Middle East Business Aviation
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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 aircraft from a widening prospective client base throughout the region. According to Royal Jet, the Abu Dhabi- 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 business aircraft. 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- Airline. 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 Business Jet 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 Airlines and National Aviation royal, military or government service. (all Egypt); Kuwait 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 United Arab Emirates). 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 turboprop-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, Boeing, which has launches as an authorized service center for At first glance, there appears to be little added the Boeing Business Jet to its the Falcon 900 and 2000 and is part of in these rather pedestrian jet registration airliner-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 Airbus. 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.