Heavy rains and windshear created havoc Wednesday at the Abu Dhabi Air Expo, damaging at least one static display aircraft and multiple outdoor exhibits. “It was a very bad day for us and the whole of the UAE,” said Didier Mary of show organizer 4MEvents. “Luckily no one was injured. That was the most important thing.” This weather is not typical for this time of this year, he said.
As the weather worsened Wednesday morning, nervous officials started ordering visitors to leave the main exhibitor marquee, fearing it would collapse in the high winds. Outside stand furniture was reduced to splinters in some cases, and a number of small aircraft rocked against moorings. Event participants feared for their safety and ran from chalets in the rainstorm as the exceptional severe weather damaged facilities.
Wednesday’s squall led to even worse conditions than the heavy rains experienced Tuesday, effectively halting the business aviation event at 11:30 a.m. On Tuesday,the show closed early, at 1:30 p.m. due to flooding. Organizers said the third day—Thursday—would go ahead as planned.
Officials from both Boeing Business Jets and Gulfstream expressed support for the event, saying its intimacy make it a great venue to meet important Abu Dhabi clients.
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