MANAMA: Some airlines have changed their flight courses to avoid potential areas of trouble, a top executive of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) confirms.

“In the process, such airlines have been incurring financial losses due to higher fuel consumption,” Hussein Dabbas, regional vice president of the IATA for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), told Arab News.

He, however, discounted fears that airfares will increase as a result of the airlines incurring additional expenditure.

Dabbas made the remark on the sidelines of the two-day 2015 edition of Arab Aviation and Media Summit, which was held last week. Bahraini Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed opened the conference with his keynote address. Attended by over 200 industry leaders and media, this year’s conference covered a variety of issues, including the overall impact of aviation and tourism on the Arab economies.

Industry thought leaders discussed the direct and indirect benefits of aviation and tourism sectors as also the growing significance of the private sector’s contribution and the importance of opening up the sectors to FDI (foreign direct investment)

A joint initiative by leading industry organizations such as Air Arabia and Airbus, the summit was described as the voice of the industry and the largest assembly of Arab media together with top executives from the aviation and tourism industry.

It takes place in a different Arab city every year drawing attention to the host city’s travel and tourism experience as well as facilitating regional governments, decision-makers and media to share, learn and share views and experiences.

“The aviation sector’s growth in the Arab world has greatly benefited the tourism sector and is thereby contributing to the growth of the economy, which continues to drive investment, job creation and bilateral trade,” Adel Ali, CEO, Air Arabia Group, said ahead of the summit.

"The idea behind the summit platform is to create a meaningful dialogue on how some of the challenges can be resolved while continuing to unlock exciting opportunities in the decades to come," he added.

This industry initiative was supported and endorsed by many world leading organizations such as Airbus Middle East, Air Arabia Group, CFM, Amadeus, Alpha Aviation and ITP Group.

This year's edition of the event featured the Little Engineer Workshop, an edutainment organization dedicated to educating young minds through interactive programs. Supported by Airbus and Air Arabia, the workshop aimed to instill a passion for science, technology and engineering.