One of the fun things to do at the Air Show is test out some of the luxury cabins that are on display.

AME Info decided to take a ‘test ride’ on the first class bed offered by Qatar Airways, which was recently named by Skytrax as the ‘best first class in the world.’

We were told that the bed could accommodate a ’six footer,’ and our lanky reporter can vouch that he had a few inches of legroom to spare on his six-foot-one frame. The mattress itself was very comfortable and the controls were easy to use.

The first class cabin also boasts a 17-inch tv screen and an electronic massage for the back and neck, which was very relaxing. Having dealt with the long lines and noisy din of the Air Show all day, it was all we could do not to curl up for a nap.

Visitors to the Dubai Air Show can see firsthand a scale model of the world’s largest airport being built in Jebel Ali, 40km from Dubai city centre.

The model was a little underwhelming at first sight, but when representatives begin providing details of the airport, you start to appreciate how enormous it will be.

The new hub, which has been renamed Al Maktoum International Airport, will have six parallel runways 4.5km in length. The runways, which will be 800 metres apart, will be able to accommodate four superjumbo A380s taking off or landing at the same time.

The 92 metre high control tower will be the highest in the Middle East and designed in a ‘flower concept.’

The $10 billion airport will be able to handle 120 million passengers and 12 tons of cargo annually. It will also boast hotels, shopping malls (of course), support facilities, and state-of-the-art maintenance facilities.

The airport is scheduled to begin flights of cargo aircraft next year, and will be fully complete in 2012.

One of the most popular exhibits at the Dubai Air Show are flight simulators. Several companies have theirs on display, and at every one that AME Info visited, there were a number of people standing in the queue waiting to take a turn.

Boeing had one of the largest simulators on display. We talked to one of their engineers who develops the product, and he said each one is customized for the client depending on the aircraft that the pilots will be flying. He said it can take up to two years to design the specialized software, and much of the equipment, such as the stick, is the real deal, not a fake imitation.

Judging by how popular the simulator was, we asked if the company gets any requests from individuals who want to buy one for their family rooms. The answer was, yes, they do get requests from time to time, but Boeing does not sell them to individuals, partly for legal reasons.

The price tag would probably deter most, but certainly not all, big spenders in the Middle East. The one pictured here would cost around $6m. Some models, which have screens shaped like overhead domes that would you see at a planetarium, can sell for as high as $30m. Which would make one very expensive Eid toy.

The Middle East air line industry has been the fastest growing market in the world, averaging more than 12 percent for each of the past five years according to Randy Tinseth, Vice President of Marketing for Boeing Commercial Aiprlanes. Speaking at the Dubai Air Show, Tinseth provided a 2007 current market outlook and a 20 year forecast for commercial airplane demand.

He said the remarkable growth of the Middle East market is getting a boost by a strong economy, liberalization around the world, and strong trade. Also, the airlines have been able to successfully leverage their geographic position in the world to connect passengers between Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and recently, the Americas. With the advent of aircraft that can serve longer routes, Middle East carriers can offer one-stop service to almost anywhere in the world.

Growth is also being driven by the region’s demographics. While typically known for its wealth and high-end passengers, which are well-served by the region’s internation carriers, the region also is home to a large number of Asian laborers who seldom fly because of the high cost. Recognizing the enormous potential of this market, four startup airlines have started in the past four years, Air Arabia, Jazeera Airways, NAS, and Sama. They already carry five percent of the region’s internal traffic.

In terms of a global forecast, Tinseth said the the number of passengers traveling over the next 20 years will increase by 4.5 percent per year, while passenger revenue per kilometer will grow by nearly 5 percent per year. He forecasts the total worldwide demand in 20 years to be 28,600 airplanes for a total investment 2.8 trillion dollars. The largest aircraft market in terms of units will be for single aisle airplanes, which carry between 100-200 passengers.

Boeing says it will be announcing a major sale for its new 787 Dreamliner at the Dubai Air Show, which opened today. It would not say which airline is buying the plane, which is going head to head with the Airbus A350.

The manufacturer said that sales this year for its aircraft in general are going well, and it expects to hit 150 orders from the Middle East alone by the end of the year.

Emirates Airline is expected to announcements the order of 50 Airbus A350s rather than Boeing’s equivalent 787 Dreamliner at this week’s show.

US aerospace manufacturing company Goodrich Corporation will unveil its new 115,000-square-foot systems maintenance and repair campus during the Dubai Air Show this week.

This new $25m facility will be located in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Trade Zone (JAFZA) area and will offer a full range of Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services for components and systems for both commercial and military aerospace customers from Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

“For our customer it’s all about enhancing the speed and ease of doing business with us by providing the right assets in the right place at the right time,” said N S Pandarinath, Vice President MRO, Europe, Middle East and Africa for Goodrich Customer Services.

Dubai World Central (DWC) , the colossal 140 square kilometre ‘aviation community’ being built in Jebel Ali, was in the news last week as it formed part of the newly created Dubai City of Aviation, alongside Dubai Airports and Dubai Air Traffic Navigation, following a governmental decree.

The vast airport at the heart of DWC, formerly known as the Jebel Ali International Airport, or simply JXB, was also re-named the Al Maktoum International Airport for good measure.

But DWC is promising even more ’major announcements’ in the upcoming days as the Dubai Air Show kicks off tomorrow. The previous headlines will take some beating one would have thought.

DWC certainly has a sizeable presence at the show with its stand occupying some 5,000 square feet as it looks to parade its various zones such as DWC Logistics City and DWC Commercial City.

It is also worth remembering that when the biennial air show next comes round again in 2009, it will actually be located in DWC at Dubai Exhibition World - a site twice the size of the current location at Airport Expo.

A new line of private jets are making their way into this year’s Dubai Air Show, including Prestige Jet, an aviation company operating out of Abu Dhabi International Airport.

With trade growing across borders and gulf countries increasingly transforming into business hubs, the demand on private air charter travel is on the rise.

“[Businessmen] are increasingly aware of the benefits in efficiency and productivity that private jet travel can bring,” said Ghaith Ben Hamil Al Ghaith, Chairman of Prestige Jet.

“In fact, private jet travel and executive charter flights are no longer seen as a luxury, but a necessity, and its flexibility and privacy has resulted in remarkable double-digit market growth in demand in the Middle East,” he added.

Prestige Jet currently uses GIII, Challenger 604, and Challenger 601 aircraft to serve key markets of the Gulf, Europe and the Far East.

The Middle East has become a hotspot for travel and to accommodate its rapid growth airport projects worth a total of $17bn are now underway.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a ‘looming infrastructure crisis’ is possible if countries in the region fail to prepare for the increased demand, with major potential impact on the environment caused by inefficient use of airspace and flight delays.

IATA reports that global airline traffic is expected to grow to 75 billion passengers by 2011, while the Middle East has the strongest international passenger demand with an annual average growth rate of 6.8 per cent.

Total Middle East international passenger numbers are forecast to be 105 million in 2011, an increase of 30 million over 2006 levels. The total global fleet of aircraft is expected to double by 2026, growing from 18,200 to more than 36,400.

Currently there are 59 active airport projects in GCC countries worth a combined total of well over $17bn. The largest of these projects is the Dubai World Central, which will be the world’s largest hub, big enough to handle 120 million passengers, and Qatar’s New Doha International Airport with a capacity of 50 million passengers and 320,000 planes.

US based aircraft producer Cirrus will showcase its latest plane models at the 2007 Dubai air show next week.

Apart from having the Cirrus SR22 G3, one of the world’s fastest-selling four seater aircraft, new features have been added to all the third generation planes. The new models weigh less, claiming to have one of the most weight-efficient wing structures in the industry by 23 kilograms while increasing their strength. As a result, Cirrus Generation Three aircraft boast a “wing weight to total aircraft ratio” which is done by centering the wing on a carbon spar.

Other features include an increased fuel capacity of 92 gallons that gives the plane a greater range of 16 per cent, so you travel more without a fuel stop, taller stance by about two inches which provides greater prop and tail clearance when landing on less-than-ideal runway surfaces.

And a new recognition light system, which is fitted into the wingtips, increases the visibility of the airport environment during taxi, takeoff, and landing at night. This also makes it easier to “see and be seen” by other aircraft, increasing its chances of avoiding a collision.