Show Overview

Key figures from MEBA 2008

• 5,500 trade visitors
• $1.5bn worth of deals announced
• 78 aircraft worth $1.6bn on the dedicated static park
• 250 exhibitors from 30 countries in attendance

MEBA 2008 Trade Visitors

Industry Breakdown 

Fleet expansion

• Abu Dhabi-based Al Jaber Group is planning to expand to a fleet of 21 within five years, with aircraft orders from both Airbus and Embraer for its VIP charter operations. The company has already placed a $1.2 billion order for aircraft and signed a letter of intent for 2 VIP A380’s. The group is looking to secure a slice of the region's lucrative VIP charter market, worth around $500 billion a year and expected to grow to $1.2 billion by 2010.
• Royal Jet expects to list a fleet of 20 aircraft by 2012 and of 50 aircraft by 2020. “Our main business is with wealthy individuals and government officials and we’ve actually seen demand increasing.” Shane O’Hare, President and CEO of Royal Jet.
• Prestige Jet, one of the UAE’s fastest growing private jet companies, announced it expects its fleet will double in size from 11 aircraft to 22 by November 2009.

Market growth

• Saudi Arabia’s MAZ Aviation is the largest fleet operator of the VIP configured Airbus A350 XWB aircraft. Having ordered six of the type as well as buying into the Completions Centre operated by Airbus, Mohammed Al Zeer, Chairman of MAZ is optimistic about the future for wide-bodied airliner VIP aircraft and the larger business jets. “The opportunity for growth in this sector has not diminished at all.
• The Middle Eastern market is set to expand 15-20% per annum over the next four years to become a $1 billion-per-year industry according to the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA). It also predicts that the Middle East and North Africa markets will account for 20-25% of all new business jet deliveries worldwide between 2012-2018, worth around £300 billion.

Customer base

• With an estimated 170 privately owned jets, domestic travel alone would keep VIP ground handlers and FBO’s in Saudi Arabia’s key destinations busy, with Beirut and Dubai being the most common. The business and private aviation market has a total of nearly 16,000 private aircraft movements per year.
• Vistajet is targeting 25% growth across global regions including the Middle East. Company founder, Thomas Flohr, says that “executives that flew privately before the economic downturn are still spending big on business travel”, adding that the major part of the company’s expansion strategy is going to come from the Middle East region.