Airport Show-2013 ‘sold out’ on strong aviation industry resurgence

Dubai is once again setting its sights high, placing itself among the world’s major air-travel hubs. A promising $90billion of investments is expected to keep fueling the aviation industry until 2020, pointing to a blockbuster decade.

The industry’s unprecedented boom is reflected in the 13^th Airport Show, which will take place from May 6-8 in Dubai. According to Reed Exhibitions, organizer of the event, the show has not only been sold out weeks ahead of its opening date, but has also seen remarkable growth in exhibition space, number of Hosted Buyers and pre-registered participants.

This year’s show will occupy a gross 11,000 square metres and will host 201 exhibitors, 6 country pavilions and 56 high-ranking Hosted Buyers coming from Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait, Tunisia, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq and India. The event has also recorded a 65 per cent increase in visitor pre-registrations from last year.

His Excellency Khalifa Al Zaffin, Executive Chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation, said:  “The aviation industry has been gaining quite a lot of knowledge and expertise at the show. All companies that participate in the show have an opportunity to work with us. Moreover, we also help open the door for them to expand their presence across the region, not just in the UAE. The industry can take advantage of the show’s depth in terms of participation from leading aviation suppliers and manufacturers worldwide to identify and adopt the best of what the industry has to offer to support the aviation development programmes.”

Dubai’s consolidating position as the regional business hub, asserts His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), is a strong factor behind the success of several industry exhibitions with stronger growth each passing year.

He said: “The continual growth of Dubai International Airport has been fundamental to both the success of the city’s tourism industry and the story of the Emirate itself. Therefore, Dubai is a natural location for the hosting of the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia’s (MENASA) premier airport show. Industry leading events such as this are vital components of DWTC’s annual calendar and demonstrate the city’s position as the premier trade and tourism hub of the region. We look forward to hosting the show and to taking a glimpse into the future of the aviation industry.”

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, the Airport Show has become the regional centre of procurements for the massive airport development taking place in the region.

This year, the Airport Show will introduce two new features, the Airport Passenger Experience,  an airport terminal-format zone offering a ‘touch and feel’ of the  airport of the future, and the Global Airport Leaders’ Forum (GALF), an international conference aiming to create a platform where industry experts and thought-leaders can share knowledge and expertise to address  issues of common interest.

Daniyal Qureshi, Event Director, The Airport Show, explained the good response to the show thus:  “We feel there is a positive sentiment across the aviation industry since several airport developments have been announced in the region in the past 18 months. Mega-projects that had slowed down are picking up pace again. International suppliers are looking to the region, so massive airport upgrades are necessary to meet the fleet and aircraft upgrades.”

A new report from Amadeus Air Traffic Travel Intelligence solution reveals that the Middle East's three key airports - Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi - are all experiencing strong overall air traffic growth of around 10 per cent per annum, with very high levels of connecting traffic.

Dubai International Airport is the fastest growing airport in the world, as measured by annual seat capacity growth, according to OAG, the market leader in aviation intelligence. The Middle Eastern hub has been increasing capacity by an average of 12 per cent per year since 2004.