DUBAI — It feels like just yesterday I was arriving in Dubai for my first day of work with Flight. Two years around the horn and I’m back for another go at the Dubai Air Show. Needless to say, the world (and this city) has changed much in the past two years. The 2007 show saw a staggering number of orders as backlogs exploded, pushing Airbus and Boeing towards record bookings.
Late 2007 saw mega orders for Boeing and Airbus by Emirates and DAE, while Bombardier selected the Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan for CSeries, 787 first flight was scheduled for February 2008, United and Delta were in merger talks, 747-8F roll-out had slid and just one A380 had been delivered to Singapore Airlines.
What a difference two years makes.
The global economy is struggling to free itself from grips of recession, while the Middle East appears poised to lead the rest of the world out of the downturn. This region is an economic barometer for the rest of the planet, though it remains a widely discussed open question as to whether or not regional ambitions will become a reality.
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Airbus
The European airframer is expected to live up to its M.O. of saving order announcements for air shows. Likely customers include Ethiopian (A350), DAE, Emirates (A330, A350, A380) and Vietnam (A380). Other big show questions for Airbus include: What’s the latest on A350 development? Also, what about those A320 winglets?
Boeing
Like the Paris Air Show, Boeing will likely remain quiet on the commercial side, with the real action happening 9000 miles away in Puget Sound with 747-8 and 787. On the defense side, the show is likely to be busy with potential fighter orders. Keep a close eye on The DEW Line and @thedewline for the latest defense coverage here at Dubai.
Embraer
The Brazilian airframer is busy here at the show working both angles of its civil business. The company has brought its Lineage 1000 and Phenom 100, and is widely rumored to have several order announcements in the pipeline from Middle Eastern customers for its E-Jets.
Bombardier
CSeries is at the forefront of Bombardier’s show strategy as the company plans to meet with “over a dozen” Middle Eastern airlines to sell the new narrowbody. An order could be up Bombardier’s sleeve, however the magic eight ball is quite cloudy on this one. Also, I’ll be chasing the latest on the M-170, Bombardier’s G650 competitor.
Gulfstream
Let’s just put it this way – I’m on first flight watch for G650. Low
speed taxi tests took place on 12 Nov in Savannah pushing T1 to about
20-30 knots, but the tests are indicative of a rapidly approaching
maiden flight for the company’s ultra long-range flagship.
Wild Cards
Latest on Sukhoi Superjet? China’s Comac 919? Mitsubishi’s MRJ? Unexpected comments, orders, etc. Like any good air show, you begin with one plan for the show which quickly gets torn up in the first five minutes. The only thing predictable here is the unpredictable.
Required Reading:
- Overview and show preview: Middle East sets course for economic recovery
- Business aviation bounces back: Joining the new jet set
- Dubai’s expanding airports: The sky’s the limit
- Jordan aims high: Oasis of enterprise
- Royal Jordanian‘s strategy: Linking the Levant
- A low-cost spy in the sky: Security on a budget
- Training the region: Alya Aviation Academy takes off at Aqba
- Gulf’s ambitious network carriers: Flying the flags
- Budget carriers cause a ripple: Low-cost challenge
- Bahrain and Oman fly solo: Out of the shadows
- UAE stockpiles weapon systems: Building an arsenal
- Saudi Arabia’s military muscle: Robust Riyadh
- Iraq gathers arms for 2012: Starting from scratch
- NATO-like coalition takes shape: Fractious friends
- US aid for Israel’s neighbours: Border security
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.