Private jet movement at VIP Terminal in Dubai South up 93% y-on-y in Q3 2020

The Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub (MBRAH) at Dubai South recorded a 93% year-on-year increase in business and private jet movements in Q3 2020.

Aviation represents over 25 per cent of Dubai’s GDP, reported the Dubai Media Office.

The VIP Terminal saw movement at the terminal significantly reduced due to the Covid-19 pandemic in the months leading to April as a result of the lockdowns in many countries around the world.

The VIP Terminal at Mohammed Bin Rashid Aerospace Hub at Dubai South, records steep growth in aircraft movements during Q3 2020 with a double-digit growth amounting to 93% compared with the same period last year.
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— محمد بن راشد للطيران (@MBRAerospaceHub) October 20, 2020

However, it witnessed its numbers rise in in May and mid-June before they eventually surpassed last year’s performance during summer months of Q3.

Medical and business-related travel by VIPs and HNWIs, along with holiday trips – coupled with the UAE’s decision to relax travel restrictions – accounted for the sharp increase demand for private jets.

The VIP terminal is serviced by three FBOs which also feature 24×7 PCR Covid-19 testing facilities, with short turnaround times for the results.

Read: How the private aviation sector in the Middle East is responding to the Covid-19 crisis

MBRAH is also home to a maintenance centre and training and education campuses too.

“By analysing the numbers, it’s reassuring to see the return of private jet travel given the circumstance we are all experiencing,” said Tahnoon Saif, CEO of MBRAH.

“Dubai has always been a business and vacation destination for the world and measures taken by the UAE government as a whole and the VIP terminal at Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub in specific have only reinforced the commitment to the sector, cushioning VIP traveller movement and reinforcing visits to Dubai as well outbound international trips.”

Read: Dubai’s private aviation show MEBAA postponed to February 2021

Although activity within the business aviation space has picked up recently, the organisers of The Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) have announced that its aviation show – one of the region’s most high-profile shows – will now take place from February 22-24, 2021.