As the next biennial Dubai Air Show approaches, all eyes are on the Middle East, but not entirely for the usual reasons. Even after being dented by the financial crisis of 2008-2009, the region still holds huge potential for the air transport and aerospace industries. But to what extent could this potential be affected–negatively or positively–by the fallout from the so-called Arab Spring political upheaval still unfolding in Bahrain, Yemen, Egypt, Syria, Libya and Tunisia? The truth is that no one knows the answer to this, nor can anyone say for sure how much farther the wave of change might spread as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) prepares to host one of the world’s top airshows.
What we do know is that the Dubai Air Show (November 13 to 17) is still growing, at least in terms of numbers of exhibitors. Organizer Fairs & Exhibitions (F&E) believes that the number of exhibitors could nudge 1,000 this year, compared with 890 companies in 2009. That said, the weakened world economy is manifesting itself in that some exhibitors are reducing the scale of their presence so that the overall floor space for this year’s show will not be larger.
Once again, this year’s is supposed to be the last staging of the Dubai Air Show at the Dubai Airport Expo center before it moves to the Dubai World Central complex at the new Al Maktoum International Airport. F&E has abandoned the separate Emirates Hall that was introduced in 2009 and will keep all the exhibitors in the three main halls at Dubai Airport Expo. It has extended the reception building to make more room for exhibit space, and more companies are opting for new outdoor pavilions on the flight display line.
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