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The 17th edition of the Dubai Airshow kicked off on a positive note on Sunday, with aviation players and professionals expressing optimism that the industry is now moving on a recovery path after a tumultuous period that saw revenues and passenger traffic plummet to record low levels.
The biennial event, known for its mega aircraft deals, is the first major gathering of aerospace professionals, leaders and experts since the start of the health outbreak last year. This year’s event is expected to be the biggest since the Dubai Airshow started in 1989, with the total number of visitors forecast to exceed 85,000.
Running from November 14 to 18, the Airshow has registered more than 370 exhibitors and representatives from nearly 150 countries, including the United States, France, Germany and Italy. It showcases aircraft, world-class products, solutions, technologies and services in the aviation, aerospace, space and defence sectors.
“The Dubai Airshow has always been a great place to meet decision-makers and thought leaders from the aerospace and defence industry [not just] from the Middle East but also from all around the world… This year, the show feels even more important. As the first aerospace show since the beginning of the pandemic, this is an opportunity to give a new impetus to the industry for a faster recovery,” said John Happ, VP, Global Airline Sales of Intelsat, a provider of inflight broadband to airlines.
Happ noted that they are already seeing some encouraging signs, particularly in the international and domestic markets that showed “some positive momentum over the summer,” while more countries are reopening their borders to travellers, including the United States and Australia.
Orkun Altintas, Director Consulting – Aerospace & Defense for EMEASA region at Frost & Sullivan, said the size of the exhibition itself, including the volume of participants, is a testament of the renewed confidence in the aerospace industry.
“Having seen the size of the exhibition area, the impressive number of static aircraft on display and the high volume of attendees holding meetings in the first morning has been wonderful to see and gives confidence in a strong recovery of our industry,” Altintas told Zawya.
“The industry is now well on its way to recovery. Passenger demand is building up and airlines are increasingly bringing their aircraft out of temporary storage to re-establish their networks and fulfil returning demand,” he said.
Participating airlines
The event is seeing the participation of key industry players including Emirates, Flydubai, Air Arabia, Airbus, Boeing and Lockheed Martin, among many others.
Adel Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia, noted that the aviation sector is indeed “gearing up for a steady recovery” and is now on a “new flightpath to renewed growth.
“We are delighted to be [a] part of the Dubai Airshow, a platform to highlight how our industry has addressed the challenges… We will focus on highlighting our new technologies, innovations and state-of-the art solutions that aim to further enhance the customer experience,” he said in a statement.
“As travel begins to open up and the world begins to connect once again, it gives those of us in the aviation industry an opportunity to be optimistic and what better place to share this sentiment than with key stakeholders at the Dubai Airshow,” added Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at Flydubai. The budget carrier is showcasing its Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft that promises to offer passengers improved onboard experience.
Ian Moore, Chief Commercial Officer of VistaJet, said the aerospace event is a great opportunity for some of the biggest players in the industry to get together and talk business after a challenging period.
“This is particularly important for VistaJet as the MENA region continues to be a crucial region for us, as we continue to see growing demand from clients,” he said.
“After the world-changing events of the past 18 months, Dubai Airshow has taken on even more significance. It [is] the first truly international aviation event since the start of the pandemic and we’re fully anticipating it to be a much-celebrated event for the industry as a whole,” Moore told Zawya.
The air transport industry showed a moderate rebound in September 2021 compared to the previous month, helped by recovery in domestic markets, particularly China. Total demand for air travel during the month, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), was down 53.4 percent compared to September 2019. This marked an improvement from August, when demand was 56 percent below August 2019 levels, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
(Reporting by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Daniel Luiz)
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© ZAWYA 2021
