Dubai Air Show continues to soar

Running over five days at the city's Airport Expo, Dubai Airshow is the foremost aerospace event in the Middle East and the fastest growing in the world.

Some 890 companies from 47 countries are exhibiting at the Dubai Airshow, an increase over the previous event in 2007 which attracted 850 exhibitors.

To date, 150 new-to-market exhibitors from 20 countries will make their debut at the biennial event, to which up to 50,000 visitors are expected.

Alison Weller, Director of airshow organiser, F&E Aerospace, said:

"It's an exciting moment, with the finishing touches now being put to the exhibition stands and the display aircraft receiving their final polish before they depart for Dubai."

Weller added, "As we prepare for the opening of Dubai Airshow, we are very pleased to confirm that our exhibitor numbers have increased from the 2007 event. This growth is testament to the confidence the aerospace industry continues to show in the Middle East, and in the UAE in particular, as a region committed to the development of commerce and industry."

"I would like to express my gratitude to the Government of Dubai, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Airports and the UAE Armed Forces, for their continued support for the Dubai Airshow, without whom we could not have achieved so much in our first 10 years, and I look forward to continuing our mutually beneficial relationship as we enter our second decade," he stated.

Dubai Airshow has increased its floor-space by over 7,000sqm due to the increase in exhibitors, with the addition of the new 'Emirates Hall'.

As sponsor and host, Emirates Airline will be joined in the new hall by, among others, EADS, which will feature two full-scale mock-ups - the Airbus A350 XWB cabin and Eurocopter's 16-seater civilian helicopter, the EC175.

In a glimpse of the future of business aviation, Aerion is showing a scale model of its supersonic business jet, currently in development, which will fly executives at twice the speed of today's conventional business jets.

To date, 130 aircraft will be displayed in the static park, including the 14 aircraft types participating in the daily flying display.

The display will feature the Italian Airforce's Frecce Tricolori and Patrouille de France aerobatic teams, displaying the capabilities of the Aermacchi MB339s and the Alpha Jet trainers, respectively.

They will be joined by the US Air Force's F22 Raptor, the Eurofighter Typhoon of the UK's Royal Air Force and the L-15 Falcon jet trainer from China-based AVIC, the first time a Chinese-manufactured trainer is being sent to an international airshow.

Over 400 official delegations have been invited to attend the event as part of the Dubai Airshow Delegations Programme, which is co-ordinated by F&E Aerospace, in conjunction with the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, the Government of Dubai and the UAE Ministry of Defence.

To date, 13 country and national pavilions have been booked from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Florida, France, Germany, Jordan, Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine, UK and USA.

The number of hospitality chalets has risen to 103, with the floor-space of the 85 double-storey chalets enlarged by 40sqm (20sqm on each floor), and the chalet row is further enhanced by 12 purpose-built pavilions.

Weller commented, "Our long-standing relationship with the region has given us first-hand experience of the rich facets of the Arabian heritage, one of which is the tradition of the 'majlis', a meeting place for face-to-face discussion, negotiation and deal-making. We are reaffirming the importance of this essential part of Arabian hospitality by carrying on the tradition and increasing the number of chalets and pavilions."

The Dubai Airshow is open to industry-linked visitors only. Tickets are now on sale at dubaiairshow.aero/visitors/registration and visitors are strongly recommended to purchase and register tickets online to avoid queuing at the box office when the show opens.