Gulf airlines muscle up, fending off European rivals
Nowhere is this clearer than in Dammam, where Saudi Arabia has ordered a new budget airline and an expansion of King Fahd International Airport.
Gulf airlines are demonstrating resilience and aggressive expansion following a challenging year, countering European rivals and domestic instability. The city of Dammam in Saudi Arabia is witnessing the creation of a budget airline and expansion at King Fahd International Airport, operated by an Air Arabia-led consortium. This airline will operate Airbus A320 flights on domestic routes to Riyadh, Jeddah, and Madinah.
On the long-haul front, Emirates secured a coveted Berlin slot this week, bolstering its Europe-Asia presence. Some European airlines have introduced new Middle Eastern routes this year, a move that Emirates President Tim Clark described as "a little bit sad" and seen as an attempt to exploit the Iran war. Emirates anticipates restoring full prewar seat capacity by the end of 2026, assuming the conflict concludes.
Abu Dhabi's Etihad is pursuing a similarly robust strategy, adding more than 20 aircraft and launching new routes to Europe, Africa, and China as other long-haul carriers scale back operations.
Written by urgent.news from Semafor's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
