The biennial Dubai air show, which begins on 8 November, launched more than 25 years ago and is known for its mouth-watering orders. Here is our list of the 10 most significant shows and stories from the 13 previous editions.
1. 1989
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Dubai, a slightly down-at-heel Arabian trading port in the UAE with big ambitions to become a global city, holds its own air show with the aim of becoming the main forum for the Middle East’s aviation industry. The event comes three years after the modest launch of national airline Emirates in a local market dominated by the main international carrier Gulf Air, which flies the flags of Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the UAE. With 200 exhibitors, 25 aircraft and 10,000 visitors, Dubai begins life very much in the lower divisions of major air shows. In the aftermath of the Iran-Iraq war, this is a region rife with cross-border and internal tensions, although the UAE is stable, peaceful and increasingly prosperous. The Gulf nations are seen as vital allies and good potential customers by Western governments and their defence contractors.
2. 1991
MILITARY MANOEUVRE
British Aerospace 1000 business jet
Gary Dawson/REX Shutterstock
These regional tensions erupt and the show, originally planned for January, is moved to November following Saddam's invasion of Kuwait and the outbreak of the Gulf War. As a result, the show has an overwhelmingly military focus, with the (still in existence) Soviet Union displaying an array of stand-off missiles, and the UAE talking up its air defence requirements. However, the new British Aerospace 1000 business jet makes its debut in Dubai after making a record-breaking flight from London, and Flight International reports that Emirates is close to confirming its first long-range widebody order.
3. 1995
BOEING TAKES ON THE A330
Airbus
The focus begins to move to the commercial market. Boeing reveals the 767-400X study – a new asset in its battle against the new and successful Airbus A330. The design, as Flight International reports, “exhibits the classic hallmarks of a Boeing stretch” with a 6.3m fuselage extension to create space for up to a fifth more seats. It comes as Toulouse is pushing the advantages of the A330-200 over the older 767-300ER.
4. 1999
NEW HOME FOR THE SHOW
Tim Rooke/Rex Shutterstock
With the new millennium weeks away, the event is coming of age and the sixth Dubai show, dubbed Airshow 2000, sees it move into a new purpose-built Expo by the International Airport. Some 30,000 visitors turn up, three times the number which had come to the first edition. Beyond the show site, the first signs of the massive southward expansion of Dubai's skyline are evident, with the opening this year of the Burj al-Arab hotel, soon to become the Gulf's most recognised building. The show also has a royal presence – from outside the Gulf. Britain’s Prince Charles pays a visit and is given a demonstration of the new Eurofighter, in which BAe has a stake.
5. 2001
A LOW POINT
AirTeamImages
Held in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in a period of huge uncertainty about the future of the aviation industry, many international exhibitors and visitors stay away for security and financial reasons (a slight that some say is not forgotten by Dubai’s influential ruling family). The focus is very much on the defence side again with the UAE ordering 80 Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 60 fighters. However, as with most Dubai shows to come, a big Emirates order is another theme, with the carrier booking 22 Airbus A380s and three A330-200s, and committing to 25 Boeing 777-200ER/300s and eight Airbus A340-600s.
6. 2005
SUPERJUMBO DEBUT
AirTeamImages
Fresh from its flying debut at Le Bourget, the Airbus A380 – shortly to become the flagship of the Emirates fleet – makes its first appearance at the Dubai air show. The show site is extended with a new central hall to accommodate more exhibitors. Meanwhile, Indian airline Kingfisher announces deals for 20 ATRs and 30 Airbus A320s. And the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber – described as a "low-observable, strategic, long-range, heavy bomber, capable of penetrating sophisticated and dense air-defence shields", debuts at Dubai.
7. 2007
EMIRATES BIG SPENDER AGAIN
Kamal Moghrabi/Rex Shutterstock
With the global aviation industry on a high, Emirates orders 70 of Airbus’s new A350 XWB (the deal is controversially cancelled in 2014) as well as nine more A380s and 12 777-300ERs. The show also sees the emergence of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, a government-owned start-up with aspirations to become a player in sectors such as training, aviation services, MRO and leasing. It marks its debut with an order for a staggering 200 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, including 70 A320s and 70 737s. Following the financial crisis, DAE later cancels most of its orders and divests or closes its other businesses to remain, by 2015, a niche leasing outfit. Meanwhile, “if you’ve got it, flaunt it” seems to be the attitude of Saudi Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, who signs a deal with Airbus’s top salesman, John Leahy, for a VIP version of the A380. As with the DAE deal in the same year, the aircraft never materialises. After several years of debate about which completion centre would be prepared to invest in the tooling for what could be a one-off project, the order is quietly shelved.
8. 2009
FLYDUBAI’S ARRIVAL
AirTeamImages
With the Dubai financial crisis still affecting the economy, Flydubai, a low-cost offshoot from Emirates, makes its Dubai debut. The carrier’s big order, however, is not at Dubai, but at Farnborough 18 months earlier when it orders 50 Boeing 737-800s. Negotiations continue between the UAE government and Italy's Aermacchi over a potential order for 48 M-346 advanced trainers. As the show is taking place, Boeing's new 747-8F makes its first appearance outside the factory in Everett – good news for Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, which has orders for 15 of them.
9. 2011
RECORD DEAL
Boeing
Emirates keeps faith with the Boeing 777-300ER, placing an order for up to 70 examples – at the time, Seattle's largest ever order by list price value. The deal reinforces the Dubai flag-carrier's position as the biggest operator of the long-range widebody, with 94 in service and 41 on order before this agreement. Meanwhile, a UAE government official attacks Dassault for submitting "unworkable" terms in an attempt to close a long-awaited deal for up to 60 Rafale fighters, blowing the country's fighter race wide open. In other news, the Boeing 787 makes its first appearance at Dubai, and Diamond secures a Dubai backer for its troubled D-Jet personal jet programme (the finance later fails to materialise and the Canadian-built D-Jet is put on ice).
10. 2013
777X LAUNCHED
Billypix
Four years after many experts doubted the viability of the “Dubai experiment” in the wake of the financial crash, the big-spenders make a return to dispense the biggest orders at a Dubai air show ever. Between them, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways place commitments for more than 450 aircraft, including launch orders for the new Boeing 777X, as well as deals for the 787 and Airbus A380s, A350s and A320s. The 2013 event is the first to be held at the new expo at Dubai World Central: rare thunderstorms cause flooding and the cancellation of the final day.
Source: Flight International
