Airport Show To Take-Off With Cutting-Edge Technologies And Innovative Products

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group will inaugurate the Airport Show, the world’s largest annual B2B airport industry event, on 7 May.

When the Airport Show opens on over 15,000 square meters of space across three halls of the iconic Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC), it will have a couple of records to boot: highest number of exhibitors, hosted buyers and participants expected.

For the first time this year, the three days of exhibition and knowledge sharing will also see the launch of the Innovation Awards, with winners selected from a global pool of submissions and industry jury. The 18^th edition of the show will host over over 350 exhibitors from 60 countries, with the largest number of dedicated pavilions ever, representing Europe, US and Asia, along with over 7,500 visitors expected to attend. This year’s event is also hosting its largest number of buyers ever, with 190buyers attending from 34countries, representing 75 airport, ground handling, police, immigration, customs, air traffic control and aviation authorities.

Remarked His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum: “When it comes to construction projects, airports are at the top of the list. We cannot make compromises to make passenger journeys better through airports. Whether it is the latest scanning technologies, passenger experiences or robot baggage handlers, the region’s airports are investing in the latest technology and concepts to delight customers and stay of the competition. This exiting time in the industry will be reflected at the Airport Show.”

According to the Centre for Aviation (CAPA) data, up to US$1.1 trillion is spent on airport construction globally – this is broken down by US$255 billion being invested in new (Greenfield) airport projects around the world and US$845 billion in projects such as new runways and terminal buildings, runway and terminal extensions.

Daniyal Qureshi, Group Exhibition Director at Reed Exhibitions Middle Eastwhich organises the trend-setting trade show, said: “The show has everything related to airports under one roof, with a focus on cutting-edge technology and New-Age innovation and knowledge-sharing as aviation infrastructure becomes totally business-oriented. There are presently 1,953 airports in 176 countries – and their count is increasing as the number of flyers multiplies each year. Airlines are forecast to carry 7.8 billion passengers in 2036 and we want to be sure we are providing the right platform for the industry to discuss the most sustainable and innovative ways to meet this demand.”

Reed Exhibitions has expanded the show’s global appeal by adding exclusive add-on forums like Global Airport Leaders’ Forum (GALF), Women in Aviation (WIA), Air Traffic Control (ATC) Forum and Airport Security Middle East – the last two being this year’s new additions.  Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP), Dubai Airports, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) and dnata are the Key Supporters for Airport Show, while Dubai Police and Dubai Customs are supporting Airport Security Middle East and ATC Forum is supported by Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans) and GAL ANS, in addition to the 4 Key Supporters.

GALF, organised by CAPA, continues to attract wider industry participation as airports remain on the cutting-edge of business with management’s requiring equally sophisticated skills to meet increasing competition.

The ATC Forum is attempting at promoting safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic. The spiralling air traffic volumes has enlarged the role and responsibilities of ATCs to increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve performance and safety.  Over 100,000 flights take off and land every day across the world. In 2017, 36.8 million flights were operated worldwide. The ICAO had projected that the UAE airports will have to handle 1.62 million aircraft movements by 2030.

His Excellency Mohammed Ahli, Director General of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) and CEO of Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans), remarked: “I consider the inclusion of the ATC Forum as part and parcel of the Airport Show as a timely decision. We are aware that ATM plays a pivotal role in making Dubai the world’s most-preferred airport destination. The Middle East air passengers alone are projected to reach the 517 million mark by 2036. IATA expects 7.8 billion passengers to travel in 2036.”

Serco’s Managing Director for Aviation, Pete Mohring, stated thus about being at the Airport Show: “Serco’s contribution to the aviation and travel experience is not what many people are familiar with. The achievement and pride associated with transforming from solely delivering Air Traffic services to delivering the full spectrum of passenger experience from a door-to-door or gate-to-gate perspective is something we thrive on. Serco’s spectrum of services consist of providing Air Traffic Control services and keeping the busy skies safe throughout every phase of flight.”

Another key co-located attraction is Airport Security Middle East. A Gartner study forecasts that the worldwide security spending will total US$96.3 billion this year as organizations are spending more on security as a result of regulations, emerging threats and the evolution to a digital business strategy. Technological advancement and availability of diverse solutions have driven airport security market growth over the past few years. A raft of new technologies like biometrics, robotics, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT) are redefining the airport experience and security.