The extraordinary start of this year’s Dubai Airshow, with $200 billion (Dh735.6 billion) of civilian aircraft orders announced on the first day, is a ringing endorsement of Dubai as the leader of the Gulf region’s position as the global hub for air travel in the 21st century. And as the week progresses, more orders may well be announced, taking the Dubai Airshow further into the record books.
The massive orders for Boeings and Airbuses from Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Qatar Airways all cemented the Gulf airlines’ status as the leaders of the global airline business. In other parts of the world, airlines are merging or struggling with crippling losses, whereas the Gulf airlines are making substantial profits and are able to invest in continued growth.
The UAE is at the heart of Asia, Africa and Europe and is working hard to build on this strategic advantage. Its geographical position means it is a direct flight away from almost six billion people, more than three quarters of the total human population. The UAE is right at the centre of the future — global growth areas in Asia and Africa — and the country is well aware that it will be the next big global hub. The huge investment by its governments in the new airports in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are all part of the strategic appreciation by the UAE’s leadership that the governments need to build the infrastructure that the private sector can then use to turn that vision into a reality.
Emirates is leading the way with its exceptional growth as it is set to become the biggest airline in the world and other airlines in the region are following the same path as all the region’s major players seek to establish themselves at a global level.
The success of the 2014 Dubai Airshow proves how the rest of world is anxious to share this growth and the 150 aircraft on the tarmac at Al Maktoum International Airport shows that the 1,000 companies that are exhibiting at the Dubai Airshow want to be a part of Dubai’s success.