Abu Dhabi Air Expo closes with more than Dh2 billion deals

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Air Show 2013 ended on Thursday with contracts worth Dh2 billion and 50 per cent of the exhibitors booked for next year, Yousuf Al Hammadi, general manager of Al Bateen Executive Airport and chairman of organising committee of Abu Dhabi Air Show, told Gulf News.

He added that the number of visitors this year hiked to 20,000 compared to 11,000 in 2012. “We expect the number of visitors to also double next year and the number of exhibitors to increase further as we doubled the area of display to cater to the needs of exhibitors,” Al Hammadi said.

He added that number of aircraft on display was more than 100 from 100 countries.

Businessmen from the region showed up to check about opportunities to buy such jets as they are very convenient for their travel needs, said Al Hammadi.

Stephen Taylor, President of Boeing Jets, told Gulf News that the UAE in general and Abu Dhabi in particular had emerged as a leading business aviation hub in the region.

“This air show is a great success to the AUH and the UAE,” said Taylor, noting that “50 per cent of private jet business is in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE”.