AOPA UAE to hold meeting with international AOPA's at Abu Dhabi Air Expo 2013

Following the launch of the United Arab Emirates branch of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots' Association (AOPA) at last year's Abu Dhabi Air Expo, the President of AOPA UAE, Yousif Al Hammadi, has invited representatives from international AOPA branches to attend a workshop dedicated to discussing and debating General Aviation issues in the region.

The meeting, the first of its kind, will run parallel to this year’s Abu Dhabi Air Expo and will take place at the Gulf Centre for Aviation Studies, Al Bateen Executive Airport on 6 of March.

It is anticipated up to thirty representatives from AOPA USA, IAOPS, AOPA United Kingdom, AOPA Germany and AOPA France will meet with their colleagues from the United Arab Emirates during the one day event, to share knowledge and debate a variety of topics including air space regulations, aerial non-commercial operations, certification and maintenance issues and pilot licensing. AOPA members will also be able to maximise their time by attending the Air Expo exhibition, the Middle East’s only dedicated General Aviation event to meet pilots from the region and learn about the latest trends.

Hammadi said: “The UAE skies are opening and we want to improve our understanding about how AOPAs from other regions have helped to change the regulatory environment in their countries. More and more people are embracing General Aviation in the UAE resulting in the need to find creative solutions that enable pilots of aircraft ranging from LSA up to business jets and helicopters to exercise the privileges of their licenses. We need to progress quickly, to keep pace with the increased number of pilots engaged in non-commercial operations and hope to be able to adapt some of their best practice for the UAE region.”