ACCORDING to a recent statement Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have allocated around $90 billion for airport development over the next few years.
The total funds earmarked for the development of Dubai World Central (DWC)-Al Maktoum International in the UAE is approximately $10 billion while renovation work of Concourse 3 at Dubai International Airport is expected to attract in the region of $1 billion and total investment for Abu Dhabi International Airport midfield is expected to reach nearly $7 billion.
Airport projects currently underway in the region include Qatar’s new Doha International Airport, with an investment of around $11 billion, and King Abdulaziz International Airport Development Phase 1 in Jeddah with an investment of $1.5 billion.
The overall figure also includes the $1-billion expansion of Muscat International Airport, $2 billion Kuwait International Airport work and a $33 million Bahrain airport project.
Statistics from the Airports Council International (ACI) and the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) support the numbers as the global aviation bodies predict airports in the region will handle more than 400 million passengers by 2020.
Global passenger numbers are expected to touch around 10 billion by 2025, according to industry estimates.
However, according to the aerospace and defence practice at Frost & Sullivan, the huge investment in airport development projects over the next 30 years is ‘not justified’ as the leading airport hubs will provide a combined capacity of 460 million passengers per year.
But this is against the long term growth forecast which says the Middle East region as a whole will need capacity for 600 to 700 million passengers per year within the next 20 years.
Governments in the region are adopting the build, operate and transfer (BOT) model to ensure international standards and construction activities are expected to account for 57 per cent of investment with infrastructure projects providing opportunities for specialised companies.
Once completed, DWC-Al Maktoum International will be able to handle 160 million passengers a year, making it one of the world’s largest airports.
Having begun operations last year with cargo flights, the airport located in Jebel Ali is now gearing up to launch commercial passenger services next year.
Meanwhile, Dubai International Airport’s $1.17 billion Concourse 3, designed specifically to accommodate the superjumbo A380, is scheduled to open in 2012.
According to Dubai Airports, Dubai International will grow to become the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic by 2015.
Also, by 2020 passenger numbers at Dubai International are expected to reach 98.5 million and cargo volumes will top 4.1 million tonnes.
Earmarked as the region’s future aviation hub, the New Doha International Airport is getting impetus from Qatar Airways. The 2,200-hectare airport site is forecast for maximum development from 2015 onwards, with the airport project to be implemented in phases. Replacing the current airport in Doha, the first phase of the new airport is scheduled to come online next year.
The airport will be built to handle an initial capacity of 24 million passengers a year, which is expected to increase by the time it goes fully operational beyond 2015. It will incorporate a total of 41 wide-body aircraft contact gates, together with over 40,000 sq m of space devoted to retail facilities, passenger lounges and parking.
Saudi Arabia is investing heavily in modernising two of its airports – King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) Development Phase 1 in Jeddah with an investment equivalent to $1.5 billion and the $1.5-billion Medina Airport project. Traffic at Saudi airports has reached 30 million passengers annually.
The growth in airport infrastructure is being backed by the large number of aircraft orders the region’s carriers have at present.
According to the latest forecasts by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for 2011, Middle East airlines are expected to achieve the fastest growth rate of 9.4 per cent. The region’s international freight demand is also expected to grow 8.1 per cent during the year as freight links to and via the region continue to develop, with the UAE leading the region.