The Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) held its first show outside Dubai on September 1 and 2, in Casablanca, Morocco, with the assistance of Dubai Air Show organizers F&E Aerospace. MEBAA Show Morocco was held under the patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, who has ruled since 1999.
Keen to embrace the North African market, MEBAA founding chairman Ali Alnaqbi announced during the event that it would be held biennially in Casablanca, which was billed during the show as “the new destination for business aviation” as travelers seek a less troubled part of the region for hunting, holidays or to develop their businesses. The next MEBAA Show Morocco will be held in 2017.
Alnaqbi opened the show alongside H.E. Mohamed Najib Boulif, Minister Delegate to the Moroccan Minister of Equipment, Transport and Logistics, H.E. Aziz Rebbah.
The main news at the show came from the airport/air navigation authority (ONDA) and Moroccan DGCA, which announced that they are planning to develop Ben Slimane Airport, near Mohammedia, into the region’s first dedicated business aviation hub airport. Meanwhile the country also hopes to establish dedicated FBOs at the six top airports in Morocco, chiefly Casablanca and Marrakech, and to that end released an invitation to tender this summer.
Exhibitors at MEBAA Show Morocco included GDC Technics, Boeing Business Jets and Bombardier/TAG, as well as other major and local companies such as Gulfstream, AfricAir and Saudia Private Aviation. MEBAA reported a total of just over 2,000 visitors to the event over the two days. The static display at MEBAA Show Morocco consisted of a Falcon 7X, a Caravan, a Diamond DA42, a Global 6000, a Hawker 800XP and a G550. The show is making a start similar to that made by the Expo at Al Bateen, Abu Dhabi, a few years ago. MEBAA is confident that it will grow in a similar way. The aircraft were parked in front of a line of some 25 exhibitor tents on the huge apron at Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport, some 20 miles from Casa Port, the center of the city.
Among the exhibitors was JP Jets from Jordan. Nader Manna, general manager, said the company attended MEBAA because it believes Casablanca is possibly the best place to establish in North Africa. The company already has FBO facilities in Amman and Aqaba. “We’re here to discover the North African market and see opportunities to open a branch in Morocco, especially Casablanca,” said Manna. “People from the Gulf have switched from other destinations to Morocco, seeing it as safer than the likes of Libya.”
Manna added that the company sees Mohammed V Airport as its first choice for an FBO, since it has “all the infrastructure” and is committed to business aviation.
Commenting on the show, Moroccan Transport Minister Aziz Rebbah said in a statement: “Already, Morocco represents about 50 percent of the business jet activity in North Africa. Our geographic position linking Europe with Africa is well known, but our historic and cultural links with the Arab world have made us an attractive base for many expanding Middle Eastern businesses.” The association sees potential for growth in the region, particularly compared to more mature markets. “The African business aviation market has been resilient through the global financial crisis and new aircraft sales fared better than in developed markets such as Europe and North America,” Alnaqbi said. “Africa’s business jet fleet has more than doubled in the last 10 years.”
