Middle East's premier event for aviation aftermarket gears up for post-Covid return

The Aviation Week Network's MRO Middle East, which is "the region's leading event for the commercial aviation maintenance industry" would be held this year at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, UAE from June 15 to June 16. The two-day exhibition would look to unravel crucial issues affecting the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) industry.  

As in the previous years, the event, co-located with Aircraft Interiors Middle East (AIME), expects to attract local, regional and international decision-makers from airlines, MRO, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) sectors, lessors, suppliers and others. The exhibition aims to connect with 5,000 attendees to develop business in the commercial aviation aftermarket, or the market for spare parts, accessories and components.

MRO Middle East would provide an opportunity to the participants to engage with colleagues, customers, peers and competitors from all segments of the business, and network with players fostering growth in the region, developing cutting-edge technology and pushing the MRO industry forward. 

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The event website notes that the event was earlier scheduled for March, but had to be postponed due to the travel restrictions imposed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. It reiterates the importance of face-to-face events for market recovery and assures that protecting the health and safety of the participants is at the forefront as the industry comes back to in-person events. The event would be organised in accordance with Informa’s AllSecure health and safety standard. 

"As the world’s leading events organiser, Informa has developed a detailed set of enhanced measures to provide the highest levels of hygiene and safety at its events, providing everyone with reassurance and confidence they are participating in a safe and controlled environment," says the MRO Middle East website. It adds that the event venue Dubai World Trade Centre strictly follows all rules and regulations put in place by government authorities, including Dubai Health Authority and Dubai municipality. 

The last year's event saw participation by the entire aviation aftermarket, with decision-makers from across the airline supply chain looking to gain secure new suppliers and build new relationships in the highly lucrative Middle East aftermarket, according to the 2020 post-event report.

There were 4,706 attendees in all representing a total of 73 countries. There were 403 airline attendees. Air India and Jet Airways represented India. Some of the other airline participants included the Middle East behemoths Emirates and Etihad, and global giants like Singapore Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Air Canada, Air France, Lufthansa, Saudia, Oman Air, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways and others. 

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Apart from MRO, airlines, there were representatives from sectors cabin interiors/flight operations/in-flight entertainment and connectivity, parts distributor/supplier OEM/manufacturer, consulting services, logistics/freight forwarding, IT systems/software, components/rotables, supply chain, government/military, ground support equipment, avionics/instruments, painting/livery/coatings, education/academic and so on.

Topics of discussion included the ever-changing aftermarket landscape, predictive maintenance and engine health monitoring, how the MRO industry can contribute to IATA's (International Air Transport Association) commitment to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions and so on. 

"MRO Middle East Summit is the premier conference event for the region. The 2020 event proved once again to be an invaluable source of industry insights and networking opportunities," said Lewis Wallace, Regional Marketing Director, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. 

"I have been visiting AIME and MRO since the beginning of this show to meet all the OEMs and MROs in the same place, to meet them and get the business going forward. Our expectations were met as we have met the key OEMs and MRO’s we wanted to today and started discussing future contracts. AIME and MRO Middle East are important to our company as you meet everybody under the one umbrella," added Alex John, Head of Materials, Flydubai.

(Cover image courtesy Wikimedia Commons/Curimedia)