A lot of attention has been given to the ballooning private aviation market in Asia — and rightly so! But what about other parts of the world? For instance, what’s going on in the Middle East?
The Middle East and Northern Africa region is one of the fastest growing and most attractive aviation markets in the world. Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) predicts growth of 15-20 percent in the area over the next six years, achieving a market value of $1 billion by 2018.
Even though political unrest troubles the Middle East, private aviation continues to grow. For companies serious about doing business there, a private jet is a serious competitive advantage. Many locations in Afghanistan, Iraq and parts of Africa are unreachable except by air, and commercial airlines don’t offer frequent flights there.
As in Asia, inadequate aviation infrastructure is certainly an obstacle to rapid growth of the private aviation market.
“The support infrastructure in the Middle East remains weak and does not meet the market demands,” explains Bilal Yousuf of Al Jaber Aviation LLC.
Most of the jets in the Middle East region are mid-sized, typically seating between six and 19 passengers. However, some of the largest private jets in the world are in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, including this Boeing 747 V.I.P., which could seat 460 but instead has a two-car garage, horse and camel stables , and a rotating prayer room that always faces Mecca. Wow!