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The
fastest-selling show in the entire history of the biennial Dubai
Air Show Dubai 2003, the eighth international aerospace exhibition
- opens on Sunday (December 7) with 550 exhibitors from 36 countries
and 13 country pavilions.
The show, organised by Fairs and Exhibitions (F&E) in conjunction
with the Department of Civil Aviation, Government of Dubai and the
UAE Armed Forces, has sold out and registered a 12% increase in
occupied space.
And, for the first time, the Dubai Air Show will feature pavilions
from Ukraine and Jordan and will field 85 aircraft the largest
number of aircraft for any Dubai Air Show.
"The excellent response this show has received from the international
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community
really comes as no surprise given the amount of civil aviation infrastructure
investment taking place throughout the Middle East and the ongoing
investment in fleet upgrades, renewals and expansions in the region,"
said His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President,
Department of Civil Aviation, Government of Dubai and Chairman of
the Emirates Group.
"The response is in marked contrast to Dubai 2001, which had
just over 450 exhibitors and which was impacted by the events of
September 11. This years tremendous turnout is a clear demonstration
of the resilience of the aviation industry and testimony to the
fact that this region has consistently led the bounce-back. It is
also pleasing that the show has fared so well this
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particular year, which marks the centennial of powered flight. "If
the growth of the show continues, it is obvious that we may have to
further develop the facilities at its Airport Expo Dubai base to meet
exhibitor demand going forward."
The exhibitor profile for Dubai 2003 reveals a 60/40 civil/military
split. New developments for the Dubai 2003 show include a dedicated
Helicopter Pavilion, which has also sold out, and an arena for the
Aviation, Fire and Security sector.
"The Helicopter Pavilion was introduced in response to industry
demand to give heightened focus to this important segment within the
air show itself," said Virginia Kern, who chairs F&E."
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| Al
Rais Cargo launches freighter to Iran |
| Sharjah
hosts 13th World/Asia ACI annual conference
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The
13th World-Asia Airports Council International  2003
(ACI) annual conference is hosted by Sharjah Airport
Authority (SAA) in co-ordination with ACI Geneva. The
conference is being held at the Sharjah University City
Hall from December 5-8.
Industry
experts and delegates from across the globe exchange
their views on the main theme of "Challenges being
faced by airports and preparing for better times ahead."
"The event will benefit all members and participants
where the objectives can be achieved by exchanging ideas
and tackling the latest challenges to the industry,"
said Dr Ghanem Al Hajri, Director General of Sharjah
Airport Authority. He expressed optimism that the conference
would prove to be successful and instructed the Conference
Organizing Committee to provide every possible assistance
to the delegates.
With
the keynote address by Mayor of City of Houston, Lee
Brown, entitled, The next 100 years: Global co-operation
for a global industry, the sessions cover a wide range
of topics including "The stormy skies: Calm or
turbulence ahead?" and "The health of the
global economy: No cure in sight?". This topic
highlights on various problems faced, especially since
the global economy continues to totter and Public confidence
in the world financial system and in governments seemingly
at an all-time low; and the effect this has on every
business, importantly on aviation and travel and tourism.
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Al
Rais Cargo and Iran Aseman Airlines have announced the launch
of a joint thrice-weekly freighter service to the Iranian
city of Shiraz. As part of the venture, Iran Aseman Airlines
is providing an ATR-72 freighter and Al Rais Cargo will market
the capacity in the region.
Announcing
the launch of this new service Hossein Tehrani, general manager,
Al Rais Cargo said that due to the sheer demand for cargo
capacity on this route and other destinations in Iran, both
companies had decided to launch the new service. "The
belly space on all flights ex-Dubai to destinations in Iran
are full and there are no regular freighter services as yet."
The ATR-72 freighter is equipped with 13 containers with a
capacity up to 450 kgs each. Therani said that cargo on outbound
flights to Shiraz would mainly consist of general goods and
courier shipments, while the return flights to Dubai would
comprise a lot of general goods and perishables.
Other destinations planned for in the near future include
Khoramshar, Bushehr, Abadan, Bandarbas, Kish, Bahrain, and
Muscat. "The idea is to act as a feeder service for other
airlines. We already carry DHL shipments on our flights and
agreements with LTU and Singapore Airlines are in the pipeline,"
Tehrani added.
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