Dubai Airshow showed aviation is flying high again

Photo: AFP/Anadolu Agency/Waleed Zein

Eurasia 26/11/2023 13:00

The Dubai Airshow showcased the aviaton sector's strong return to growth following the Covid-19 pandemic as airlines sealed multibillion-dollar deals for jets and signalled their confidence in the longevity of air travel demand.

The biennial global aerospace exhibition was heaving with visitors as more than 115,000 people attended.

Global aircraft manufacturers secured deals, reconnected with customers at crowded chalets overlooking the DWC airport apron and expressed optimism about the continued growth of the industry, The National reported.

"If the 2021 Dubai Airshow demonstrated signs of recovery from the pandemic, which brought the worst crisis in the industry's history, then this year's event highlighted its resilient return to sustainable growth", the news site wrote.

Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, summed up this sentiment at the Dubai Airshow gala dinner. "We're back!" he proclaimed to a gathering of the aviation industry's elite, attended by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group.

AFP/Karim Sahib

"The emotional heart of this fabulous industry here in the UAE beats more strongly and more optimistically than ever before," said Mr Griffiths.

The Dubai Airshow's host airline Emirates, along with its sister carrier flydubai, led the orders for commercial jets and underlined the recovery in the wide-body aircraft market, as long-haul travel makes a strong comeback.

Emirates ordered 110 aircraft worth $58 billion at list prices, while flydubai ordered 30 Boeing 787 Dreamliner wide-bodies valued at $11 billion. Customers typically get significant discounts, particularly for large orders.

The two UAE carriers dominated the air expo with their order splash.

AFP/Karim Sahib

"The Dubai Airshow 2023 signifies a significant step in the aviation industry’s return to growth, following the initial recovery signals sent by the 2021 edition," Linus Bauer, founder and managing director of Bauer Aviation Advisory, told The National

Boeing overtook its European rival Airbus with the biggest haul of aircraft orders at the Dubai Airshow, mainly due to its historically stronger portfolio of wide-body jets that are popular with major Gulf carriers such as Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways.

"We believe that the volume of orders that have been placed with us this week is testament to the value that our airline partners put on Boeing’s advanced engineering and systems capabilities, and also a vote of confidence in our ability to deliver the [aircraft] that they require to serve their customers for decades to come,” Omar Arekat, Boeing's vice president of commercial sales and marketing in the Middle East, told The National.

Chinese aviaton equipment attracted Middle Eastern interest at the airshow too, Global Times reported. Chinese defense products are an attractive option in the international market because they offer both high quality and high cost-efficiency, with no unreasonable political strings attached, Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times.

Middle Eastern countries are long customers of Chinese defense products like drones, and now they are looking at options for fighter jets, a market once dominated mainly by the US and Europe, Fu said.

China's arms exports are win-win cooperation that aims to provide other countries with means to carry out their independent defense policies and to safeguard regional peace and stability, unlike the US that ties arms exports with political strings to maintain its global military hegemony, Global Times concluded.

#United Arab Emirates

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Dubai Airshow showed aviation is flying high again

The Dubai Airshow showcased the aviaton sector's strong return to growth following the Covid-19 pandemic as airlines sealed multibillion-dollar deals for jets and signalled their confidence in the longevity of air travel demand.

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