EADS with impressive participation at Dubai Airshow

At the stand in Hall C, EADS will also showcase a full size mock-up of the A380 cabin. With 725 sqm ground floor and 162 sqm on the first floor, the stand of EADS is the biggest at Dubai Airshow.

The A380, the largest passenger jet ever built, will land in Dubai in Emirates livery. With 43 on order, Emirates is the largest customer for the Superjumbo world wide. Airbus has a strong presence in the key Middle East market. Overall, carriers in the Middle East have placed cumulative orders for over 300 Airbus aircraft. Etihad Airlines has ordered four, Qatar Airways two A380. With 60 orders, Qatar Airways is also the biggest customer for the new A350
CEO Noel Forgeard, Jean-Paul Gut, Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Marketing, International and Strategy, Stefan Zoller, CEO of the Defence and Security Systems Division of EADS and Christian Duhain, head of EADS International, the marketing organisation of EADS, will come to the exhibition, which takes place from November 20 to 24 at Airport Expo Dubai.

The prosperous Middle East region has a high priority for EADS: In 2004, the company generated € 2,3 bn in revenues. "EADS is committed to providing its partners with tailored solutions to meet their specific needs" said CEO Noel Forgeard. "This includes the transfer of knowledge and technology as well as the development of educational and training programmes."

COO Jean-Paul Gut added:

"EADS has been a long-standing partner with the Gulf states. We are planning to develop our partnership policy further for future programmes, including new facilities for assembly and maintenance of our products."

Many programmes are already in operation. Eurocopter has a cooperation agreement with Abu Dhabi Aviation granting this company the right to perform rotor blade repair and maintenance activities for the Eurocopter fleet operated in the region. Other collaborative projects with high technical content are currently under discussion with Mubadala acting on behalf of Abu Dhabi Government.

Back in 1995, EADS and Abu Dhabi-based Gulf Aircraft Maintenance Co. (GAMCO) set up the joint-venture GAM-AERO, which offered services to commercial airlines in the field of avionic maintenance. This project involved significant transfer of technology.

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), many products of EADS are in operation. Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways are Airbus customers. The Armed Forces have ordered Mica air-to-air missile and Exocet anti-ship missile from MBDA. Helicopters made by Eurocopter, such as Super Puma, Panther, Dauphin, Fennec and Ecureuil are flown by various UAE operators. EADS's presence in the country also extends to radars, countermeasures, communications systems, test and training facilities as well as mobile hospitals.

EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2004, EADS generated revenues of € 31.8 billion and employed a workforce of about 110,000. The EADS Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and the joint venture MBDA, the international leader in missile systems. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, is the prime contractor for the Ariane launcher, develops the A400M military transport aircraft and is the largest industrial partner for the European satellite navigation system Galileo.