GM had a number of new cars on show today at its stand - among them two hybrids and a new Chevrolet Camaro (left).

No dates were given as to when any of them will hit the Middle East, although all will go into production.

The Tahoe Hybrid (middle) will begin production next year, the Camaro next year and the Volt has a 2010 date penciled against it.

The Volt, said GM, will drive 60km on a full charge, at which point a three litre engine will kick in to recharge the battery. This will extend the range to 1,000km and use 4.7 litres of fuel per 100km.

Read more on these cars and a full report on GM’s future plans 

Green is a key concern for airlines at the moment, and there are differing views on the future of engines and fuel for planes in the future.

AME Info spoke with BP Air and Shell, both of which thought there would be little change in the coming years, as long term deals and delivery dates have already set out what types of planes companies are taking over the coming years. There will be improvements in the kerosene, they said, but it would still be the fuel for planes in the future.

Rolls Royce, which has won $9.6bn in plane engine orders at the show so far, said the reason is that kerosene is the perfect fuel for aircraft, more so than hydrogen or liquified natural gas. These alternatives would require changes in aircraft design and create logistical problems on the ground for airports, which would have to store kerosene and the alternative fuel until all planes had changed.

Engine Alliance, which is supplying the engines for Emirates’ and Qatar’s Airbus A380s, said it would not be a huge engineering job for engines to use liquified natural gas in flight, but again pointed to the major aircraft redesigns that would be needed.

Synthetic or third generation bio-fuels were the way to go, said Rolls Royce, which is conducting a test on a 747-400 next year on an as-yet undecided alternative fuel.

We’ll have an in-depth report on the thorny issue of fuel, planes and the environmental impact in the coming days on AME Info.

Dubai Airport is now a major international hub, and soon to be dwarfed by the Al Maktoum International Airport in Jebel Ali, but ever wondered what it looked like in its early days?

This picture shows it from around 1959, when it was a mere slip of its size today. In the early days – before even this representation, Dubai Airport was seen as a hub for those flying to places such as Australia, when planes needed to land to refuel.

The first plane to land in Dubai Creek was Imperial Airlines flying boat the Canopus, in October 1937. By 1938, a trip from London to Australia via India would take a leisurely pace, starting with a train to Southampton, where passengers would stop overnight. The service would then take in a number of cities and countries, including ‘Bahrain off Arabia’ and Dubai, before finally arriving in Sydney, Australia 11 days later.

A return London to ‘Bahrain’ fare would cost about $280, showing how much the cost of a flight has come down when you consider what that was worth in 1938. Dubai was not listed as a destination in those days.

Flights between England and India included a stop off at Sharjah, taking five days in total.