Expect increasing involvement of operators and service providers of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) origin in the U.S. business aviation sector, the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) said on the eve of the NBAA, asserting that this involvement is beneficial to the business aviation community.
Major international FBO operators like Jet Aviation, a unit of General Dynamics, and Switzerland-based ExecuJet, owned by Luxembourg’s Luxaviation Group, have thriving facilities in the Middle East, especially the Gulf. In addition, various Middle East-based players, such as Jetex Flight Support, Hadid International Services, and UAS International Trip Support have evolved from flight-support providers into concerns with multiple service lines, beginning to make a name for themselves in the U.S.
“It is no surprise to see these companies spreading their wings in the U.S. We have great talents and we share our experience. No doubt the U.S. has a raft of experience all of its own, but the acceptance of Middle East companies in North America underlines the confidence the U.S. has in our products and services,” Ali Alnaqbi, MEBAA’s founding and executive chairman, told AIN, referring to the three companies, all headquartered in Dubai, UAE.
“In the next year or two, I think we are going to see a very healthy expansion of MENA companies into North America. This will add to growth in our region, and to U.S. business efforts. Of course, the association with companies from our region will also help U.S. operators flying to the Middle East.”
In addition to his MEBAA duties, Alnaqbi also serves as vice chairman of the Montreal, Canada-based International Business Aviation Council (IBAC).
“My involvement in IBAC adds some international experience to the U.S. effort. Our role at IBAC involves helping U.S. companies when flying abroad, particularly to the MENA region, as well as the rest of the world. Operations outside America need to be discussed. The gray market is one of the issues that is always raised. IBAC seeks to promote business aviation worldwide and overcome problems facing international operations, whether they be in Europe, Africa, or Asia.”
Alnaqbi expects bizav to grow in excess of 5 percent in his region this year. “We see very good growth in the Middle East in spite of unrest in various areas. As of the end of last year, it is picking up, and we have improved access to new markets in the Middle East and Africa.
He predicted that for Tunisia, "We are discussing how to get the proper infrastructure in place for the growth of bizav, by meeting with the Civil Aviation and the Airports authorities, to make sure the [country is able to] cope with anticipated demand over the coming five years.”
Alnaqbi acknowledged that the Saudi market experienced difficulties after a government-mandated drive against corruption in November 2017, but said that it would soon put those problems behind it.
“I am very optimistic. The key regional markets of Saudi Arabia and the UAE are growing. We faced some [issues] last year in Saudi Arabia. [Most of the problems have] been resolved. We will soon see growth in the two countries getting back to normal. The confidence is there. Several international companies still believe that MENA is a good market. We are promoting the region very aggressively.”
