Boeing’s strong ties with Middle East

“Our legacy in the Middle East goes back more than 65 years, and throughout that time we have earned the trust of our partners and customers here through meaningful collaboration, contributions to the community, and providing the right services at the right time,” Jeffrey Johnson, president of Boeing Middle East, told reporters in Dubai on Saturday.

Today, the region is one of the world’s fastest growing commercial airplane markets, and its countries’ defense needs are rapidly expanding. Boeing values its relationships and partnerships in the region and is committed to building on those relationships for mutual benefit into the future.

Commercial airplanes

Carefully planned economic development in many Arab countries, coupled with the steady expansion of far-reaching global airline networks, has led to the record growth of air travel.

Boeing’s airline customers in the region include Emirates, Etihad Airways, flydubai, ALAFCO, LCAL, Oman Air, Gulf Air, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Royal Jordanian and RAK Airways. The Middle East is home to an estimated 448 Boeing airplanes that represent every single type of jetliner the company has built from the 1960s to-date.

Boeing provides technical support for its customers in the Middle East through the Dubai-based Boeing Service Center. The center is one of the company’s eight spares distribution facilities worldwide and houses approximately $25 million worth of parts and an inventory of more than 26,000 items that are shipped around the region to service airline customers.

Business jets

Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) has a long-standing presence in the Middle East region and has sales and field service representatives based in Saudi Arabia. The Middle East represents the largest combined market for BBJs (31 per cent) and Boeing’s wide-body VIP airplanes. Of the 20 orders for the 787 and 747-8 VIP airplanes to-date, 11 have been bought by customers in the region. A regional spares center is located in Dubai, and Boeing is a founding member of the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBA).

Defence, space and security

The Boeing Defense, Space & Security business unit provides military aircraft and network and space systems to customers around the globe. Defense, Space & Security’s presence in the Middle East goes back to 1982, when Boeing Middle East Limited (BMEL) was established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Since then, Defense, Space & Security has expanded its relationships across the region with a focus on Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Egypt. It opened its second regional office in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in 1999 and established a full-time presence in Doha, Qatar, in 2011.

Today, Defense, Space & Security offers a portfolio of products, systems, services and solutions to its Middle East customers, partners, and suppliers, including products from Boeing Military Aircraft, Network & Space Systems and Global Services & Support.

Industrial, academic partnerships

Boeing has formed a number of strong relationships with leading regional entities such as the Mubadala Development Company, Abu Dhabi and the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA). Boeing was also instrumental in setting up Alsalam in partnership with Saudi Arabia, under the Kingdom’s economic offset program. Formed in 1988, Alsalam operates state-of-the-art facilities that provide comprehensive technical services such as maintenance, upgrades, painting and refurbishment. Today, it is the technical partner of choice for many of the region’s military and civilian aircraft operators.

Boeing also entered into a strategic framework agreement with the Abu Dhabi-based Mubadala Development Company. Under this agreement, Boeing and Mubadala intend to develop mutually beneficial initiatives in areas where there is strategic alignment between the two companies, including composite manufacturing; engineering, research and development; commercial maintenance, repair and overhaul; military maintenance and sustainment; pilot training; and people development.

Boeing is also working with the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, Etihad Airways and Honeywell’s UOP to establish the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Project (SBRP). The project will use integrated saltwater agricultural systems to support the development and commercialization of biofuel crops for aviation and other uses.

abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com