Aviation Industry Gathers in Dubai for MRO Middle East and AIME 2024

MRO Middle East and Aircraft Interiors Middle East (AIME) 2024 opened its doors today, officially inaugurated by Khalifa Al Zaffin, Executive Chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South.

Co-located at the Dubai World Trade Centre, the event runs until March 6th and brings together key players from across the global aviation supply chain at a time of significant growth in the Middle East aviation sector.

MRO Middle East and AIME 2024 has witnessed a remarkable 20% increase in attendance compared to previous years. Over 240 exhibitors and 120 airlines are participating, demonstrating the event's significance in facilitating collaboration and fostering innovation within the industry.

Key announcements and signings during the first day of MRO Middle East and AIME included Joramco announcing a new maintenance agreement with TUI, and HAECO announcing the induction of Emirates’ first Airbus A380 aircraft at its airframe facility in Xiamen, marking a new base maintenance contract between the two entities.

During the session, Justin O'Donnell, Director Technical Operations at Riyadh Air, acknowledged the challenges presented by the transient nature of seasonal passenger traffic, particularly during the winter period, leading to a surge in Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) activities. He emphasized the increasing competition in the Middle East MRO sector, making it more challenging for local airlines to secure capacity, and outlined Riyadh Air's long-term strategy of proactive planning to address these challenges. The 'Future of Cabin Design – Anticipating and Adapting to Emerging Trends' panel highlighted industry focuses such as sustainability, aircraft connectivity, and passenger comfort, with a live audience poll revealing that the integration of technology and connectivity is expected to undergo the most significant change in the next decade.

Speaking on this, Jo Rowan, Associate Director - Strategy at PriestmanGoode, highlighted one of the challenges, stating,

“We are thinking about the needs of Generation Alpha as the hyperconnected digital generation, alongside our aging population who may not even have smartphones and will have anxieties around things such as data sharing. This means it’s a challenging time where the spectrum is very broad.”

Meanwhile, Daniel Kerrison, Senior Vice President of Inflight Operations at flydubai, thinks that sustainability within aircraft will see the biggest change.

“It’s a critical issue that will see really big change in the next ten years. There’s a shift coming in terms of the aircraft design process, the in-service life and post-service life, with sustainability being a key decision criteria.”

The co-located events will continue tomorrow at Dubai World Trade Centre, with further insightful content sessions and showcases of industry collaboration.

News Source: Emirates News Agency