

The rumour circulated among air transport specialists for several days: Etihad Airways<\/strong> and Emirates<\/strong> are said to be considering merging their activities. In early March, the German business daily Handelsblatt reported that the ruling families of Dubai and Abu Dhabi had met and discussed a possible merger between the carriers. This rumour was immediately vehemently denied by the chairmen of the airlines concerned, who described the information as absurd. False or not, it certainly indicates that a certain nervousness<\/strong> among the players in the Gulf.<\/p>\n

It has to be said that the situation of the two carriers would in some way encourage this logic. Of course, Emirates and Etihad are among the most profitable airlines in the world, with two decades of growth that would make the rest of the industry green with envy. In 2007, Emirates carried 21.2 million passengers and Etihad 4.7 million. Barely ten years later, in 2016, Emirates was carrying nearly 55 million<\/strong> and Etihad 18.5 million<\/strong>. However, with hubs less than 150 km away<\/strong> of each other, the risks of duplicates<\/strong> according to the German daily. If we add the nearby presence of Qatar Airways in Doha, the Gulf actually has three mega-transporters<\/strong> for a domestic market of nine million people, comparable in size to London.<\/p>\n

This potential cannibalisation was of little importance in the days of oil wealth, when each monarchy was proud to have its own airline.
\nAnd rightly so, since in the space of a decade, the Gulf carriers have become real key players, with the firepower of global networks, fleets numbering in the hundreds of aircraft and, more recently, equity stakes in other airlines.<\/p>\n

To make their mark, the three giants that are today Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways<\/strong> began by reshuffling the cards in the region, leading to theweakening of \"incumbent\" operators<\/strong>. While Kuwait Airways, Gulf Air, Royal Jordanian and Middle East Airlines have not disappeared from the map, they now operate in the shadow of their neighbours. Even if their networks still include intercontinental destinations, even if they are supported by their respective governments to modernise their fleets and improve their on-board service, they no longer aspire to the rank of global airline.<\/p>\n

\"Gulf<\/a>
The oldest of the Middle Eastern airlines, Gulf Air has suffered from competition from its neighbours and is concentrating its services on Barhein.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among the \"big three<\/strong> are Oman Air and Saudia. The former is following - at a slower pace - in the footsteps of Emirates and Etihad in the past, adding four to five new routes to its network every year. This summer, Oman Air<\/strong> is launching routes to Manchester and Nairobi and increasing frequencies to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. Positioning itself as an alternative to direct routes between Europe and Asia, and to India in particular, omanie continues to grow, operating a fleet of 51 aircraft, rising to 70 by 2020<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

As for Saudia, a member of theSkyTeam alliance<\/strong><\/a>The Saudi national airline has a network of 80 destinations and benefits from a powerful domestic market as well as strong activity thanks to the transport of pilgrims to Mecca.<\/p>\n

\"Oman<\/a>
To reinforce its strategy of connecting flights from Europe to Asia and Africa, Oman Air recently introduced a daily flight between Paris and Muscat. The airline has no intention of stopping there, and hopes to increase this to two flights a day over the next two years. Service to Nice is also envisaged.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n