What Are The Big Issues Facing Middle East Carriers And Where Does The Future Lie?
Like their peers elsewhere, carriers in the Middle East face ongoing challenges to their business models. Competition from ambitious new entrants such as the Chinese carriers are threatening the big three Gulf carriers’ position as the chief global superconnectors, who are themselves slowing down as they recalibrate their market positioning. The region’s airlines also have to contend with challenges unique to the Middle East, such as declining oil revenues, regional conflict and overcrowded airspace. We ask Middle Eastern airline CEOs how they are navigating through the current commercial and operating challenges and the future outlook for the region’s aviation industry.
- How do the region’s smaller carriers differentiate and compete against the big three Gulf carriers?
- Do Middle Eastern airports and air navigation service providers have the capacity to accommodate the growth ambitions of the region’s carriers?
- What lessons can be learnt from airport privatisation here and abroad?
- Finding the right service proposition for domestic and long haul – traditional full service or unbundled?
- What strategies need to be adopted to meet the distributions unique distribution challenges eg around late bookings?
- How to reconcile the aim of open skies with creating a market for a national airline?
Moderator: CAPA – Centre for Aviation, Executive Chairman, Peter Harbison
Panel:
- AACO, Secretary General, Abdul Wahab Teffaha
- Gulf Air, CEO, Krešimir Kučko