The Middle East needs not only to increase airspace capacity to cope with rapidly growing flight movements but should consider substantial investment in pro-active management of aviation safety, says a leading aviation risk expert. "The Arabian Gulf in particular is facing an unprecedented increase in air traffic volumes and needs to invest to ensure the region's unblemished safety standards are retained both when aircraft are on the ground and in the sky," says Roel Berendsen, a vice president with safety and risk company ESR Technology. "Airports are also under pressure to adapt to meet the huge predicted growth in the region's aviation industry," he added.  Huge airport projects and expansions now underway in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia airport industry have been put at over $68 billion, with the Arabian Gulf countries accounting for $43 billion of that growth. Berendsen believes "investment will be needed to improve traffic management and optimize the use of limited airport space while, at the same time, maintaining traffic safety at airports. The complexity of current and planned operations requires the process of safety assurance of any change to be pro-active and risk based - simply adhering to international standards of design many no longer be sufficient to guarantee adequate safety."