Gulf Wars

The spotlight was on Doha, home of fast-growing Qatar Airways, in June as the heads of airlines from around the globe met for the 70th annual general meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It was the first time the event had been held in the Middle East since Amman, Jordan in 1997 and the location was more than apt. Gulf carriers and their phenomenal expansion plans are causing increasing angst among their rivals, writes Tom Ballantyne

Given the three ambitious Gulf carriers – Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways – are operating from home hubs little more than 30 minutes flying time apart you would think they would be in a gladiatorial contest trying to outdo each other. In one respect they are. But in others their battles are more with the rest of the airline world rather than each other.

Take the case of European giant Lufthansa German Airlines. It isn’t happy and has been leading a campaign complaining about investments by non-European airline interests into the continent’s carriers, claiming some of the deals may not meet European Union (EU) regulations. It’s a clear sign that the German operator is worried. And so it should be.