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.

One of the great things about reporting from the Air Show is that we get front row seats for the air displays that take place each day.

Stealing the show and giving the final performance of the day was the UK’s Red Arrows flying team. All RAF pilots, each of the nine man team flies for the Red Arrows for three years. Every three years, three pilots leave and a new three are drafted in, so that there is never fewer than six experienced pilots performing the stunts.

Below is the Spanish Air Force’s Patrulla Aguila team, which performed a similar - and also impressive - routine. It ended in style too, as the team landed on the runway in formation.

Delegates at the Dubai Air Show were treated to a range of flying displays from various planes and acrobatic teams from around the world. Among the planes showing off its flying prowess was the Airbus A380. The plane is huge. And we mean HUGE. But also, it was surprisingly quiet considering its size.

AME Info took a guided tour of one of Silverjet’s all-business class aircraft on display at the Dubai Air Show. Our first impression was that the interior felt roomy, as the seats are more spread out than on a typical aircraft. All of the 102 seats fold down into a bed that stretches 6 feet 3 inches.

The seats are comfortable and have an electronic massage feature. Each passenger has their own personal on-demand system, which looks like a portable DVD player, to use for watching movies or listening to music. The portable nature of the device means you can hold it in your hand or fasten it to the seat in front of you, whichever you prefer.

The aircraft also features a ’sleeper service’ (flights are designated as a Quiet Zone on night flights), specially designed menus, a ladies-only toilet, and a cabin crew to passenger ration of one to 10.

The conveniences of using Silverjet go beyond the in-flight comforts. The airline will be the only scheduled airline to use the executive terminal at Dubai International Airport for arrivals and departures. Passengers will be able to enjoy a luxury lounge, chair-side check-in and immigration, WiFi facilities, dedicated security and a 30 minute check-in.

The price for all of this luxury and convenience will be about £1,100 round trip from Dubai to Luton Airport, near London. Daily service between the two cities is scheduled to begin November 18.

Boeing has one-upped its rival Airbus with the announcement of a $13.7 billion deal to sell 100 planes to Dubai Aerospace Enterprise. Earlier this morning, Airbus had announced a $13.5 billion deal to sell 70 A320s and 30 A350s to DAE.

DAE’s purchase of Boeing aircraft comprises 70 Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft and 30 wide body planes. The wide-body fleet will be split between Boeing 787s, 777s, and 747s.

The purchase price of the Boeing deal incorporates an associated deal with GE for 70 CFM56-7B engines for the 737s, GEnx-engines to power five Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental and further GE90-115B engines to power 10 777-300ER aircraft.

So, the battle between the two rivals continues. But with two days left of the Air Show, who knows what else is in store.

The owner flyer market, much like that of the corporate jet market, is entering a boom period, as materials become lighter, helping to make planes more fuel efficient and cheaper to run. And with so much money sloshing around in the Middle East, it is making it an attractive region for manufacturers.

Among those on display at the Air Show is Cirrus’ imaginatively named The Jet. Thankfully more attractive in looks than name (it is, we were told a working title that has stuck, but may change in the future), the $1m plane is three to four years away from being released. 

It uses a turbo fan (jet) rather than propeller, which the manufacturer said makes the plane more fuel efficient – a key theme at this year’s Show.

As well as owner fliers, Cirrus believes this will also attract the air taxi market once it is released, another oft discussed transport means in the Middle East.

The Middle East business charter market is currently worth $500 million a year, according to Shane O’Hare, President and CEO of Abu-Dhabi based Royal Jet, the region’s leading business jet provider. Summarizing the findings of the firm’s specially-commissioned ’state of the industry’ report, O’Hare said the future of the business aviation market in the region is looking ‘extremely good.’

The report found that the region’s business aviation market has achieved a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40% in terms of aircraft movements and fleet growth. Furthermore, the value of the region’s charter market has achieved 23% annual growth over the past two years.

The United Arab Emirates is the region’s fastest growing market, with a current market value of $176 million.

Royal Jet is the region’s largest charter supplier with a 16% market share. ‘Over 50% of our business is currently emanating from the GCC, but given the roadmaps pinpointed in this research, our five year plan is looking further towards the horizon,’ O’Hare said.

Rolls Royce has added another $1.2bn in orders at the Dubai Air Show, taking its tally over two days to $9.6bn. It’s part of a deal signed by Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) to buy 100 aircraft from Airbus, and marks another significant victory for the firm over arch rival Boeing at the Show.

DAE Capital, the leasing arm of DAE, announced the deal this morning to buy 70 A320s and 30 A350s, in a deal worth $13.5bn. It will take delivery of the planes between 2013 and 2022. The company has also signed a $13.7bn deal with Boeing for 100 aircraft.

Rolls Royce is supplying its Trent XWB engines to Airbus for the 30 A350 XWBs that DAE ordered – which will be delivered from 2018. DAE, which was set up in February last year and is building a range of airline businesses, including a leasing company, is due to start taking delivery of the planes in 2018.

Yesterday, Rolls Royce won $8.4bn in orders via Emirates’ deal with Airbus to take 70 A350 XWBs, with an option to take another 50. The company said that usually, options in the airline business are exercised.

Private jets are gaining popularity with companies and individuals as prices come down and lines at airports get longer.

AME Info checked out the Phenom 300 and Lineage 1000 made by Embraer, a Brazil-based aircraft manufacturer.

The tiny Phenom 300 seats about six depending on the configuration and feels cramped on the inside, mostly because of the low ceiling. However, there is ample legroom when you sit down and the seats are very comfortable.

The aircraft can fly 1,800 nautical miles, which means it can fly nonstop from Dubai to Cairo. The price tag is $7m.

Its big brother is the Lineage 1000 (pictured below), which seats up to 19 passengers and feels positively spacious by comparison. With a plasma TV on the wall, a couch, and cushy lounge chairs you feel as if you are sitting in your living room.

It can fly much farther too - 4,200 miles nonstop, which means you can travel from Dubai to London with plenty of fuel to spare. The price tag for this comfy aircraft is a cool $43m.