The two-day show will be co-located with Arabian Travel Market 2019 and will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre on April 30 April, 2019 and May 01, 2019.

Emirates will be the official airline partner - with Emirates Networking Planning team attending the show - while Emaar Hospitality Group will be the official hotel partner – both of which will offer preferential rates exclusively for delegates attending the show.

Nick Pilbeam, divisional director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, said: “The Middle East’s aviation market is forecast to grow five per cent annually until 2036, according to IATA. It is predicated that the sector will witness an extra 322 million passengers a year on routes to, from and within the region – with the total market size expanding to 517 million passengers over this period.”

The aviation sector is expected to contribute nearly AED 200 billion to the UAE’s economy by 2020, providing up to 750,000 jobs.

CONNECT Middle East, India & Africa 2019 is expected to bring together airline specialists, aviation authorities, tourism boards, airports and tour operators, as well as other travel-related industry professionals.