The doors closed at the Airport Expo for the last time on 2 February with the third running of Aircraft Interiors Middle East (AIME) and the fourth edition of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Middle East (MRO ME).
Produced by F&E Aerospace and Aviation Week, the two-day event at Dubai’s Airport Expo attracted a record breaking 2,427 visitors, from 70 countries, including 372 airline representatives and 200 exhibitors.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman & Chief Executive of Emirates Airline & Group opened the shows touring the exhibition halls, and meeting with exhibitors such as Aviointeriors, Andrew Muirhead, Ameco Beijing and Aerostar who showcased the latest innovations in aircraft interiors, technology and MRO.
In Aircraft Interiors, EADS Sogerma showcased their latest business class innovation called Equinox which offers the passenger a full flat horizontal bed, B/E Aerospace displayed their never before seen ‘Essence Galley Equipment Collection,’ whilst Delta Interiors illustrated their advanced technical capabilities in coordination with the recent refurbishment of first and business class seats on Air Berlin Airbus A330.
The MRO Middle East conference was held alongside the exhibition and was a strong platform for leading industry experts to explore, discuss and share best practices and processes. An area which was discussed in depth was MRO collaborations, James Stewart, group CEO of the Mubadala Aerospace MRO network, said “Networks will become extremely important; partnerships with OEMs will be the business model of the future.” Some other key areas discussed were regulatory harmonization, standardization and simplification, advanced MRO technologies and data harmonization.
The lively exhibition halls translated into positive meetings - Sabena Technics conversed with an unnamed Gulf country about the potential of a joint venture to offer airframe maintenance and Fujairah International Airport signed an MoU agreement for the first aircraft recycling centre in the region, Dr. Khaled Almazroui, General Manager, Fujairah International Airport said “IATA is expecting an 8.2% growth in the region by the end of 2013, obviously all those aircraft have to be replaced and changed as there is a huge demand, in light of our new agreement with Falcon Aircraft Recycling, there will be thousands of aircraft ready for recycling in the upcoming future.”
Meanwhile the established Hosted Buyers programme, which offered an effective and structured way to connect airline buyers with new and existing suppliers and providers was heralded a success by the sixteen Hosted Buyers who were present - Mr. Naceur Bouraoui, General Manager, Tunis Air Technics spoke about his experience saying “This year’s AIME and MRO ME has been especially successful for myself, as I have made new contacts with Suppliers, OEMs, and MROs, allowing me to share ideas, compare changes in the market and exchange experiences all under one roof over a 2 day period.”
Michele Van Akelijen, Aerospace Director at F&E Aerospace, said: “This year’s AIME and MRO ME shows were a testament to the current state of the aviation industry in the region. We have received an extremely positive reception with many re-bookings. I am therefore very happy to report satisfied exhibitors and visitors; we received great feedback from key industry figures. F&E Aerospace ended our 13 year relationship with the Airport Expo on a high, making these unforgettable events.”
“This was our fourth running MRO Middle East Conference and Exhibition, part of Aviation Week’s global series of MRO events,” said Lydia Janow, Director, Events and Tradeshows, for Aviation Week. “This year’s event was a fantastic success for us—we not only sold out the exhibition floor, but we also saw record-breaking attendance. The MRO industry in the Middle East continues to expand at a rapid pace and our strong line-up of world-class speakers fuel in-depth discussions of essential topics that are eagerly sought after by A&D professionals from around the world.”
For F&E Aerospace, contact: Ms Gemma L’Appanna, PR Manager, M: +971555163914; E: gemma.lappanna@dubai.aero
For Aviation Week, contact: Lisa Jaycox, Manager External Communications, T: +1 212-512-3272, M: +1 718-964-7404, e: lisa_jaycox@aviationweek.com
