The British Tourist Authority has announced a tender for marketing services to be supplied by a "Middle East Airline Provider" worth GBP6 million pounds (USD8.4 million) for a three-year contract.

The organisation "is seeking an airline partner in the Middle East to work with over the next three years to assist in promoting flight routes into London and regional Britain, developing Great Britain content to promote throughout their channels and general marketing."

The tender call does not specify the terms of the marketing services to be provided nor does it precisely delineate the geographical scope of the bid.

According to the ch-aviation capacity module, Emirates is currently the largest Middle Eastern carrier present in the United Kingdom with 122 weekly roundtrips scheduled for the week commencing on March 19. Other Gulf carriers which operate services to the UK include Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Oman Air, Saudia, Gulf Air, and Kuwait Airways. Counting the wider Middle East, the list also includes El Al Israel Airlines, MEA - Middle East Airlines, Royal Jordanian, and Iraqi Airways.