Middle East's top business aviation show to be held in Dubai in 2022 amid recovery

Business jet activity continues to pick up in the region as governments ease travel restrictions

The MEBAA Show is set to return to Dubai this year as the aviation industry continues to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

The MEBAA Show, one of the top business aviation events in the Middle East, will be held in Dubai this year as the travel industry continues to recover from the coronavirus pandemic-induced slowdown due to the easing of restrictions by governments to boost travel.

The event will be held at Dubai World Central Airport from December 6 to 8, according to its organisers.

“Business aviation has shown tremendous resilience and growth in recent years and it is an exciting time for the sector,” Ali Ahmed Alnaqbi, founder and executive chairman of The Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA), said.

The event “will demonstrate the latest advancement in business aircraft, technologies and predictions for the industry, which looks set for further growth in coming years”.

Business jet activity in the Middle East witnessed some of the strongest growth in demand in 2021, notably in the UAE, which grew 73 per cent compared to 2019, the organisers said, citing data from Wingx’s weekly global market tracker.

On an international level, Honeywell’s 30th annual Global Business Aviation Outlook forecasts up to 7,400 new business jet deliveries worth $238 billion from 2022 to 2031, up 1 per cent in deliveries from the same 10-year forecast a year ago.

“Providing a platform for the entire business aviation community the MEBAA Show will convene again to build partnerships and take advantage of the enormous growth predicted for the sector,” the organisers said.

The show was cancelled in 2020 due to concerns related to the Covid-19 pandemic and international travel restrictions.

The business aviation industry had a significant representation in the recently held Dubai Airshow, with 30 per cent of the event’s business and private aviation exhibitors "highlighting huge interest from buyers looking to take to the skies in executive jets for increased privacy and less exposure to the pandemic," the organisers said.

The Mena region's economies are forecast to expand 4.3 per cent in 2022, from an estimated 3.7 per cent in 2021, amid higher oil output and a sustained recovery in the non-oil sector, Fitch Solutions said in its Mena Key Themes 2022 report earlier this month.