1,000 planes fly over UAE airspace daily

Higher movements spell some hope for a troubled global airline industry

The number of aircraft flying through the UAE’s airspace has risen to 1,000 a day — a 200 per cent gain on April numbers.

The higher aircraft movements will spell some hope for a troubled global airline industry, still ravaged by low demand and worries about flying amid a pandemic.

Two new airlines

The launch of two new UAE airlines Air Arabia Abu Dhabi and Wizz Air Abu Dhabi — will also provide expectations of a faster growth in aircraft movements and demand. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has received its Air Operator Certificate ( AOC) from the GCAA ( General Civil Aviation Authority), completing the last step in the regulatory processes for launch.

UAE airlines have been adding more routes across their networks after the Covid19- induced halt.

Emirates now flies to 99 destinations, which is about 63 per cent of the airline’s pre- pandemic network. Abu Dhabi’s Etihad has 58 destinations up and running — nearly half of the routes itwas running in March.

Saif Mohammad Al Suwaidi, Director- General of the

General Authority of Civil Aviation, said the impact of the pandemic on the aviation sector is gradually fading away.

But industry forecasts suggest it will be a while before passenger numbers reach back to pre- Covid- 19 levels. The International Air Transport Association ( IATA) lowered its 2020 passenger traffic forecast for the Middle East.

Passenger numbers in the region are expected to reach only 30 per cent of 2019 levels, down fromthe 45 per cent that forecast in July, it said.