DUBAI: Pakistan was highlighted as a “core part” of Emirates’ growth strategy as the annual Arabian Travel Market concluded in Dubai on Thursday, having discussed new trends in a sustainability and tech-driven future.

Adnan Kazim, Deputy President, Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates Airline, also identified future areas of growth of Pakistan.

“Pakistan remains a core part of the strategy for Emirates,” Kazim told Business Recorder at the Arabian Travel Market.

“The demand for outbound Pakistan-Dubai flights is very solid. We are covering Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Sialkot.”

“As Emirates grows, we want to see more capacity being deployed especially out of northern Pakistan, while cities like Lahore and Islamabad too, can take more flights, as we see demand getting to a bottleneck situation.

“And this is precisely where the engagement comes in,” he said, adding how the governments are talking to each other.

He remains hopeful that access can be granted where Emirates is able to provide capacity that meets the current demand.

Kazim also spoke to Dubai’s record tourism numbers as well as the burgeoning hospitality industry.

“The industry, especially in the UAE, is booming.”

The annual event featured over 2,000 exhibitors and representatives from more than 160 countries, and was attended by over 46,000 industry professionals, including 33,500 visitors.

The 31st edition of ATM also featured industry leaders in seminars and workshops focusing on the latest and the pressing industry topics.

Meanwhile, Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, added how Dubai was able to “break its own tourism records”.

“We have 5.2 million tourists who came in through the doors in Q1 of 2024 — a 11% year-on-year growth,” he said on the sidelines of the event during an interview with CNN.

Wafi Ishaq, Regional General Manager ISC and GCC (Revenue & Commercial division) at Etihad Airways, also alluded to the strong demand coming out of Pakistan.

“UAE is one of the biggest destinations that we are trying to promote, and attract business out of the subcontinent and GCC especially in Pakistan.

“Pakistan is one of the important regions that we are focused on for 2024. We are increasing our flights out of Karachi and making sure we are doing well in Islamabad and Lahore also.

“In the future, we hope to cover more destinations out of Pakistan,” he added

Experts at the 4-day event also highlighted how the future of travelling demands passenger experience is time-efficient, seamless and customised to suit individual needs.

This year’s theme, ‘Empowering Innovation – Transforming Travel through Entrepreneurship’, also highlighted the importance of start-ups and entrepreneurs in shaping the sector’s future.

On cue, airlines have identified several innovative measures such as the use of AI and data sharing as the key differentiating factors between an ordinary and a unique travelling experience.

Thought leaders emphasised the overall travel experience rather than simply transporting passengers from point A to point B, with airlines putting the onus on a holistic approach to identify touch points that can further ease comfort.

The Middle East, courtesy its geographical positioning, has also developed into a focal point of travel and tourism, with the passenger numbers in the region predicted to reach 429 million this year.

Recent research by IATA further shows international passenger traffic increased by 20% in March this year in comparison to March 2023. Moreover, travellers, too, have changed their priorities over time, with more emphasis on sustainable and mindful travel.

With this kind of burgeoning air traffic, advancements and innovations in the aviation landscape have become necessary.

“On the ground, the industry is working on several innovations, not only to make aviation more sustainable but also to use infrastructure more efficiently,” said Kashif Khalid, Regional Director, Africa & Middle East, IATA, while speaking at a seminar at ATM.

“One of these solutions is One ID, where we digitalize tokens for passengers, which enables us to facilitate passengers seamlessly,” he added.

With all information and authorisation in place, passengers will be ‘Ready to Fly’ even before they reach the airport, completely doing away with physical documents.

With several such developments on the verge, it is no surprise that the UAE has been a leader in bringing these changes.

Often touted as the ‘Gateway to the West’, the country has witnessed a massive increase in traffic on airports, both for tourism and transit purposes. Dubai airport alone catered to around 87 million passengers according to recent data; the number is indicated to go up to around 260 million when the new Al Maktoum International Airport becomes operational.

For UAE, the aviation industry has taken massive strides from the 3-storey terminal building that was Dubai Airport in the 1970s to have now become the second busiest airport in the world.

Moreover, the vibrant air travel landscape is about to undergo a huge amount of technical change in the next 10 years and the country seems ready for it.

“Dubai is well positioned to take advantage of that change with the announcement of our new $35-billion DWC Al Maktoum International Airport expansion programme,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO, Dubai Airports, while talking to Business Recorder on the sidelines of the ATM.

“Eventually the project will have the capability to house 400 aircraft on individual stands and a total capacity of about 260 million. This proactive approach will ensure that we retain the title we’ve had for the last 10 years of the world’s largest international hub.”

Since sustainability was a key component at the event, the discussion also cantered around fuel-efficiency.

Narrow-bodied, smaller aircraft which are also more fuel-efficient are taking over, and this will eventually lead to regional airports connecting with much bigger hubs, such as Dubai.

According to Griffiths, Dubai could potentially be connecting to 300 cities, which means that airports need to be architecturally- designed to accommodate a much lower average capacity aircraft.

This is why the upcoming Al Maktoum International airport will have no less than 400 gates.

“We have done some very solid mathematical calculations on how many gates and runways we need,” added Griffiths.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024