Hawker Beechcraft Sees Continued Strong Growth in Middle East Business Aviation Market

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (Dec. 11, 2012) – Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (HBC), which is exhibiting at the 2012 Middle East Business Aviation (MEBA) expo this week, has highlighted the Middle East’s potential for growth in the business aviation sector over the coming years.

There are currently 626 business turbine aircraft based across the Middle East, with 246 of those (39 percent) delivered between 2006 and 2011¹. This compares to 106 deliveries between 2002 and 2006, representing a 132 percent increase in deliveries when analyzing the two periods.

Saudi Arabia is the most mature business aviation market in the Middle East, with 21 percent of the region’s business turbine aircraft based there. This is followed closely by the United Arab Emirates, which holds 17 percent of the Middle East’s business aircraft. Deliveries to these two countries increased by 146 percent and 250 percent respectively in the period 2007-2011 when compared to 2002-2006, indicating a continued demand for business aviation in spite of the markets’ relative maturity.

“We are well positioned to benefit from an increase in demand in the Middle East and lead the turboprop category in the region with a market share of more than 70 percent for our King Airs,” said Scott Plumb, HBC vice president of Sales, Europe, Middle East and Africa. “In response to the growing demand for our aircraft, HBC has been strengthening our customer support network in the region so as to provide current and prospective customers with the highest level of service possible.”

Hawker Beechcraft recently strengthened its customer support network in the Middle East by partnering with ExecuJet, and has $5 million worth of parts warehoused in Dubai. It also has an alliance with Arabasco, which acts as an Authorized Service Center operating out of its base in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation is a world-leading manufacturer of business, special mission, light attack and trainer aircraft – designing, marketing and supporting aviation products and services for businesses, governments and individuals worldwide. The company’s headquarters and major facilities are located in Wichita, Kan., with operations in Little Rock, Ark.; Chester, England, U.K.; and Chihuahua, Mexico. The company leads the industry with a global network of more than 100 factory-owned and authorized service centers. For more information, visit www.hawkerbeechcraft.com.