Airbus feels confident with Middle East airlines; more than 25% of A350 XWB orders.

Bregier says the best is yet to come - and has the stats to back up his claim.

“When the average will be 4.7 percent that means that every 15 years the traffic doubles,” said Bregier. “So in the Middle East it will grow much faster and this is supported by what Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways, for instance, enjoy now, which is growth between 15 percent to more than 20 percent year-on-year. So it means that this region will grow faster than even the most dynamic parts of the world, like Asia.”

Middle Eastern carriers ordered 758 Airbus aircraft between 2003 and 2012 and they represent 8% of the company’s backlog. Those figures are smaller than regions such as Asia, America and Europe — but the value is far greater.

“The numbers are smaller but the value is higher because traditionally there is a big proportion of long-range aircraft so of course the value of an A380 is much bigger than the value of an A320; it’s about five times more expensive,” Bregier says.


Based on the interview with Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier published in Arabian Business