Things hot up as we jet off to MEBA

There won't be any weather problems next week as much of the team flies off to Dubai for the Middle East Business Aviation convention. This will be my second visit in a month or so, after having travelled to the UAE for our MEBA preview piece which is in this week's issue (30 November). We look at how Abu Dhabi wants to create the region's only - and possibly the world's best - executive airport at the city's former downtown Al Bateen air base. We focus on the resilient market for airliner-derived business jets and talk to the region's three main operators in this segment: Royal Jet, Comlux and AJA. We delve into the problem of illegal grey charters and canvas the views of all the major manufacturers on prospects for the region. We also interview Ali Al Naqbi, head of the MEBAA trade association, which represents business aviation in the region and hosts the MEBA show.