Dubai Airshow strikes big deals on opening day
than the aircraft it is replacing.
China’s Aviation Industry Corporation, or AVIC, and the air force acrobatic team are ramping up their appearance in this event. The airshow, which features an international turnouts of 160 commercial and military aircraft, invited for the first time the Chinese Air Force’s August 1st Air Demonstration Team, which demonstrated with J-10 fighter jets its acrobatic skills.
The six jets showed formations like barrel rolls, vertical stunts and parallel flights in the shape of a triangle.
Pragmatic exchange
was not aware that the fighter jets he filmed were Chinese, saying that it is just “extraordinary. I filmed everything with my smartphone”.
Moreover, AVIC is also bringing aircraft including unmanned aerial vehicles to the airshow, Executive Vice President Zhang Xinguo said, adding that with an integral solution to the UAV system, AVIC is providing a more consumer-friendly service to its users.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defence revealed an order book worth more than $1.77 billion, including the purchase of 60 Lockheed Martin F-16s.
The order book includes new deals for international and local companies, including Abu Dhabi Aviation, Thales, Augusta Westland and Global Aerospace Logistics.
Milestone Aviation Group, a GE Capital Aviation Services company and a global helicopter leasing firm, and Italian aerospace and defense firm Leonardo announced on Sunday that Falcon Aviation of UAE’s Abu Dhabi will expand its AgustaWestland AW169 helicopter fleet with the addition of a further three aircraft.
Jetex Flight Support in Dubai announced plans to build its aircraft hangar at the Jetex (fixed-base operation) FBO Terminal near Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South Aviation District.
Set to be operational by 2019, the new development, encompassing 20,000 square meters, will feature an airconditioned hangar fully equipped to accommodate the parking and maintenance needs of all major types of aircraft.
The five-day Dubai Airshow which occupies 645,000 square meters at the exhibition center near Al Maktoum International Airport will run through Thursday.
More than 72,500 trade visitors and 1,200 exhibitors are expected across the event’s five-day run, representing the entire spectrum of the aerospace industry.