The 2015 Dubai Airshow gets under way in the UAE today featuring more than 1,100 exhibitors from all corners of the globe.

The five-day event is being held at a purpose-built site in Dubai South (formerly known as Dubai World Central).

The show’s impressive range of exhibitors demonstrates the global reach of the show, including Bell Helicopter from the US, Tawazun Precision Industries from the UAE, Denel from South Africa and China National Aero Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC) from China.

Major regional and international private and business aviation players at the event 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.

Of the over 1,100 exhibitors expected, one third of them are coming from around the Middle East. Also highly represented on the show floor will be European exhibitors, with an almost equal amount of them coming from as far afield as the US, with the 28 per cent of exhibitors from the Americas and 29 per cent from Europe.

Completing the global footprint of the show are exhibitors from Africa, Asia and Australasia, with New Zealand based first time exhibitor Martin Aircraft Company bringing its V4 engine composite airframe Martin Jetpack to display.

“The Dubai Airshow truly is the centre of the aerospace industry,” says Michele van Akelijen, Managing Director of Dubai Airshow organiser F&E Aerospace. “With exhibitors coming from over 60 countries including new ones from places such as the US and Asia, we are expecting to see some very new and innovative additions to the show.”

Many exhibitors cite the international appeal of the show as an important reason to attend. Airbus identified the Middle East as one of the fastest growing regions in its latest market forecast, meaning the Dubai Airshow is in an ideal central hub for the industry to meet and do business.

It’s not just the exhibitors that are new at the Dubai Airshow 2015 – the show has added a dedicated 3D print pavilion, 3D Printshow Dubai. With Stratasys recently reported to have 3D printed more than 1000 in-flight parts for the Airbus A350 XWB aircraft, and GE already developing and testing engines with 3D printed parts, the technology is a natural fit for inclusion in the Dubai Airshow.

Another new exhibitor is the newly formed UAE Space Agency, which was created in 2014 with the aim to regulate and support the UAE Space sector and contribute to the diversification of the national economy through providing a national advanced space industry. 

 “With the addition of the UAE Space Agency to our existing exhibitor list, we have added yet another dimension to the Dubai Airshow.” van Akelijen continues, “The global space industry is worth $300 billion, and growing at 8 per cent annually. The UAE’s investments in space technologies have already exceeded AED20 billion ($5.4 billion), including UAE based companies Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), Al Yah Satellite Communications Company (Yahsat) and Thuraya Telecommunications Company, all of whom will be exhibiting with the UAE Space Agency.”

Returning for 2015 will be the Gulf Aviation Training Event (GATE) which was launched in 2011 to address aviation training needs in the Middle East,  and in addition there will be two new conferences taking place at this year’s show: the Airport Safety & Security Conference, which aims to bring together the 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; and the Offsets Conference entitled “Utilising Offset Investment to Develop Space and Aviation Technologies and Local Supply Chain Capability” which will address the utilisation of industrial cooperation, or “offset” investment to further develop aviation technology, supply chain capability and the UAE’s space industry.

Flying displays will take place from 2 pm daily featuring demonstrations from the UAE’s Al Fursan and Italy’s Frecce Tricolori, among others.