THE AFICIONADO COVETED
PRIVATE JET TRENDS HOW THE SUPER-WEALTHY ARE DRIVING DEVELOPMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST. We speak with Mike Berry, Vice President ExecuJet Middle East and Executive Vice President Aviation Services Luxaviation Group, and Nick Weber, Maintenance Director at ExecuJet Middle East, about the development of the business aviation industry in the Middle East and how it is being impacted by ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs). Dubai’s private aviation environment has undergone much development in recent years, particularly in Dubai South where services have been progressively opening up. At ExecuJet, a brand new $35m state-of-the-art facility is soon to be constructed with a special focus on offering exceptionally private, discreet and personalised facilities. But what’s driving this investment in infrastructure? When comparing business aviation in the Middle
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East to that in the US and Europe, the market just hasn’t shown the same upsurge in activity. Most regions undergo development due to consistent spikes in flight movements and requests, but this is not necessarily the case in the Middle East. However, there can be no denying that investment in the region by major business aviation companies such as ExecuJet demonstrates confidence in the market. The Middle East remains one of the world’s wealthiest areas and attracts business people from all over the world. So, can we attribute this market confidence to wealth, and those that have earned it? The rise of UHNWIs in the Middle East The rate of wealth creation worldwide is higher than ever, and the