Middle East carriers registered double-digit growth in international passenger traffic in June, outperforming other regions, as demand improved from a year ago following the reversal of US travel restrictions.
Regional airlines posted 11 per cent growth in revenue per passenger kilometre -- a measure of passenger volumes--in June from the same month last year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.
The sharp increase in June resulted from the removal of "unfavourable developments in the year-ago period, including the ban on large portable electronic devices, as well as the travel restrictions imposed by the US for visitors from certain Middle East and African countries," IATA said in its monthly report.
In March 2017, the United States restricted the use of electronic devices on US-bound flights from 10 Middle East airports citing security measures to prevent terrorist threats. The four-month ban, one of the controversial travel restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration, slashed demand for US flights on regional carriers. The ban was reversed in July last year after regional airports implemented new security measures approved by the US.
Regional airlines' capacity rose eight percent and their load factor climbed 1.9 percentage points to 71 per cent in June from a year earlier.
"Part of the expected improved performance over the coming months will reflect those developments of a year ago," IATA said.
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The performance of Middle East carriers in the second half of 2018 is set to improve from a year earlier as a long-drawn spat between US and Arabian Gulf carriers on subsidy allegations is largely resolved through government talks and US-imposed travel restrictions ease, industry experts said.
"The issues that pressured growth in 2017 were largely tackled and the effects of geopolitical tensions have been absorbed, therefore 2018 should be more positive than last year for Arab carriers," Abdul Wahab Teffaha, secretary-general of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation, said.
However, there is some turbulence ahead as Middle East carriers, particularly the super-connectors in the Gulf, may see yields squeezed by higher fuel bills, a strengthening dollar and currency volatility during the second half, analysts said.
"These certainly aren't the best of times," Mark Martin, head of aviation advisory Martin Consultancy, said. "Yields will depend on two predominant factors: the dollar along with other currency movements and the price of oil."
Rising oil prices have meant higher premium bookings for Gulf airlines as regional economies rebound from a three-year slump in crude prices but also translate into higher fuel costs.
"An increase in oil prices, uncertainty around Brexit, and the threat of trade wars will pressure the growth of Arab carriers as well as global operators," Mr Teffaha said. "Brexit and trade wars cause uncertainty, which impacts confidence in the future of travel and tourism."
Emirates, the world's biggest airline by international traffic, has said it would explore ways to work more closely with Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways. The two UAE-based airlines would consider joint purchases and sharing facilities in countries they both fly to, Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said in May.
Meanwhile, global air passenger demand grew 7.8 per cent in June year-on-year, IATA said.
"The first half of 2018 concluded with another month of above-trend demand growth, which is a good indicator for the peak summer travel season in the northern hemisphere," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
The organisation reiterated its concerns that trade restrictions and rising oil prices would impact the profitability of airlines this year, after it slashed its forecast for the industry's annual profits by 12 per cent.
"The looming prospect of a global trade war is casting a long shadow," Mr de Juniac said. "Additionally, rising cost inputs—fuel prices have soared by approximately 60 per cent over the past year—are reducing the stimulus of lower fares."
'The Lost Daughter'
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson
Rating: 4/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Team Angel Wolf Beach Blast takes place every Wednesday between 4:30pm and 5:30pm
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Fixtures (6pm UAE unless stated)
Saturday Bournemouth v Leicester City, Chelsea v Manchester City (8.30pm), Huddersfield v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm), Manchester United v Crystal Palace, Stoke City v Southampton, West Bromwich Albion v Watford, West Ham United v Swansea City
Sunday Arsenal v Brighton (3pm), Everton v Burnley (5.15pm), Newcastle United v Liverpool (6.30pm)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
