On Tour: Routes breaks all records
Routes, the 12th World Route Development Forum, reported a record attendance in Dubai last week. The event was held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Some delegates were housed in the adjoining Accor and Novotels with others in the city centre and Dubai”s five-star beach properties. The gathering is unashamedly a networking event. There are no speeches or forums, and no formal presentations. Whilst local notables Emirates Airways president Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, and Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker were present, it really is a gathering of airlines and airports. Three hundered carriers and 650 airport delegates at management level attended. Over 40 low cost carriers were represented. The Dubai Department of Civil Aviation was generous in its sponsorship, some guests able to participate in a helicopter tour, in conjunction with airBP, plus bus tours and a cruise down the Creek in a Dhow. The DCA also hosted a tremendous party in the desert.
Some airports and industry companies chose to participate in the trade exhibition that formed part of the gathering. Three major halls were used for the show, the central one called the Network Village hosting stands ranging from a display by the Chinese, to a worthwhile showing by Newcastle, and a simple booth enabling Blackpool to hold its head high amongst the major showpiece airports.
The format is very simple. Whilst the social activity is spread out over the preceding weekend the real work is done during meeting sessions, this time in two large halls each side of the Network Village. Each participating airline hosted its own table, the airports adhering to a programme of 20 minute appointments, timed on a master clock. In fact it works very well serving more or less as an introduction with plenty of time available during the gathering if needed for serious discussion and sometimes decision making.
A number of small press briefings took place, the most eagerly awaited, that by Sheik Ahmed, cancelled. It was clear that all questions would concern the A380. Airbus executive vice president commercial operations Ghaith Al Ghaith did however appear as promised and in a spirited clash made it clear that it was a question of wait and see as far as Emirates and Toulouse were concerned. Al Ghaith did indicate that Emirates was on its way to record profits.
Also well attended was a briefing by the recently re-named New Orleans Armstrong International Airport which said it is getting near to achieving 60% of the traffic it enjoyed prior to Hurricane Katrina. Commercial manager Larry Johnson said that the airport is now handling 108 scheduled flights daily, compared with 160 pre-Katrina. ”Everything is running smoothly as per normal and all the passenger services are working,” he said. Recalling the extraordinary week, Johnson noted that the airport was everything from a hospital to a trailer park and animal rescue centre. There were 20 births and an equal number of casualties. For three days the airport was the busiest in the world. From an average 700 daily flights it was handling 3,500, most of them helicopters. Airbus gave a marketing assessment to a crowded audience and Ernst & Young offered an airport infrastructure review.
One year on from Routes in Copenhagen in 2005, some 2,133 new routes have been launched or reinstated worldwide, according to OAG managing director Duncan Alexander. ”Some 40,000 more flights are operating now, compared with September 2005. Star performers are Dublin Airport (27 new routes); Dubai Airport (19 new routes) and leading the growth, Alanta Hartsfield Jackson International (USA) with 39 new routes".
On the final evening all delegates donned traditional Arab dress and were treated by hosts DCA to a dazzling gala evening (featuring dancers and a stunning water, lights and fireworks display) at a brand new desert resort called Al Sahra. It was also the venue for the OAG Airport Marketing Awards, where Europe”s airports scooped the bill this year. The winner for airports handling up to 5m passengers a year went to London City, while the 5m to 20m passengers a year category was won by Nice. Athens scooped the prize for operations up to 25m, whilst in the big airport class, for the first time, two airports, Amsterdam and Munich were judged equal. The ORBIS Al Ueltschi Award for Corporate Social Responsibility was also presented. It went to Cathay Pacific, in recognition of its most outstanding and innovative commitment to supporting charities. The ORBIS Flying Eye hospital, a specially adapted DC-10, providing laser treatment and an operating theatre where doctors in the developing world receive hands on surgical training from volunteer surgeons, was in Dubai, coinciding with Routes. Many delegates took the opportunity to visit the hospital.
Routes organisers report that a high number of exhibitors have already signed up for next year”s event which will take place in Stockholm 23-25 September.
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