About Aviation and Airlines in the UAE
From an early stage, the UAE government realised the importance of the aviation sector to the country’s overall future sustainable development, constructing international airports, establishing leading international aviation companies, and investing billions in infrastructure. The Dubai International Airport now leads globally in terms of the number of international travellers while Abu Dhabi International Airport is the fastest growing in terms of the same statistic.
Since October5, 1932, the date the first plane landed at an Emirati airport — Al Mahatta Airport in Sharjah — the UAE’s aviation sector has achieved prosperity and now contributes around Dh169 billion, or around 15 per cent, to the country’s GDP.
The fleet of the four national air carriers — Emirates, Etihad Airways, Air Arabia and Flydubai — rose in size to 512 aircraft at the end of 2017, and the number of travellers going through the country’s airports increased to over 126.5 million in the same year.
The UAE is one of the first countries to focus on international research and innovation in the aviation sector, with the aim of providing safer and more environmentally friendly air operations. It also launched the “Innovation in Aviation Programme,” which includes an award given every two years and aims to encourage innovation and creativity, by improving the experience of travellers, raising safety standards, and reducing emissions.
The UAE achieved first place internationally in complying with international air safety standards in 2015, after a comprehensive audit by the “Safety Audit Programme” of the ICAO, where it has registered the highest rating in the ICAO’s history of 98.86 per cent.
Dubai International deals with around 250,000 travellers and 1,200 flights on a daily basis and provides connections for millions of travellers to over 240 destinations, as a crossroad between the East and the West. The total number of travellers who used the airport from its launch in 1960 to the end of the current year is estimated at around one billion.
The Sharjah International Airport, which is proud to be the landing site of the first aircraft that came to the UAE in 1932, has achieved many accomplishments over the years. The airport inaugurated the first air cargo terminal in the country and witnessed the launch of the first duty-free store.
Credit: Courtesy gulfnews.com
