MEBAA to host September MEBAC in Tunisia

Following the success of MEBAC in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last month and its previous edition in Morocco last year 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.  

MEBAA will be hosting MEBAC as a two-day event for the first time due to popular demand from its members. The North African market is of great focus for MEBAA since its Morocco MEBAC event where MEBAA partnered up with WINGX for the first time, publishing an infographic based on a study of business aviation in North Africa. The results revealed that registered aircrafts that facilitate the aviation industry is playing a great role in the development of the region as this industry is growing at 6.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), nearly double the global average of 3.7%. These results echo the increasing political stability in North Africa and emerging business growth - heralding a business aviation boom.  

MEBAA’s founding chairman, Ali Al Naqbi said: “It is an exciting time for MEBAA as we continue to grow in membership numbers, products for our members, the launch of our fly and feed initiative, the Middle East Business Aviation (MEBA) show set to take place at the end of the year at its new home - DWC. And finally, MEBAC which has gained incredible traction now - spreading from the far west of the region (Tunisia, 2014) to the east of the region (Saudi Arabia last month and Dubai later this year) and everything in between, in order to work together on issues critical to aviation’s ability to serve as a catalyst for economic growth. 

“Our association will continue to meet and bring inspired and motivated people together through conferences in different cities around the Middle East and North Africa every year; to ensure the business aviation community remains at the forefront of this ever changing industry.”

MEBAA has also announced that Benoit Defforge, managing director, Airbus Corporate Jets and Renaud Cloatre, International sales director for Dassault Aviation have been elected to its board to help represent the needs of manufacturers in the Middle East and North Africa.  

Defforge oversees Airbus Corporate Jets business globally, his position is a combination of his previous role as Head of the Airbus Corporate Jet Centre, whilst Cloatre was appointed Falcon business jets regional sales director in 2009 and is now responsible for international sales based from the UAE. 

The appointments come at a time when demand for business aviation manufacturing is at an all-time high in the Middle East and North Africa, with an average order of 18 new planes being delivered each year replacing aircraft, which on average, are 13.5 years old across the region.