Dubai Air Show 2013: A new venue set to host a new round of record-breaking deals
By: Danny Sebright
17 November 2013
Arabian Business
This year’s Dubai Airshow kicks off at the newly opened Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central on November 17th.
The new venue for the Dubai Airshow 2013 is centrally located between Dubai and neighboring Abu Dhabi, and is a sprawling testament to the country’s national goal of achieving economic diversification and integration across a wide array of sectors. In line with this visionary effort driven by the country’s leadership, hosting the conference at the new airport will showcase the UAE’s commitment to act as a platform for new business, trade, and investment opportunities in the global defence, security, and commercial aerospace industries.
To that end, corporate and government officials from around the world will flock to this year’s Dubai Airshow for one critical reason: Dubai, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is rapidly becoming a nerve centre for global commerce and a crossroads for international travel between East and West, and North and South.
Further, Dubai Airshow 2013 promises to be the key global showcase for displaying cutting-edge aerospace and defence technology. Any American company that wishes to expand their engagement with international customers should attend and exhibit their products as the Airshow promises ample opportunities for partnership and growth.
From America’s perspective, the emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi have long been integral in supporting the US security and defence framework for the broader Middle East North Africa region. The UAE has been a key partner to America in the maintenance and security of critical international trade and energy routes since the country’s establishment just four short decades ago. The UAE is home to Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, the largest US Navy port-of-call outside the United States, and hosts a sizable and qualitative US Air Force contingent based at Al Dhafra Air Base in Abu Dhabi. Today, Emirati military forces train and interoperate side by side with US and other coalition forces on security and humanitarian assistance missions across the broader region, from Afghanistan to Libya.
Now, with a record $22.5 billion in US exports to the UAE in 2012 and with 2013’s exports on track for another record-breaking year, a second – and equally notable – cornerstone in the relationship has been cemented. The UAE is the largest market for US exports in the wider Middle East North Africa region – from Algeria to Pakistan.
Further, the importance of the bilateral trade and commercial relationship cannot be understated as business with the UAE, and foreign direct investment by the Emirates into the US, are directly responsible for creating and sustaining hundreds of thousands of high quality American jobs.
For its part, the Dubai Airshow provides an international platform for the UAE to highlight its progress in developing state-of-the-art physical and digital infrastructure to support the country’s ambitions to serve as a vital link in the global supply chain. The show also directly supports federal efforts to open the UAE’s corporate climate to accommodate increased foreign investment from the US and other global partners, and boost domestic human capital to meet future economic and security challenges.
The exhibition also provides a global venue for the UAE to highlight its progress in developing its own capabilities in the defence and aerospace arena. Companies like Strata Manufacturing, Mubadala Aerospace, AMMROC, Emirates Advanced Investments, International Golden Group, and others will display their achievements, highlighting the UAE’s capability to become self-sufficient in Maintenance Repair & Overhaul (MRO) work at home and to meaningfully link up with the global supply chain abroad.
From a commercial stand point, the show is expected to generate sales that could total over $75 billion in new airplanes, engines, and support equipment for the key regional airlines. These include Dubai’s Emirates Airline and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways. Boeing, General Electric, and Pratt & Whitney will likely be the largest US recipients of these deals.
Finally, the show has been an important opportunity to mark the sale of sensitive military technology and this year will be no exception. A number of newsworthy announcements are expected with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and other US companies set to make headlines. Recent reports of the proposed sale of over $10 billion in new US equipment to the UAE and to Saudi Arabia will likely book-end a large number of aerospace and defence business announcements during the show.
With sales and attendance numbers at this year’s show expected to be the largest in its reputable history, Dubai Airshow 2013 will undoubtedly serve to help reshape and develop the global defence and aerospace industry moving forward.
Danny Sebright is the President of the US-UAE Business Council and a Senior Advisor at The Cohen Group in Washington, D.C. He has worked on defense and security matters related to the Middle East under six US secretaries of defense.
