David Fickling, Columnist

Aviation's Hub Quits the Gulf

Etihad's loss and a Delta deal with China and Air France are rewriting the model.

July 28, 2017 at 6:13 AM UTC

David Fickling is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering climate change and energy. Previously, he worked for Bloomberg News, the Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.

Airplanes At Osaka International Airport As New Kansai International Airport Co. Plans To Select Preferred Bidders In July — Buddhika Weerasinghe/Bloomberg

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Once upon a time, airlines based in the Persian Gulf were making all the running in the global aviation market.

Propped up by state owners that didn't care too much about profits and blessed with a unique geographical position from which a single flight can reach almost every inhabited spot on the planet, Emirates, Etihad Airways PJSC and Qatar Airways Ltd. seemed to have the world at their feet.