Major Airport Players Descend on Dubai with USD Billions at Stake

February 17, 2004

Major Airport Players Descend on Dubai with USD
Billions at Stake
AME Info, United Arab Emirates


A record number of the world's leading airport and
aviation suppliers will be descending on Dubai in June
with the view to capitalising on billions of dollars
worth of airport development programmes in the Middle
East.
 
Decision makers for airport projects worth an
estimated $5.72 billion across the Middle East and
North Africa alone have already confirmed their
presence at the Airport Build & Supply Exhibition,
taking place on 7-9 June at Airport Expo Dubai. 

Event organisers, Streamline Marketing, will announce
shortly the attendance of more consultants and civil
aviation officials behind other Middle East airport
developments. The Dubai event is now well established
as a forum for the selection and pre-qualification of
suppliers and contractors for the region's airport
industry. 

Among the invited targeted audience of regional
departments of Civil Aviation, government departments,
VIPs and UAE-based consultants and contractors is
leading airport consultant Dar al Handasah, which will
be seeking subcontractors for Dubai International
Airport's US $4.2 billion expansion project. 

Dar al Handasah is also involved in a US $540 million
renovation project for airports in Cairo and Sharm El
Sheikh, part of the Egyptian Airports Company's
overall development plan for all 21 airports in the
country. 

Held under the patronage of H.H.Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed
Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Department of Civil
Aviation (DDCA) and chairman of Emirates Airline, the
exhibition will give participants the chance to meet
official delegations representing the Departments of
Civil Aviation in Sharjah and in Bahrain, where
expansion works underway are worth an estimated $975
million. The DDCA and the regional airports in Qatar,
Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah have all booked dedicated
exhibition stands, while the event is also enjoying
the support of the UK and German governments. 

'Of the 100 exhibitors participating last year, 92 per
cent said they were likely to exhibit again, while the
regional governments' ambitious airport development
plans are gaining the attention of companies new to
the Middle East market,' said Nick Webb, director of
Streamline Marketing. 

The exhibitor line-up will include suppliers of a huge
range of specialised equipment and services; from
escalators, elevators, and moving walkways, to
security and lighting systems, telecommunications,
automated baggage systems, fixtures and fittings,
signage and graphics, aircraft hangers and fire
stations. 

Among the other major projects of interest to them in
the Middle East is the New Doha International Airport,
worth $5 billion, while developments are also under
way in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Libya, Kuwait, Tunisia,
Algeria, Oman, Morocco, Ajman, Syria, Sharjah and Al
Ain. 

Private meetings have been pre-arranged for each
exhibitor with the relevant project manager, engineer
or architect in the Dubai DCA, enabling suppliers to
discuss Dubai International Airport's expansion, while
representatives of the DCA authorities from
neighbouring countries have also been encouraged to
schedule meetings with exhibitors. 

Last year, the Airport Build & Supply Exhibition
attracted 1,679 targeted industry visitors from 45
countries. Most visitors came from the Gulf region's
civil aviation authorities, while the Tanzanian
Airports Authority, Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority
and the Ministry of Civil Aviation of India also sent
delegations to the event.

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