Dubai Airshow 2021, one of the world’s mega aviation events, is set to start from November 14 to 18.
The event will have more than 1,200 exhibitors from 148 countries, displaying over 160 aircraft. More than 250 industry experts are also participating in different conferences at the event to share insights and trends across nine areas of expertise including cargo, sustainability, technology and space.
More than 80,000 people are expected to visit the Dubai Airshow, which is taking place at its purpose-built venue – Dubai Airshow Site – at the Dubai World Central airport.
The air show comes as this mega city’s aviation sector bounces back from the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, Dubai’s two major carriers, Emirates and flydubai slowly restored their networks as key markets opened for travel.
During a media briefing earlier this month, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority’s President and Emirates’ Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum called the Dubai Airshow a testament to the emirate’s response to the pandemic.
He told the media that Dubai’s response to the pandemic was focused on protecting the health and wellbeing of the people as a top priority while minimising the impact of the crisis on the nation’s economy.
The biennial Dubai Airshow is a proof that the city is one of the world’s largest aviation hubs. Around 60 years ago, Dubai’s economy was mostly supported by pearling and fishing, and around 20,000 people used to live there. Until 1958, Dubai had no airport and a runway, which was built in 1962, was just a compacted salt bed, with no tar cover.
Now, Dubai is a busy metropolis with towering skyscrapers and a population of over 3.5 million. Defying the impact of the pandemic, its airport recently reclaimed the top spot as the world’s busiest in terms of capacity.
The resurgence of the city’s aviation sector is reflected in Emirates’ latest financial results. The company registered an 81 per cent rise in its revenue to Dh24.7 billion in the last two fiscal quarters this year. The airline carried 6.1 million passengers between April 1 and September 30, 2021, registering 319 per cent increase from the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the Dubai International Airport has been seeing an influx of travellers as the emirate enters its peak tourist season and hosts high-profile events such as the Expo 2020 Dubai and ICC T20 World Cup. During the first half of 2021, the airport registered 10.6 million passengers with its operators claiming a robust growth in the second half.
Dubai Airshow 2021 will be the largest aerospace trade event to be held globally since the beginning of the pandemic, with the cancellation of European shows Farnborough and Le Bourget in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
