The Middle East’s low-fare sector has demonstrated a dramatic pace of growth in the last decade which shows no signs of abating, according to OAG, the market leader in airline schedule data. Low-Cost Carriers (LCCs) have grown at an average annual rate of 52% in the last decade, compared to traditional carriers who have grown at an average rate of 7% annually. LCCs in the Middle East have delivered consistently higher growth than LCCs in any other region globally in the last 10 years.

An OAG market analysis report, being distributed at this month’s World Route Development Forum in Abu Dhabi, discusses how the aviation market in the Middle East has become one of the fastest growing in the world. The report explores how the Middle East’s low-fare sector is growing apace, developing both a strong intra-regional market and expanding services to and from the Middle East. The LCCs now account for 20% of all flights within the region.

Rob Shaw, Director of Analytics at OAG, says: “Although the Middle East’s economy was affected by the global recession, it suffered to a lesser degree than other regions. The Middle East’s aviation market is one of the fastest growing regions in the world for scheduled flight capacity. Seat capacity has grown from the Middle East over the last decade with an average annual rate of 10% - the highest rate globally.”