Dubai: The biennial airshow that opened on a cautious and subdued note on November 14, gathered pace on the second day. It saw slightly more excitement compared to the opening day.
The total value of the deals in two days reached AED 202.6 billion. This includes new aircraft orders as well as service agreements between the airlines and aviation services companies.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, toured the Dubai Airshow exhibition area, accompanied by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, also visited the airshow on day two.
Airbus A350F saw its first orders and Embraer also netted a customer order as it signed an order for six E175s with Nigerian airline Overland. Boeing announced an order with DHL for nine converted Boeing 767s and Emirates placed an order for two new 777 freighter.
Etihad, the Abu Dhabi-based carrier with focus on sustainability announced four different sustainability initiatives with partners that includes Lufthansa Technik and Boeing. Sustainability is the focal point of the aviation industry now.
Emirates SkyCargo announced an order for two Boeing 777 Freighters and an investment (AED 3.67 billion) to expand its freighter capacity. It also signed an agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the conversion of four Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft into full freighters. The agreement also includes an option for further Boeing 777-300ER conversions at a later stage. These will be converted at the new site established in Etihad Engineering’s MRO centre in Abu Dhabi, with the first conversion expected to begin in early 2023.
As a debutant, Israel is being represented by seven Israeli firms, most of them state-owned. Israeli companies are displaying their hardware for the first time at the show. Israel Aerospace Industries is showcasing a range of manned and unmanned naval and aerial drones.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the conclusion of 5 deals on the second day of Dubai Airshow 2021 with local and international companies. In total 10 contracts were concluded in two days. The announcement was made in the presence of Major General Staff Pilot Ishaq Saleh Al Balushi, Executive Director of the Military Organising Committee of the Dubai Airshow 2021 and Lt. Col. Pilot Sarah Hamad Al Hajari, official spokesman for the Dubai International Airshow 2021.
Al Balushi announcing the signed deals between the Ministry of Defence and air defence companies said, “The deals concluded on the second day of the airshow are different from one another, because they have been signed with several countries. There is one local contract and 4 international contracts with our partners abroad.”
The first deal was contracted with Sielman (Greece) to provide technical support and maintenance for air force and air defence. The second contract was signed with Rheinmetall Air Defence (Switzerland) to provide technical support services for air force and air defence. The third contract was signed with HENSOLDT France SAS to buy communication devices for air force and air defence. The fourth contract was signed with Northrop Grumman (USA) to provide technical support services for air force and air defence.
The fifth and last contract was signed with the local company, Global Aerospace Logistics LLC, to provide maintenance and technical support for the aircraft of the Command of Air Force and Air Defence for 3 years.
