The president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chairman of the Emirates Group says he does not foresee the sharp rise in fuel costs hindering sales of business jets or the rapid expansion of the luxury market.

To emphasise this, he says officials from Dubai World Central, the vast complex under construction at Jebel Ali that will house Al-Maktoum International, the state’s new airport, will meet representatives of several business jet manufacturers at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK from 14 to 20 July.

He adds that, while the global credit crisis has affected US sales, “the movement of small business planes in the Middle East is growing by 18 per cent a year compared with the global average of 10 per cent”.