Middle East Remains Bright Spot for Business Aviation

The business jet market may be weak now in the U.S., but it's still growing in the Middle East, according to a report from Frost & Sullivan, a research and consulting firm. The compound annual growth rate for business jet aircraft movements in the Middle East will exceed 6 percent from 2008 to 2018, predicts the report, which also says that the air-taxi segment and very light jets will be major forces in the region. Frost & Sullivan believes that the country with the most potential for business jets within the Middle East is Saudi Arabia, which holds about 37 percent of the long-term market potential, followed by the United Arab Emirates with nearly 24 percent. The forecast notes that airport infrastructure and aviation regulations in the Middle East will need to be advanced to handle growing business jet traffic.