Inaugural edition of Abu Dhabi Aviation and Aerospace Week to kick off on 6th March

ABU DHABI, 15th February, 2016 (WAM) -- The inaugural edition of the Abu Dhabi Aviation and Aerospace Week (ADAAW) will begin on 6th March under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The event will feature six specialist aviation sessions, including defence, entertainment, and sports. Set to become a biennial fixture in Abu Dhabi’s calendar of events, ADAAW is anticipated to attract a constellation of decision makers and international experts from the aviation and aerospace industry, along with a significant number of trade visitors and the general public. The must-attend event for the global aviation and aerospace sector, which is sponsored by Etihad Airways, the UAE’s national airline, will include the second Unmanned System Exhibition (UMEX Abu Dhabi), first Simulation Conference and Exhibition, third Global Aerospace Summit, and fourth edition of the Abu Dhabi Air Expo, as well as the first edition of the Middle East Aviation Career Exhibition & Conference and the eighth Red Bull Air Race. A number of leading Abu Dhabi-based entities including Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), Mubadala Development Company, Abu Dhabi Airports, and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council will join hands in organising ADAAW. The event will seek to boost the status of Abu Dhabi as a leading global hub of aviation and aerospace, business tourism and specialised fairs and events in the field of aerospace and aviation. Abu Dhabi has successfully established a unique economic model through developing a number of promising sectors identified by Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, among which aviation and aerospace feature as key pillars. The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) estimations show that the UAE's aviation industry contributes about 15 per cent, equivalent to $46 billion, to the state's gross domestic product. Scheduled to open by 2017, the new Abu Dhabi Airport complex will double the capacity of the Abu Dhabi International Airport to 45 million passengers a year. The new airport building, spread over 700,000 square metres, will receive 30 million passengers a year when it opens. – Emirates News Agency, WAM -http://www.wam.ae/en/news/economics/1395291596328.html