"Ten Minutes into the Future of Aviation" with HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum

I think if we look at some of the challenges, always we see that the sector of reaching bilateral with other countries, some you will find easy, they look at the model and what we have achieved and they want to follow. And maybe some country, they see it is challenging them because it would replace them, other will take their place.

I think we have to really see that the model of open sky policy was really the plus. But you are also on the other side, when you talk to any country, I think they should really see this model is really working because we are a small population base. Today, if we talk about the UAE or Dubai, and when we see an airport like Dubai with a population of 6 million, 8 million, or 10 million, and we really see 90 million passengers coming to this airport, you know that you should really make a think: why shouldn't we be like them? And where there are countries with much bigger populations, but we see the number their airports can handle is much smaller.

Of course that is not easy and simple because also you have really to invest in the infrastructure and the people. Also, I think one element that we should not really forget always is what our cost base is. Cost is a very important regardless of what you are doing and how successful you are, you have always to look at your cost because there is always somebody else who will come and will try to give that service as good as what you are doing for much less cost.

And those airlines who will be successful, what we see the industry is facing today, even fuel price is always a big factor in the aviation industry. And also you think about currency, currency also is a major factor in the profitability of the airline. So fuel and currency, I think the political situation not only around us, globally, we would see. People talk about what kind of problems in the geopolitical, what routes you see that today is going or doing well, maybe next day you will not see that route because something happened within that country and you have to stop it.

So you always have really to diversify your business. Diversification, not necessarily that you jump into different types of business. I think the focus on the business that you know better is the best thing. But you shouldn't only start flying to one continent.

Still runway will be the runway, or we will see maybe another model which we talk about. Yes, it would be the Hyperloop, airplane that going out of space to reach another point with much less time. Even they say one day flying from Dubai to Australia, maybe it will take you five minutes instead of 14 hours to Sydney. That would happen, yes, it will happen, I'm sure, one day. I don't know in 20 years, 30 years, 50 years, but it will happen.

If we look at the model plane that they take from London to here, it maybe almost took you over a day or two to reach here. You know now you are within seven hours between Dubai and London in the supersonic flight which had been stopped. The Concorde at that time, it was three and a half hours, and even at that time it could be much less, but there was a restriction flying over land. So I think we have to be really open that this will change in the future.

I remember when the 747 came, and they said everybody, they said people will not need now to come to a technical stop in the Gulf area. They said everybody will be flying direct from London to Australia without really passing here. But actually, we did create a reason for the people. And I think this is the main reason, you have really to make sure you create something that the people want to stop here, and we have always to think what would be the next reason for more people to come here.

You have to expand because with more number of people you need more facility. But also things are done a bit differently today, it's not only about big space, how would you be able to process people faster? And I think using technology, the model that we use today in the UAE with His Highness's leadership, you know, we are pushing technology. And that technology will really help to process more people, to come through in or out or in transit. And I think that's really the model.

So the focus on technology I think will be also one of the saving a lot of cost in the future. But I think always we have to think: processing people much faster will always be the way. I think with the new aircraft we see the technology and the new engines, I think burning less fuel, all that has helped. When people think about new technology, talking about media, videos, while you go to let's say London or America, you can always see and talk about things without seeing. It's real time, we can talk, but it's different when you sit with somebody, having a coffee, shaking hands. It's a different feeling.

So as at the end of the day, we are human, we need that touch always, and that element will always be there regardless of what the technology can do.

I think in any sector of the business, you won't be able to do it yourself. You need the help of the others. As long as they are working together, there is no element of 'me, I did.' I think things will work. You need everybody to work. You need the security people, you need customs, you need immigration, you need the tourism boards or ministries also to be there, even your foreign office, allowing people to come.

And I think this is one of the good reasons that we see more and more people today coming to the UAE, the achievement of bilateral between the UAE and other countries. Today more than 170 countries that would be allowed to come to the UAE, that's a big push. In the end of the day we have our own lab here, we look at our industry, what the others are doing, and we try really to learn from each other.

And we always think, today we know what we want, tomorrow I think we'll always fall short. I think tomorrow will be a different day that we will learn that people will need something more and more, and it is really happening in a much faster pace today than ever before. And I think what we'll see in the next five years or ten years is beyond our expectation. So we have to be ready. That will always be the case. We'll be spending more and more money on R&D here and also cooperating with others who are in the industry, not necessarily only in the aviation sector.

I think when we talk about who we are collaborating with, if it is universities, car manufacturers, schools, I think even we have really to start with the very young ones. I think the Emirates aviation program is really working well, and the ministry side engaging with every industry. I think we have always to do more and more, especially in the education sector. And this is why the government of the UAE is really spending more and more money every year, specifically in the education side.

I think our Minister of Youth is one of the youngest ministers in the world, she is doing really a great job, really bringing all the talents together, working in every sector of the business. I think when we are talking, we are talking about all the industries together.

It was really a big achievement and that was really a success because what we tried to do here is something that's serving over a billion and a half people, around two billion people. It's not only about Marhaba, but it's good for the Middle East, the Gulf region, the Indian subcontinent, and these would be really the places. We should see something like 25 million visitors here, really bringing all those future brains to the UAE to really exhibit in their own pavilion, share experience with the people of Dubai and with the world in one place.

From day one, actually, when we planned to have the Expo, we always thought what will be after the Expo. Because the last thing you want to see is that you spend all this money, which we did spend a lot of money on the infrastructure. And His Highness really insisted that after the Expo, what we should be doing about this site. And this is why we have a legacy that this site will continue after the Expo. We'll see many companies who will really be there, and we will use this place. It's next to the airport, it's next to the free zone area, to the big port in Jebel Ali.

The city itself is actually also moving toward the south, and this is why we see the metro is really connected to the site itself. So I think we have a very successful plan after the Expo. People will not really think that you spent a lot of this money and really it is an empty place, to be demolished or to be kept locked. And I think it's not far away now, when we look at next year, or the end of next year, the Expo is coming.