Tourism & Hospitality | Wednesday 18 July, 2018 5:42 am |

Boeing has cut its two-decade forecast for plane deliveries to the Middle East, as Gulf carriers face turbulent times amid a wider backdrop of regional strife.

The world’s biggest plane maker on Tuesday said it expects 2,990 aircraft deliveries to the Middle East over the next two decades, with a total market value of $660 billion.

That is lower than last year, when Boeing forecast that there would be 3,350 aircraft deliveries between 2017 and 2036, with a market value of $730 billion.

Boeing said that the total fleet size in the Middle East would stand at 3,890 by 2037, lower than the 3,900 it forecast earlier for the year 2036. The news comes at a turbulent time for several Middle Eastern carriers.

The Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad is currently in consolidation and restructuring mode, its international expansion plans on hold following the insolvency of its European partners Air Berlin and Alitalia. The airline posted an annual loss of $1.5 billion for 2017.