Kuwait Aviation Show to be held in January
KUWAIT: The Kuwait Aviation Show will be held from January 17-20, 2018 at Kuwait International Airport, where 150 international companies from the aviation field will participate in the event. It will be sponsored by public institutions including the Defense Ministry, Directorate General of Civil Aviation and others.
The organizers expect more than 50,000 visitors during the four days of the event. “This will be the first aviation show held in Kuwait. Tickets will be available online. The first day will be for VIPs, the second day will be for public bodies and companies, and the next two days will be for the public. Visitors will not face problems with parking as we have prepared a parking lot for 1,800 vehicles, and special busses will ferry visitors to the gate,” said Tareq Bastaki, Founding and Managing Director of Outer Limit Media Solutions, during a press conference at the Sheraton Hotel on Monday.
The Kuwait Aviation Show will include many activities. “Air shows will be held daily, but we haven’t set their number yet. In addition to the planes of the Kuwait air force, other international teams will present shows, which we will announce later. Talks will be presented by participating companies too,” he added.
The recent development of the aviation industry in Kuwait was the motivation behind this event. “We have been preparing for this event for more than three years, but we didn’t find a suitable location for it, so we had to postpone it. In fact we had the idea about 25 years ago, but the local market was not ready. Today, many big projects are being executed such as the T2 and T4 terminals, new runways and other projects that are part of the infrastructure,” said Ahmed Behbehani, one of the organizers.
Great opportunity
This event will bring together companies and investors in the aviation field. “This event is a great opportunity for international companies in the aviation industry as well as the investors to witness the development in his field, as all the projects need financing and companies to work on them. In addition, these projects will provide work opportunities,” noted Mohammed AlKandari, an organizer.
Six departments of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will supervise the event. “During the days of the air show, some flight timings may be changed due to the air shows that will take place at the airport. We have to ensure the safety and security of this event. We are also in charge of issuing the licenses and approvals to the participants, in addition to supervising the flights,” explained Adel Buresli from the DGCA.
Around 100 companies have already registered their participation in the event, and registration is still open for about 50 companies from the aviation field. “Around 45 private jets will participate in this event. Through this show, we also aim to spread awareness of private jets, which are not popular in Kuwait, while they are in demand in other GCC countries. We expect around 10,000 visitors will come to Kuwait to attend the show, and we have negotiated with hotels to prepare for this event. Many more surprises will take place during the show, which will be announced later,” concluded Bastaki.