Dubai is hosting one of the first major business aviation shows after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in February 2021.

The Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) has announced that the region’s leading business aviation platform, the MEBAA Show, will now take place from February 22 to 24, 2021 at DWC, Airshow Site.

The event was due to take place from December 8 to 10, 2020 but has been postponed due to concerns related to the evolving Covid-19 outbreak.

The event will showcase the latest technologies, insights and business opportunities shaping the future of business aviation in the Middle East and across the globe.

Ali Alnaqbi, Founding and Executive Chairman of MEBAA, said: “The MEBAA Show will bring confidence back for business and private aviation. People are looking forward to it as most of the other shows have been postponed. The priority is the safety of our colleagues, attendees, exhibitors and partners and we are monitoring the situation closely. The outlook is positive and if anything happens that forces us to go otherwise, we will put the health and safety of those involved as the overriding priority,” said Alnaqbi.

By attending The MEBAA Show, organisations will have the chance to meet business aircraft manufacturers, avionics firms, completion centres, charter companies and aircraft resellers who will display their latest products and services.

The MEBAA Show’s upcoming edition will host several new and exciting features including access to hours of content through thought-leadership seminars and workshops along with a pre-arranged meetings programme to facilitate connection and networking between visitors and exhibitors. In addition, the brand new Luxury Travel Operators segment will allow attendees to meet and network with regional and global high-end travel operators.

Meanwhile, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the rise for the need of physical distancing will lead to an increase in private flying and growth in business aviation, according to Alnaqbi.

Discussing the future of business aviation both globally and specifically in the Middle East, Alnaqbi highlighted that there are significant opportunities for the development of the sector and advised companies to invest carefully in aircraft type in the future.

With smaller, private terminals with fewer staff on board the aircraft that have a limited number of crew serving passengers, business aviation can deal with the impact of Covid-19 more effectively.

“Business aviation has always had some degree of natural physical distancing in place and, as such, it is less difficult for companies within this industry to adapt to the new normal,” said Alnaqbi. “We expect to see an increase in demand in private flying and we will see opportunities open up. We are witnessing new groups of people who usually used to fly on commercial airlines now choosing to fly privately.”

Alnaqbi did, however, highlight that 2020 has been a tough year for business aviation in general. Many companies have gone through difficulties this year, to the point where some of them have been close to shutting down. He added that no one is able to properly predict what is going to happen until the end of this year as it depends on the decisions of governments in different countries and the changes in processes and procedures.

The MEBAA Chairman is optimistic about the prospects of business aviation for 2021 and highlighted that ensuring health and safety is the number one priority for the industry.

He added that if the businesses involved work together to protect each other, the future will be bright and that is a collective view of those involved in the industry.