Dubai air show will become the biggest event of its kind in the world, overtaking Paris and Farnborough within 20 years, according to His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation (DCA).
Speaking at the official launch of the 10th Dubai show, Sheikh Ahmed backed an earlier assertion by Virginia Kern, chairman of show organiser F&E, that the rapid growth of the aviation industry in the Gulf would create the momentum to drive the show to become the world leader.
Infrastructure constraints that are a hallmark of most shows will be a thing of the past for Dubai as of the next show when it is scheduled to move to the massive Dubai World Central airport.
The move in two years to a purpose-built airshow site with up to 50,000m2 of exhibition space and a giant static area will allow the show to meet the ambitious growth targets. Eventually the site will contain the world’s biggest exhibition centre. And because Dubai World airport will have six parallel runways, it will be able to remain open for commercial traffic during flying displays.
For the first time this year, three of the largest exhibitors at the show are UAE companies. “The scale of growth over the last two years reflects the growth of the industry over all segments,” Sheikh Ahmed says.
During the past 20 years of shows, the Gulf region has become the epicentre of civil aviation, with the rapid growth of airlines like Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad. An analysis of the aviation and aerospace industries in the region gives real weight to the assertion by Sheikh Ahmed that Dubai air show has the capability of becoming the world’s top showcase.
In aerospace, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) and Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (formerly GAMCO) have the ambition, strategy and financial underpinning to become world players. DAE has come from a standing start 18 months ago launched five businesses, including its university which will produce thousands of industry-trained professionals and an air academy which will have a fleet of more than 50 aircraft in a couple of years.
In Aviation, the “big three” airlines of the Gulf continue their expansion programmes with big orders already announced, and more expected. In addition, the more recent emergence of low-cost carriers in the region – notably Air Arabia out of Sharjah and Jazeera Airways with hubs in Kuwait and Dubai – has proved an instant success.
Emirates, which in the past ten years has sometimes seemed to single-handedly support the civil aircraft manufacturers with its mega orders, created the template for the “big three” and recently passed another milestone when it took delivery of its 100th aircraft. With 55 Airbus A380 aircraft on order – the biggest fleet in the world – there is a sense of ‘you ain’t seen nothing yet’.
The Dubai-based carrier – which has just announced record half year profits - will once again be the centre of attention at the show, as the industry waits to see if will finally announce an order for up to 100 long-range twin-engine aircraft – either Airbus A350 XWB or Boeing 787.
DAE’s leasing arm is also a likely candidate for an order announcement as it draws close to finalising a deal for its aircraft leasing business. It plans to develop a fleet of 120 aircraft. Air Arabia’s success in the low-cost segment may be reflected in new orders for aircraft.
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Source: Flight Daily News
