TECH STOP Ahead of Consorcio Aviation’s visit and presence at the MEBAA Show in Dubai, UAE this December 2018, we are highlighting a few growth-based tidbits about three high-flying airports in the region. See what we did there?
Massive growth in Near Eastern and Middle Eastern aviation has led to robust spending – a projected USD 90 billion is to be invested by 2020 – on enhancing, expanding and modernizing the local airports. The reasons behind the growth in different zones of this neck of the woods may vary, but nonetheless, the region as a whole has taken off and is reaching new heights.
Let’s kick things off with Dubai, UAE. DXB’s domination in the area over the last half-century is showing no sign of slowing down. Outside of its monstrous capacity to move people and cargo, it is investing in the latest technological advances for the ease of its travelers leading up to Expo 2020 and beyond. The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) at DXB has begun piloting a smart tunnel system in terminal 3 for Emirates Airlines whereby first and business class travelers can simply utilize facial recognition software to finish up exit procedures and bypass passport stamping. There are numerous other “smart projects” in the pipeline leading up to Expo 2020 which will produce an estimated 25 million visitors within a 6-month time frame during that year.
Taking an altitude dive to a smaller market, we have the Ben Gurion International Airport located about 19 kilometers southeast of Tel Aviv, Israel. The city? Vibrant, fun, and architecturally spectacular. The airport? Modern, medium-sized, and easy to navigate. TLV won’t overwhelm you like the DXB behemoth will. Albeit, the overcrowding issues in Terminal 3, the main international port of entry and exit, has been nearing capacity for some time and an expansion of this terminal, along with Terminal 1, is currently in the works. This is in line with the overall growth that has been seen in this part of the world as of late.
Rounding out a set of three airports in this area is King Abdulaziz International Airport located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; approximately 86 kilometers from the holy city of Mecca. Fueled partly by the heavy increase of religious tourism to Mecca (around 2.5 to 3 million visitors solely in the five-day Hajj period during August), this airport was and still is in dire need of an expansion. Currently, Phase 1 of their three-staged expansion plan is in the works but the end goal? Getting to a place where their capacity is at 80 million annual passengers by 2035.
It’s an exciting time to be in the aviation scene in the Near and Middle East and we at Consorcio Aviation will be dipping our toes into those waters this December at MEBAA. We look forward to meeting you there in person!
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