This paper analyzes the current aviation boom in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries through the perusal of industry trends, main growth drivers, and innovative policy regimes. The Middle East region in general, and the GCC in particular, is increasingly reshaping the global aviation balance primarily due to headline growth, which continues to surpass global dimensions. Apart from the oil-fuelled economic boom, favorable geographical location, new generation aircraft technology coupled with easing of market access and sophisticated management of the aviation and tourism supply chain by member countries is poised to make GCC an important player in the global aviation market. The near-to-medium term outlook appears to be bullish, but there are critical concerns about overcapacity and intense competition. The GCC has the fast-growing aviation entities of UAE and Qatar, as well as those of large markets like Saudi Arabia which are rapidly catching up. Since the members are at different stages of growth, overall policy making is confined to national priorities. There are no mechanisms to manage competition and sustain growth at the regional level. Therefore, it becomes imperative to institutionalize a functional framework which may be called the GCC Common Civil Aviation Network (GCCAN).
