The 2018 MEBAA Show is set to kick off on December 10 with nearly three dozen aircraft on static display, including show debuts of Gulfstream’s G500 and G600 and Boeing Business Jets’ B787-8, at Dubai World Central in the UAE. The three-day event is anticipated to attract nearly 9,900 visitors.
The static display will showcase of a range of jets from the HondaJet, which is making its second appearance, to bizliners such as the Sukhoi Superjet SSJ100. They will join aircraft from a range of business jet makers, as well as from charter operators and completion centers, among other entities. These include an Airbus A340-500 that Avjet Global is displaying and a Pilatus PC-12NG that AMAC Aerospace is bringing.
“The business aviation market in the Middle East has historically favored larger aircraft,” said Ali Alnaqbi, founding and executive chairman of the Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA). “One potential growth area is for companies to build their business aviation fleets to include a range of jets and aircraft that are suitable for the varied missions that business in the region presents.”
Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino agreed, saying, “The Middle East is a very important market because there are still potential opportunities in the light jet market in the region. We have had many positive responses here at the show and interest in our technology.”
Hundreds of exhibitors will be on hand at the show to highlighting their latest products and newest technologies. Online Global Trip Support is launching a new product at the MEBAA show as it strives to bring flexible access to global destinations to the range of entities that rely on business aviation.
In addition, MEBAA organizers noted that UAS International Trip Support has said it is “extending its expertise into the creation of game-changing technology to launch its revolutionary tech suite.”
Trip support is just one sector on display, with exhibitors running the gamut of the industry. The show will for the first time this year have a product demonstration theater on the exhibit floor. Also new this year will be an aircraft operators Executive Club Lounge, an exclusive area dedicated to meetings and networking.
Further, MEBAA is incorporating the associated MEBAA conference within the show floor this year, enabling attendees to interact with both the exhibits and the conference sessions.
“Historically there has been a large crossover between attendees at the MEBAA conference and the MEBAA show,” Alnaqbi said. “There has also been a lot of interest from exhibitors at the show to attend the conference and vice versa, so it makes sense for the conference to take place on the show floor to bring these two events together.”
The effects of technological advances, such as cybersecurity concerns, benefits of the blockchain, and the future of aviation design, will be explored during the conference. H.E. Jamal Al Hai, a member of UAE Federal National Council (FNC) and the deputy chairman at Dubai Airports, will be the opening keynote speaker at the conference on December 11. Al Hai will highlight the importance of business aviation to the region.
Boeing has predicted demand for 2,990 new aircraft, valued at $754 billion, in the Middle East by 2037 and Barclays’ Business Jet Index has indicated “sharply improving market conditions,” MEBAA organizers said.
AIN will publish print editions of MEBAA Convention News at the show, as well as MEBAA Alerts editions on December 10-12. In addition, the latest MEBAA news can be accessed online at AIN's website.
