Over the past 25 years, the Gulf region has experienced an economic transformation, in which the UAE has played a leading part. Aviation has been at the centre of this change, which is reflected not only in the success of the well-known and rising Gulf airlines, but also in the emergence of some of the world's most impressive airport infrastructure.
The fast growth of aviation in the region should not, however, obscure the fact that global aviation faces considerable challenges. Last month, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) downgraded its airline profit forecast for this year from US$3.5 billion (Dh12.85bn) to $3bn. We expect to generate revenue of $633bn this year, so that means a paltry 0.5 per cent profit margin on revenue growth of 5.9 per cent and traffic growth of 3.6 per cent. Rising fuel prices are the biggest culprit for these falling profits.
In the Middle East, Iata sees a profit this year of $500 million. The Middle East is one of just two regions whose outlooks have improved since our December forecast.
A study conducted by Oxford Economics shows that the Middle East represents 3 per cent of global passengers, has 5 per cent of the total jobs and 6 per cent of the GDP generated by air transport. That translates to air transport supporting 2.7 million jobs, and contributing $129bn to GDP. Furthermore, aviation's role in the region is set to grow rapidly over the next two decades as international passenger numbers rise from 77.1 million in 2010 to 220.4 million in 2030.
So when I am asked what the future of aviation will look like, I am tempted to respond that I hope it bears more than a passing resemblance to what is occurring today in the UAE, as well as in places like China, Singapore and South Korea, where governments are using aviation strategically to spearhead economic development.
However, this bright future is not guaranteed. It depends on having the right conditions in place to support competitive sustainable businesses. Many of these are beyond the direct control of airlines, and most require that industry and government work together with a common vision and purpose. Two key areas concern infrastructure and environment.
Any forward look at aviation must incorporate a vision of adequate airport and air traffic management infrastructure. Without it, aviation's contribution as an economic catalyst is compromised. The Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region has invested more than $100bn in airport projects, including $6.8bn in Abu Dhabi, $14bn on the new Doha International in Qatar and $33bn on the new Al Maktoum International for Dubai.
But runways and terminals are, of course, only half the story. What is also required is efficient air traffic management (ATM). Within the Mena region, ATM infrastructure is not harmonised or facilitated to its full extent, and routings in some areas are less efficient than they could be. With movements growing 11 per cent annually in the flight-information regions of Bahrain, the Emirates and Muscat, we could see a doubling of traffic in seven years, creating the potential for aerial bottlenecks.
Add to this the fact that just about half of the airspace is permanently open to civil aviation, with the rest controlled by the military, and you have a recipe for future gridlock. On the positive side, the UAE is ahead of many other air navigation service providers with regard to ATM capabilities, and Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain are in the process of making much-needed upgrades to their air traffic management.
Aviation's licence to grow and fulfil the global demand for connectivity is also contingent upon environmental responsibility and sustainability. That means aviation must address its 2 per cent contribution to man-made CO2 emissions, and to do that the industry has committed itself to improving aircraft fuel efficiency by 1.5 per cent annually to 2020, to cap net CO2 emissions from 2020 with carbon-neutral growth, and to cut net carbon emissions in half by 2050 compared with 2005.
Sustainable biofuels will play a key role, and we are seeing important progress around the world, with more than a dozen projects under way. In this region, Qatar Airways,Airbus, Rolls-Royce and others have formed the Qatar Advanced Biofuel Platform consortium to develop the first large-scale, algae bio-jet fuel value chain in the world.
The aviation industry also recognises that economic measures are a necessary - if temporary - bridge to enable it to meet its environmental targets. But it is critical that such measures are agreed upon in a global approach under the leadership of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Unfortunately, Europe has chosen a go-it-alone approach with the inclusion of international aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. This is creating opposition, because non-European states see the intention to tax airlines for emissions over non-European Union territory as an attack on their sovereignty.
No one wants a trade war, and there is a solution. A global agreement through the ICAO is the way forward. Now is the time for Europe sincerely to take a stake in making the discussions and decisions at the ICAO a success.
Aviation is a force for good in the world. It connects people and goods to markets, reunites families and enables journeys of discovery.
Despite some challenges, the UAE's support for aviation is a shining example to other governments around the world. I hope this example is heeded so that the benefits of this wonderful industry may continue to be enjoyed by all.
* Tony Tyler is the chief executive and director general of Iata.
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What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
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The biog
Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.
They also provide port chaplains to help them deliver professional welfare services.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
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Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
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PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Newcastle United 3 West Ham United 0
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Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
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Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
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Chelsea 4
Jorginho (4 pen, 71 pen), Azpilicueta (63), James (74)
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
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if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
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Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
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Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score)
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if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
