Airport Show concludes with over 7,000 attendees and 150 exhibitors
Participants during the Airport Show 2024.
The show attracted more than 7,000 attendees, indicating overwhelming participation by all stakeholders in the industry in the wake of overall positive sentiment of growth in the aviation industry.
More than 150 exhibitors from over 20 countries participated in the exhibition which featured four country pavilions and over 120 buyers from more than 35 countries. The trade gathering hosted more than 3,500 meetings under its popular Business Connect Programme.
The leading annual exhibition dedicated to the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region witnessed wide participation from industry leaders and international and regional experts, in conjunction with optimistic expectations for the growth of the global aviation industry, specifically the Middle East, as the industry is expected to achieve a new record in the number of passengers and airport expansions.
Several agreements were signed by the participating companies on joint ventures, collaborations and service expansion.
dnata, leader in aviation and travel services announced that it had signed several important contracts with a number of leading manufacturers during the Airport Show. It concluded framework contracts worth $210 million to purchase new ground support equipment.
Steve Allen, CEO of dnata Group, said: “We are committed to investing in best-in-class equipment and working with the largest partners to provide superior value and services to our customers. The contracts we announced today reflect our long-term strategy to continue enhancing our capabilities and adapting to the evolving needs of the industry.”
The success of the Airport Show was exemplified by the announcement by the Dubai Airline Operators Committee (AOC) that more airlines joined the association of airline companies operating schedule or seasonal services to, from, or via Dubai Airports (DXB/DWC).
“The Dubai Airline Operators Committee is delighted to announce the addition of seven new members to our existing group of 45 airlines. This expansion brings our total membership to 52. The new airlines joining us are Air Tanzania, Fly Beond, My Freighter DBA “Centrum Air”, United Airlines, Qatar Airways, US-Bangla Airlines, and Qeshm Air. We celebrated their integration into our community with a meet and greet ceremony at this year’s Dubai Airport Show, marking a milestone in our continued growth and collaboration within the aviation industry,” said Shabab Attarzadeh, Chairman, Dubai Airline Operators Committee
Airports Council International (ACI World) raised its expectations for the recovery of global passenger traffic to reach 9.4 billion passengers during 2024, exceeding the previous record of 9.2 billion passengers in 2019. Aircraft traffic will grow to 111.6 million by 2026. And international airports will witness 153.8 million aircraft movement by 2041.
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, President of Dubai Airports, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, and patron of the exhibition, said during the opening of the exhibition that the airport exhibition has become a leading platform for business and a driving force to meet the needs of the airport industry and keep pace with the rapid, dynamic changes taking place in the industry, including emerging trends and revolutionary technologies, while major airports seek to achieve greater growth rates and attract investments and adopt innovations.
The overwhelming response prompted the organisers to announce next year’s Airport Show from May 13 to 15, 2025 with increased participation by all stakeholders from across the world.
May Ismail, Event Manager, Airport Show, said that the great turnout and interest witnessed in the event is a reflection of the announcement of the new Al Maktoum International Airport project at a cost of AED128 billion, which will give a strong boost to the global aviation industry, in addition to the expected record growth in the volume of investment in modernisation and development, construction of new airports to meet the growth in global travel demand and competing with international airports to take their share of this growth.
May said: “The giant expansions and modernisations witnessed by airports in the region will make them a major player in the airport industry and passenger services around the world and this will offer opportunities for international companies specialised in airport equipment and technologies to contribute to this development process, which is considered the largest in the history of airports.”
