THE first ever international aviation conference to be held in the Isle of Man will take place next month.
ICM Aviation Ltd is organising the conference - which is called Isle of Man: The International Aviation Centre – with support from the Isle of Man Aircraft Registry.
It will take place at the Villa Marina on July 12 and delegates from a number of different sectors of the aviation industry will attend from the UK, Gibraltar, Luxembourg and Switzerland.
Mary Byrne, the director of ICM Aviation Ltd, said: "Following the fantastic success of the Isle of Man Aircraft Registry in putting the Island on the international aviation industry's radar, I wanted us to organise something that would showcase the Island's wide range of aviation interests which includes engineering and manufacturing, design and maintenance.
"We expect some of our speakers and delegates to fly their own aircraft over for the event so are hoping for good weather. We have arranged a post conference hangar party at the airport to celebrate what we believe will be a positive event for the Island's aviation industry and maybe just the first aviation conference of many."
A number of key people within the industry have been lined up to speak at the conference including Economic Development Minister Allan Bell MHK, director of the Business Development Agency Tim Craine and chairman for the Isle of Man Aerospace Cluster Adrian Moore.
Representatives from Bladon Jets, Cains, Mac Commercial, Aerotech International, Ernst and Young and KPMG will also speak at the event, as will the Island's airport director Ann Reynolds and assessor of income tax Malcolm Crouch. Thierry Betbeze of Dassault Aviation will speak about his experience of using the services on the Isle of Man.
Brian Johnson, who recently announced he was stepping down from his position as director of civil aviation for the Isle of Man, said: "This ICM Aviation initiative is a superb opportunity for the Island to showcase its growing involvement in the global aviation industry.
"For example did you know that every new Airbus and Boeing airliner is flying with parts manufactured in the Isle of Man? We look forward to sharing more Isle of Man stories on July 12."
Mark continued: "I think this is going to be an extremely interesting conference. We have a great list of speakers who will all bring something different to the day.
"Stuart Peters from Manx Radio has agreed to compère the event. His involvement is very apt as he holds a private pilot license himself and understands the world of aviation.
"We hope that by the end of the conference all of the delegates will have a much better idea of the expertise on offer here and be inspired to look for new business opportunities with Manx based aviation professionals."
The conference will also celebrate the Aircraft Registry's fourth birthday and delegates will be encouraged to stay in the Island for longer than the day of the conference.
The Isle of Man: The International Aviation Centre conference will take place on Tuesday, July 12. For more information visit - www.i.im/aviationconference.
For more information on ICM Aviation Ltd click here.
