First 14 Airlines Confirmed for Inaugural CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa Forum

• Regional airlines add 58 new routes across the GCC in 2018
• Almost 50% of new UAE routes introduced in 2018 are to destinations in Europe; with Russia claiming the second largest share of new flights

Dubai, UAE - Fourteen airlines have already confirmed their participation at CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa – co-located with Arabian Travel Market 2019 and taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre on Tuesday 30^th April and Wednesday 1^st May.

Senior network planning teams from Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Air Arabia, Air Asia, EgyptAir, flyadeal, Ethiopian Airlines, Global Airways, Atlas Global, Germania, Mahan Air, Royal Air Maroc and Titan Airways will attend the inaugural route development forum.

Throughout 2018, GCC airlines have added 58 new flight routes – focusing on areas of consistent and substantial growth - according to research from Colliers International - based on a sample of 10 airlines including Emirates, Etihad, flydubai, Salaam Air, Oman Air, Gulf Air, Saudia, flyadeal, Air Arabia and IndiGo Airlines.

Karin Butot, CEO, The Airport Agency, added: “2018 has been an exciting year for new flight routes both to and from the GCC, underscoring Dubai as the ideal location to bring together professionals from the aviation and tourism industry for the inaugural CONNECT Middle East, India and Africa forum.”

“With up to 400 delegates, CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa 2019 will include unlimited one-to-one pre-scheduled appointments, a conference programme, panel discussions and airline & industry briefings as well as an exhibition area dedicated to airports and suppliers.”

Looking at the UAE alone, almost 50% of new routes introduced in 2018 are to destinations across Europe, with the second largest share of new flights connecting the UAE with Russia. 

Nick Pilbeam, Divisional Director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, said: “With two thirds of the world’s population within an eight-hour flight from the GCC, it is an ideal base for exploring some of the world’s most interesting and previously inaccessible corners of the world. And the GCC’s airlines are making it even easier with the continuous addition of new and direct flight routes.”

During the period 2018 to 2020, as many as 14.5 million EU residents are expected to travel to the UAE, while the number of Russian visitors to the UAE is expected to increase by 69% from 530,000 in 2017 to 895,700 in 2018.

Supporting this demand, Emirates have introduced new routes to London Stansted, Edinburgh, Lyon and Paris; Etihad to Barcelona; flydubai to Catania, Thessaloniki, Krakow, Dubrovnik, Zagreb and Helsinki; and Air Arabia to Prague, Moscow Sheremetyevo and Grozny.

Pilbeam, added: "The UAE’s introduction of visas on arrival for Russian tourists in 2017 has led to a huge demand for new flight routes. Earlier this year, Emirates announced a third daily flight to Moscow, while in September the airline confirmed that it would be the first to fly an A380 to St Petersburg.

“Historically, Europe and the UAE have enjoyed excellent travel and tourism links. Building on this, the introduction of additional flights, new routes and competitive fares are expected to continue to attract growing numbers of EU residents to the UAE.”

Additional routes added by UAE airlines included, Emirates to Santiago, Newark, Riyadh and Auckland; Etihad to Baku; flydubai to Aqaba, Kutaisi, Kabul and Kilimanjaro; and Air Arabia to Bodrum, Asmara, Sulaymaniyah, Kabul, Izmir and Qabala.

Throughout 2018, both Oman and Bahrain introduced 12 new routes each. Of the new flights added across Oman, the majority have been GCC and North Africa centric to destinations including Riyadh, Kuwait City, Khartoum, Morocco and Egypt. While, in Bahrain new routes have been Asia focused to destinations such as India, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

In Saudi Arabia, eight new routes - to destinations including Vienna, Malaga and Erbil - were added during 2018, with the majority originating from Jeddah. For these routes, Colliers International predicts the majority of demand will come from the outbound market. However, as the kingdom moves towards attracting 30 million visitors annually by 2030, the new routes may also attract a degree of inbound corporate, religious and leisure visitors.

“Following recent reforms and the review of visa regulations, Saudi Arabia is poised to capitalise on these factors as it nurtures a vibrant leisure and entertainment sector, supported by additional and direct flight routes,” Pilbeam said.

CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa 2019 is expected to bring together airline specialists, aviation authorities, tourism boards, airports and tour operators, as well as other travel-related industry professionals.

About Reed Exhibitions

Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events business, enhancing the power of face to face through data and digital tools at over 500 events a year, in more than 30 countries, attracting more than seven million participants.

About CONNECT

CONNECT Route Development Forum delivers a total networking experience, bringing together airports, airlines and aviation suppliers in a format that offers formal one-to-one pre-arranged meetings, engaging industry seminars together with social opportunities to cement relationships with existing clients and engage with new ones. Created and organised by The Airport Agency-France, CONNECT is now in its 16^th year and set to attract over 650 participants in June 2019 at its flagship event taking place in Cagliari, Sardinia.

The inaugural CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa event will be the first and only networking forum in the Middle East. Ideally located in Dubai to address the booming aviation market of the Middle East, it will bring together the aviation and the tourism industry which are the backbone and catalyst to economic development.

Arabian Travel Market is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2018 attracted almost 40,000 industry professionals, with representation from 141 countries over the four days. The 25th edition of ATM showcased over 2,500 exhibiting companies across 12 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre.  Arabian Travel Market 2019 will take place in Dubai from Sunday, 28^th April to Wednesday, 1^st May 2019. To find out more, please visit: arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com

About Reed Travel Exhibitions

Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 22 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether it is global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf, spa and ski travel. We have over 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions.