Major airport expansions across the Middle East, Africa and Indian Subcontinent will be reflected by a record gathering of suppliers from around the world at the Airport Build & Supply Exhibition which opens in Dubai on Monday morning.
The exhibition takes place at a time when, according to research by the organisers, Streamline Marketing, airport development and expansions worth more than US$20 billion are currently taking place in the Gulf.
Apart from the US$4.1 billion revamp of Dubai International Airport and the building of the US$5 billion New Doha International Airport, projects attracting the attention of suppliers include the US$272 million (Dhs1 billion) Jebel Ali Airport, expected to start catering to cargo, logistics and charter flights once its first phase is completed by 2006.
The most recent addition to the region’s exciting list of future projects is the US$6.8 billion new airport in Abu Dhabi, for which a number of leading airport development consultants are currently being short listed. In Saudi Arabia, feasibility studies are being performed on plans for a new regional airport in the Madinah Province at the coastal town of Dhuba, while a US$1.5 billion expansion of the King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah is now in progress.
Much of this growth was highlighted at an official press conference in Dubai today which was addressed by Khalifa Al Zaffin, Director, Engineering Projects, Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), Dubai.
Taking place at Airport Expo Dubai, the three-day Airport Build & Supply Exhibition shows a 50 per cent increase in exhibitors this year, with more than 300 airport and aviation suppliers assembling in Dubai to pursue the lucrative contracts on offer in the region.
The country with the biggest national representation is Germany with 47 exhibitors, followed by the UK (40), while the Netherlands has registered the biggest increase in the number of exhibitors from last year.
Each of the exhibitors will have pre-arranged meetings with the relevant project manager, engineer or architect in the Department of Civil Aviation, Dubai enabling them to discuss Dubai International Airport's expansion as well as the new Jebel Ali Airport.
They will also have opportunities to discuss airport developments with visiting senior officials from civil aviation authorities in Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, Tanzania and India, as well as representatives from airports in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Amman, Beirut, Tehran, Lahore, Islamabad and Nagpur in India.
“The exhibition is well established as a major forum for the selection and pre-qualification of suppliers for projects around the Gulf, and we’re now finding the same level of interest from officials in other parts of the Middle East, as well as in Africa and South Asia where governments are investing heavily in airport infrastructure,” said Nick Webb, Director of Streamline Marketing, who was also present at the press conference.
A new feature at the event this time is a dedicated Civil Aviation Lounge containing information booths representing some of the region’s most ambitious airport projects, from India to Morocco, Yemen, Saudi, Egypt as well as the UAE. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents around 265 airlines comprising 94% of international scheduled air traffic, will also use the exhibition to help planners identify the safest, most modern and cost effective project designs for their airports.
The Airport Build & Supply Exhibition is supported by Europe’s four leading airport suppliers’ associations - French Airport & ATC Technology (PROAVIA), German Airport Technology & Equipment (GATE), British Airports Group (BAG) and Netherlands Airport Technology (NAT).
