Airlines
Too Early To Write Off Gulf Superconnectors
Profitability nosedives but low cost-base a plus
A Flydubai Boeing 737 and Emirates Airbus A380 prepare for takeoff at Dubai International Airport. The two airlines have expanded their code-share arrangement to cover some 100 destinations.
A Flydubai Boeing 737 and Emirates Airbus A380 prepare for takeoff at Dubai International Airport. The two airlines have expanded their code-share arrangement to cover some 100 destinations.

These are troubled times for the three big Middle East “superconnectors.” The UAE’s Emirates and Etihad have seen profits nosedive in their last fiscal years, and a wave of overcapacity in the market has triggered uncertainty about whether they’ll delay or postpone orders. Qatar has since June suffered through a blockade by a quartet of former allies over ties to extremist groups [see separate story], and the closure of Saudi airspace to Qatar Airways’ flights has made air transit on certain routes quite inconvenient.


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