Middle East Set To Top Global Cargo Growth To 2016

Middle East airlines are forecast to see the strongest growth in cargo volumes over the next four years, according to a new outlook published by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

It said five of the 10 fastest growing countries will be in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, reflecting its growing importance in international air freight.

By 2016, the UAE will become the sixth biggest freight market in the world with 2.5 million tonnes, behind the United States, Germany, China, Hong Kong, and Japan.

The region’s carriers will also see the third fastest growth in passenger numbers between 2012-2016, the industry authority said.

The Middle East is expected to see 6.6 percent annual passenger demand growth in the period, behind that forecast for Africa (6.8 percent) and Asia-Pacific (6.7 percent).

International freight demand in the Middle East will grow at 4.9 percent, the strongest growth among the regions, IATA added.

Globally, the IATA said it expects to see a total of some 3.6 billion passengers in 2016. That’s about 800 million more than the 2.8 billion passengers carried by airlines in 2011.

These figures show passenger numbers expanding by an average of 5.3 percent per annum between 2012 and 2016.

The 28.5 percent increase in passenger numbers over the forecast period will see 331 million new passengers on international services.

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