Dubai aviation’s big bucks for the local economy

Dubai’s aviation sector contributed $26.7bn to the local economy in 2013, almost 27% of the emirate’s GDP.
A report by global research firm Oxford Economics found that Emirates airline, Dubai Airports and the aviation sector as a whole supported a total of 416,500 jobs, accounting for 21% of total employment.
The objective of the report was to quantify the economic impact of the aviation sector and its subsequent Dubai-based supply chain.
Cargo tonnage between 1990-2013 handled in Dubai has grown on average of 13.5% per year, compared to global average trade volumes of 5.6%.
The report says that the passenger and cargo connectivity provided from Dubai has “positively impacted” Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and trade, adding: “It also has provided greater access to foreign markets, encouraging exports, and increasing competition in the local economy, benefiting consumers.”
The report states: "In 2013, a total of 2.65m tonnes of cargo was handled at Dubai’s two airports. That compares with a global total of tonnage transported by air (as cited by Boeing) of some 42m – meaning that Dubai-based airlines account for approaching 6.3% of the global total.
“Data from Dubai Airports also show a growth rate for tonnage handled of 10.3% per annum over the past four years, which compares to growth in the global volume of all international trade (i.e. the inflation-adjusted total value) of 6.4% per annum."
Over the whole period 1990-2013, air cargo tonnage handled in Dubai has grown by an average of 13.5% per annum, compared with the growth rate for total global trade volumes of 5.6% per year, states the UK-based research house.
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