The 11th edition of the Airport Show, organised by Reed Exhibitions Middle East, continued to generate interest amongst experts and stakeholders from the aviation industry for the second consecutive day. The trade event which runs until Thursday, 2 June, saw members from specialised sectors of aviation such as air transport, airports, security and technology sectors as well as representatives from key regional airports in attendance.

Participants include 160 confirmed exhibitors as well as 63 members of the Hosted Buyers Programme, reinforcing the significance of the importance of the exhibition as a global platform which engages senior experts and specialists in the relevant sectors to exchange views and ideas, and to highlight the opportunities available.

Dr. Khalid Al Mazroui, Director General of Fujairah International Airport, said: “The Airport Show is an excellent networking platform, especially to showcase the achievements of the local aviation industry. We are proud to showcase the Fujairah International airport at this platform.The Arab States today lead the development opportunities within this sector at a global level and we see the region’s airports amongst the leading consumers to adopt and embrace state-of-the-art equipment and sophisticated technology being developed for the aviation industry.”

The exhibition provides a great opportunity for professionals from the airport industry and brings together a large number of companies specializing in aviation, technology, security and airport equipment and devices under one roof.

Mohamad Bader-Eddin, Show Director, REED Exhibitions-Middle East, said: “A large number of exhibitors at the Airport Show 2011 launched new and innovative technological solutions at par with the developments in the global aviation sector, thus contributing to the region’s industry, which has maintained a consistent rate of growth in spite of the challenges surrounding economic sectors in different regions of the world.”

“In addition to that, several exhibitors have inked deals worth millions of dirhams, at the exhibition, in areas related to technology for aviation, security services and control of airport operations and passenger traffic, as well as technology for handling and shipping, or other areas relating to airports. This only reinforces our conviction about the event providing a genuine platform for the industry, and justifies the effort spent on organising this exhibition,” added Bader-Eddin.

On its second day, the ‘Airport Leaders Summit’ highlighted several topics including ‘Non-Aeronautical Revenue Generation’, ‘Airport Sustainability and Environment’ and ‘Airport Infrastructure Development Initiatives’ which in general also focused on security, sustainable expansion and current economic concerns. Discussions also aimed to find long-term solutions to strategic issues the industry faces in the wake of the global economic uncertainty, rigid credit markets, high fuel prices and changing regulatory norms.

Partaking at the first panel discussion, Leonardo Zambitte, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at the Dubai World Central said: “Airports in the 21st century are playing an important role in developing new cities which is similar to the impact roads, ports and railways had in the past. The aviation industry represents 36% of the global of the global transport industry.”

“Dubai World Central is an evolving concept of airport cities and includes in addition to terminals and runways of many headquarters for airlines, shipping and logistics companies, trading companies, hotels, retail and commercial offices and a residential area. All of these will be additional sources for commercial revenue is linked to the aviation industry. Currently 50% of the companies operating at Dubai World Central such as banks and insurance companies, hospitality, restaurants, retail and others are providing public services.”

Featured speakers during the second day of the summit included TalarFaiq, CEO, Erbil International Airport, Kurdistan, NirenChoudhury, Director, Alcatel-Lucent, Randy McGill, Director of Environmental Stewardship, Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Canada, Xavier Oh, Senior Manage Environment and ICAO Liaison, Airports Council International, Kristi McKenny, Director Environment, Seattle-Tacoma Airport, Los Angeles International, USA, AnsgarSickert, Managing Director, Fraport India, Peter Farmer, Director, 3D Reid, UK, Daniel Wong, Vice-President, Flight Operations, Performance, Emirates, UAE, Dan Pento, Principle, RW Armstrong, and Yann Le Page, Senior Vice-President, Regional ADPI.
The two-day summit has brought together government authorities, investors, regulators and developers, as well as technology and service providers to discuss, share expertise, exchange ideas, find solutions and formulate strategies that support the exponential growth of the region’s airport industry.

On the sidelines of the show today, Fujairah International Airport announced the selection of ALES for the supply of Air Traffic Control System and ERA for the Wide Area Multilateration radar. The AED 10 million deal will include a full automation of the Air Control Center and an advanced surveillance solution based on the proven Multilateration and ADS-B technology.

The 11thedition of the Airport Show, a leading international event dedicated to airports and the allied industry was inaugurated yesterday by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and CEO of Emirates Group.

Airport Show 2011 focuses on the huge investments involved in the building of new airports and the expansion of existing airports in the region, which is expected to be worth $ 90 billion (AED 331 billion) in the next few years. The exhibition has succeeded in attracting projects which are still in the process of study and research worth $ 29.16 billion (AED 106 billion).

Additionally, the event seeks to deliver a combination of high quality networking and business development opportunities through a series of roundtable discussions and seminars. Innovation seminars cover topics such as ‘Cavotec Innovative Gate Systems’ ‘Environmental Capacity: Managing the Impact of Airport Noise’ and ‘The World’s First Mobile Passenger Terminal’. In addition to spotlighting the King Abdulaziz International Airport, project seminars also features the new design and development of the Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The Airport Show 2011 is sponsored by KingAbdulazizInternationalAirport, Thales and Tiger Profiles. It is also supported by leading aviation authorities and trade bodies including Dubai Airports, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC), UAE Contractors Association, British Aviation Group, British Airport Services & Equipment Association (BASEA), Danish Airport Group, UBIFRANCE (the French Agency for international business development), and the Netherlands Airport Technology Group.