Takeaways From MEBAA 2022

Credit: Molly McMillin/Aviation Week

The Middle East Business Aviation Association show (MEBAA) was held at Dubai World Central/Al-Maktoum International Airport. With the growth of commercial passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport, business aviation activities are growing at Al-Maktoum International Airport.

Credit: MEBAA

A total of 240 turboprops and business jets are expected to be delivered to the Middle East and Africa from 2023-2032, according to Aviation Week Network’s 2023-32 Fleet & MRO Forecast. The market is expected to favor large, long-range jets with more than half of the shipments projected to be Gulfstream and Bombardier aircraft, the forecast says. In the current fleet, the number of aircraft on the registry does not reflect the number of aircraft in the region. The Middle East and North Africa are home to about 2,000 business aircraft, but a total of about 700 are registered in the two regions, says Ali Ahmed Alnaqbi, MEBAA founder and executive chairman, due to regulatory complications. The MEBAA association worked with the government to ease that.

Credit: Molly McMillin/Aviation Week

Magnix, an electric-motor developer for electric aircraft, showcased its Magnix 650 800 hp engine in the exhibit hall at MEBAA. The company, which has engines flying on four aircraft, expect FAA certification in mid-2025. The Middle East region provides “tremendous opportunity” for its products, Simon Roads, Magnix senior vice president of sales and marketing, tells BCA.

Credit: Molly McMillin/Aviation Week

Antoine Doussaud, Dassault Aviation pilot, sits in the cockpit of the Falcon 8X long-range trijet on static display at MEBAA. Dassault’s Falcon 6X is in flight testing and could not break away for the show. The market for Falcon aircraft is “substantial” here, says Carlos Brana, Dassault Aviation executive vice president for civil aviation. It represents a “good portion of sales for us...This region is very interested in big airplanes.”

Credit: Molly McMillin/Aviation Week

Gulfstream’s five-cabin G700 ultra-long-range jet  is on static display in a debut appearance at MEBAA. The aircraft is on a world tour that began in October following NBAA-BACE. The tour includes 20 cities globally. Gulfstream expects certification of the aircraft in mid-2023.

Credit: MEBAA/TCB Studio

For the first time, MEBAA held “Bizav Talks,” or three days of presentations about topics facing business aviation.  Sustainability and pressure the industry is under to decarbonize were a focus. “It’s difficult for us to have a day go by where aviation and sustainability don’t intersect in some way,” Doug Carr, National Business Aviation Association senior vice president of safety, security, sustainability and international affairs, said in one of the panels. “The entire aviation industry is under a lot of pressure right now from a variety of sectors and a variety of perspectives to decarbonize.” That spotlight gives the industry an opportunity to highlight what it is doing to meet the net zero carbon emissions goal by 2050, he says.

Credit: Jetcraft

Jetcraft, an aircraft sales, acquisitions and trading provider, celebrated its 60th anniversary at its annual end-of-year cocktail event at the MEBAA show in Dubai by sharing its story on the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. The display on the Dubai’s landmark underlines its commitment to perform transactions at the “speed of life,” Jetcraft says.

Credit: ExecuJet MRO Services

Signs are up at ExecuJet MRO Services' new 162,000 ft. sq. $30 million facility with room to house 18-24 business jets. The operations are on track to open in the first quarter of 2023. The company highlighted its progress during MEBAA. In addition, Bombardier announced plans to open a service center at the Abu Dhabi International Airport as it works to expand its aftermarket network. Construction has begun on the nearly 100,000 ft. sq. MRO facility, which will have capabilities for all Bombardier business jets. It will be Bombardier's first full-service facility in the UAE. It's targeted to open in 2025. In addition, Jet Aviation, a division of General Dynamics, is expanding its maintenance capabilities at its facility at the Dubai International Airport to keep up with requests for larger cabin refurbishment and other services.