Sustaining The Growth, MENA's Airports

MENA is the fastest growing region in terms of Passenger growth, around 15% against a global average of 6% and Air Freight growth of 14.7% against a global decline of -1.5%. To sustain this growth most of the airlines of the region are still taking deliveries of aircraft or have just concluded fleet renewals and expansions. However, this is only part of the sustainability picture, the other part being infrastructure.

Airports or lack of them have been the industry's biggest problem, but not in MENA. In March/April 2013 two (2) major airports would have come online and;

1. Amman Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) opened the new terminal on 14 March 2013  

    providing a  nine (9) million passengers annual capacity. The final phase will bring that capacity   

    to twelve (12) million passengers.

2. Doha's Hamad International Airport (HIA) will open Concourse B from 1 April 2013 with ten (10) 

    airlines operating (Air Arabia, Air India Express, Biman Bngladesh Airlines, flydubai, Iran Air, 

    Nepal Airlines, Pakistan International Airlines, RAK Airways, Syrian Air and Yemen Airways) thirty 

    two (32) passenger flights daily. Qatar Airways will move to Concourse A by the end of this year.

3. Sharjah International Airport having handled seven and half (7.5) million passengers in 2012 is 

    working on a new master plan for the airport expansion by the end of this year and sign the 

    contract for the expansion.

4. GACA in Saudi Arabia is accelerating the building of a new modern world class airport at the 

    coastal city of Jazan to replace the existing airport.

On the other hand, it was announced that a new route linking Aqaba directly to Istanbul starting in April 2013 to boost tourism to Aqaba, Petra and Wadi Rum areas.

Better Late Than Never

I travelled to Amman, Jordan last weekend on board Royal Jordanian, from Abu Dhabi and back. The  check in at both airports was easy and fast so was immigration except that e-gate out of Abu Dhabi does not work as efficiently compared to Dubai Intrenational Airport or even arrivals at Abu Dhabi.

Two things drew my attention upon arriving to Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) that evening
1. The new terminal was all lit up and there was an aircraft parked at one of the gates in what appears  
    to be one of the jetway tests in anticipation of its opening at the end of February 2013.
2. I have travelled through QAIA since it opened in 1983 and for some reason whoever did the      
    handling at the airport could not get the baggage delivered to the carousel in a reasonable time.
    Well, this time the bags arrived within less that ten (10) minutes.

Airport International Group (AIG) who are building the new terminal has been criticized for delays and high fees without improving services by RJ and other operators, which until recently was probably correct. On January 17, 2013 AIG gave me the shortest baggage claim wait in QAIA since 1983. I just hope this performance can be repeated in a consistent manner.

As an after thought ADAS took more than 20 minutes to deliver bags at Abu Dhabi, even though the Amman flight was the only one  at the time.