Sheikh Ahmed Officially Opens MEBAA 2018

After the playing of the UAE’s national anthem, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum opened business aviation convention MEBAA 2018 in Dubai with a ceremonial ribbon cutting and embarked on a tour of the exhibition hall and static display. Joined by Ali Alnaqbi, MEBAA’s founding and executive chairman, and a retinue of about a dozen aides and airport authorities, Sheikh Ahmed proceeded along aisles lined with attendees eager to greet His Highness, stopping at some booths along the way.

Observers closely monitor these biennial tours to divine regional market intelligence. The Sheikh is, after all, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, and CEO and chairman of the Emirates Group, the aviation holding company that owns the Emirates airline. But as those titles and his animated interest in the displays indicate, Sheikh Ahmed is also passionate about aviation, and the tour route is typically arranged beforehand to showcase services and aircraft that interest him and/or are making their debuts at the convention or in the region.

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At Click Aviation, the Sheikh listened to an explanation of the UAE-based support services platform. He greeted the exhibitors at engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney and Canada-based training provider CAE and exchanged warm words with Mohammed Alzeer, general partner of completion specialist GDC Technics. Honeywell Aerospace, Aloft AeroArchitects, Dubai-based DC Aviation, and charter management and FBO company ExecuJet, which has a base in Dubai, were among other stops as the Sheikh and his entourage moved through the hall, led by a scrum of backward-walking photographers and videographers. 

From the exhibition hall, the group headed to the aircraft on static display. Stops included a Leonardo AW109 helicopter that Abu Dhabi’s Falcon Aviation has on static display, where the Sheikh peered into the cockpit and cabin. He climbed on board the Gulfstream G650ER, the HondaJet Elite, and the Airbus ACJ340 that newly established Citadel Completions of the U.S. has on display. Other boarded aircraft included the Comlux Sukhoi Superjet, making its MEBAA debut; and the newly delivered Boeing BBJ 787 Dreamliner with an interior from Greenpoint Technologies. Sheikh Ahmed also inspected mockups of Airbus Corporate Helicopters’ Mercedes-Benz Style cabin and the cabin mockup of Bombardier’s Global 7500, the world’s largest purpose-built business jet, whose first delivery is imminent.

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.