Aviation Africa 2015 gets under way in Dubai

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates Group, on Sunday attended the opening of the Aviation Africa 2015, a two-day summit and exhibition bringing together government and civil aviation authorities; senior airline management; business aviation operators and specialists and others from the aviation industry.

Aviation Africa 2015 is being organised under patronage of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, and is the first event on African aviation to be held outside Africa.

Assistant Director-General for Strategy and International Affairs at UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) were officially welcomed to Dubai by Laila Ali Hareb Al Muhairi, She said the event would enable key networking opportunities with leading civil aviation experts.

"There are strong relationships that link the Middle East and Africa," Al Muhairi said. "Not only are there strong cultural and geographic links, and more and more air service agreements, many of which are open sky, but there is a dynamic approach to sharing knowledge and best practice.

"We have also been privileged to work with Ghana, Sudan, Liberia, South Africa and others on a programme to get more women working in aviation." She added that the African aerospace industry faces many challenges, including issues over safety, airport development and the security of common skies.

"But aviation is never an isolated industry," she said. "We all have a responsibility to support the oldest continent on this earth."

Al Muhairi also noted that Africa's aviation industry generates US$800 billion of the continent's GDP and has a workforce of more than 6.9 million.