Dubai Air Show 2021: A glance at the top deals at the five-day aviation summit

Airlines are again betting big on the industry’s long-term recovery and inking deals worth billions. The defence industry was equally active, with UAE-based entities at the forefront.

Indigo Partners, the owner of low-cost carrier Wizz Air and Mexico’s Volaris, announced an order for 255 A321neo aircraft. The order is valued at $33 billion, according to the latest list price published by Airbus.

India’s newest airline Akasa Air placed a near $9 billion order with Boeing for 72 737 MAX aircraft to build its fleet. The order includes two variants from the 737 MAX family - the 737-8 and the high-capacity 737-8-200.

Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways placed an order for 20 Airbus A320neos and 8 A321neos - the deal is valued at roughly $3.3 billion at list prices.

Boeing and Air Tanzania struck a deal for a 787-8 Dreamliner, a 767-300 Freighter and two 737 MAX jets. The order is valued at more than $726 million at list price.

UAE’s Ministry of Defense awarded contracts worth Dh22 billion in the first four days of the event.

GAL, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi’s EDGE, was awarded a Dh11 billion performance-based logistics (PBL) contract to supply the UAE Air Force and Air Defence (AFAD) with maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), and specialised support services.

Halcon, another EDGE subsidiary, won a Dh3.2 billion contract from UAE Armed Forces for its ‘Thunder’ and ‘Desert Sting’ range of precision guided munitions.

A contract worth Dh677 million was signed with the Emirati International Technical Systems Trading for the purchase of aviation systems and equipment for the UAE Air Force and Air Defence.

US-based Alliant Techsystems Operations will purchase supplements of ammunitions for the Air Force and Air Defence Command at a value of Dh175 million.

The Pakistani Global Industrial & Defence Solutions is to purchase ammunition for the joint air command at a value of Dh143 million.