The 11th edition of the Airport Show 2011, organized by Reed Exhibitions Middle East, one of the leading organizers of trade and consumer exhibitions, concluded with additional announcements about huge investments towards developing airports with the latest technology and advanced solutions.

The Dubai Airports has announced plans to invest Dhs22bn towards expansion of Dubai and Al Maktoum Airport by 2020. Khalifa Al Zaffin, Executive Chairman of Dubai World Central had mentioned on the sidelines of the exhibition that the new expansion plans will increase the capacity of the Dubai Airport to 90 million passengers annually. The number will increase from the current 60 million upon the completion of all expansion designs that comprise the construction of the Concourse 4, the expansion of Terminal 2 at Dubai airport, and the improvement of services at Dubai Airport. Zaffin had also mentioned that Dhs4bn will be invested in the development of the aviation city and the residential city at Al Maktoum Airport at the Dubai World Central.

Engineer Mohamed Ahmed Abed, Director General of King Abdulaziz International Airport, and General Supervisor of the new airport project, with a total investment cost of approximately Dhs27bn, said, “Our participation at the Airport Show 2011 as a sponsor provided great business opportunities. This year’s Airport Show witnessed participants from across the world and this indicates the establishment of this exhibition as an international event. The event brings together large number of veterans in the airport industry around the world and undoubtedly, this platform provides great opportunity for all participants to exchange ideas and keep abreast to latest developments in modern airports.”

“His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman of Dubai Airports Company and Chairman of Emirates Group, had visited our stand on the first day of the show and had expressed interest in knowing the latest updates on new developments at King Abdulaziz New Airport in Jeddah. His Highness has also mentioned Dubai Airports’ willingness to exchange information and efforts to help this new project succeed,” he added.

Commenting about the Airport Show 2011, Vikram Sodha, Project Director at the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan, said, “This is our fourth consecutive participation at the Airport Show. This year, the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan utilized this platform to meet with suppliers who offer energy efficient, environment and user friendly equipment. On-going discussions have been taken place with other exhibitors such as Siemens, Cavotec, DBA and ADPi on possibilities for expanding cooperation in projects to develop the Benazir Bhutto Airport in Pakistan.”

Jacob Avis, Electronic Engineer and IT Manager at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, said, “We have already announced a 10 year development plan at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport worth Dhs2.5bn. We have benefited from our participation at the Airport Show 2011 greatly by conducting numerous discussions and conversations with the exhibitors participating in the exhibition and especially suppliers of baggage handling material, automated weather observation systems, and general IT solutions for Airport Operations.”

The Fujairah International Airport allocated Dhs50m towards the expansion and development of the airport this year. It is expected that an additional Dhs100m would be allocated for further expansion in 2012. The announcement was made by Dr. Khalid Al-Mazrui, Director General, Fujairah International Airport, at a press conference that was organized on the sidelines of Airport Show 2011.

Fujairah International Airport also announced the selection of ALES for the supply of Air Traffic Control System and ERA for the Wide Area Multilateration radar. The Dhs10m 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 Airport Show in its 11th edition, organised by Reed Exhibitions Middle East, continued to generate interest amongst several experts and stakeholders from the aviation industry. Participants include 160 exhibitors as well as 63 members of the Hosted Buyers Programme, reinforcing the significance of the exhibition as a global platform which engages senior experts specializing in aviation, technology, security and airport equipment and services, all under one umbrella. Highlighting the importance of opportunities available at the Airport Show, all exhibitors and buyers have confirmed their participation in the 12th edition of Airport Show next year.

The ‘Airport Leaders Summit’ was also held on the sidelines of the exhibition and focused on security, sustainable expansion and current economic concerns. It was also a platform to discuss 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.

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 $90bn (Dhs331bn) in the next few years. The exhibition has succeeded in attracting projects which are still in the process of study and research worth $29.16bn (Dhs106bn).

The Airport Show 2011 is sponsored by King Abdulaziz International Airport, 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.