Corporate demands: more operators are seeking a foothold in the lucrative Middle East executive jets market.(Dubai International Aerospace Exhibition)

Emirates and Qatar Airways have had a busy order-packed year and the arrival of new operators such as Etihad Airways and no-frills Air Arabia has also bolstered the region's international profile.

Plenty of attention has been dedicated to double-decker plane orders, major airport developments and the introduction of new scheduled and low-cost operators. But that's not the whole aviation story.

If there was one message to take home from the eighth Dubai International Aerospace Exhibition in December, it was that the region's corporate air charter market has come of age. The highly prized sector couldn't keep out of the news during the five-day show which …