UAE Official To MEBA Conference
Cooperation is the word for
Middle East civil aviation authorities in adapting to the booming
Middle East business aviation, according to a senior United Arab
Emirate government official, local media reported Friday.
Business aviation is coming into its own as a regional industry,
said Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Economy of UAE, in a
keynote address to the Middle East Business Aviation (MEBA)
conference at Airport Expo Dubai on Thursday.
However, "the regulation around business aviation is still very
much a grey area in the Middle East," Sheikha Lubna said. Therefore
countries in the region should work together to "ensure that
business aviation traffic is not just tolerated, but welcomed and
catered for."
"Just as there is an economic impact in the traffic increases
boosted by new aviation services in a liberalized market, there are
jobs that must be developed to meet that demand," Sheikha Lubna
said, "if civil aviation authorities around the region can
collaborate to foster a more efficient and streamlined, unified
approach to manage business aviation regulations, we all stand to
benefit."
It's been estimated that a $30 million jet would result in $2.7
million of annual expenses, including salaries, airport parking,
insurance, maintenance and permits, and clearly there are a number
of job creation opportunities associated with that upkeep. "So, if
civil aviation authorities around the region can collaborate to
foster a more efficient and streamlined, unified approach to
managing business aviation regulations, we all stand to benefit,"
said Sheikha Lubna.
The MEBA conference was a two-day event with an associated
exhibition featuring 90 companies from 20 countries and 31 business
jets on display.
The on-site declared order book for the show reached some $832
million on the second day, with Airbus saying it had won orders
worth $580 million for two VIP A340 wide-bodied and two A318
corporate aircraft from undisclosed clients and two A320s ordered
by the Royal Air Force of Oman.
"The Middle East is an important market for Airbus on the
corporate jet level," said Airbus spokesman David Velupillai. "We
have had interest from a number of dignitaries that include heads
of Middle East and Indian carriers, senior officials of Gulf
states, the heads of European corporations and others."