Leading business aircraft manufacturers Gulfstream, Dassault, Hawker Beechcraft and Cessna are scheduled to exhibit at the new Asian Business Aviation (ABA) show to be held at the Macau Business Aviation Centre (MBAC) next month (June 9-10). The event at Macau International Airport will co-locate chalets and exhibit stands, as well as a static display of aircraft. Other confirmed exhibitors for the new event include service companies such as TAG Aviation and Sino Private Aviation, which are expanding their presence in China.
ABA will open with a one-day conference on June 9 and an agenda mainly offering guidance to end users of business aircraft as to various options and considerations. The exhibits will be open on June 10 and 11, and a gala dinner is scheduled for the evening of June 10.
The working title for the conference is “Business Aircraft in Asia–a buyer’s guide.” Jason Liao, Bombardier’s sales director for China, will address what prospective clients should consider when looking to buy a jet. Simon Wagstaff, CEO of the ASA Group, is to lead a panel discussion on operational questions relating to flying aircraft in Asia. The conference will be held in Macau’s Grand Venetian hotel.
ABA has the support of the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA), which is also supporting the Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE) to be held in Hong Kong on January 18 and 19, 2011. ABACE is promoted by the U.S. National Business Aviation Association.
“We are delighted to join forces with Reed Exhibitions for this exciting new event,” said AsBAA Chairman and CEO of Jet Asia, Chuck Woods. “ABA in Macau will provide a valuable face to face networking platform this year–in the absence of other dedicated business aviation events in this region,” continued Woods, who is also CEO of Macau-based operator Jet Asia.
Confirmed primary sponsors for ABA include the Civil Aviation Authority of Macau, the Macau Government Tourist Board, together with CAM Macau International Airport and the MBAC. Macau’s Trade and Investment Promotion Institute is also lending support in securing VIPs and prominent business visitors.
The ABA show coincides with Reed Exhibitions’ annual Global Gaming Expo Asia (G2E Asia). That event is expected to be attended by more than 4,500 gaming professionals, as well as owners of casinos, cruise ships and gaming clubs. The gaming industry is a significant user of business aircraft in China, often flying high-rolling clients to casinos.
According to Reed, the delegates attending ABA will include business aircraft operators, charter brokers, airports, FBOs and handling agents, aircraft interior firms, insurance companies, fuel providers and in-flight caterers. The visitor profile for the show includes senior executives, entrepreneurs and companies that may be shopping for a jet or helicopter, as well as legal and finance/leasing advisory services, and maintenance and senior travel services executives.
