* There are 188 private jets registered in Saudi Arabia – the largest fleet of any country in the Middle East * 74.5% of these are medium, heavy or business jet airliners * Saudi Arabia has 23.7% of the region's private jet fleet * 48 of the 188 private jets registered in Saudi Arabia were delivered between 2010 and 2014 JEDDAH — New research from Gama Aviation plc, the global aviation services company, revealed that there are now 792 business aircraft in the Middle East, and between 2010 and 2014, 176 of these were delivered to the region. The new report is issued as the five-day Dubai Air Show kicked off Sunday (Nov. 8). Gama Aviation's analysis showed that when compared to the rest of the world, the Middle East has a much bigger focus on mid to larger sized business aircraft. Some 59% of its fleet is classified as medium to heavy, and 11% as business jet airliners. The corresponding figures for the global fleet are 29.8% and 1%. Saudi Arabia has the biggest fleet of business aircraft in the Middle East, with 188 (23.7% of the region's total), followed by Turkey (157 and 18.5%) and the UAE (135 and 17%). These three countries also accounted for 71% of all business aircraft deliveries between 2010 and 2014. Gama Aviation plc has been operating in the Middle East since 2006 and it sees strong growth potential for its business in the region. Last August 1, it announced that it will be expanding its operations at Sharjah International Airport in the UAE. With the support of Sharjah Airport Authority, it has acquired additional aircraft parking space to meet the growing demand it is experiencing for business aviation (particularly BBJs) at the airport, and from across the region. As part of the agreement, Gama Aviation's fixed base operation (FBO) and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) teams will also be personally supervising the business aircraft left in their care, ensuring clients receive the highest possible levels of service. Martin Ringrose, Gama Aviation's managing director for the Middle East region, said: "The Middle East business aviation market is rapidly developing and is one of our major focus areas, which is why we are expanding our operations at the Sharjah International Airport. We expect to see the number of business aircraft in the region – especially the larger ones, which we focus on – to increase and with our experience, global footprint and economies of scale, we believe we are well positioned to capitalize on this growth." To help further strengthen its proposition in the region, Gama Aviation has also conducted a review of the Sharjah FBO handling rates and, as a result, the basic handling prices were reduced by 20% in August. This ensures that the Sharjah FBO, just 30 minutes from Downtown Dubai is extremely competitive when compared to similar offerings in the region notably Dubai South (60+ minutes away from Downtown Dubai). This reduction in costs is just one part of a global review of Gama Aviation's contracts across all areas of its operations. Due to its increased size following its merger with Hangar8 plc in January this year, the company is able to make considerable costs savings and pass these on to the benefit of its customers. Gama Aviation is exhibiting at the Dubai Air Show after its listing on the London Stock Exchange.
