MRO Middle East debuts with strong regional growth forecast

Sheikh Ahmed said:

"This event has been a long time coming to the Middle East," he said. "For some years we have been aware that the sector has struggled to keep pace with the rapid growth of aviation in the region, both in the commercial aviation sector and more recently in business aviation."

Sheikh Ahmed added, "At the major air shows of the past few years, all of the big fleet announcements have come from GCC carriers such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways. By next year, for instance, the Emirates fleet will have doubled from its position in 2006."

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed reminded the delegates to the show - which has been organised by F&E Aerospace in partnership with Aviation Week - that 25% of the world's new passenger jets were destined for a place in the Middle East, with current aircraft order books for Arab fleets totalling more than $78bn at list prices. "But it gets even better," he added.

"The Middle East continues to be one area of the world where orders for business jets are growing. At the Middle East Business Aviation (MEBA) event held in Dubai just two months ago it was confirmed that around 700 new business jets are on order for this region," he said.

Yet, despite this, H.H. Sheikh Ahmed pointed out that there had been a time lag in getting the support that the owners and operators needed, with many of the region's business jets having to travel to Europe for even the most routine repairs.

Sheikh Ahmed said, "This was why I was pleased to hear so many companies at MEBA expressing a commitment to providing MRO services and the planned major investment in local infrastructure over the next few years is both welcome and necessary."

"In government," he continued, "we have been doing all we can to help. With the building of Dubai World Central, we have a world-class airport with the space and commitment to allow third parties the opportunity to provide services, to bring parts, to launch repair shops and generally provide aircraft-on-ground support as well as developing the heavier maintenance facilities. Work is also underway at major international airports in Abu Dhabi, Doha, Muscat and in Kuwait, as well as at regional airports in the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Egypt."

"As these are built, many more airlines will take advantage of our location at the cross roads of the world," he predicted. "From freight to premium passengers, this is a vital hub for the world transport networks; and the need to have not just adequate, but world class, facilities to assist the operators, is beyond question."

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed said that in order to support this global hub concept, the UAE was actively working to develop a knowledge-based aviation workforce. "Training and growing our own engineers is a vital strand in our strategy to become this centre of excellence for the world aviation market, whether that be in operation or in service support.

"This first edition of the show promises a lot," he said. "The airlines and business jet operators already have established MRO relationships, but there are great opportunities now to integrate and streamline airline maintenance processes and to develop new strategic relationships, while applying innovative cost reduction processes and state of the art technologies. Together there is an opportunity to develop the world class facilities that the region deserves," H.H. Sheikh Ahmed concluded.

MRO ME opened today with more than 100 MRO product and services suppliers featuring the latest in service and technology. In addition, up to 1,200 visitors from 36 countries, with representation from USA, Europe, Great Britain, Asia and Middle East, are expected to attend the event.

During two days of intensive sessions and workshops, industry leaders will discuss the necessary next steps for the region, where air transport is a catalyst for growth, economic development, and job creation.

"This event was a necessity and the positive feedback in the run up to the show confirmed this. The need not only to showcase the latest technologies but also to instigate high-level discussion is paramount in driving forward the regional MRO sector, and we are confident that the show will continue to grow year-on-year to meet this demand," said Alison Weller, Director, F&E Aerospace.

And Tom Henricks, a former astronaut and President of Aviation Week, added: "The Middle East is growing faster than many other markets in terms of both business and commercial aviation, which creates significant opportunity. For example, this debut event is larger than the first event we held in Europe, which speaks volumes about how we expect MRO ME to grow over the years."