Beechcraft Corporation is displaying four aircraft at the Dubai Air Show at Dubai World Central in Jebel Ali, Dubai.

“Beechcraft’s presence and market share continues to grow as the region’s use of special mission and business aircraft increases,” said Richard Emery, Beechcraft’s President for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. “Historically, King Airs account for 67 percent of the Middle East’s business turboprop market. During the past five years the Middle East has experienced dramatic growth in business aviation, and nearly 84 percent of business turboprop deliveries in the region are Beechcraft King Airs.”

According to industry data (2012), there are 91 business turboprops registered in the Middle East – 61 of these are King Airs. This same data shows turboprops are increasingly popular in the region: in the last five years, business turboprop deliveries jumped more than 1,000 percent from the previous five years. Beechcraft delivered 29 King Airs to the Middle East from 2008-2012.

“One of Beechcraft’s largest growth segments in the Middle East is special mission applications, and some of the most popular in this region are surveillance, air ambulance and high density configurations,” Emery said. “Operators find that the range and payload capabilities of the King Air and its ability to land on unimproved runways provide cost-effective transportation solutions for intra-regional missions.

“Our most active markets in the region are Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. We expect the strong demand for business aircraft in the Middle East to continue in the coming years, reflecting the region’s increasing global influence and economic development,” Emery continued.

Demand for private aviation in the Middle East led Beechcraft to open an office staffed with sales and support experts in Dubai in 2011. Additionally, Beechcraft Parts & Distribution ships genuine factory parts from a distribution center in Dubai.

The company’s static display includes a Beechcraft King Air 350i, a Special Missions King Air 350ER demonstrator, a Beechcraft King Air C90GTx and the Middle East debut of the Beechcraft AT-6 light attack aircraft.