The US government's latest air travel security measures could impact nearly 18,000 daily passengers travelling on some 50 routes to the USA from the Middle East and Africa, according to schedule data reviewed by FlightGlobal.

Expansion by the big Gulf carriers has been a dominant theme in the airline industry over the past decade.

Confirmation that Emirates has retired its last Airbus A330 to leave it with an exclusively Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 fleet means that it will be flying seven short-haul routes from its hub of less than 1,000km distance using two of the biggest widebodies on the market.

US opponents of three Gulf carriers and Norwegian are hoping to find a sympathetic audience in President-elect Donald Trump, casting uncertainty over how a new administration will treat several hot button issues that have divided the airline industry.