Middle Eastern aviation companies are in a position to contribute to the international aviation community, according to Arabian Fuels Technology Center (AFTC) president, Ubaidallah S Alghamdi.
AFTC is aiming to prove this with its Paris debut as part of the Middle East pavilion (Hall 4, C2). "We consider Paris as one of the main air shows, like Farnborough," Alghamdi says.
"We expect to reach Middle Eastern and international customers along with potential customers.
He adds: "We would like to tell the world that the Middle East is not just importing everything, we can also contribute to the international aviation community at large, especially in the safety of aviation fuel."
Headquartered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, AFTC's website says the company's vision is, "to be the foremost provider of optimum technical support services related to quality and safety of petroleum transportation fuels, gasoline, diesel and aviation fuels for civil and military aircraft".
Forefront
Alghamdi, who has over 30 years' experience in the fuel industry and previously worked for Saudi Aramco, is at the forefront of fuel technology and quality issues in the Middle East.
Paris provides AFTC with an opportunity to show the aviation industry Middle Eastern countries are developing and providing their own technology.
"We pioneered Arabian Jet A-1 Plus," he explains.
The jet fuel standard, which was unveiled at the Dubai air show in 2003, is particularly suited to extremely hot conditions in the Middle East and Alghamdi says it enhances the safety, quality and cleanliness of jet fuel. He added that it could also be used in other places with very high temperatures.
Along with highlighting the fuel standard at Paris, AFTC is focusing on its partnerships with international companies.
Among these is a co-operation agreement with Didsbury Engineering that sees AFTC promoting and selling Didsbury's full range of complementary products in the Middle East. Didsbury manufactures and designs lifting and handling solutions.
Alghamdi also highlights the relationship with Germany's Hansaconsult, which specialises in all aspects of transporting, loading, unloading and storage of liquid products of any type.
He says AFTC hopes to form new partnerships and to cooperate further with international companies.
Source: Flight Daily News