Abu Dhabi, 30 January 2012 –In line with its new five year growth strategy, unveiled at the 2011 Dubai International Air Show, Maximus Air is setting its sights on the Indian Sub-Continent as one of the key regions for the expansion of its business outside of the GCC and Arab world.
The company will consequently make its debut at the biennial Air Cargo India Expo in Mumbai from 1-3, February, 2012 an event which has attracted the majority of the leading players in the global air cargo and logistics industries. This will be the first public appearance for the airline under its new name and brand identity as Maximus Air.
FathiHilalBuhazza, President and CEO of Maximus Air, says the rapid growth of international trade has boosted prospects for the air cargo market in India.
“At present, 50 per cent of our business comes from within the UAE and 50 per cent from outside the country,” he said, “We want the mix to be 80/20 in favour of international markets and so we are looking to fast growing regions like the Indian Sub-continent where trade with the UAE alone increased to $30 billion (Dh108bn) for the first six months of 2011. This is two thirds of what was achieved the whole of 2010,therefore it would be an understatement to say that Maximus Air sees the ISC as an important growth market.”
“Statistics also show that there is ever increasing demand for vehicles, aircraft, defence equipment and all sorts of products to fuel the growth-hungry Indian economy. Maximus Air’s flexible fleet, and its focus on developing the ACMI lease to operator market, means it is well placed to handle any size of cargo.”
Mohamed Parkar, Vice President Commercial and acting Chief Operating Officer, who will head the Maximus Air delegation, adds that Indians are the largest group of investors in the UAE and own the highest number of businesses compared to other nationalities.
“This reflects the strong position of the UAE and its role as an important hub for servicing the neighbouring economies,” he said. “Our expanding operations out of the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi mean we are well placed to service the needs of those businesses into the wider Arab world countries.
“As the region’s leading all-cargo airline,this show presents an excellent opportunity to showcase how we have rapidly grown to be a key player providing end-to-end solutions for a multitude of sectors.”
Having grown from a local operator to a regional operator with some international trade, Maximus Air has declared it is ready to turn that business model on its head.
“We have a lofty ambition,” said Buhazza, “and that is to become one of the top three players in the global air cargo market. We will emphasise our specialisation in chartering and in particular handling outsized cargo, ACMI leasing, our varied fleet, impeccable safety and security standards and of course an expert team to handle every element of the logistics process.”
Buhazza adds that the company is not only looking at increasing its geographic footprint but also its business mix.
”We are looking to diversify through mergers, acquisition and/or strategic partnerships in a number of different areas ranging from consultancy to brokerage and from storage to delivery with the aim of giving us better control of all aspects of the logistics chain rather than having to rely on third parties,” he said.