Day Two of MEBAA Show 2024 highlighted bold steps towards the future of business aviation
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The tenth edition of the MEBAA Show 2024 continued into its second day, welcoming further discussions among business aviation leaders and innovators and more examples of industry collaboration.
Reaffirming the show’s reputation as a key platform for impactful deals and announcements, day two featured further milestones poised to shape the future of business aviation. During a press conference, the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) announced the launch of its transformative Golden Package for Registering and Operating Private and Business Aircraft. Aligning with the UAE’s Vision 2031 to drive economic diversification, the new package introduces innovative measures aimed at streamlining processes, enhancing flexibility, and reinforcing the UAE’s position as a global hub for aviation excellence. The GCAA also issued the first Approved Maintenance Organization Certificate to Falcon Technic as part of its Flexibility Initiative, aimed at supporting business aviation in the UAE.
Other announcements included a MOU agreement signed between SKYNA and KAMS Global to agree on future cooperation in aircraft leasing and purchase inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and globally, while Comlux’s new state-of-the-art service centre at DWC became operational, with its grand public unveiling during the show.
RoyalJet and Airbus Corporate Jets also signed a MOU that signified RoyalJet’s commitment to purchase three ACJ320neos and an additional purchase right of six of the same aircraft. Shafiul Syed, CEO of RoyalJet, commented: “The MEBAA Show has always been an important part of the RoyalJet calendar to showcase our brand of timeless service excellence to the market. This makes it truly significant for us to announce at the show our MoU with Airbus Corporate Jets, involving our commitment to purchase three new ACJ320neos. Such an achievement has been the result of all the hard work put in by all the people involved in making this happen. My thanks to all.”
The BizAv Talks conference continued with insightful sessions focused on the daily theme, ‘Driving a Sustainable Future for Business Aviation’. The first session of the day saw Rolland Vincent, Creator/Director of JETNET iQ, launch the industry report ‘Future casting BizAv: Key trends and forecasts’. During the presentation, he commented: “The UAE ranks among the top 20 markets globally for business aircraft. While many countries are experiencing low growth, this region stands out with business aircraft activity being three times the GDP amount. The Middle East fleet is predominantly composed of large, ultra long-range jets.”
He continued: “Global business jet departures have increased by 30 points compared to 2019. We are witnessing a strong recovery from the pandemic, with 5.1 million global business jet and turboprop flights year-to-date. Business aviation accounts for 13% of these departures. Al Maktoum Airport is the leading departure point for business jets in the region. If you purchased a plane recently, its value has likely appreciated. Currently, there is a backlog for purchasing new airplanes. Positive feedback and increased demand, especially following the US election, have driven demand up by 25 points.”
Vincent then moderated a panel to unpack the key trends with global industry representatives, including Kurt H. Edwards, Director General of IBAC; Douglas Carr, Senior Vice President, Safety, Security, Sustainability & International Operations of NBAA; Robert Baltus, Chief Operations Officer of EBAA; and Jenny Lau, Vice Chair, Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) & Founder and Vice Chair of Sino Jet.
With sustainability and innovation as key themes, the session titled "What has changed in the evolving BizAv landscape?" saw David Van Den Langenbergh, Chief Industry Affairs Officer of Luxaviation Group, and Youssef Mouallem, Executive Vice President-International of Vista, discuss how market demands, alternative fuels, and emerging business models are shaping the future of fleet strategies and operations in business aviation.
Van Den Langenbergh commented: "We are experiencing a remarkable period, and Dubai stands as a safe haven in these challenging times. The significance of hospitality and business aviation in the UAE is well understood. To drive sustainability, we need high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) to invest in cutting-edge technologies like Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)”.
He continued, "The challenge with SAF is the significant cost. There is a demand from certain customers and on every flight we offer to use SAF. We are consistent and are investing in SAF on the production side."
The MEBAA Show will conclude with the final day tomorrow (12 December), with more BizAv Talks sessions set to offer strategic insights focused on the daily theme of ‘The Business of Business Aviation’.
Partners for this year’s event include 4Air, Air BP, AIX Investment Group, DarGlobal, DC Aviation, JETEX, Lufthansa Technik, MD Onboard, Saudia Private Aviation.
