Now in its sixth year, Euromoney Seminars and Airfinance Journal's Middle East and Africa Airfinance Conference provides excellent networking opportunities for senior industry players as well as up to date market information on pressing issues affecting the aviation industry in the Middle East and Africa.
As the industry faces serious challenges in the current economic downturn, aviation in the Middle East is going from strength to strength. Sky-rocketing oil prices which are cauing serious concerns elsewhere are driving explosive economic growth in the Middle East, which in turn is fuelling demand for increasedcapacity for air transportation.
Key airline privatisations are taking place across the Middle East and new and established regional air carriers are gearing up to meet the demand for air travel. Tough challenges remain however; high fuel prices are threatening airlineprofit margins, as airlines struggle to cut costs elsewhere to mitigate the rising cost of fuel.
At the same time, international banks are facing constraints on financing, and so regional carriers and leasing companies are looking to non-traditional liquidity providesr, in the form of private equity and sovereign wealth funds for much needed equity. Local banks are also coming to the fore, offering competitive pricing as well as innovative Islamic products to meet the rising demand for Shari'ah compliant deal structuring.
Africa is also emerging as a deal financing hot spot, yet there are still challenging domestic jurisdictions to overcome and complex risks to mitigate in this region, often necessitating ECA backing in deals.
With over 250 delegates expected to attend the conference this year, we look forward to welcoming you to Dubai in October.
2007 Testimonials include:
"Definitely the place to be to build long term relationships with peer banks and airlines"
Pierre Maspoli, ABN Amro
"It was a wonderful surprise to have met and shared with executives from ME and Africa"
Luis Ayala, Jet Trading and Leasing
"This was my first finance conference as such the content raised awareness of topics that will help me develop my business activities"
Ian Crowe, Al Futtaim Willis
"A 'one-stop' shop for improving your understanding of the industry in the region"
David Edwards, SMBCE
"Great networking and intro to the airline industry"
Reggie Naidoo, African General Equity (AGE) Group
Key speakers include:
Samer Majali, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Jordanian Airlines
Marwan Boodai, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Jazeera Airways
Francois Oberholzer, Vice President Financial Planning, Etihad Airways
Ricky Thirion, Vice President Treasury, Etihad Airways
Nirmal Govindadas, Vice President - Finance, Emirates
Michael McTighe, Managing Director, Arik Air
Sheik Abdullah Zayed, President, Dolphin Air
Richard Forson, Executive Vice President, Wamar International Inc.
Marian Pistik, Project Manager - Airline Launch, Wataniya Airways
For information on speaker opportunities and agenda content, please contact Julia Mansell on +44 (0)207 779 8561 / jmansell@euromoneyplc.com
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Graham Sherwood on +44 (0)207 779 8857 / gsherwood@euromoneyplc.com
For marketing and press enquiries, please contact Winnie Louie on +852 2842 6902 / winnie.louie@euromoneyasia.com