The changes witnessed in the sector in little more than a generation are startling. In 1969, just as Boeing was showing off its first 747-100 to awestruck spectators at the Paris Air Show, Middle East aviation had only recently entered the jet era. Many airports in the Gulf still had a prefabricated look about them and air travel even on an inter-regional basis was only for a privileged few. Intercontinental routes remained dominated by European and US carriers including the symbol of US aviation prowess Pan-Am. The end of the century is coinciding with a time of aviation anniversaries - and what changes there have been.
Air travel is open to all.
Passengers, as well, have an increasingly wide choice of airlines and destinations to choose from. Carriers such as Pan-Am have passed into history. Throughout the world, newcomers have emerged in an increasingly competitive sector. Some of them, such as Emirates, have been launched even at times of recession. Passengers want and demand the best.