Investment in UAE aviation hits Dh1T

abu dhabi — Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, director-general of the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), has said that estimated total investment in the UAE’s aviation sector amounts to Dh1 trillion.

“This investment includes improvements to airport infrastructure and a fleet of 884 commercial aircraft, reflecting the UAE’s position as a significant competitor in the international aviation sector,” he said.

In an interview with the Emirates News Agency (Wam), Al Suwaidi said the authority is currently re-planning internal routes to extend to neighbouring countries, with the aim of increasing airspace capacity, as well as to introduce a new navigation management system by 2020, confirming the ability of the UAE to meet the expected demands of air navigation in 2020 and beyond, achieve environmental efficiency and generate annual financial savings of over Dh50 million for airline companies.

Al Suwaidi expects an increase in the number of passengers arriving at the country’s airports of 5.2 per cent, or around 142 million passengers, while noting that the UAE’s airports received more than 1.4 billion passengers since their construction, and in less than five years, they will celebrate the welcoming of two billion passengers.

Al Suwaidi added that the contribution of the aviation sector to the country’s GDP in 2018 reached 15 per cent.