Dubai Airshow Preview: More Growth for Middle East on the Horizon

The biennial Dubai Airshow 2015 will take place from November 8 to 12, as a trade-only event at the newly renamed DWC/Dubai Airshow Site. The event provides an important benchmark as to the state of the Middle East’s civil aviation and defense markets and appears to be on track to match the magnitude of the 2013 show, which attracted 1,046 exhibitors from 60 countries, 163 aircraft on display, and more than 60,000 trade visitors.

The deep pockets of the Gulf region’s airlines accounted for much of the $206 billion worth of new aircraft orders announced at the 2013 show. Manufacturers will be hoping for more next month, despite the demands by U.S. carriers United, Delta and American that their Gulf rivals should be denied market access privileges under open skies agreements on the grounds that they allegedly receive anti-competitive government subsidies.

The 2013 show also saw the event move from congested Dubai International Airport into a large purpose-built facility. This provided additional room for the show’s growth, with 65,000 visitors expected at this year’s event.

Ancillary Events

Organizer F&E Aerospace is inviting members of the public to view the flying in a separate “Skyview” stand; the flying display has not yet been announced, but it is expected that it will include the customary crop of the latest civil airliners, fighters, helicopters, business and aerobatic aircraft, and possibly also a UAV or two. Running concurrently with the show on November 10 and 11 will be several other events, and focus areas for business aviation and UAVs are among those currently in the planning stage.

The Gulf Aviation Training Event “will focus on pilot training and human factors versus automation, as well as flight tracking systems.” It will be held in a dedicated pavilion within the airshow building. There will also be a Futures Day on November 12 for students to attend the show site.

In June, show organizers announced that additive manufacturing (“3-D printing”) will also be a focus at the show. “It seemed a natural fit to partner with 3D Printshow,” said Michele van Akelijen, managing director of F&E Aerospace. “We are proud of the Dubai Airshow being at the forefront of the industry, and 3-D printing will most certainly be a game changer in aerospace and its supply chain,” she added. “With the aerospace industry taking such a keen interest it seemed only logical to bring these two industries together.”

3D Printshow Dubai will take place in a dedicated pavilion with exhibitors such as Stratasys, Ultimaker, BigRep and D2M demonstrating their technologies in the hall alongside 1,100 other exhibitors the organizers expect.

The Airport Safety and Security Conference will also take place during the Dubai Air Show week. Organized by Fleming Gulf, it will take place on November 8 and 9 with the aim of bringing together key experts to discuss important security aspects of the airport industry, “while looking at how big data and integration markets are driving upgrades and new investments in the airport security market.”