Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths made a strong case for open skies as a member of an industry panel at the IATA’s Singapore Airshow Leadership Summit being held today.

The panel, which featured aviation heavyweights John Borghetti, Chief Executive Office, Virgin Australia,  Frank Durinckx, Director-General, Civil Aviation Authority, Belgium, Thomas Enders, Chief Executive Officer, Airbus, Goh Choon Phong, Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Airlines and Thierry Mariani, Minister of State for Transport, France, tackled a number of industry hot topics including regulation, liberalization, industry profitability and taxation.

"In an industry beset by misguided regulation, taxation,  protectionism and drowing in red ink Dubai is a breath of fresh air," said Griffiths. "In Dubai aviation is embraced as a strategic imperative. Our open skies policy is the reason we have over 150 airlines operating into Dubai International. Aviation is not unduly taxed. A collaborative approach ensures efficient investment. The end result is an industry that yields healthy returns and supports $22 billion in economic activity or 28% of Dubai's GDP. It's a model that countries around the world with more restrictive views on aviation would be well-served to study."