Business & Money | Monday 19 November, 2018 3:27 pm |

Under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and under the supervision of His Highness Shaikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Personal Representative of His Majesty the King and the Chairman of BIAS Supreme Organising Committee, the fifth edition of the Bahrain International Airshow 2018 (BIAS) concluded its three-day event which took place from the 14thto the 16thof November 2018. Attracting the highest number of local, regional and international companies the event witnessed major deals signed with a total value of over US$5bn.

 

The dates of the next edition of the show, set to be held from 19-21 November 2020, were announced during a press conference held on the last day of BIAS.

 

BIAS is an effective platform of business generation and major deals were announced during the three-day event including the announcement of an agreement by SaudiGulf Airlines to add ten A320neo family aircrafts for around USD2 billion, as well as an agreement for the value of US 1 billion with CFM International to provide their aircrafts with Leap Engines, and an additional service contract for maintenance of the engines.Additionally, Saudi Aramco announced its agreement at the value of $700 million US dollars for the provision of 26 helicopters.

 

KSA’s participation at the BIAS 2018 including 6 major companies specialised in aviation engineering and military manufacturing, namely the General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA), Adams Advanced Aero Technology, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Saudi Arabia Military Industries (SAMI), Sky Prime Aviation Services and ARAMCO. 

 

BIAS reaffirms its position as the fastest growing in the Middle East with a total participation of 187 companies, including 11 of the top 15 global aerospace business. This year’s edition witnessed a 35% growth in companies attending, a 100% increase in the exhibition space and eight dedicated country pavilions including 4 new pavilions from UAE, USA, Russia and Romania.

 

This strong regional representation stems from the long-standing economic, commercial and social ties and common benefits that are shared amongst the Gulf countries, and further solidifies economic cooperation between them.