12 December 2003


DUBAI - Dubai 2003 - the eighth international aerospace exhibition which ended at the Airport Expo Dubai yesterday - has notched up a declared on-site order book of over $6 billion.
 
In the final stages of the show, the latest order placed was for four Seabird Seeker aircraft, in a deal valued at just short of $1 million.
 
The aircraft, produced by Jordan's Seabird Aviation, a Dubai air show newcomer, were bought by the Royal Jordanian Air Academy.
 
"Though the talks have begun before the show, the order was placed here once the client has assessed other alternatives on offer," said Alec Mackensie, Chairman, Seabird Aviation.
 
Commenting on the deal, Ahmed Abu Ghalaleh, Chairman of the Royal Jordanian Air Academy said the choice of aircraft came after seeing the Seeker at Dubai 2003 and comparing it with alternatives on display at the show.
 
"We have took a look at everything else and decided that for our future expansion, the best choice was the Seabird," he said.
 
The Royal Jordanian Air Academy is gearing up for expansion following a surge in enrolments since the facility was privatised in January of this year. "Student figures have risen from 207 in January to 1,000 today," said   Abu Ghazaleh. Meanwhile, Seabird Aviation was one of the first exhibitors to commit to a  reappearance at Dubai 2005, which will be held at an expanded Airport Expo Dubai from November 20-24, 2005.
 
"This show beats all the others," said Mackensie. "In terms of physical structure it is nicely compact you can achieve everything you need to and not get lost or confused in the structure - and there's no repetition.
 
"We will most certainly participate in 2005 and we will be back with more aircraft."
 
Among the major deals signed at the show included Emirates airline deal for GE-P&W Engine Alliance aircraft engines worth $1.5 billion to power its latest order of 23 Airbus A380-800 placed at the Paris air show in June.   The airline also announced plans to build a  $45 million advanced jet engine test facility in Dubai, in partnership with GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE), and the launch of a new helicopter simulator training program with CAE.
 
Also this year, Qatar Airways signed a $3 billion deal with Airbus for two A380s and two options, as well as for two A340-600s and options on a   further eight, and claimed it was the only carrier that had concluded aircraft purchases so far at the Dubai 2003.  Earlier, Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister said facilities at the Airport Expo Dubai  - the permanent home of the biennial Dubai air show -  are to be doubled to cope with increasing demand.
 
The expanded facilities, said General Shaikh Mohammed, will be ready by Dubai 2005 - the ninth international aerospace exhibition  which will run from 20-24 November, 2005.
 
"We will double the facilities because there is a lot of demand and we have to be ready for the future," said General Shaikh Mohammed.  

The purpose-built Airport Expo Dubai was constructed in 1999 specifically for the Dubai air show. It has been hailed by the international aerospace industry as a world-class venue. But growth in the Dubai air  show - Dubai 2003 being 12 per cent larger in contracted floor space than Dubai 2001 - has led to expansion demand.
 
The show has once again won the praise of the international press corps. "The Dubai air show is still the most user-friendly exhibition both for the industry and the media," said Charles Alcock, News Editor, Aviation International News. "You don't need to waste time here and you can get more done than anywhere else because the site is well organised and convenient. Internal communications are extremely efficient and therefore nothing is missed in terms of news."
 
Dubai 2003 featured 550 exhibitors from 36 countries and 13 national pavilions, including, for the first time, Jordan and the Ukraine. Some 85 aircraft took part in the show - the largest number at any Dubai air show - 23 of them feature in the daily flying display.
 
Fairs & Exhibitions (F&E), which organises the Dubai air show, said early response to Dubai 2005 has been the most enthusiastic ever.

BY GOPAL BHATTACHARYA

© Khaleej Times 2003