The demand for air travel is expected to increase. Concurrently, Airbus’ latest Global Services Forecast notes that the value of the Middle East’s commercial aircraft services market could more than double by 2042. But meeting this growing demand isn’t the only thing that the aviation sector must work on.
Sustainability remains a critical issue, along with upgrading fleets while ensuring their optimal performance. All these developments also point to another concern: the need to train and develop more aviation professionals, including pilots, cabin crew, and technicians.
In this interview, Mikail Houari, president of Africa and Middle East at Airbus, shares how Airbus is setting the benchmark for all these essential matters. From leveraging cutting-edge digital solutions to anticipating market expansion, Houari delves into the strategies driving the company’s success in the Middle East.
How is Airbus supporting its current fleet of aircraft in the region in terms of maintenance and upgrades while ensuring optimal performance for your airline customers? Can you share some innovations or strategies you’re implementing?
At Airbus, we are committed to supporting our customers in maintaining the highest standards of aircraft maintenance to ensure optimal performance. Our teams conduct comprehensive technical reviews across all Airbus programs, reinforcing our commitment to excellence.
Airbus Services offers advanced solutions for the entire aircraft lifecycle, including digital capabilities, which support turning unscheduled maintenance into planned maintenance, improving aircraft reliability. Our real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance innovations help customers anticipate and manage maintenance, saving time and reducing costs by preventing delays and increasing efficiency.
These advancements allow us to set the benchmark for maintenance excellence, ensuring our customers a seamless experience in terms of fleet performance.
According to Airbus’ latest Global Services Forecast, the Middle East’s commercial aircraft services market will more than double in value by 2042. What key factors are driving this growth?
With the regional market expected to grow to $28 billion by 2042, registering a 4.4 percent average annual growth, it will exceed the global average of 3.6 percent. With the Middle East’s strategic location and home to five of the world’s largest aviation cities — including Dubai and Abu Dhabi — this growth will primarily be driven by the rise in annual air traffic, which is set to increase by 4.6 percent in the region. There is also a growing requirement for more digitally enabled and connected aircraft, as well as a demand for more sustainable solutions.
With many airlines embarking on fleet modernization programs, we expect that the maintenance market — and specifically cabin and system upgrades — will be in particularly high demand in the next decade. We foresee the market reaching $22.8 billion in maintenance by 2042 and a growth of 5.5 percent to reach $3.6 billion in cabin and system upgrades, allowing the airlines to differentiate and enhance the overall passenger experience.
In addition, we are seeing more regional governments recognize the aviation sector’s significant progress. In turn, they’re investing in localizing MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) services by developing infrastructure and enhancing job opportunities, education, and training.
How are you capitalizing on this market expansion? And with the anticipated growth in demand, how are you planning to scale up your production capabilities in the region to meet future needs?
Over the next 20 years, we anticipate a global demand for more than 42,000 new aircraft, with approximately 3,700 needed in the Middle East.
This will drive a significant increase in workforce requirements. We foresee a need for 72,000 new technicians, 71,000 new pilots, and 124,000 additional cabin crew.
To meet this growth, we are enhancing our regional capabilities to stay close to our customers. For instance, we are expanding our training facilities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia through our partnership with PSAA, providing localized training solutions for pilots and technicians.
Regarding the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), can you share your initiatives and collaborations that aim to increase the adoption of SAF in the region? How do you see this impacting the region’s sustainability goals?
Airbus integrates sustainability across all operations, from design to end-of-life processes, focusing on disruptive technologies like hydrogen-powered aircraft and increasing sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) usage.
Our aircraft can already operate on up to 50 percent SAF, with a goal of 100 percent by 2030.
Our collaboration with several operators in the Middle East utilizing SAFs and optimized flight paths highlights the region’s commitment to sustainability. Additionally, our recent participation in the consortium to evaluate alternative fuel production in the Sultanate of Oman underscores our proactive approach to local sustainable initiatives.
Also, with current fleets largely consisting of previous-generation aircraft, there’s significant potential for immediate CO2 reductions by transitioning to modern, fuel-efficient models.
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What initiatives does Airbus have in place to support the training and development of local aviation professionals in the region?
For decades, we have collaborated closely with local and regional public and private sector organizations to nurture, develop, and inspire local talent. Our initiatives include internships, apprenticeships, and scholarships to support the next generation, ensuring our local professionals meet global standards by working with regulatory bodies.
We have multiple agreements, including with Mubadala Investment Company, to provide internship opportunities for Emirati senior university students in engineering. We also partner with the American University of Sharjah’s School of Business to offer internships in diverse departments such as communications, finance, and maintenance operations.
Additionally, our Airbus Little Engineer program aims to build future talent by igniting a passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects at the grassroots level through hands-on robotics workshops.
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