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2017-06-08

Airport show 2017A Resounding Success

World’s largest annual airport event had over 7,200 attendees

The 3-day annual event witnessed the participation of over 300 exhibitors from over 50 countries showcasing their products and services under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group.

This year’s Airport Show has enjoyed the largest ever international representation with eight dedicated country pavilions of global products, services and solutions. The exhibitors confirm that the 2017 Show has helped them strengthen their existing relations while also receiving many serious business enquiries.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said during the opening of the show that:

“The aviation industry expansion in the Middle East continues to surpass average global growth rates. Future projections are equally promising and are behind the ongoing, considerable investment in aircraft, technology and infrastructure. The Airport Show brings together solution providers from around the world, giving them the opportunity to explore the latest trends and bring forward innovative products and services designed to support ongoing industry growth and service enhancements.”

The organiser of the show, Daniyal Qureshi, Group Director for Reed Exhibitions Middle East added that:

““The unprecedented success of the Airport Show is a testament to the strong growth in the aviation industry in Middle East and the investment to the tune of billions of dollars toward expansion programmes, which are fueling global aviation growth. We are proud to announce that more than 50 per cent of the exhibitors have booked for the next year’s Airport Show, which will be held on May 8-10, 2018.”

Pavilions

Germany was the largest participant this year with 34 exhibitors showcased in their exclusive pavilion. Seven other pavilions were dedicated to exhibitors from France, Switzerland, UK, China, Denmark, Benelux and North America.

Following Business France’s appearance at the Airport Show Dubai, the France Pavilion made its first appearance at the Airport Show nine years ago. This year it featured 14 exhibitors providing the participants of the world’s leading B2B event with insights into their latest product portfolio and range of expertise. The SWISS Pavilion was managed by T-LINK and served as an ideal networking platform for export-oriented Swiss companies to access local markets or extend business relationships.

Strong confidence

The Swiss and UK pavilions each had 12 exhibitors. The North American pavilion featured seven exhibitors, while the China, Denmark and Benelux Pavilions had 23 exhibitors. The Germany Pavilion was the largest pavilion with 34 exhibitors, celebrating the 17th year of its participation at the Airport Show.

The long association of so many exhibitors has mirrored the opportunities presented by the strong growth of the Middle East’s aviation industry. For instance, according to Dieter Heinz, President of German Association for Airport Technology and Equipment (GATE), founder of the German Pavilion in Airport Show:

“Dubai, in particular, the UAE and the Middle East, are among the most important markets for airport technology for us as they are always looking for the best technology and advanced systems. There is a local appreciation of the quality and reliability and confidence in German technology and in our association, we have not only catered on a large scale but also for small companies. We are very happy with our association with Airport Show and certainly look forward to our participation next year.”

Sameh Gaafar, Senior Manager of Airports & Security Information Management Services for Rockwell Collins, confirmed that:

“We have been participating in Airport Show for more than a decade. With a lot of new mega aviation projects coming up in the region, the outlook for the coming years is very promising and Airport Show is a place where companies get to tap into new opportunities and explore the best technologies.”

Michael Reichle, Chief Executive Officer, Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics, also said:

“Siemens has been participating regularly in the Airport Show for more than 10 years now and every year we introduce new innovative technology to the show. The show has international participation and reflects the robust growth of Middle East’s aviation sector. We see the Airport Show as a strong platform to showcase our smart technologies and look forward to our participation next year.”

Ideal launch pad for exhibitors

Induperm A/S described its contactless energy and data distribution as the smart future of airfield lighting. Other airport-oriented ICT solutions included Huawei’s aviation cloud, visualized airport operation solution and panoramic video surveillance solution. Emaratech’s intelligent baggage handling reduces manual handling by 99 per cent, Stor-H presented ergonomical and ecological energy storage technology, while Siemens contributed a smart baggage handling system.

Honeywell highlighted its connected technology portfolio implemented in more than 500 airports across the globe, from when passengers set foot on airport property until they arrive at their final destination. Norm Gilsdorf, President of the Middle East, Turkey, Russia and Central Asia summarised the value of this product:

“Honeywell provides technologies for every touchpoint in an airport – an end-to-end solution for landside, terminal and airside operations that helps achieve smoother traffic flow and enable efficient operations to ultimately enhance passenger experience. “

Oman Airport Management Company (OAMC) debuted the first-ever virtual reality applications for airports during the show. Mohammed Al-Raisi, Technology Innovation Specialist, Oman Airport Management Company (OAMC), explains:

“For the first ever time, we have recently launched four applications, two for Muscat International Airport and two for Salalah Airport. The virtual walkthrough takes you inside the airport and shows you the passenger experience from the drop off area to the gate. As a user walks through the airport, he gets facts and figures about the airport and a voice-over narration describing what he looks at.”

Al-Raisi added that the apps will service travellers and B2B vendors, while airlines may also appreciate the potential of Muscat International and Salalah Airports to provide important services, including trials of virtual walkthroughs to guide passengers through a new airport.

Nuctech Company Limited introduced the world’s first 3D airport scanner at this year’s show. The X-ray CT Inspection System works through two different scanner systems but Anwar Zhang, Marketing Manager for West Asia, claims that it does not compromise on belt speed despite its 3D ability:

“The company is 21 years old and specialises in cargo and passenger scanning. Nowadays airports look for a single solution for scanning and our product is a one-stop solution. The new scanner can do both 2D and 3D scanning very quickly in 0.3 metre per second.”

Induperm A/S introduced a new concept in lighting technology at the show, claiming to be the smart future of airfield lighting by providing up to 40 per cent savings on power and maintenance. Contactless Energy & Data Distribution eliminates around 60-80 percent of airfield lighting infrastructure (such as cable and duct), according to Malek Hussami, Regional Sales Manager for the Middle East. He added there would be no need for large, expensive traditional cables, while the product will receive regulatory approval in the first quarter of next year.

Huawei highlighted its full suite of airport-oriented ICT capabilities for the first time under the theme “Leading New ICT, The Road to Digital Aviation”, developed in partnership with industry leaders T-Systems, SAP and TravelSky-Civil Aviation Cares of Qingdao, YITU, Terra Vision, HYDATA and SenseTime. Huawei focused on airport-oriented ICT products, such as visualized airport operation solution, panoramic video surveillance solution and aviation cloud. Combined, these systems can enhance passenger experience, enable smart operations and intelligent security protection, as well as improve ICT infrastructure via power aviation cloud platforms. Finally, to support airports in their efforts to offer a better passenger experience, Huawei and T-Systems have jointly developed the Cloud Flight Information Display System and the indoor positioning Dynamic Milestone system for smart travel.

Vanderlande Industries showcased Scannojet Automated Passenger Checkpoints (APC), an advanced automated passenger checkpoint for screening of passengers and hand baggage in airports or other secured areas. This system facilitates effective handling of rising passenger traffic, ensuring security, improving passenger experience and increasing throughput while reducing cost. Nash Aqlan, Senior Service Manager, has focused on selling these solutions in the Middle East region where security is the first priority for airport operators while being vital that the passenger’s experience is a pleasant one. Hence, Scannojet APC transforms the environment of security checkpoints, helping airports to meet these challenges.

Martin Sattrup Christensen, CEO of BBHS Intelligent Baggage Handling explained emaratech’s latest intelligent baggage handling system:

“We are showcasing the new system for baggage handling which reduces manual handling by 99 per cent. Airport Show is an ideal platform to explore the latest technologies and showcase our latest offerings.”

Come GEORGES-PICOT, President, TDA Lefebure also emphasises that: “The Airport Show is a strong platform, particularly to tap into numerous opportunities in the Middle East aviation sector. We are showcasing a unique Flex Pit to connect the aircraft to electricity. In previous shows, we received tremendous business interest and are confident of a strong interest this year.”

According to Bandar Saleh Altoaimi, General Marketing Manager in Corporate Communications and Marketing for the General Authority of Civil Aviation, Saudi Arabia:

“GACA is participating to demonstrate the 27 airports of Saudi Arabia. We are increasing passenger capacity of each and have new airports coming up over the next few years. One of our goals for participating in the Airport Show is to meet all the suppliers from different sectors, whether security, logistics, technology or any other area all under the same roof. We are finding it very useful because instead of trying to find each of these solutions at different place, we can find them here. Right from the first day, we have had continuous meetings with serious suppliers but we have also met regulators and authorities from different parts of the world.”

Khalid Bin Ibrahim Owaida, official spokesperson for Tibah Airports Operation Company, added:

“This is the first year of our participation and we are very happy with the show and our participation, particularly with the wide range of technology and products the exhibitors have brought here. We networked with industry traders and key experts from different aviation sectors. The recently completed terminal at the Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Airport Madinah, Saudi Arabia, is equipped with the latest technology and facilities. Since technology is constantly evolving, we are very happy to see the world’s latest technologies on this platform which can enhance passenger experience. We look forward to our participation next year.”

The showcase of latest smart technologies was cited as the major attraction by many exhibitors, such as M. Ashraf Malik, Chairman of Sialkot International Airport:

“We have been participating at the Airport Show for many years and like it. We are the only private airport in Pakistan and come to this show to meet industry people and see the latest technology and products available in the market. It’s a great place to participate in.”

Mr. Kez Taylor, CEO of ALEC, agreed, looking forward to participation next year:

“The Airport Show is a great platform to network and explore new innovations in the aviation industry. We have been participating in the show since the beginning and find it very valuable for new business opportunities and to strengthen our existing relationships with suppliers.”

Hosted Buyers

The Business Connect program at the Airport Show has enjoyed participation from over 200 buyers from more than 50 regional authorities, providing unparalleled opportunities to the participants.

The 17th Airport Show was supported by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP), Dubai Airports, dnata, Supply Chain and Logistics Group (SCLG) of Middle East and UAE Contractors’ Association, alongside emaratech as the gold sponsor, FMT the silver sponsor and Huawei as the ICT Partner.

Airport Show 2018

Reed Exhibitions Middle East, organisers of the Airport Show, announced that Airport Show 2018 will be held from May 8-10, 2018 in Dubai. More than 50 per cent of exhibitors have confirmed their participation for next year, reflecting strong confidence in the Middle East’s aviation sector.

Reference Text/Photos:www.airportshow.com

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