Planemaker Airbus will exceed its forecast for orders from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region this year, helped by deals to be finalised at the Dubai Air Show in November, a senior executive said. Airbus, which had expected orders for 90 planes, will end the year with a "triple-digit order book", said Habib Fekih, the European planemaker’s president for Middle East. Qatar Airways may be one of the airlines to place orders at the Dubai Air Show, Fekih told Reuters in an interview. "Discussions with Qatar Airways are underway and it is a continuous process. Yes, they could announce something.... a small number of aircraft here or there," he said. The Doha-based carrier had been expected to buy five A380s and 50 A320neo narrowbody airplanes at the Paris Air Show in June, but instead ordered six aircraft from US competitor Boeing. Fekih said the company was currently not in discussions with other regional carriers like Emirates and Eithad Airways. Airlines in the Middle East account for about 9.5 per cent of Airbus’s orders, making it a key market for the plane maker. The region, which has some of the youngest fleet in the world, represents 15 per cent of the firm’s backlog. EU DEBT The Europe debt crisis and the faltering US economy have held back global clients struggling to get loans for payment, said Fekih, but said the impact was limited. "Maybe some alliance could have immediate difficulty during the coming weeks or months to have access to loans...but this will be very limited," he said, adding that this has not had much impact in the Mena region. Airbus’ sales chief John Leahy said earlier this month that he expected aircraft production to be flat or slightly higher in the event of another global economic downturn.

  The MENA Private Equity Association has today launched a free directory aimed at entrepreneurs and businesses looking for venture capital funding. Over 50 VC firms, angel investors, business incubators and technology parks are represented in the online directory, which will be continuously updated as the venture capital ecosystem expands. MENA’s young VC industry has grown substantially in recent years. Deal volume tripled in 2009 and 2010 from the previous two years, while fundraising in 2010 hit a record USD300m. However, the asset class remains relatively underdeveloped, and until now it was difficult for entrepreneurs to find reliable, consolidated information and guidance on funding opportunities. Funds have also struggled to source relevant deals. With this new online resource, the MENA Private Equity Association hopes to address these gaps and continue to promote the benefits of bringing entrepreneurs and funds together. Venture capital has great potential to drive economic growth and stability in MENA countries. Early-stage funding and incubation services can catalyse SME growth and the job creation necessary to support burgeoning youth populations. The directory is free to access and includes data on investment sizes, region and sector focus, and investment strategies, as a starting point to help entrepreneurs pursue the right firms for funding. Additional information on the venture capital industry and funding process is available along with the directory at www.menapea.com/vcecosystem . More to come in 2011: The Association is working with its partners and various stakeholders to develop a VC Vision 2017, a blueprint for future industry success and steps to be taken along the way. About the MENA Private Equity Association The MENA Private Equity Association is a non-profit entity committed to supporting and developing the private equity and venture capital industry in the Middle East and North Africa. The Association aims to foster greater communication within the region’s private equity and venture capital network and facilitate knowledge sharing in order to encourage overall economic growth, and will actively promote the industry’s successes to local stakeholders and build trust with investors, regulators and the public regionally and internationally.

The United Arab Emirates represented by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has signed an Air Services Memorandum of Understanding with the French Civil Aviation Authority recently in Abu Dhabi, to increase flights between the two countries.   The MoU was signed by Omar Bin Ghaleb, Deputy Director General of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and Francois THEOLEYRE, Deputy Director for Airlines and Air Services of the French Civil Aviation Authority.   Alain AZOUAOU, French Ambassador to UAE attended the meeting in addition to representatives from Abu Dhabi Department of Transport, Dubai Civil Aviation, Sharjah Department of Civil Aviation, Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways.   In line with the excellent relations between France and the UAE, both delegations agreed to add twenty two (22) weekly passenger frequencies, mounting up to fifty seven (57), the total number of frequencies available to be operated by the designated airlines of each party.   This implies an increase of over sixty percent (60%) in the number of frequencies between the two countries.   Furthermore, in addition to Paris, Nice, Lyons, Marseilles and Toulouse, both delegations agreed to add Bordeaux as a sixth point of destination in France for the flights to be operated by the designated airlines of the UAE.   The UAE delegation designated Air Arabia, in addition to Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways, as a UAE national Airline under the signed Memorandum.  

An important French delegation of 15 companies in Aerospace related industries has beenvisiting the UAE from the 23rd to the 25th November to discuss business opportunities between the French and the Emirati side. More than 90 business meetings have been held to explore potential opportunities of cooperation, exchange of expertise, and future contracts. This visit was organized by the French Trade Commission -Ubifrance - of the French Embassy in the U.A.E, with the strong support of the Dassault and Safran Groups. During this business trip, the participating companies have been visiting Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain to showcase their prestigious expertise in the aeronautical sector and meet with potential partners, agents/distributors, and clients. Key players like Emirates Engineering, Etihad, Mubadala, Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies, Inzajat, Sanad, Ammroc, Horizon and Strata hosted the delegation. The French delegation included companies specialized in consultancy (IT & system, mechanics, certification), engineering (conception, design,IT & System, mechanics), aircraft equipments, production equipments (composites, toolings), Maintenance & Reparation Overhaul (equipments, consultancy, services), Aircraft Interiors (IFE, seats, design), ground support equipment, computer hardware (tablet PC, rugged certified computer...),and components for the aircraft Industry. The participants were: Airia , Akka, Aquarese, Assystem Aerospace , Aviatec , Derichebourg Atis Aeronautique, Eurep Industries , Forest Line , Gate , Ingeliance , Irts, Permaswage, Pole Pegasse, P.S.A , Reel and Sabena Technics. New delegations of French aeronautics companies are planning to visit the U.A.E for business tours on the occasion of Dubai Air Show in next november 2011 and also on first half of 2012, with the support of Ubifrance.

  The Trade Commission of the French Embassy (UBIFRANCE) met yesterday with Mr Iain T.LACHLAN, Divisional SVP - Aircraft Maintenance Eningeering. UBIFRANCE will be receiving a French Aerospace Delegation from the 23rd to the 25th of November 2010. Mr LACHLAN gave us his support and agreed to open to us the doors of Emirates Engineering facilities on the 23rd November 2010. Participants to this French delegation will also be visiting Abu Dhabi and Al Ain on the 24th and 25th of November. Meetings are scheduled with Mubadala, Strata, Etihad, local potential partners (B2B meeting), etc...