Dubai Airshow draws big-time commercial and military firms

Inayat-ur-Rahman / Associated Press

The Middle East’s biggest aviation event, the Dubai Airshow 2019, opened on Sunday. The show draws major commercial and military firms from around the world, as well as smaller manufacturers competing for business. The United States has the largest foreign country presence with around 140 exhibitors.

Officials from the US Department of Defense and State Department are also at the airshow, meeting with officials from the United Arab Emirates, which is one of the world’s top buyers of American-made weapons and defense equipment.

Meanwhile, Chicago-based Boeing has used the airshow to emphasize its dedication to safety after crashes of its 737 Max killed 346 people. The planes have been grounded around the world, impacting customers like flydubai which has more than a dozen of the jets in its fleet and more than 230 on order.

“It’s been a very difficult time for the Max,” said Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “I can tell you we’re very sorry for the loss of life on those accidents and we’re very sorry and apologize for the disruption that we have caused our customers.”

He said the company is working hard to make improvements to the aircraft and to make changes to the training of the aircraft to get the airplane certified by the end of the year and to have it flying by early 2020.

“Ultimately, the schedule for all of those activities will be determined by the regulators so were taking their lead,” he said.

 Boeing and Biman Bangladesh Airlines signed a deal for two 787-9s aircraft, which list at $292.5 million apiece. The region’s biggest airline, Emirates, recently signed a commitment for 70 new Airbus planes worth $21.4 billion at list prices to be delivered over the next five years.

Strata Manufacturing (Strata), the advanced composite aero-structures manufacturing facility wholly owned by Mubadala Investment Company PJSC, has successfully delivered its first shipset of Empennage Ribs for the 777X, the world’s largest and most efficient twin-engine jet produced by Boeing.

The announcement, made during Dubai Airshow 2019, follows the landmark agreement between the two companies signed during Abu Dhabi Global Aerospace Summit in April 2018. The agreement marked the fourth work package Boeing has awarded to Strata since 2013.

“As we embark on our second decade of operations, this milestone delivery is a new chapter in our ongoing success story with a long-trusted partner such as Boeing,” said Ismail Ali Abdulla, Chief Executive Officer, Strata. “With our recent adoption of digital and Industry 4.0 technologies, Strata’s provision of world-class composite aero-structure components to industry-leading aircraft OEMs is championing the UAE’s global aerospace ambitions.”

The new Boeing 777X is characterized as the world’s largest and most-efficient twin-engine jet. New breakthroughs in aerodynamics and engines enable the aircraft to deliver 10 per cent reductions in fuel use and emissions, and another 10 per cent decrease in operating costs when compared to competing aircraft.

“This delivery is an important milestone in reinforcing the value and capability Strata offers Boeing and its airline customers. Since Strata was founded 10 years ago, we have worked closely to expand the global supply of aerospace composites and meet Boeing requirements for quality and affordability. We are proud to celebrate Strata’s 10 year anniversary and their achievements at this Dubai airshow” said Bernard Dunn, president of Boeing Middle East North Africa and Turkey.

AMMROC, the leading provider of military Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) services in the region, on Sunday unveiled a model of its world-class Al Ain facility at the Dubai Airshow 2019. The special event took place at the EDGE pavilion in the presence of His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai, CEO and Managing Director of EDGE and Chairman of AMMROC, and Tim Cahill, Senior Vice President of Lockheed Martin International.

Set to commence operations early next year, this state-of-the-art facility will be among the largest centres dedicated to military MRO in the world.

Speaking on the occasion, Faisal Al Bannai said: “We are invested in the aerospace and aviation industry, and the AMMROC MRO facility in Al Ain as one of the world’s largest military MRO capacity, is testament to this commitment. This new facility will serve existing and new customers, representing the incremental demand created by the regional market.”

Abdul Hakeem Al Muflahi, CEO of AMMROC, said: “AMMROC leverages engineering excellence and innovation to provide a competitive benchmark in the industry. This facility will ensure compliance with the highest aerospace standards through offering maximum flexibility and capacity. We are confident that the new centre will strengthen our positioning as a fully integrated, industry-leading MRO solutions provider.”