Middle East airlines expecting more turbulence in 2019 remain optimistic on strong travel demand - The National

Middle East airlines expecting more turbulence in 2019 remain optimistic on strong travel demand - The National:

Arabian Gulf airlines say they expect to face further headwinds in the next 12 months but are optimistic about growth in 2019 as demand for travel remains strong.

Airlines in the region foresee oil price volatility, currency fluctuations, escalating trade tensions and increasingly fierce competition clouding the industry outlook next year. However, the companies said they remain bullish as they focus on expanding into new markets, keeping costs in check and growing their fleet to cater to rising passenger demand for travel.

“We are optimistic about our own growth in 2019,” Tim Clark, president of Emirates airlines, told The National this week. “We’ve seen that the global appetite for travel remains resilient, in spite of the patchy economic growth or geopolitical turbulence. People still want to travel. Consumers will simply re-calibrate their travel plans and we have to stay agile in how we deploy our capacity to best serve that demand.”