Dubai air show starts next sunday

Organizers expect the 2011 Dubai Air Show to trump the 2009 event in terms of visitors by 4%, at just over 55,000. More than 1,000 exhibitors from 50 countries have booked space for the November 13 to 17 show at Dubai Airport Expo, including first-time participants from Ethiopia, as well as companies from Australia and Japan after a break of several years. First-time exhibitors will account for about 20% of bookings for this year’s Dubai show, according to Aviation International News web-site. Among the 67 aircraft scheduled for display, Boeing s new 787 Dreamliner will make its Middle Eastern debut by appearing on the first four days of the show. Meanwhile, plans call for the 60-seat MA-600 regional turboprop from Aviation Industries of China to make its first appearance outside the People s Republic. Attendees can expect a strong patriotic flavor at Dubai 2011, as the event coincides with the 40th anniversary of the formation of the United Arab Emirates. Growing numbers of local firms plan to exhibit at the show, including a UAE company expected to launch a brand-new civil helicopter on the first day. Abu Dhabi-based aerospace group Mubadala will likely rank among the largest UAE exhibitors at this year’s show, as it highlights its growing involvement in maintenance, repair and overhaul, as well as also aerostructures manufacturing for Airbus. Several airframers, including Boeing and Airbus, will hope to go home from Dubai with new business confirmed. Arabian Gulf carriers have continued to spend big in recent years, and both Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways are both strongly tipped to confirm more orders during the Dubai show. Several other local carriers, including low-cost operators FlyDubai, have booked press conference slots, which often indicates plans to sign aircraft contracts. The Brazilian "Embraer" will participate in Dubai Air Show 2011, the largest event in the aerospace sector in the Middle East. During the exhibition, the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer should promote its commercial and executive jet lines.  The company will take to the exhibition its Legacy 650 and Lineage 1000 aircraft, both large airplanes. According to a company press statement, "in the Middle East, Embraer s footprint has grown steadily, since its first commercial aircraft, an Embraer 170, entered service with Saudi Arabian Airlines in 2005." In total, 65 E-Jets are operating in the Middle East, operated by nine companies: EgyptAir (Egypt), Gulf Air (Bahrain), Nas air, Saudi Airlines and Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia), Oman Air (Oman), Petro Air and Sirte Oil (Libya) and Jordanian (Jordan). In 2010 and 2011, the Embraer 170 was the second most operated aircraft in the region, used mainly to adjust route capacity to passenger demand and reduce the excess seats in narrow body aircraft   those with just one aisle.