MEBAA supports North Africa’s Business Aviation Industry with its inaugural Middle East Business Aviation Conference in the Kingdom of Morocco
29th August 2013 – In a bid to unite the region’s business aviation industry around its common challenges and trends, the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA), is hosting its inaugural MEBAC in Marrakech, Morocco under the patronage of H.E. Abdullah Bouhouche – Director General, Directorate General of Civil Aviation in the Kingdom of Morocco.
At the conference, which will take place on 8th October 2013 at the Four Seasons Resort, Marrakech, MEBAA will once again draw upon its members and other prominent stakeholders across the region’s aviation sector to deliberate and discuss the issues surrounding North Africa’s business aviation market including, FBO challenges and regulatory framework.
The day will open with a keynote speech from H.E. Abdullah Bouhouche, Director General of Civil Aviation for the Kingdom of Morocco whereby he will discuss the factors behind the Kingdom’s rise within the business aviation market over recent years. Mr Ali Al Naqbi, founding Chairman of MEBAA will also be delivering a keynote speech updating the delegates on MEBAA and its activities during 2013 and looking ahead to 2014.
Also, exclusively for MEBAC Marrakech, Christoph Kohler, Managing Director of WINGX will be revealing exclusive research on the North African market. This will include estimated value of charter revenues generated from flights; breakdown of flights by charter, private and other (government and humanitarian); and estimated size of the MRO market across countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.
The morning session will come to a close after Capt. Samir Sajet, Regional Aviation Safety Officer, UAE for The World Food Programme delivers his keynote presentation, “Integrating Humanitarian Activities with Business Aviation.” The presentation will look into the extraordinary efforts undertaken by business aviation within the region, such as delivering aid to war torn communities.
Moving through to the afternoon, the conference will take the form of three panel discussions; Business Aviation Operator Challenges, Business Aviation Regulations and FBOs & Business Aircraft Handling. As with all previous MEBAC events these sessions have been designed to be open and interactive to promote participation with MEBAA recording all discussions and any points of which require action.
Speaking about MEBAC, Mr Ali Ahmed Al Naqbi, Founding Chairman of MEBAA said, “Following feedback received from our members, especially within North Africa, we are very pleased to be able to host MEBAC Marrakech and address the issues surrounding the North African Business Aviation sector. North Africa continues to be the gateway into Africa and the Middle East and with so much untapped growth yet to be realised, conferences like MEBAC will go some way into showcasing its potential and addressing the concerns of those on the ground and investors alike.”
MEBAC Marrakech will also be taking place on the eve of the 5th GHAC – Global Humanitarian Aviation Conference & Exhibition starting on 9th October – 11th October 2013. The humanitarian conference will be hosted by The World Food Programme (WFP) and take place in the same venue as MEBAC. MEBAA will be showcasing its on-going support for GHAC and WFP activities by officially being endorsed as a supporting partner.
