JEDDAH, 24 October 2007 -- A contingent of 11 companies related to the aviation industry from Saudi Arabia is taking part in the 10th anniversary edition of the biennial Dubai Airshow 2007, scheduled at Airport Expo Dubai on Nov. 11-15.
The contingent includes Al-Salam Aircraft Company and National Air Services (NAS), Alison Weller, director, Aerospace, of the Surrey-based Fairs & Exhibitions, told a press conference yesterday. She was accompanied by Munther Akram Juma, senior vice president marketing and corporate communications of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, and Khalid Z. Abul Jadayel, VP commercial operations of Alsalam Aircraft Co.
"A powerful mix of Saudi civil aviation and military decision makers will converge on the UAE's part of a major delegations program and an expanded exhibitor profile for the aerospace exhibition," Alison said.
Some 40,000 trade visitors and up to 150 civil and military delegations from 50 countries are expected to attend the show.
The show, which is claimed to be the third largest-of-its-kind in the world, will feature up to 900 exhibitors from 48 countries, an increase of 40 percent from 2005 Dubai Airshow, making it the largest to date, she added. Business deals in 2005 show hit $21.3 billion, claimed to be the highest since the event's inception in 1989. A key element of this year's show is the high propensity of new-to-market exhibitors -- 130 to date from 24 countries -- accounting for more than one-tenth of the show's entire exhibitor profile.
A host of new countries will also be represented for the first time at this year's show including the Cayman Islands, Afghanistan (represented by Safi Airways), Luxembourg (represented by maintenance service provider CAE Aviation) and the Philippines with Beechcraft spares stockist Aerospace products International.
The show will host over 130 aircraft including the Airbus A380, Boeing's BBJ family, the SR22, a Lockheed Martin F-16 and a host of unmanned aerial vehicles and business jets.
The Russian MIG-29 multirole fighter aircraft will take to the skies during the daily flying display, which will also feature performances from three of the world's top aerobatic display teams -- Britain's Red Arrows, the Patrouille de France and Spain's Patrulla Aguila, which is to make its Gulf debut.
The next show in 2009 will be held in a purpose-built site at Dubai Exhibition World, which is being built at Dubai World Central at Jebel Ali, 30 km from Dubai City.
The delegation's program is coordinated by Fairs & Exhibitions, which organizes the Dubai Airshow in conjunction with the department of civil aviation, government of Dubai and the UAE ministry of defense.
© Arab News 2007
