The airshow boasts 1,100 exhibitors from more than 60 countries and regions and 16 industry pavilions, and for the first time with a 3D pavilion showcasing how 3D printing is and will be increasingly used by aircraft manufacturers.
Advertisement
(Sunday, Nov 8, 14:45) “Bird in a biplane” Tracey Curtis-Taylor (below) landed in Dubai last week for the airshow in her vintage 1942 Boeing Stearman, as part of a 14,000-mile flight from the United Kingdom to Australia.
At this year’s Dubai Airshow the expectations are low for major orders matching the multi-billio …
There is now an order backlog of 750 widebody aircrafts for the Gulf region, so further orders are unlikely, he said. “The majority of wide-bodies are going to carriers using sixth freedom rights, they’ve built very successful business models, and frankly we just don’t see that changing”.
James Hogan, the chief of Abu Dhabi’s fast-growing Etihad, said earlier this year that his company has made enough orders to cover its expansion plans to 2040.
The UAE Vice-President went onboard an Airbus A350, of which Emirates airline is considering an order, and also boarded a Qatar Airways Airbus A380, accompanied by the airline’s chief executive, Akbar Al Baker.
It said the new aircraft are valued at $637 million at list prices and are due for delivery next year.
Sunday’s sole purchase was from Etihad Airways PSJC, for two Boeing 777 freighters.
Emirates was the first airline to order the A380 and is the largest operator of this aircraft carrying nearly 47 million passengers to date.
Earlier he told reporters that “most Gulf airlines agreed many deals in the last edition of the show”.
“About 80% of the world’s population lives within an eight-hour flight of the Arabian Gulf”.
Meanwhile, Boeing has forecasted that it expects demand in the Middle East to require 3180 new planes over the next 20 years.
“Boeing is the world’s leading aerospace company, and to ensure our regional competitiveness, we have taken a strategic decision to establish our regional headquarters in what will become an unrivaled logistics and aviation hub”, said Muilenburg.
Advertisement
The agreement was confirmed at a private signing ceremony attended by Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation, the parent organisation of Dubai South; Khalifa Al Zaffin, executive chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation; Dennis Muilenburg, president and CEO of Boeing; Raymond Conner, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Marc Allen, president of Boeing global; and Bernard Dunn, president of Boeing Middle East, North Africa and Turkey.
