MRO Middle East 2017: Notables and Quotables

James Pozzi

Our Material Management Group Saw A Pattern

Background Image, Boeing

“Our material management group saw a pattern in the way customers were requesting these parts in terms of schedule and maintenance,” David Longridge, VP, sales and marketing of Boeing’s Commercial Aviation Services division on why Boeing decided to expand its exchange program to include nacelles and flight-control surfaces.

A Bottleneck

Background image, SunExpress

“For the Middle East, a shortage of skilled labor is a bottleneck for MRO growth. The profession also suffers from not being viewed as attractive as it was 10 years ago for young people,” Cemil Sayer, technical director at SunExpress on the region’s skills gap.

Oil prices are like blood pressure

Background image, Air Arabia

“To reach the sky, you have to go through the clouds. While oil prices are unpredictable and like blood pressure—both high and low are bad—something in the middle, $70-80 per barrel is about right.” - Air Arabia CEO Adel Ali on the Middle East’s fluctuating oil prices.

The Rest Of The Region Is Highly Fragmented

Background image, Middle East with Countries - Single Color by FreeVectorMaps.com

“The nature of MRO spend in the Middle East and Africa is highly concentrated on one hand, with a lot of the spend being generated by the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but across the rest of the region, it is highly fragmented.” – David Stewart, aviation and aerospace adviser - ‎Oliver Wyman.

James Pozzi

As Aviation Week's European MRO editor, James Pozzi covers the latest industry news from the European region and beyond. He also writes in-depth features on the commercial aftermarket for Inside MRO.