(CNN) -- Perhaps nothing illustrates the ambitions of the well-established Gulf carriers -- Emirates, Etihad and Qatar -- and Turkish Airlines so much as the swift expansion of their route networks. Turkish Airlines currently flies to about 253 destinations, and plans to add another 60 to its network in the next five years. Emirates, meanwhile, is rumored to have placed a record-breaking order for Boeing's 777X aircraft. "These carriers have a good modern fleet and can fly long distances, and because of their geographical position, they can connect anywhere from their hub to almost anywhere else in the world, either non-stop, or one-stop," says John Strickland, an independent transport consultant.
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Emirates, Etihad and Qatar are expanding into the U.S. marketplace
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Some airlines are working hard to block their entrance
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Turkish Airlines -- one of the fastest growing carriers -- has a massive network in Africa
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Connecting emerging markets to each other is goal of many Mideast airlines
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