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2023-01-01

MEBAA Show 2022 Takes Business Aviation to New Heights

The Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) Show 2022 turned out to be one of its most exciting editions, witnessing a series of key deals and major announcements over three days.

Held under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, the 9th edition of the Show welcomed close to 10,000 attendees, 118 exhibitors and 16 aircraft on static display.

Key players in the industry from over 96 countries took part, driving the business aviation industry forward.

This year, the show featured the most diverse range of exhibitors to date, with a large number of local, regional and international exhibitors. It saw the return of major players such as Airbus, Boeing, Comlux, Bombardier, Embraer, Gulfstream and Dassault aviation, along with a host of new exhibitors, including VOO, Executive Lifestyle, Tahseen, Mirai Flights and many more.

BizAv Talks

A key highlight for this year was the launch of the BizAv Talks which featured sessions from over 45 industry leaders where they shared their insights on themes including future aviation, sustainability, emerging markets and regulations.

The show also welcomed a number of students from Westford University College, College of Engineering at Abu Dhabi University, Higher Colleges of Technology, Amity University Dubai, GEMS Education and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, with the aim to help inspire the next generation to join the industry.

Tim Hawes, Managing Director of Tarsus Group, said: “The ninth edition of the MEBAA Show saw a lot of innovation and positive discussion, and we look forward to seeing the impact that the show has made in the coming months and years. A key highlight for this year was the launch of the BizAv Talks conference. It was brilliant to hear industry leaders and specialists from across the globe share their insights on some of the key themes shaping the industry, including sustainability, future aviation and emerging markets.”

The BizAv Talks conference sessions highlighted the importance of collaboration within the business aviation ecosystem to help open up new opportunities, streamline services and tackle issues facing the sector.

Carlos Brana, Executive Vice President, Civil Aircraft at Dassault Aviation, commented: “Dassault Aviation presented our popular Falcon 8X very long range trijet at this year’s MEBAA show and exhibition, where it drew a lot of interest from the many prospective buyers and operators who also visited our chalet. Middle East owners appreciate the qualities of the Falcons and we were able to discuss face to face with guests our two brand new Falcon 6X and 10X programmes.”

Here are some of the highlights from the show:

Dornier Aircraft Deal

Dornier Seawings (Germany) and Gulf Enterprises (United Arab Emirates) signed an agreement during the Show which will enable the most advanced amphibian aircraft to enter the Middle Eastern market. The agreement sets out a strong partnership between both companies in sales and marketing, operational and maintenance set-up, and support for this region.

Dornier Seawings’ flagship aircraft is the German-engineered Seastar. With its corrosion-free, all composite airframe, the Seastar offers dual operation from both land and water, even under rough conditions.

Its versatility allows the Seastar to take on entirely new missions. The Seastar is superior in important measures: speed, range, safety, cabin size, operations and maintenance costs.

The aircraft covers a wide range of operational applications from commercial and VIP passenger transportation to governmental, corporate and special missions. Certification flights are expected to be completed in 2023, followed by entry-of-service the following year.

“Expanding our sales network to the Middle East, by partnering with Gulf Enterprises, is a key strategic decision that brings the Next Gen Seastar to its natural environment that we are looking forward to embrace,” stated Juergen Heinrich, Dornier Seawings’ Co-CEO.

Richard Haas, CEO of Gulf Enterprises, noted: “Introducing the most advanced amphibian aircraft to the Middle East is a privilege to us. Representing the pioneering spirit and heritage of Dornier is an honour.”

“We are pleased that the Dornier legacy of flying boats is reaching our shores in the not-too-distant future to serve the diverse mission requirements of our coastlines and islands,” stated Ali Ahmed Alnaqbi, Founding and Executive Chairman of MEBAA - the Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association.

New Contracts

Day two saw a series of key announcements and signings.

RoyalJet and Honeywell signed a letter of intent to extend the current Ka-band connectivity services, Saudia Private Aviation (SPA) signed an MoU with Redstar, and VPorts announced a partnership with UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub (MBRAH) at Dubai South to establish the world’s first AAM integrator world centre in Dubai.

Saudia Aerospace Engineering Industries (SAEI) signed four agreements, with Airbus Helicopter Arabia, Alpha Star Aviation Services, Ubisense and The Helicopter Company (THC).

These followed on from a series of day one announcements, where MBRAH signed four agreements with Empire Aviation Group, Athena Security, Khaleej Aerospace Industries and Airline Support Baltic, and there was the official contract signing of the DC Aviation G-OPS joint venture for the opening of a new Fixed Base Operator (FBO) at Nice Airport, among others.

Seven Presentations

Day two of the BizAv Talks conference included seven presentations and panel discussions under the theme ‘Tomorrow’s Customer – Next-Generation’.

With future aviation, digitalisation, blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and crypto-based payments key focuses for this year’s MEBAA Show, sessions included a joint presentation, ‘Stay ahead of the curve with cryptocurrencies’, from Robert Plhak, CEO of VOO, and Gernot Winter, CEO of AVINOC.

The session focussed on how readiness and adaptability in this quickly evolving technological landscape is crucial in today’s marketplace, assessing the purchasing methods of tomorrow’s customers and benefits to providing flexible payment methods.

Winter said: “It’s not just about cryptocurrency, it’s about tokenisation as a whole, and the real goal is to connect the real world — the business aviation world — with the crypto world.”

Co-founders of Odys Aviation, James Dorris and Axel Radermacher, presented at BizAv Talks with their session on ‘Assessing early adopters of the eVTOL revolutions’, which focussed on how eVTOLs will provide a fast alternative to congested city travel.

Cutting Emissions

Sustainability remained a key theme throughout the ninth edition of the show and a huge focus for the business aviation sector as a whole. This year MEBAA Show worked with Air bp as the carbon offsetting sponsor for the show.

A spokesperson from the bp target neutral team commented: “With support from Air bp, the MEBAA Show 2022 organisers have been looking at ways to reduce carbon emissions from the show and have shared this information with Air bp. As the carbon offsetting sponsor for MEBAA Show 2022 Air bp will offset any remaining calculated carbon emissions via bp’s carbon management business, bp target neutral.”

Airbus-Citadel Tie-up

At MEBAA, Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) signed a partnership agreement with Citadel Completions LLC, based in Chennault International Airport, Louisiana, U.S., to enter the ACJ Services Centre Network.

Citadel will provide to ACJ customers a wide spectrum of capabilities, including maintenance, engineering, modification and upgrade services. The ACJ Service Centre Network already has locations in Dubai (UAE), Xiamen (China), Basel (Switzerland), Bordeaux (France) and Indianapolis (U.S.). Capabilities include all maintenance related activities, cabin-refurbishing and cabin/system upgrades, giving ACJ customers/operators a globally approved network of facilities to rely on.

Citadel delivers customised service to its clients and is focused on design excellence and on-time aircraft redelivery. The company’s facilities include a 10,000 ft runway to accommodate the largest aircraft and a skilled labour force for heavy maintenance, repair and overhaul services. The facility covers a sprawling 260,000 square feet, and its multiple hangars can accommodate multiple aircraft projects simultaneously.

Magnix Engine

Magnix, an electric-motor developer for electric aircraft, showcased its Magnix 650 800 hp engine at the Show.

The company, which has engines flying on four aircraft, expects Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification in mid-2025.

Simon Roads, Magnix senior vice president of sales and marketing, stated that the Middle East region provided “tremendous opportunity” for its products.

Ultra-long-range Jet

Gulfstream’s five-cabin G700 ultra-long-range jet was on static display in a debut appearance at MEBAA. The aircraft is on a world tour that began in October following NBAA-BACE. The tour includes 20 cities globally. Gulfstream expects certification of the aircraft in mid-2023.

‘Speed of Life’

Jetcraft, an aircraft sales, acquisitions and trading provider, celebrated its 60th anniversary at its annual end-of-year cocktail event at the MEBAA show by sharing its story on the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. The display on the Dubai’s landmark underlines its commitment to perform transactions at the “speed of life,” Jetcraft stated.

Bombardier’s MRO Facility

Bombardier announced plans to open a service centre at the Abu Dhabi International Airport as it works to expand its aftermarket network. Construction has begun on the nearly 100,000 ft. sq. Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) facility, which will have capabilities for all Bombardier business jets.

It will be Bombardier’s first full-service facility in the UAE. It’s targeted to open in 2025.

In addition, Jet Aviation, a division of General Dynamics, is expanding its maintenance capabilities at its facility at the Dubai International Airport to keep up with requests for larger cabin refurbishment and other services.

Reference Text/Pic: www.mebaa.aero

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