As many as 49 key decision-makers of airports from 13 countries in the Middle East and South Asia will take part in the 12th edition of the upcoming Airport Show in Dubai, said organisers.

Airport Show 2012 will take place from, May 22 to 24 at Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Mohamad Bader-Eddin, show director at Reed Exhibitions Middle East, organisers of the Airport Show, said the Hosted Buyers Programme facilitates the exhibitors and airport operators to network and discuss major deals relating to airport construction, operations, technology and services among others.

The Hosted Buyers includes officials and businessmen in procurement, IT, maintenance, terminal operations, safety, communication engineering, ground support equipment, utilities and equipment.

The programme members have been carefully selected from the airports in the region witnessing massive expansions, triggered by their growing passenger and cargo traffic demands. The Hosted Buyers list include members from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Bahrain, Djibouti, Algeria and Jordan in addition the host country, UAE.

Bader-Eddin said: “They have chosen the Airport Show to be their platform to source out new solutions and technologies for the airports. Hosted buyers will be meeting with exhibitors to generate business relations and explore the latest technologies and solutions on offer. This continuous support of our partners in success – buyers and sellers – makes the Airport Show the world’s most dynamic aviation event.”

Held under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman of Emirates Airline and Group, Airport Show 2012 will see participation of over 205 exhibitors and thousands of visitors from over the world, said Bader-Eddin.

According to IATA projections, the capacity of the UAE airports will be increased to handle 250 million passengers by 2020. Dubai International alone expected to spend Dh28 billion ($7.62 billion) in the capacity expansion. A report by Frost & Sullivan said $86 billion will be spent by Middle East airports in expansion plans until 2025.

Bader-Eddin said: “Our Hosted Buyer Programme is engineered around offering a comprehensive business development platform which aims at maximizing business relations. Based on a match-making process, the programme capitalises on networking opportunities and binding exhibitors and Hosted Buyers for future business partnerships.”

As an added value to this edition, the show organisers have introduced for the first time a Hosted Buyer Lounge which will gather all hosted buyers stands in one exclusive location.

Last year’s programme attracted projects approximated at $29.16 billion. It also featured registered Hosted Buyers from airports of the UAE, Iran, Algeria, Djibouti, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Bahrain, among others. – TradeArabia News Service