FROM THE CAMEL TO THE APRON

One of the most historic and romantic images of the Middle East has to be the camel train. Camels are known as the ‘ships of the desert’ because their physical characteristics are well adapted to the conditions of the desert. Their large, flat feet are covered by protective pads which help in walking on hot desert sand. They are also blessed with double eyelashes, which protect them from sandstorms. Adapted to the harsh desert conditions of Central Asia and the Middle East, camels made ideal pack animals for travel along the Silk Road. These hardy creatures thrived on tough desert plants. They could carry more weight than horses or donkeys - as much as 136 kgs - and needed less water.

Now in the 21st century, the camel trains have long been relegated to the history books. Regional and international air freight traffic, including along the Silk Road, moves cargo in hours what once it took weeks to transport. Sand dunes have been replaced by airport aprons, AI, ground handling equipment and freight terminals.

Most Middle Eastern countries, 13 out of 18, are part of the Arab world. The most populous countries in the region are Egypt, Turkey, and Iran, while Saudi Arabia is the largest Middle Eastern country by area.

Other states include Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, United Arab Emirates (Ajman, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, Sharjah, Umm Al Quwain, Dubai, Ras al Khaimah) and Yemen. The history of the Middle East dates back to ancient times, with the geopolitical importance for freight transport in the region being recognised for millennia.

Industry drivers

Nearly half a billion people live in the region. These include many of the world’s richest people living next to some of the poorest. The economy of the Middle East is very diverse, with national economies ranging from hydrocarbon-exporting countries to centralised economies and free-market economies. While the region is best known for oil production and export, which significantly impacts the entire region through the wealth it generates and through labour utilisation, change is in the air. Economies are moving towards alternatives to fossil fuels. With a growing middle class not dependent on oil, much demand for airfreight sees luxury and valuable consumer goods being moved to the region.

In terms of air cargo, the three main drivers for the region has been its role as a point of origin and destination for airfreight shipments while at the same time, it is one of the most important regions for transit shipments, including the 21st century replacement for the thousand year-old Silk Road between East and West.

India-based Mordor Intelligence, a research company that continuously tracks markets, has turned its eye on the region’s airfreight market. In a report that looks at freighter aircraft, market size and share analysis, growth trends and forecasts up to 2028, the company predicts the region’s freighter aircraft market is set to see a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of over 4% during the forecast period.

The report states: “Cargo carriers from the Middle East have benefitted from the geographic positioning of the region that connects Asia, Europe and Africa, and the support offered by the governments in terms of infrastructure to generate air cargo growth in the region. In addition, for the carriers in the Middle East, the revenue through cargo is a necessary and valuable measure of overall performance, due to which they are expanding their routes and adding new freighter aircraft to generate more profits by catering to the growing global air freight demand.”

Busy times in the region

These are busy times for airfreight in the Middle East. Recent headlines in Air Cargo Week have seen Abu Dhabi Airports, the owner and operator of five airports in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, welcoming the first SF Express cargo plane to Abu Dhabi International Airport.

At the same time, Saudia Cargo has added Tower Cold Chain to its approved roster of temperature-controlled containers for shipping pharmaceutical, biotech and life science products, in a new global rental agreement.

The deal reinforces Saudia Cargo’s commitment to having the broadest possible selection of cold chain products, both in terms of cargo size and temperature requirements, to serve the growing requirements of pharmaceutical customers from around the world, notes the airline.

Earlier this year, tragedy struck Syria and Turkey when an earthquake devastated large areas in both countries. Outside agencies, such as the UK-based Air Charter Service’s (ACS) cargo teams arranged more than 40 charter flights to the two countries after the earthquakes in Turkey on February 6. The team have been working non-stop initially flying in search and rescue teams, the day after they struck, and transported more than 2,000 tonnes of humanitarian cargo on behalf of governments and humanitarian organisations (NGOs) for the victims.

One player who is keen on the region is Singapore-based SATS. It says: “With aviation hubs and a thriving network of cargo corridors located across the region, the Middle East is a strategic growth market for our business.”

In Saudi Arabia, SATS is the country’s first international cargo handler, operating a cargo terminal at Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport (KFIA) with a dedicated cold chain facility and the capacity to handle 150,000 tonnes of cargo annually. This is followed by the SATS Cargo Terminal at King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) in Riyadh, which is designed to handle 300,000 tonnes of cargo annually.

At Oman’s Muscat International Airport, Oman SATS is the premier cargo handler, serving 30 of the world’s leading airlines including Oman Air, SWISS, British Airways, KLM, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways. At 32,000 sq m, the terminal is fully equipped with the latest technologies and facilities to handle a wide range of cargo, including pharmaceutical products, perishables, live animals and dangerous goods.

Millions of tonnes of cargo

Millions of tonnes of cargo fly to and from and over the region. It is flown by some of the most important passenger and all-freight carriers that are based in the region. The camel trains that plodded across the vast distances of empty deserts hundreds of years ago would require some 830 animals in one train just to move the 113 tonnes carried on one 747 freighter flight today.

It may be more than dates, fabrics and incense being moved within the region and exported but commerce remains just as important. Perhaps not as romantic.

James Graham

Editor: Chris Lewis of Operations: Kim Smith

Director: Rosa Bellanca

Sales Executive: Zainab Khalid

Manager: Rachel Burns

Director: Michael Sales

& Production Manager: Alex Brown

Supervisor Kevin Dennis

Consultant: Tim Brocklehurst

Norman Bamford • Dawn Jolley