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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 2593.PDF
Show preview . jm, %, .,, • Jf**& ij^j ^H 5^^ SHtf"1 •**•*'•'»••' ••• l^» •• ^JLM^"11 ^»L^^?3 1 4 ' A V ^^^^* B5£i . Dassault will have the Falcon 900EX and 2000EX. Cessna operator Bexair plans to show the Citation Excel and Bravo, while Boeing will have a Boeing Business Jet. Dubai's booming tourism and VIP trans port sector is sparking interest in civil heli copters, and, this year, the show will have a dedicated helicopter pavilion in which Sikorsky and Bell distributor Hawker Pacific will be among those exhibiting. All this has helped swing the emphasis from defence towards the civil sector. When it began in 1989, the show was primarily a forum for defence firms to sway the pro curement plans of the UAE and other Gulf states, says Richardson. Since then, efforts by the Dubai government to promote itself as one of the world's premium tourist and trading centres, as well as the success of Emirates and other Gulf airlines, have seen the commercial side grow fast. "There are misconceptions about Dubai," says Rich ardson. "The last show was split 50:50 defence and civil, but now the civil side has overtaken as the region's airline industry be comes more important to manufacturers." Embraer This said, defence remains a crucial corn- hopes its ponent of the Dubai show. The UAE armed Legacy will forces, along with the Dubai government, benefit from run the event in partnership with Fairs & a growing Exhibitions, and military visitors will be Middle East prominent among the 30 official foreign market for delegations attending. There may not be business many active procurement contests in the aviation Gulf - although Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have requirements to replace fighters - but the event is an opportunity for manufactur ers to win friends and influence future deci sions by governments. Saab/BAE Systems' Gripen will make its first appearance in the Middle East and Dassault's Rafale will take part in the flying display. The US Department of Defense has thrown its weight behind the show with a strong contingent of aircraft, including a Boeing AH-64 Apache and F/A-18, Lockheed Martin F-16 and C-130J and Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler, E-2C Hawkeye and RQ-4A Global Hawk. Eurofighter will be represented in its own right. Military trainer aircraft will also be represented with Czech manufacturer Aero Vodochody's L-159 and Pilatus's PC-21. The Middle East has always been fertile territory for the CIS's aerospace industry. Ukraine says it will have a bigger presence at Dubai than at Paris or Farnborough with six exhibitors in a pavilion and three aircraft in the flying display, the Antonov An-32 regional turboprop and An-74 and An-140 regional jets. Finally, while Dubai gives overseas manu facturers an opportunity to win business from oil-rich Gulf states, it is also a platform for the region's fledgling aerospace industry to showcase its capabilities. Local exhibitors include maintenance, repair and overhaul specialists Jordan Airmotive QALCO) and GAMCO. Abu Dhabi-based GAMCO's gen eral manager Saif Al-Mughairy predicts the Middle East aviation market will "expand significantly" as freight and passenger movements soar. With Dubai's rulers expecting its economy to quadruple over the next 15 years and its neighbours keen to share in the emirate's success, the region can only grow in importance for the world's aerospace industry. • www.fliqhtinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 11-17 NOVEMBER 2003 29
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