DUBAI — The biennial Dubai Air Show, scheduled for Nov. 11-15, will celebrate its 10th anniversary with more growth and record sales, making it one of the world’s fastest-growing defense exhibitions.

“The Dubai Air Show is now the third-largest show of its kind in the world, which clearly reflects the importance that the global aerospace market places on the Middle East,” said Alison Weller, aerospace director at Fairs and Exhibitions, the event’s organizer.

“The Dubai Air Show 2007 has recorded a 40 percent increase on floor space, and this year we will have over 850 exhibitors from 50 countries, compared to 726 from 46 countries in 2005,” Weller said.

She said 150 government and military delegations from 50 countries are expected to attend.

“In 2005, we had a record-breaking order book of $21.3 billion in total orders of civil and military purchases made at the show. For 2007 we hope to break this record,” Weller said.

More than 130 new-to-market companies will be participating, she said. Among those taking part in the show for the first time:

* Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, an aerospace manufacturing and services corporation headquartered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The company will be the event’s first-ever host-sponsor.

* Falcon Aviation, which supplies point-to-point air services with its helicopter and jet fleet.

* A string of U.S. exhibitors including Cirrus, which designs, manufactures and markets general aviation composite aircraft, and light-jet maker Eclipse.

* Switzerland’s Grob Aerospace, one of the world’s largest composite aircraft manufacturers.

* Germany’s Henkel Aerospace, which makes aerospace structural adhesives.

* Sweden’s Volvo Aero, which makes high-tech components for aircraft rocket engines.

“A host of new countries will also be represented for the first time at this year’s show, including the Cayman Islands, which will see its government registry take part; Afghanistan, represented by Safi Airways; Luxembourg by maintenance service provider CAE Aviation; Ethiopia by Ethiopian Airlines,” Weller said.

“The most important things about the Dubai Air Show are the high level of delegations that show up and the value of contracts signed,” said Sultan Mousawi, publisher of the Arabic-language Defense and Aviation magazine.

Some 130 aircraft are expected to be on display at the Dubai Air Show, including the giant Airbus A380, Boeing’s BBJ family, Lockheed Martin’s F-16, and a host of business jets and UAVs.

“There will also be daily flight demonstrations by a number of military jets, like the Russian MiG-29 multirole fighter aircraft,” Weller said.

“A daily flying display will also feature performances by three of the world’s top aerobatics display teams — Britain’s Red Arrows, the Patrouille de France and Spain’s Patrulla Aguila, which is making its Arabian Gulf debut.”

Mousawi said the most important contribution the show has for the Middle East is providing a venue for aviation and electronics technology.

E-mail: rkahwaji@defensenews.com.

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