Middle East Business Aviation

Conference is bizav master class by Charles Alcock

The first Middle East Business Aviation Conference (MEBA) is to be held in Dubai on November 19, on the eve of the Dubai Air Show (November 20 to 24). The event is a response to rising levels of interest in business from a widening prospective client base throughout the region. According to Royal Jet, the - based executive charter operator acting as host, the conference will present various options for aircraft use (such as full and fractional ownership, management and charter) and answer frequently asked questions about this mode of transportation. In this respect it will be a sort of business aviation master class, with contributions from aircraft manufacturers, finance companies, operators, completions specialists, lawyers and existing customers. The static display at this year’s Dubai Air Show will provide plenty of opportunities for visitors to check out the newest offerings in business aviation. Former NBAA president Jack Olcott is putting together the MEBA agenda and acting According to Balkar, business people and aircraft data specialist Airclaims tell as conference chairman. Following initial private individuals in the Middle East are only part of the story because they speeches by Olcott and Royal Jet CEO Chris increasingly attracted to the idea of using Region ripe ignore the significant numbers of air- Crum, the keynote address will be given by the . Their main motives are the craft registered outside the region but event’s patron, HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed desire for privacy and security, as well as for growth of owned by Middle Eastern companies Al Maktoum, president of Dubai’s Department more efficient trips than can be achieved with and individuals. The national aircraft of Civil Aviation and of fast-growing Emirates somewhat limited regional air services. He registers of countries such as Switzer- . The conference is also being held under said that these people often raise fundamental bizav market land, Bermuda, the U.S. and the Cayman the patronage of Royal Jet chairman HE questions such as whether they are even Islands reveal one of the key character- Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarek Al Nahyan. permitted to own private aircraft, and MEBA The number of business jets registered istics of Middle Eastern business avia- As of early last month, at least two major will seek to address just such concerns. in Middle Eastern countries has grown tion: it is extremely low-profile. business aircraft manufacturers had signed up Balkar told AIN that conditions for by about one-fifth over the past 10 years. Airclaims data released to AIN last as conference sponsors. Further sponsorship owning and operating business aircraft in By the standards of other still-emerging month show jet registrations in 15 Mid- opportunities are still open for the event, which the Middle East are not as restrictive as many markets such as Europe (which had 45- dle Eastern states rising steeply around is being run by Dubai show organizer Fairs people imagine. Private aircraft ownership percent growth during the same period), the turn of the 21st century before set- & Exhibitions and is supported by Aviation is certainly permitted in the United Arab the Middle East’s 18-percent fleet growth tling into a steady progression. At the International News and its sister publication Emirates (of which Dubai and Abu Dhabi is not exactly earth-shattering. On the end of 2000, there were 204 jets in the Traveler. It will be held at are part), and in many other neighboring other hand, it is markedly higher than the region, and over the course of the fol- Dubai’s Le Meridien hotel, and more informa- states. At the same time, local financial insti- 8-percent hike seen in Asia–a market lowing year that total climbed to 221 tion can be found at www.dubaiairshow.org. tutions, such as the Abu Dhabi-based First over which most business aircraft makers before edging up to the 229 aircraft The sponsoring companies will invite the Gulf Bank, are increasingly willing to put are now salivating. on record at the end of last year. In majority of the anticipated 300 conference dele- together funding packages to buy aircraft. But these figures from London-based fact, even more recent statistics showing gates, most of whom are expected to be current What’s more, Balkar added, the newcomers or prospective business aviation customers from are taking a more pragmatic approach to the Arabian Gulf states. Royal Jet sales and business aviation by contemplating options Who are the Middle East’s Bizjet Operators? marketing v-p Ammar Balkar told AIN that such as aircraft management, charter and Analysis of the national aircraft reg- pany executives to oversee their fast- the company conceived MEBA as a way of fractional ownership. Business aviation in isters of Middle Eastern countries gives moving redevelopment programs. bringing together the emerging new business the Middle East, in his view, is moving away the strong impression that there is little There are in fact a growing number aircraft users and the service providers seeking from the stereotypical money-no-object royal private or corporate flying activity in the of for-hire and corporate business air- to meet rising demand in the Middle East. barge. Many local people want to use business The region is already well served by airline aircraft in as low-profile a way as possible. region. This is quite misleading because craft operators in the Middle East, and conferences but has not previously had its own For the time being, many Arab-owned aircraft the ramps of Middle Eastern airports are some of these do not have aircraft on business aviation gathering. The past few years are registered in other countries. Balkar said in fact routinely occupied by aircraft local registers. On Saudi Arabia’s books, have seen growing numbers of Middle Eastern that this is often for tax and technical reasons, owned by local individuals and compa- for example, are aircraft owned by visitors and exhibitors at the annual European and he predicted that the registries of Arab nies that have opted to register them NetJets Middle East, Arabasco and Dal- Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in states are likely to grow as there is now a in places such as Bermuda, Switzer- lah Al Baraka. Other locally registered Geneva. At the same time, the biennial Dubai stronger case for basing these aircraft in the land, the Cayman Islands and the U.S. operators include Bexair (Bahrain); Air Show has attracted more and more business Middle East, such as opportunities for placing The vast majority of aircraft actually Arab Wings (Jordan); Fahed Fadel aviation manufacturers and service providers. them on the charter market. J logged on the Middle East’s national (Lebanon); Executive Wings Aviation, registers are reported as being in Pyramid and National Aviation royal, military or government service. (all Egypt); Airways; ExecuJet MEBA News To Feature in AIN’s Dubai Coverage That said, in some countries the defini- Middle East, Royal Jet and Fujairah Avi- Coverage of the MEBA conference will be featured in the three daily editions of Aviation International tion of “royal service” can be broad ation Centre (all ). News to be published at the Dubai Air Show (November 20 to 24). Exhibitors wishing to submit news and poorly defined, as is the notion of The Middle East also has more and information for editorial coverage are invited to contact Charles Alcock, editor, international show the government flight department. In than 60 -powered business editions, as soon as possible (tel 44 1252 727758 or e-mail [email protected]). Next month’s some Arab Gulf states, the govern- and utility aircraft. The vast majority ment almost acts like a corporation, of these are in government and mili- issue of AIN will also include extensive coverage of the Dubai show. I with officials moving around like com- tary service. –C.A.

44aaAviation International News • November 2005 • www.ainonline.com registrations through the end of August re- years have also seen the withdrawal of Citations. The facility, which comprises veal that six more jets have arrived this other out-of-production types such as the Jet Aviation 45,192 sq ft of hangar space and an- year, bringing the current total to 235. Lockheed JetStar, the Rockwell Sabreliner other 10,760 sq ft of workshops, is and the older British Aerospace 125s. in the process of completing approval Not Just a ‘Royal Barge’ Importantly though, , which has launches as an authorized service center for At first glance, there appears to be little added the to its the Falcon 900 and 2000 and is part of in these rather pedestrian jet registration -class VIP portfolio over the past service hub Jet Aviation’s existing service center figures to bolster the belief that the Middle decade, still accounts for almost a quarter agreement with . The company East is poised to become an oasis of busi- of the Middle East’s executive/royal fleet is in the process of negotiating secure ness aviation prosperity. But closer exami- with 55 aircraft. Airbus boosted its market in Dubai authorized service center approval nation of the data tells another story that presence during the same period but still from other OEMs. bears out the long-held contention of busi- has plenty of ground to make up with just by Charles Alcock The Dubai facility–run by Jet Avia- ness jet sales people that the region’s cus- 14 aircraft in this segment. tion senior v-p and general manager tomer gene pool is growing as local Saudi Arabia continues to dominate the Jet Aviation’s new facility in Dubai Philip Balmer–is the company’s third customers buy into the notion of the busi- region’s business aviation fleet with half of is now operating as the first full-ser- FBO in the Middle East. It also has facil- ness aircraft as a purely pragmatic tool of vice FBO in the United Arab Emirates. ities in the Saudi Arabian cities of Jed- commerce rather than as a royal barge. The Swiss group’s maintenance center dah and Riyadh, which are managed by This trend is manifesting itself in the rise opened at Dubai International Airport v-p/general manager Toni Gisler. J of the number of purpose-built business in May, and since then the operation jets in the region, as against gilt-edged has been approved to provide in-house ExecuJet To Open converted . customs, as well as immigration and Bombardier Service Center Bizjet builders have markedly increased security clearance. ExecuJet Aviation expects to complete their market presence in the Middle East. The two-story, 10,760-sq-ft FBO build- Factoring in the August 31 registration data, ing includes a reception area and refresh- construction of its own maintenance facil- Gulfstream now has 52 jets in the region, ment center, as well as passenger and ity at Dubai International Airport by the followed by Bombardier (29), Dassault pilot lounges, a conference room, offices middle of this month, in time for an official (28), (13) and Raytheon (5). In fact, and a prayer room. The facility also opening during the Dubai Air Show. The adding the heritage British Aerospace includes a fully equipped flight-plan- facility is due to be fully operational by the 125/Hawker series to Raytheon’s cluster ning suite and full security screening beginning of next month. takes the U.S. airframer’s total to 18. equipment, including an X-ray machine It will be a factory-authorized service cen- Even the market’s newcomer, , for baggage. ter for Bombardier aircraft, and the Cana- now has one of its Legacys operating in In July, the civil aviation authority dian airframer holds an undisclosed stake Kuwait. Among the new jet arrivals in the in the United Arab Emirates approved in the venture. The site will also house the facility to provide maintenance for a major spares distribution center for Bom- new-generation Boeing 737s (including bardier types. Its hangar can house a the Boeing Business Jet), Dassault’s pair of Global Expresses, as well as two Falcon 2000 and 900, the Gulfstream Challengers and two . –C.A. IV and G300, the British Aerospace Hawker 1000, and Cessna’s 500-series Report continues on next page u

region are Gulfstream’s G300/G400/G550; the Middle East’s jet registrations. But this Cessna’s Citation Bravo, XLS, Sovereign total has barely fluctuated by more than and Excel; Dassault’s Falcon 900EX; half a dozen aircraft over the past 10 years, Raytheon’s Beechjet 400A; and Bom- suggesting that this deeply conservative bardier’s Global 5000, Challenger 300 and country may not be the market’s most 45. fertile territory for the future. Saudi Arabia At its full-service Dubai facility, Jet Aviation provides maintenance for the Falcon 2000 and 900, These manufacturers now account for currently has 100 jets registered, down Gulfstream IV and G300, Hawker 1000 and 500-series Citations. The facility also provides in-house almost 55 percent of aircraft delivered to from its 2002 peak of 106. customs, immigration and security clearance. the Middle East, a trend that has diluted the The United Arab Emirates holds second complete fleet dominance by VIP-config- place in the region with 32 jets–approach- ured airliners a decade ago. Only Gulf- ing three times the dozen aircraft registered stream and Dassault had any meaningful there in 1995. Four aircraft have joined the market share in 1995, and the intervening registry since the end of last year. Bahrain, Egypt, Iran and Israel boast the Middle East’s other double-digit bizjet fleets. Airclaims Case Database Further evidence of the Middle East’s growth potential for business jet sales Airclaims, an international provider of in- comes from Airclaims’s tally of average formation, consultancy and claims man- aircraft ages. The average age for the whole agement services, supplied data for this region now stands just shy of 17 years– analysis of the Middle East business jet almost two-and-a-half years older than fleet. Further details of the company’s Case the average in 1995. Unsurprisingly, the and BriefCase commercial aircraft databases region’s geriatric jets are to be found in can be found at www.airclaims.com. I Iran (average age 28.89 years), Iraq (26.38), Lebanon (31.75) and Syria (23). –C.A.

www.ainonline.com • November 2005 • Aviation International News 45 Middle East Business Aviation Continued from preceding page Bizjet builders eye growing Middle East market by Kirby J. Harrison

A decade ago, any discussion of the private aircraft market in the Middle East was generally limited to members of the royal families as customers, and the airplanes were for the most part executive/VIP versions of widebody airliners. Ten years later, business aviation as a business tool is coming into its own in the Middle East, and the market includes wealthy en- trepreneurs and individuals, cor- porations and an expanding list of business aircraft charter opera- tors: from Arab Wings in Jordan, which recently added a Citation private aviation travel, demanding is a competitor to Boeing’s BBJ, Since its introduction in the region, Gulfstream has dominated the Middle East market for traditional business jets. With the arrival of full-service FBOs, such as Jet Aviation in XLS to its fleet; to ExecuJet Mid- air transport in every aircraft type made it clear that the European con- Dubai, the region is better equipped to meet the needs of business aviation operators. dle East in Dubai, which saw its from single-engine Pilatus PC- glomerate has no intention of being fleet grow with the addition this 12s to Boeing Business Jets. Boeing’s Middle East water-boy, year of a Challenger 604 and a despite coming late to the party. jet version of the giant A380 air- opened a regional headquarters in Pilatus PC-12; to Saudi Arabia’s Boeing Business Jets “We’ve had a lot of success liner to a Middle East customer, Dubai the same year. National Air Services, partnered Finds a Middle East Niche in the Middle East,” said a spokes- with German outfitter Lufthansa Today, the manufacturer has with NetJets Middle East; to Abu Twenty-five Boeing Business man, noting there are now more Technik as the most likely choice six Global Expresses and 46 as- Dhabi-based Royal Jet, which, is Jets are in service in the Middle than a dozen ACJs in service in to do the executive/VIP interior. sorted Challengers and Learjets hosting the inaugural Middle East East, representing a 28-percent the region, including an ACJ de- Airbus has numerous service in service in the Middle East. Business Aviation (MEBA) con- share of the worldwide BBJ livered to Al Kharafi Group of centers worldwide capable of More recently, the company sold ference one day before this year’s market, “so it’s a huge market for Kuwait and operated on its behalf supporting the ACJ, including a to Saudi business- Dubai Air Show opens. us,” said Boeing Business Jets by UK-based of Luton. Airways in Doha, Qatar. man Mohamed Al Harasani, who As for aircraft fractional own- president Steven Hill. And he ex- Qatar Airways was the first plans to use it to expand his ar- ership operator NetJets Middle pects that market share to grow Middle East customer to order an Bombardier Builds a Presence chitectural business in the Middle East, it has matured from a some- in the near future. ACJ, initially planning to use it in Until the arrival of its Chal- East and Mediterranean. what tentative beginning in 1999 The rapidly growing economy, its executive/VIP configuration on lenger 604 in 1996, Canadian “My business has grown to to a major presence six years later fueled in no small part by oil airline routes. But it proved so OEM Bombardier had found it where it did not make sense to with a fleet of nearly 30 business money, is a major factor, as is the popular that the airline’s VIP flight tough going in the Middle East. continue flying charter,” he said. jets. It has firm orders for three fact that many of the Middle East division took it over. Now, in addi- “But with the 604, we had a true Early this year, Bombardier Gulfstream G350s and is negoti- private jet fleets are now ready for tion to charter, it’s being employed nonstop transport from almost delivered the first Challenger 300 ating to acquire more Falcon an upgrade. Some may choose to to open new routes, then being any point in the Middle East to in the area, to HH Sheikh Saleh 2000EXs and Hawker 800XPs. have a major overhaul and cabin replaced by an A319LR in an all- London,” said a spokesman. bin Mohammed Al Sharqi in the Taken at face value, it’s a Middle interior makeover. Others may business-class configuration. With the Global Express, Mid- UAE. There are now four Chal- East market calculated to make the simply decide to replace the older National Air Services in Jed- dle East customers found some- lenger 300s in service in the Gulf business jet manufacturers show airplane with a new one. dah, said an Airbus spokesman, is thing even more to their taste–a region alone. up in unprecedented numbers this In recent years, Boeing has “essentially” a business jet opera- business jet with a cabin larger Bombardier’s Skyjet Interna- year at the Dubai Air Show. Clive made an effort to bring service tor, with two executive version than the Gulfstream’s, nonstop tional charter operation opened Richardson, CEO of the organiz- closer to its Middle East cus- A319s equipped with fully reclin- range from Riyadh to New York, its doors in Dubai in February ing Fairs & Exhibitions aerospace tomer, rather than force the cus- ing business-class seats. and max cruise of Mach 0.89 and is offering global hourly division, said, “The flexibility and tomer to take the airplane to a Perhaps the biggest news is that from Riyadh to London. And as a block travel through its Skyjet privacy of private jet charter has European center for maintenance. Airbus is selling the first private further enticement, Bombardier membership card. seen demand grow exponentially “We have a spares warehouse The program is positioned to on the back of an increase in Mid- center in Dubai, and we have a There are six Global Expresses operating in the region, among them one provide a seamless global travel so- dle East air passenger traffic of al- service center arrangement in belonging to Qatar Airways and flying charter for Skyjet International. lution–in the Middle East primarily most 25 percent [in the] last year.” Riyadh in Saudi Arabia,” said through association with a network He attributes much of that in- Hill. “And we’re near signing up of Middle East charter providers crease to the growth of major a second authorized Middle East such as Royal Jet of Abu Dhabi, international events in the area, service center before year-end. Bexair of Bahrain, Qatar Airways such as the Bahrain Grand Prix, “We have dozens of service of Qatar and further abroad the Dubai World Cup (tennis) and representatives throughout the through such international opera- the Dubai Desert Class (golf). Middle East, and we have a 24/7 tors as ExecuJet Aviation in Dubai But it is also the result of a grow- dedicated field representative in and Cirrus Aviation in Beirut. ing class of entrepreneurs who Dubai who responds only to VIP Bombardier plans a consider- are convinced that the peak of the customers who are operating able display on the static line at burgeoning Middle East economy Boeing airplanes.” the Dubai Air Show, with a remains some years in the future. A spokesman for Airbus, whose Global 5000, a Challenger 300 They form a growing market for Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) and a Challenger 604, along with

46aaAviation International News • November 2005 • www.ainonline.com a Learjet 45XR. Also at the Dubai the pyramid, with larger aircraft applied for status as an approved Air Show, Bombardier plans to making up a smaller market share Cessna service center. announce a partnership with Exe- near or at the top of the market Cessna has a long history of at- cuJet to open a service facility pyramid. In the Middle East, that tending the Dubai Air Show, and, and spares depot for the entire pyramid has traditionally been in- said Esling, it has been more pro- Bombardier aircraft line. verted, with larger aircraft making ductive every year. “With the grow- the greater market share at the base ing economy and available funds, A Re-emerging Market of the pyramid. “Now the smaller it will probably be the strongest “There’s no doubt,” said Jerry business aircraft–in particular mid- show in years for us,” he added. Gore, president of Gore Design size business jets–are starting to Completions in San Antonio, “the represent a growing market share.” Dassault Dines Well Middle East is a re-emerging mar- This summer, Cessna delivered on a Middle Eastern Plate ket for business aviation with a two Citation XLSes to Jordanian Jet has long shifting demographic. charter operator Arab Wings and been active in the Middle East, and “There’s going to be a lot of ac- in the fall delivered two Citation despite the company’s well estab- tivity, not merely based on the in- Bravos to the Saudi Air Force. lished presence, activity in the past creasing price of oil, and some of Cessna’s long-term strategy is year has been remarkable, said Fal- that oil money is going to be spent to focus on the market segment con Jet president John Rosanvallon. on airplanes.” However, he also best served by its midsize cabin While the company’s primary noted that “Not all that money is aircraft, such as the Citation XLS, focus is currently on Egypt and oil money, and some of that also is “focusing on private individuals Saudi Arabia, Rosanvallon said that Dassault says it has about 40 aircraft in the Middle East, including the Falcon 2000EX. going into buying new airplanes.” and successful businessmen who after a long, quiet period, interest NetJets Middle East is in negotiations to add more 2000EXs to its fleet. If that oil money, or any other have an appreciation of value, and has also been picking up in Turkey. money from an expanding econ- on the charter business.” To help Saudi Arabia, he said, has al- omy, will be spent on airplanes, achieve this end, Cessna is repre- ways been a good market for the Dassault has about 40 aircraft “It’s too bad,” said Rosanval- Wichita-based Cessna plans to sented in the Middle East by Falcon line. in service in the Middle East. lon. “We have orders [for the 7X] collect its share. Riyadh-based Wallan Aviation. The driving force in this more Rosanvallon said the company ex- from customers in that region, and The U.S. manufacturer has seen Esling said there is no approved recent interest in business avia- pects to show its Falcon 2000EX with its performance, cabin size its business begin to develop more Cessna service center in the Mid- tion, he said, has been economic and Falcon 900EX at the Dubai and range, it’s an ideal airplane in the Middle East over the past dle East. The nearest centers are growth. “Money that has been in- show. Demands of the certifica- for the Middle East.” several years, according to Trevor in Europe. But he noted that the vested abroad is finding its way tion program have been such that Esling, division sales director for new Jet Aviation facility in Dubai back into these countries, and the new Falcon 7X will appear at Gulfstream Dominance Africa, Europe and the Middle East. can do the necessary maintenance some basic industries–such as ho- the NBAA Convention early this Since it introduced its products In most of the world’s markets, and that Cessna is looking at a tels and telecommunications–are month, but the program will not in the region, Gulfstream has held small aircraft make up the base of new facility near Riyadh that has developing well.” permit a debut at Dubai. Continued on next page u

www.ainonline.com • November 2005 • Aviation International News 47 Middle East Business Aviation Continued from preceding page

a dominant market position in the Middle ble of getting into undeveloped airfields East, partly because of a large cabin that is that could not accommodate a jet.” easily adapted to private use and partly be- Raytheon made an extensive tour of the cause of the large-cabin airplanes’ ability Middle East earlier this year with the King to fly nonstop from any Middle Eastern Air 200 and the Beech Premier I. As part city to any destination in Europe. of the tour, one Premier I was sold to a “And we continue to dominate the mar- Middle East customer, said Farid, “but he’s ket,” said Tarek Ragheb, -p of operating it out of the UK.” He added that international sales, despite the best efforts there are 21 Hawkers and 46 Beech aircraft of competitor Bombardier, which intro- in service the Middle East. duced the Global Express in the 1990s to Authorized service centers for the complement the Challenger. Raytheon Hawker and Beech series are lo- Gulfstream remains particularly well cated in Europe, and the new Jet Aviation entrenched in the special-mission market. FBO and maintenance facility opened this “With the exception of Jordan, Bom- spring in Dubai has been appointed a bardier has never penetrated the special- Hawker service center. At this point, said mission market,” said Ragheb. Farid, the nearest technical representative At this point, Gulfstream remains the remains in the UK, but the company plans most widely owned business jet in the Middle East, with the Sa- vannah, Ga.-based manufacturer claiming an installed fleet–aircraft actually registered in the region– of 71 Gulfstreams. The disparity between Airclaims’ numbers (page 45) and manufacturers’ numbers serves to illustrate the difficulty of precisely defining the region’s business aviation market. Ragheb agrees with other OEM representatives that there is a growing market for midsize business jets in the Middle East. “Clearly, private ownership is in- creasing [and] it will continue to Raytheon attributes new interest in smaller aircraft, including increase.” He also noted that the Hawker 800XP, to cost-conscious business people. these customers are interested in the airplane as a business tool, rather than as a status symbol. to locate a tech rep in the Middle East. As a long-time market leader in the Raytheon expects to have a substantial Middle East, Gulfstream has established an presence at the Dubai Air Show, including extensive support system. Technical repre- a Hawker 800XP, a King Air–maybe a sentatives based in Jeddah and Riyadh 350–and a Premier I. After the show, the have factory-direct connections and travel company hopes to spend some more time regularly throughout the region. The com- touring the region to show its aircraft line. pany maintains a major spares depot in Bahrain and is planning a second depot Piaggio Sees in Saudi Arabia. a Future for Its Avanti II And since it acquired BBA Aviation at Massimo Isadori, senior v-p of Avanti II London Luton Airport, Gulfstream has commercial sales, sees “very real” possi- doubled the size of the facility and is capa- bilities for the Italian manufacturer’s up- ble of providing service to any aircraft in graded twin-turboprop Avanti II in the the Gulfstream line. Middle East. “The Middle East is an important mar- “They are accustomed to much larger ket for Gulfstream,” said a spokesman in airplanes, used on much longer routes,” said Savannah. “With respect to business jets, Isadori, “But there is a need for the Avanti II the region is one of the most sophisticated in the Middle East, and we are experiencing markets in the world.” more interest from corporate operators, as well as from air ambulance carriers.” Raytheon Notes Greater With 1,500 nm range and a cabin the Emphasis on Cost of Operation size of that of a midsize jet, the Avanti II “In the Middle East, there’s been greater will fly nonstop from Dubai to Lebanon, interest in smaller business airplanes in the said Isadori, adding, “from Jeddah, it will past few years,” said Ted Farid, v-p of inter- cover the entire Middle East.” And he noted national sales for Raytheon. it will do so at a max cruise speed of Mach The royal families are still buying the 0.70, “as fast as most of the light business big, bigger and biggest, he said, but he jets, but with one-third less fuel burn.” also noted a new generation of private He said Piaggio had done several stud- businessmen now emerging who are ies and determined that the typical route focused on initial acquisition price, depre- length for the Middle Eastern businessman ciation and operating costs. “We just de- is between 400 and 800 nm and that the livered a new Hawker 800XP, and it went Avanti II can easily manage some of to a private company.” the smaller airfields closed to jets. Farid said in the Middle East, the “We have consolidated our sales activi- Hawker 800XP is the most popular of ties in Europe and North America, which Raytheon’s business jet line. “It has good are a major part of our market, and now, cabin size and is a good performer in hot we are definitely taking aim at the Middle conditions.” The next most popular busi- East,” he concluded. ness airplane from the Raytheon stable is Isadori said Piaggio plans to be at Dubai the Beech King Air 200, “also with a nice with at least one Avanti, and possibly two cabin but economical to operate and capa- airplanes at the static display line. J

48aaAviation International News • November 2005 • www.ainonline.com