December conference to discuss industry’s growth potential

The Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) will once again host the MEBAA Conference in Dubai in December ahead of its flagship event, the MEBAA Show. Featuring a line up of industry leading speakers, the conference, supported by the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), will address a range of topics affecting business aviation in the region with a particular focus on the UAE market.

Homaid Al Shimmari, CEO, Aerospace and Engineering Services, Mubadala, will give the keynote address launching the one-day event. Presentations will include “Investment in Business Aviation” and an in depth presentation of the MENA region business aviation outlook. Other speakers and panellists, drawn from the crème of the industry’s players, will be announced closer to the time.

With Expo 2020 looming closer, the panel discussion “Investing in Business Aviation Infrastructure in the Lead up to Expo 2020” will assess how new developments at airports such as Al Maktoum, Sharjah and Al Bateen will impact business aviation across the UAE, examining potential improvements in passenger handling and the expected benefits to the local economy.

Other panel discussions will include continuous improvement in safety and security, examining ways in which security measures are implemented in business aviation, best practice implementation in audits and oversight and tracking safety ratings; while another will address the importance of FBOs at airports, paying particular attention to the challenges of the Middle East market, the region’s infrastructure and how FBOs can optimise income. The final panel will address the personnel shortage in the industry and training of local staff to meet demand.

“Business aviation in the UAE is still a growing industry,” says Ali Alnaqbi, Founding Chairman of MEBAA. “There is a wealth of opportunities here, in addition to some region specific challenges. The MEBAA Conference, taking place on the eve of the MEBAA Show, will gather industry leading experts together in order to share knowledge and insights in order to facilitate the growth of the industry into the future.”

He continues, “We are pleased to host this conference the day before the MEBAA Show opens, giving the industry key players a chance to benefit from both events in the same week.”