The three-day Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) Show 2016 opens on Tuesday in Dubai, UAE, against a backdrop of continued global uncertainty about when robust economic growth will return. The seventh biennial event will take place at the airshow site at the new Al Maktoum International Airport (aka “Dubai South” at Dubai World Central, inland from the port of Jebel Ali), where business aviation is gradually relocating from the increasingly congested Dubai International Airport.

The show will be preceded on Monday by the MEBAA Conference, which is supported by the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). On the closing day—Thursday—it will once again host Futures Day, focusing on careers in aerospace.

MEBAA organizer F&E Aerospace said the event will be almost 10percent bigger than the last MEBAA Show held two years ago. The company reported that 460 exhibitors from 50 countries have booked to attend the main show, while there will be approximately 50 aircraft on the static display and an estimated 9,000 visitors. Aircraft will range from Diamond light singles to various Airbus and Boeing bizliners.

MEBAA 2014 attracted 422 exhibitors from 48 countries and 8,314 visitors from 80 countries, as well as 44 aircraft on static display.

“We are thrilled to see the show going from strength to strength…and the fact that we are seeing so many new exhibitors from around the world, coupled with the increases in commitment, demonstrates that the MEBAA show is cementing its status in the business aviation industry,” said MEBAA founding chairman Ali Alnaqbi.

Jetex Flight Support has been appointed as the official FBO and handler for the event.

AIN will publish special MEBAA editions of Alerts on Monday and Wednesday and will post news from the show in real time on AINonline.com.