Major players from around the world will converge in Dubai this November for the widely-anticipated air show, which focuses on general, commercial and defence aviation

The 2015 Dubai Airshow is set to be the biggest yet with more than 1,100 exhibitors attending the biennial event in the UAE emirate. Covering an area of 645,000 sq m, the show will be held at a purpose-built site located in Dubai South (formerly known as Dubai World Central) from November 8 to 12, 2015.

The 2015 edition is expected to attract 65,000 trade visitors, according to F&E Aerospace, the event’s organisers, who add that the show, which focuses on commercial and defence aviation, will also have several major business aviation players in attendance.

“The business aviation market in the Middle East will be worth $1.2 billion by 2020, according to Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA), and this sector is always heavily represented at the Dubai Airshow,” says Kate Taylor, the PR manager for the event. 

MEBAA itself had planned to have a pavilion dedicated to business aviation at the air show but later decided to postpone it until the 2017 event, according to Taylor.

Major regional and international private and business aviation players at the event will include Airbus Corporate Jets, Aeria Luxury Interiors, Aerion Corporation, Alpha Star Aviation Services, the Al Salam group including its VIP completions division, Alpha Star, Bombardier Business Aircraft, Cessna Aircraft Company, Dassault, DC Aviation Al Futtaim (DCAF), Greenline Interiors, Gulf Wings, Embraer Executive Jets, Execujet Middle East, Gulfstream, the Jet Aviation group companies, Hadid International, Piaggio Aerospace, Pilatus Aircraft, Qatar Executive, Royal Jet, Saudia Private Aviation, and UAS International Trip Support, among others.

One of these players expected to make waves at the event is Aerion, which will be showcasing its supersonic jet to high-flying private globetrotters from the region (see separate report).

In the commercial arena, major regional airlines Emirates, Etihad Airways, Fly Dubai and Qatar Airways will all be present at the show. Other major commercial and defence players include Airbus Group, BAE Systems, Boeing, Dassault, GE Aviation, Fokker Services, Lockheed Martin, Lufthansa Technik, Mubadala, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Rockwell Collins, Rolls-Royce, Saab, Textron, Thales and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), with new exhibitors including Oshkosh and Roketsan. 

Roketsan is a Turkish company which designs, develops and manufactures rockets and missiles including air defence systems, precision-guided systems and turnkey facilities.

Meanwhile, Bell Helicopter of the US will also be at the event trying to win a larger share of the market for helicopters in the region.


AT THE CUTTING EDGE

The Dubai Airshow has a reputation for being at the cutting edge of the aerospace industry and this year’s event will continue to focus on game-changing technology with the addition of the 3D print pavilion and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) in the flying display, and an Airport Safety and Security Conference. 

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is emerging as an important tool for aerospace manufacturers with global companies such as Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Boeing, among others, citing the importance of industrial 3D printing technologies both

within their supply chains and for final manufacturing of components. 

With some qualified non-critical 3D printed parts already flying on aircraft, the weight saving benefits that translate to financial efficiencies are only starting to make an impact.

PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the largest professional services firms in the world, described 3D printing as “a potential game changer for aerospace and defence” and advises that all aerospace manufacturers should be tracking developments in the 3D printing field, adding that those companies that manufacture parts should be experimenting with 3D printing technologies.

“Indeed, the aerospace industry is adopting 3D print technology at a very fast rate, because you can 3D print aircraft engine parts and take weight out,” says Hugh Evans, Vice President of Corporate Development and Ventures for 3D Systems. 

Disruptivemagazine.com reported that Stratasys recently 3D printed more than 1,000 in-flight parts for the Airbus A350 XWB aircraft and GeekWire estimates that there are over 20,000 parts 3D printed out of plastics currently being used on Boeing aircraft. 

Perhaps as importantly, General Electric has announced that its Leap jet engine will incorporate a fuel nozzle produced entirely through additive manufacturing, and is currently completing testing of the new Leap engine models.

“It seemed a natural fit to partner with 3D Printshow,” says Michele van Akelijen, the Managing Director of F&E Aerospace. “We are proud of the Dubai Airshow being at the forefront of the industry, and 3D printing will most certainly be a game changer in aerospace and its supply chain. With the aerospace industry taking such a keen interest, it seemed only logical to bring these two industries together.”

3D Printshow Dubai will take place at a dedicated pavilion within the air show, with exhibitors such as 3DVinci Creations, Ion Core Technology, 3D Gence, Be3D, BigRep, Stratasys, Dynamo3D, Ultimaker, Ira3D, WASP 3D Printers, Sharebot, 3Doodler, eSUN 3D Filaments, Weistek and X60, demonstrating their technologies.


SAFETY IN FOCUS

The Airport Safety and Security Conference, organised by Fleming Gulf, takes place on November 8 and 9, and will bring together key experts to discuss important security aspects of the airport industry while looking at how big data and integration markets are driving upgrades and new investments in the airport security market.

Topics such as ‘Airport and Aircraft Communication Security’, ‘Airport Screening Technologies and Airport Security’, ‘Cargo Security: A Threat to the Region and Air Carriers’, and many more will be discussed by industry specialists.

Speakers will include Laila Al Muhairi, Executive Director Strategy and International Affairs of the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority and Mohammad Al Dossari, Director Air Navigation & Aerodromes Department, UAE General Civil Aviation, in addition to representatives from Dubai Police and the International Air Transport Association (Iata). 

The speakers will showcase the most advanced technologies and the best use of available resources to support the continuous development of security standards in airports across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.

Van Akelijen says: “We are pleased to be launching the Airport Safety and Security Conference at the Dubai Airshow this year… the addition of this conference is a natural step to integrating another facet of the industry.”

Ranjith Paul, Managing Director of conference organiser Fleming Gulf, agrees: “Passenger numbers in the region continue to soar, which presents an increase in security challenges for airports. At the same time, there is a vast business opportunity for international suppliers in the region as aviation personnel look at setting up the most innovative and advanced global security technologies at their facilities.”

The Dubai Airshow will also see the return of the prestigious Delegations Programme in which civil and military delegations from across the world are invited to participate. The programme is co-ordinated by F&E Aerospace, in conjunction with Dubai’s Department of Civil Aviation Authority, the Government of Dubai and the UAE Ministry of Defence.

Meanwhile, Dubai Airshow has also strengthened its team with the addition of a new aerospace director Caryn McConnachie. She has over 16 years of experience in running events internationally across the Middle East, Europe, Russia, North America, Latin America and Asia, in a wide range of sectors including aerospace and defence. She returns to F&E Aerospace, where she was previously Director of Operations, after five years with the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (Adnec), which organises the biennial International Defence Exhibition & Conference (IDEX).

Organised under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Dubai Airshow is held in co-operation with the UAE Armed Forces, Dubai Department of Civil Aviation Authority and Dubai Airports.

The 2013 edition was the biggest ever in its history with 1,046 exhibitors from 60 countries, over 60,000 trade visitors, 1,735 international and regional media, and an order book of $206.1 billion – the largest in any air show history.

And though Emirates has hinted that it will not place any large orders at the event, the 2015 Dubai Airshow is on track to beat the record for the number of exhibitors at the show. As van Akelijen says, the 2015 Dubai Airshow “is shaping up to be our busiest ever”.