The Middle East’s Mega Airports
Ever since the birth of air travel, airports in Europe and the United States have prided themselves on being the biggest and busiest in the world — acting as major transport hubs not just for single destination flights but also for passengers wanting to connect on and get anywhere in the world.
But in recent years airports in the Middle East have been closing the gap given huge investments by their governments and their strategic locations linking growing and more mobile populations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe .
It’s expected that airports in Istanbul and Dubai , will with in a few years surpass Europe’s biggest airports – Heathrow in London, Germany’s Frankfort Airport and Schipol Airport in Amsterdam.
And Riyadh Airport, in Saudi Arabia ,is set to join the big league after major investments from the Saudi Government as it seeks to diversify the Kingdom away from its dependence on oil .
Dubai is expected to grow traffic to to 200 million a year in the next decade up from its target of 100 million in 2027 and Istanbul Airport, with plans for six runways , is aiming to reach a similar number
These airports point out they have one third of the world’s population within four hours flying distance and two thirds within eight hours
Destination: Middle East and North Africa
