Gama Aviation plc, the global aviation services company with a base at Sharjah Airport, is predicting a big increase in aero-medical flights to and from the UAE over the next few years.

It believes this will be fuelled by economic growth; a growing population; a rise in tourism as Dubai builds towards the 2020 Expo, and the on-going development of the country’s world leading aviation, financial services and healthcare sectors.

Gama Aviation, which provides air ambulance services to the Scottish National Health Service, says that with some of the best hospitals in the world, the UAE will increasingly be a beacon for people in the region needing urgent medical assistance or specialist healthcare. Duncan Daines, Chief Marketing Officer, Gama Aviation, comments: “With an expanding population, a large internal road network and all the modern maladies of our 21st century sedentary lifestyle; the use of aeromedical services within the UAE and the wider GCC region is undoubtedly set to expand. Survival rates for heart attacks, road traffic accidents, and other critical incidents are all improved with a combination of fixed and rotary support. It really is a case of when, not if, these services become more widespread within the GCC.”

Duncan Daines

Martin Ringrose, Gama Aviation’s managing director for the Middle East region, commented: “The UAE is one of the biggest global success stories. Aircraft movements in the country are expected to double between now and 2030, the total number of overnight stays in UAE hotels is set to reach 51.5 million by the end of this year, up 5.7% on 2014, and over the past three years there has been a complete overhaul of healthcare provision in the country, with huge investment in the sector seeing lots of speciality hospitals opening with more on the way.

“It is little wonder that UAE is seeing strong economic growth and attracting more business visitors, tourists and expats. All of this will fuel growing demand for aero-medical evacuation services, and this is one of the key reasons why we continue to invest in developing suitable aviation infrastructure in the UAE.”

Daines continues: “The model is very much that which has been built at our new phase two SCOTSTAR facility in Glasgow. This facility combines specialist care with aviation support and is a model that is being studied by other countries in Europe to increase patient survival rates.”

Research reveals size of Middle East business aircraft market

In further news, new Gama Aviation research reveals that there are now 792 business aircraft in the Middle East, and between 2010 and 2014, 176 of these were delivered to the region.

Gama Aviation’s analysis reveals 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.

Middle Eastern business aircraft fleet and breakdown

Martin Ringrose, commented: “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 capitalise on this growth.”

One in ten business aircraft in the Middle East is up for sale

Further research reveals that 10% of the Middle East’s business aviation fleet is currently up for sale.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE have 61% of all business aircraft in the region, and account 73% of those currently up for sale there. Individually, 16% of the UAE’s business aircraft are for sale, and the corresponding figures for Saudi Arabia and Turkey are 13% and 7% respectively.

Proportion of Middle Eastern business aviation fleet listed for sale

“Long term, we expect the number of business aircraft operating in the Middle East to increase - indeed around 22% of the region’s current fleet were delivered between 2010 and 2014, said Martin Ringrose. “The Middle East’s landmass is around 90% of that of the US, and it has a population of 351 million people - some 32 million more than the US. However, the States has over 22,000 more business aircraft, and this shows the huge potential for the Middle East business jet market.”

“The Middle East also has one of the youngest fleets of all international regions, with business aircraft 15 years old on average, compared to 23 for the world as a whole, he continued. "This is another indication of strong potential growth prospects.”

In August this year, Gama Aviation announced it will be expanding its operations at Sharjah International Airport in the UAE. With the support of Sharjah Airport Authority, Gama Aviation has now 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.

Gama Aviation has also conducted a review of the Sharjah FBO handling rates and, as a result, the basic handling prices have been reduced by 20%. 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 World Central (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.