A panel discussion is in progress at the World Government Summit in Dubai on Tuesday.

Inayat-ur-Rahman,Business Editor

The World Government Summit (WGS) set out a dialogue of the next destination of aviation to create proactive plans for the next decades.

A group of experts and top speakers on the opening day of the World Government Summit (WGS2022) in Expo 2020 Dubai in the session of “What is the next destination of Aviation” including: Salvatore Sciacchitano, president, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Sir Timothy Clark, President of Emirates Airlines, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director General, Airports Council International (ACI) and  Sen Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation, Nigeria.

The Airbus A380 is set to remain a key part of the Emirates fleet for years to satisfy consumers at airports around the world and ensure the jumbo liner remains a viable option, says Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates. He added: “Before the pandemic, the A380s have produced about 80 percent of our profits. The consumer demand is huge and we’re going to use innovation while setting them to make more special results. The future of the A380s was set against the global and investment community challenges to expand airport capacity and slot availability and enhance the aviation sector”.

Senator Hadi Sirika, discussed the challenges of aviation expansion and the government’s commitment to launch a national carrier in the country. He stated that for a country of Nigeria’s size and pivotal location in West and Central Africa, it will be the first option for transportation, especially compared to the infrastructure costs associated with the construction and maintenance of modern highways.

“Since 2015, we have been committed to a road map to establish a national carrier, to position the airports, to set up a leasing company and establish cargo facilities,” he said. “We’re looking now for the Gulf’s carriers to expand operations to Nigeria and enhance the collaboration between countries.”

Luis Felipe de Oliveira agreed that in general, Africa is 15% of the global population and 2% of global aviation passengers, so the opportunity is huge to invest and use in the whole continent including Nigeria. “We need to find a way that we can break the challenges of flying inside and outside of Africa to bring more opportunities to passengers to fly”, Luis added.

Salvatore Sciacchitano concluded by reiterating that in a world of challenges from the pandemic which helped accelerate a new era of cooperation between all industry companies and other global security challenges, the development of aviation is essential as it is one of the safest industries in the world.

Meanwhile, the sixth annual Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum concluded after three days of programing focused on meeting global short-term energy demand while not losing sight of crucial net-zero goals. This year’s forum was hosted in Dubai alongside the World Government Summit at Expo 2020, giving the event an unprecedented opportunity to convene global energy leaders to examine the geopolitical, energy market, and climate crises shaping the energy system.

As the global community faces urgent energy demand challenges, the Global Energy Forum featured a robust agenda of public discussions and private meetings that addressed the myriad challenges resulting from the crisis in Ukraine. Leaders also discussed the threat of a stalled energy transition, how to enhance energy security, the future of OPEC+ amid geopolitical tensions, and a look ahead to COP27 and COP28—which will be hosted in Egypt and the UAE, respectively.

“There has never been a more critical time to host the Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum. As the energy system faces acute challenges stemming from the war in Ukraine and a return to pre-pandemic demand levels, this was a key moment to bring together leaders from around the world to chart a new course towards greater energy security and net zero emissions,” said Randolph Bell, senior director of the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. “We are grateful to the World Government Summit and Expo 2020 for hosting the forum this year. These world-class events allowed us to reach new audiences while tapping into their forward-looking agendas.”

The Forum featured dozens of high-level government, industry, and thought leader speakers. Key speakers at this year’s Global Energy Forum included  Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change;  Suhail Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure;  Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, Secretary General, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC); Belinda Balluku, Minister of Infrastructure and Energy, Albania;  Alexander Nikolov, Minister of Energy, Republic of Bulgaria; Amos Hochstein, Presidential Coordinator for Energy Security and Build Back Better World; Anna Shpitsberg, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Transformation, US Department of State.