Rising traffic in the Arab Gulf has led to an increasing focus on facilities, with the all-corporate airport on the site of the former Al Bateen military base in Abu Dhabi reporting brisk demand. Upgrades to infrastructure including runway surfacing will be followed by the development of an MRO centre, but a luxury terminal will be at the heart of development, according to Khalifa Al Mazrouei, chairman of the Abu Dhabi government's airport authority ADAC.

Abu Dhabi's Royal Jet is prominent among those increasing investment in maintenance, engineering and technical support.

Craig Middleton, director of independently-owned air charter broker Oxygen 4 Aviation, says the company has enjoyed a growth of approximately 20 per cent in the executive jet charter market in the Middle East during the past 18 months. "There is strong demand in the Middle East especially for wide body jets with full cabin service." UK-based Oxygen 4 is primarily chartering private jets from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with Russia, the Middle East and Asia pinpointed to provide growth opportunities over the coming months.

Ali Al Naqbi, founding chairman of the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) says: "At a regional level, government investment in the industry is facilitating growth, with state-of-the-art FBOs under construction or already well-established throughout the Gulf region - most notably in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain."

In a bid to increase the UAE's market share, significant resources have been pumped into the infrastructure. Facilities are under development at Dubai World Central (DWC), the multi-billion dollar airport and urban development near Jebel Ali, as well as Al Bateen, he adds.

ExecuJet Middle East plans a custom-built new facility at DWC. Mike Berry, md, says it will help plans to increase maintenance support across a wider region as well as provide an additional FBO and provide facilities to significantly expand the number of managed aircraft. "The company will retain its current facility at Dubai International Airport, which includes 24,358 sq ft of hangar space and houses a Bombardier and Honeywell bonded warehouse, managed by ExecuJet," Berry adds.

Dubai-based Elite Jets also plans to build a new base on 167,000 sq ft at DWC to expand its executive jet operation and set up an aircraft servicing facility for individual and corporate aircraft owners, and aircraft visiting the region as well as individuals, corporations and groups wishing to charter aircraft. The facility will include FBO and MRO. The agreement was signed at MEBA 2008 by Ammar Balkar, president and ceo of Elite Jets, and Abdulla Al Qurashi, ceo of DWC Aviation City.

"This move is part of our ambitious company expansion strategy, set to see the company grow by 35 per cent annually over the next five years across the region", Balkar says.