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Reflections on MEBA 2014 – A review

05/01/2015 by Aviation Times

With a background of falling oil prices and warnings of slow growth in the Middle East business aviation sector MEBA bucked the trend and delivered an outstanding, well organised event. The exhibition was officially opened on 8th December by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman and CEO of Emirates Group and Chairman of Dubai Airports.

MEBA is an exhibition that works well. The layout of the exhibition hall that leads straight out to the static display and hospitality chalets means that this is one of the easiest exhibitions to navigate and get around.

This year there were 422 exhibitors from 48 countries with 44 aircraft on the static display. In terms of visitor numbers 8,314 people attended including 343 media representatives. MEBA 2012 had more than 7,000 attendees, 345 exhibitors and 34 aircraft on display.

One of the main stories of the show was the merger of Hangar 8 and GAMA Aviation. The news came out following a quickly announced press gathering at MEBA. The merger is scheduled to be completed on January 6, following approval by Hangar8’s shareholders. The new entity, Gama Aviation plc, will be headed by current Gama CEO Marwan Khalek and have 144 aircraft under management in 15 countries.

Comlux America, the US completions and service centre arm of the Comlux Group, signed its first widebody fit-out contract during MEBA. The aircraft will be the first BBJs in the company’s charter fleet and Boeing’s first BBJ Max order from a European-based operator. The two BBJ Max 8s will be delivered in 2019 and registered on Comlux’s Maltese air operator certificate, with one aircraft to be based in the Middle East and the other in Europe.

Dassault brought it’s 5X cabin mock-up for the first time in the Middle East, which is home to one in five orders for the large-cabin, long-range business jet. The French airframer launched the 5,200nm (9,630km) twinjet a year ago and has already attracted significant orders from the region for the newest addition to its Falcon family.

Dassault senior vice-president civil aircraft, Olivier Villa advises “The Middle East currently represents 20% of 5X sales. We had already sold aircraft into this market before we unveiled the type. Customers here place a high premium on spaciousness, range, operating flexibility and economics. The 5X has all these qualities.”

CAE, the global training provider, took advantage of the large number of visitors at MEBA to announce the expansion of its training network in the Middle East. The company plans to deploy full-flight simulators and training programmes for a range of aircraft including training for the Boeing 747-8 and 787 and Dassault’s Falcon 5X; alongside full-gflight simulators for Bombadier, Gulfstream, Bell and Sikorsky, starting in the next 18 months.

CAE is set to deploy a Bombardier Global Vision full-flight simulator at the Emirates-CAE Flight Training Centre in early 2015, adding to its existing network of 16 Level D FFSs across the region.

Abu Dhabi-based business-jet and helicopter charter operator Falcon Aviation Services broke ground at its new completions center at Dubai World Central (DWC) today. The facility, the first of its kind in the Middle East and is due to commence operations in the fourth quarter of 2015.

The Softex Aero V24L, a light piston twin aircraft from the Ukraine, made its Middle East debut at MEBA. The V24 prototype aircraft was first flown in 2012 and had its first international appearance at the Aero 2014 general aviation show at Friedrichshafen, Germany, in April this year. Designed to fulfil a wide spectrum of roles the 1,300-kg/2,866-pound mtow V24 has twin pusher engines mounted over the wings and upward-opening doors that give easy access to the four-seat cabin.

XJet, the Colorado FBO, announced that it is going to open an FBO at Dubai Al Maktoum airport. They will continue their international expansion with bases in Dammam – Saudi Arabia, London and Paris.

Embraer issued its latest forecast at MEBA. The forecast predicts deliveries of 9,250 business jets between 2015 and 2024, valued at $265 billion. “The Middle East is expected to account for 230 shipments during this period – equivalent to 3% of the market – and with a value of $10 billion,” says CEO Marco Tulio Pellegrini.

Rockwell Collins’ announced that their market-leading Venue™ HD cabin management and entertainment system, Airshow® Moving Map and audio/video on-demand (AVOD) streaming solution have been selected by an undisclosed customer for a wide-body Airbus A340 business jet. The comprehensive cabin package is expected to be installed by mid-2015.

The updated A340 will feature full-cabin video and music streaming capabilities for both Apple® and Android™ personal devices, made possible by Venue’s audio/video on-demand (AVOD) function. The aircraft will also feature various-sized large HD monitors in parts of the cabin for optimized viewing of Blu-ray™ movies and other high-resolution content.

Etihad Airways has not established a separate private aviation arm, but this did not stop the airline exhibiting at MEBA. Etihad’s booth featured a mock up of its self-contained Residence first-class suite on board its Airbus A380s, the first of which will enter service between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow on 27th December.

Honeywell Aerospace received an enormous amount of interest on its stand, which featured a world-first 3D cockpit and cabin visualisation suite. Visitors were able to experience Honeywell’s technology solutions in an immersive environment.

Spokesman Chris Martin said: “We wanted to showcase our products in as interesting ways as possible, and try to present our components – that the public don’t necessarily see – in new, compelling ways.”

Martin revealed that as a result of being at MEBA Honeywell Aerospace secured three deals at the show. Construction and facilities management giant Saudi Oger has signed with Honeywell Aerospace as its first Boeing Business Jet avionics maintenance plan customer in the Middle East.

Royal Jet confirmed during MEBA that it is renewing its collaboration with Boeing and will take delivery of two new Boeing business jets. The new Boeing business jet is modelled on the Boeing 737-700 airline, and is almost three times the size of the largest long-range corporate jets. The aircraft can carry up to 50 guests, offers a 10 hour range and is specifically designed for corporate and VIP use.

MEBAA‘s founding chairman, Ali Al Naqbi, summed up his feelings about MEBA by saying “It has been an incredible show. We have seen so many people exhibiting and attending from all over the world this year. Exhibitors are delighted with the quality of visitors, all of whom come to do business. Highlights from MEBAA’s perspective include the amount of time H.H. Sheikh Ahmed spent touring the show and speaking with our exhibitors, the ‘Business Aviation Around the World panel session, and the enthusiasm shown by exhibitors to talk to the students who attended Futures day, on the final day of the show.

He added “Before the 2014 edition has closed its doors, we are already anticipating a bigger event in 2016, given the growth expected in all sectors of business aviation. A number of forward-thinking companies have already signed up for floor space.”

Looking ahead Ali Al Naqbi advises “From 2016, the biennial show will go by the name MEBAA Show. We have MEBAA Show (the show) and MEBAA the association, and they have both become well-known brands. To reduce confusion, we are now branding everything the same: the organisation, the shows, the conferences, the training programmes, everything,” he says.

The newly-named MEBAA Show 2016 will take place from December 6-8, 2016.