Following the playing of the UAE’s national anthem, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum officially opened MEBAA 2018 yesterday morning with a ceremonial ribbon cutting before embarking on a tour of the exhibition hall and static display like any true business aviation aficionado. Joined by MEBAA founding and executive chairman Ali Alnaqbi and a retinue of some dozen aides and airport authorities, Sheikh Ahmed proceeded along aisles lined with attendees eager to greet His Highness, stopping at a number of booths along the way.
The Sheikh is president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and CEO and chairman of the Emirates Group, the aviation holding company that owns Emirates Airline. But he is also passionate about aviation, and the tour route is typically arranged beforehand to showcase services and aircraft that interest the Sheikh and/or are making their debuts at the convention or in the region.
From the exhibition hall, the group headed to the aircraft on static display. Stops included a Leonardo AW109 helicopter, the Gulfstream G650ER, the HondaJet Elite, and the Airbus ACJ340. Sheikh Ahmed also inspected mockups of Airbus Corporate Helicopters’ Mercedes-Benz Style cabin and Bombardier’s Global 7500.
The last stop was the Dubai South chalet, where he was briefed on the latest developments at the master-planned city that will surround Al Maktoum International Airport and host the forthcoming Expo 2020 Dubai.
Boeing Business Jets announced the newest member of its family, the BBJ 777X, yesterday at MEBAA, with a range “greater than any business jet ever built” and comfort and efficiency to match. Able to fly more than halfway around the world nonstop, the newest BBJ can connect any two cities on Earth, in the process “redefining ultra-long-range VIP travel,” said Boeing Business Jets CEO Greg Laxton.
The company introduced the 777X this week at MEBAA because “of all the BBJs we sell, 29 percent come to the Middle East, and we also see 52 percent of widebody sales come to the Middle East,” he said.
The hallmark of the 777X’s airframe advances over current 777s is its fourth-generation composite wing with foldable wingtips. Instead of winglets, the wingspan has been increased to 235 feet—22 feet longer than the current wing—improving takeoff capability, reducing thrust requirements, and increasing initial cruise altitudes.
The B777X is nearing certification for the commercial market, and the first—a 777-9—is now in production; 340 B777Xs have been ordered thus far. No launch customer for the BBJ 777X has yet appeared, but the first one will be available for green delivery in the first quarter of 2021.
Diamond Aircraft announced at MEBAA 2018 a contract for 60 single- and twin-engine trainers from the SNCA-CAE Authorized Training Centre in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The DA40 NG singles and DA42-VI twin-engine aircraft will be delivered over five years, commencing with the first batch of 12 in February.
Plans to establish the SNCA-CAE Authorized Training Centre (SNCA-CAE), a collaboration between the Saudi National Company of Aviation (SNCA) and Canadian training provider CAE, were announced at the Dubai Airshow 2017.
The DA40 NG and DA42-VI represent the newest versions of the Austrian company’s piston aircraft fleet, which combine composite airframes, Garmin G1000 NXi glass panel avionics, and modern jet-fuel (diesel) piston powerplants from Diamond-owned Austro engines.
“This purchase agreement is one of the largest in the history of aviation academies in Saudi Arabia and perhaps the Middle East region,” said Miller. “We at SNCA-CAE Authorized Training Centre are determined to provide the aviation industry with the highly qualified male and female pilots that are able to advance within the aviation industry and serve as an integral tool for development in the region.”
The training center has already begun operations in its Foundation Year program, with more than 400 students attending. The first class of air cadets is expected to complete the program and graduate in 2020.
Jetex is now the exclusive authorized dealer for the Honda Aircraft HondaJet Elite in the Gulf and Middle East region, the company revealed at a signing ceremony on Sunday at MEBAA 2018. Jetex president and CEO Adel Mardini told AIN he has strong hopes for local sales of the light jet.
Light jets have a promising role in the Middle East, though it has been a challenge to convince passengers that smaller jets can provide efficient, agile transportation throughout the region. With its increased 1,437-nm range, the HondaJet Elite can fulfill all but the longest-range missions throughout the region at a fraction of the cost and complexity of larger jets. As local business people learn more about the flexibility and economic efficiency of the HondaJet, said Mardini, they are bound to see how it can become an invaluable business asset.
“One key factor is local support," Mardini told AIN. “With Jetex backing the HondaJet in the region, operators can be confident that their aircraft will be available on a reliable basis.” He added that training programs are in the planning stages, and prospects for owner-flown HondaJet operations are good.
Jetex has served as the region's authorized sales agent since EBACE in May.
Middle East operators will need about 1,500 new pilots to fly business aircraft in the Gulf States market over the next decade, according to forecasts from training provider CAE and avionics and engine manufacturer Honeywell.
CAE estimates replacement pilots due to attrition at 8 percent per year—4 percent for retirements and 4 percent from airline poaching of business jet crewmembers. “In the sector, replacements due to retirement are exacerbated by a net loss of business jet pilots who leave their jobs to join airlines,” said Nick Leontidis, CAE’s group president for Civil Aviation Training Solutions. In the Middle East, with a current fleet of about 450 business jets, that translates to 900 replacement pilots.
In addition, the Middle East and Africa market is expected to acquire about 300 new aircraft across the decade, 4 percent of the worldwide market of 7,700, according to Honeywell’s forecast, adding at least another 600 crewmembers.
CAE noted that the average age of business aircraft pilots globally is about 49 years, even older than the average commercial airline pilot at 46. They do not break out the demographics by region, but typical Middle East pilots are likely younger than their counterparts in the dominant U.S. business aviation market.
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