The Middle East Business Aviation Association (Mebaa) organised a high-level roundtable at the InterContinental Hotel in Dubai Festival City today (November 10) to discuss critical operational challenges facing the region’s business aviation community.

The roundtable which was held three days prior to the Dubai Air Show, set to take place from November 13 to 17, was attended by business aviation operators, suppliers and affiliates from around the region, a statement from the association said.

“The business aviation market in the Middle East is now at a crucial stage in its further development, and is poised to reach $1 billion by 2018,” said Ali Al Naqbi, founding chairman of Mebaa. “In order to capitalise on growth opportunities in the regional market, it is important to ensure that operators and other stakeholders understand the specific issues affecting the industry and are equipped and prepared to tackle emerging business and operational challenges.”

“Constant dialogue and knowledge-sharing among the various stakeholders is key to removing operational bottlenecks and steering the industry towards long-term, sustained growth,” he said.

The roundtable, held in two sessions, kicked off with an address by Al Naqbi that provided an overview of the business aviation industry in the Mena region. The first session focused on the challenges being faced by operators in the region, whereas the second session dealt with the human factor, with emphasis on training, recruitment and related issues.

The roundtable closely follows the high-level conference hosted by Mebaa last month in Beirut, which was attended by Lebanon’s business aviation leaders, the statement said.

Mebaa was established in 2006 to become the principal forum for gathering, understanding and communicating the needs and benefits of business aviation within the Middle East to businesses, governments and media worldwide.

The association is committed to serve the needs of its members in ways that enhance safety, security, efficiency and acceptance of business aviation throughout the region, it said. – TradeArabia News Service