The Middle East registered a 12 per cent increase in air traffic last year, representing the fastest regional growth in the world, it was revealed yesterday.Countries of the region are, therefore, in a pressing need to train their civil aviation staff in order to build up forecasting skills for adequate infrastructure and facilities planning, said International Civil Aviation Organisation Middle East regional director Mohamed Khonji. He was speaking at a regional workshop organised by the Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs in co-operation with ICAO at the Moevenpick Hotel yesterday. It was held under the theme Air Traffic Forecasting Techniques. CAA under-secretary Captain Al Gaoud, in his opening speech, welcomed the participants to Bahrain and stressed the need for states in the region to put together their resources and experience in order to achieve the development of safe and secure civil aviation activities.

Capt Al Gaoud said the passenger volume at Bahrain International Airport had been growing at a rate of 16pc per annum over the past seven years, while growth forecast for the next 10 years was 7pc. "Traffic forecasting has given us insight into our future and has been extensively used in preparing a masterplan for the airport," he revealed.

"It has also been used for preparing plans to upgrade our air navigation system to cater for market growth of both Bahrain and the Middle East." Capt Al Gaoud underscored the role played by air transport in the economy of a nation. Mr Khonji expressed the ICAO's gratitude to Bahrain for its support and assistance. He particularly highlighted the support of Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Ali Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa. The objective of the workshop is to help civil aviation authorities in the region in building forecasting capacities to cope with the ever-increasing air traffic. "It should be recalled that the Middle East region, particularly the Gulf, are seeing significant increase in air traffic, which is expected to continue for the next 10 years," said Mr Khonji. Thirty-six aviation forecasting experts from 10 countries in the Middle East are taking part in the workshop, showcasing the latest forecasting techniques.

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