The significant efforts of Ali Alnaqbi, founder of Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) as well as the chair of the governing board of International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) have contributed sustainability to business aviation's swifter recovery and that Middle East has come through as a major resilient region when it comes to business aviation.
It has been almost two years since the pandemic took the world on a ride like never before. The effects that the virus had on the aviation industry are well established. There is no region that did not face the aftermath. While the aviation industry is on its journey back, business aviation has had an interesting curve. Even while dealing with the harsh blows, there have been optimistic signs of recovery in certain regions. Apart from the United States (US) and Europe, the Middle East has come through as a major resilient region when it comes to business aviation.
Ali Alnaqbi, who is the founder of Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) as well as the chair of the governing board of International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) also highlighted business aviation’s swifter recovery. The nature of business and private aviation that incorporates social distancing and privacy quite organically allowed easier resumption of operations, he noted. The region has hence fared well with early data even suggesting its return to prepandemic levels.
Earlier this year, Alnaqbi had expressed concerns about the industry’s growth. With regards to business aviation flights, he had underlined airspace closure as a major problem. He noted that movements were idled in Saudi Arabia and that several European countries were barring access or changing rules on a frequent basis. He had also stated the survival strategy of many Bizav operators, including ground handlers, FBOs and flight support companies who were directing more and more attention to cargo operations because even with the closure of airspace, cargo aircraft were in continuous operation.
“All recent indications suggest that the business aviation sector will make a strong recovery next year and the MEBAA Show will play an important role in restoring confidence, driving collaboration and creating new opportunities for the sector.” Ali Alnaqbi, Founder of MEBAA
However contrary to the concerns, things have been on the upper side lately for the region. According to WingX Advance’s data in August this year, there were mixed trends in recovery in the largest markets for business jets. Even though international traffic remained almost standstill, the Middle East, specifically the United Arab Emirates (UAE) remained very resilient for business jet travel, especially Dubai. By the end of September, the UAE had seen tremendous growth in activity, going up 70 per cent on 2019, WingX noted. Ultra Long Range departures from the UAE were up 24 per cent this year, while heavy Jet sectors were up over 150 per cent, Legacy 600/650 emerging as the most prolific. The Middle East continued seeing a lot of growth through October starting as well, noting 23 per cent more business jet sectors than two years ago, with the UAE breaking historical records in both domestic and international traffic.
Ending October, some markets also saw gains in charter and fractional operator flights including the Middle East that had gains of better than 20 per cent week-over-week, according to private jet card comparisons. UAE also made to the list of countries that showed the strongest growth in the last week of October compared to 2019 are with Brazil, India, Colombia, Nigeria and Egypt.
“The Middle East region’s role as a global connecting hub continues to be important for developing markets to and from Southeast Asia, China and Africa. The region has been a leader in restoring confident passenger travel through multi-faceted initiatives that aid international travel recovery,” said Randy Heisey, Boeing managing director of Commercial Marketing for the Middle East.
