2010 Year of the Middle Eastern Airlines? « Alpha Dinar- talking GCC finance

2010 saw two major interruptions in the airlines business: the Icelandic volcanic ash and the abnormally cold winter. The common theme of these two occurrences is that their both in Europe. The ash hampered travel in Europe for a week in April, while the cold and snowy winter is still affecting European airports.
Although all flights to Europe were cancelled during these two occurrences, the clear and main loser was European airlines as almost all their flights were affected. The key beneficiary of European airlines woes, in my opinion, is Middle Eastern airlines, in particular Emirates, Etihad Airlines, and Qatar Airways. As these three airlines are working to conquer the world through route expansion, the Middle East is becoming a more attractive travel hub, as weather conditions rarely hamper travel. The Middle East is becoming a better alternative for West-East travel.