Step aside competitors! Airlines in the Middle East experienced the fastest international growth in the world during 2015 and transported the largest segment of the international market, according to statistics released by the International Air Transport Association .
Taking a whopping 14.2 percent share of the total international market, Middle East carriers surpassed their North American competitors who came in at just 13.4 percent. Additionally, the Middle East carriers had the strongest traffic growth in 2015, up 10.5 percent from 2014 as opposed to 3.2 percent by North American airlines and 5 percent by European competitors.
Asian and Latin American carriers did however also see substantial growth at 8.2 percent and 9.3 percent respectively. Nonetheless, Middle East airlines finished 2015 with an international traffic growth rate more than 1 percentage point higher than any other region's carriers. Overall, international traffic grew 6.5 percent last year, the strongest growth in five years.
These statistics come following a year of significant controversy pitting Gulf carriers Etihad Airways, Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways against North American and European competitors. In particular, U.S. carriers have accused their Gulf competitors of unfairly benefitting from government subsidies.
Responding to the criticism, Etihad released a document last May listing $70 billion in government benefits to U.S. airlines. The U.S. government began investigating the subsidy claims against Gulf airlines last April.
Despite the accusations, Gulf carriers have continued to expand their global networks and remain ranked among the top airlines in the world.