UAE: Record-Breaking Dubai Airshow 2023 Ends With Over $101bn of Aviation Deals
The Dubai Airshow 2023 saw more than $101bn of aviation deals and has been named the major industry event’s largest ever edition.
Dubai Airshow 2023 witnessed significant deals and major announcements, reinforcing the event’s standing as a crucial hub for the aerospace and defence sectors.
Held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the 18th edition of Dubai Airshow showcased the unflagging commitment of the aviation, aerospace and defence industries to sustained technological advancements, with more than $101bn in deals announced through the week.
Dubai Airshow 2023
It also welcomed more than 135,000 attendees, witnessing a remarkable 30 per cent increase in footfall compared to the previous edition.
The next edition will take place in 2025 at Dubai World Central (DWC), Al Maktoum airport.
Some of the most notable deals at the mega event this year included Emirates placing an order worth $52bn for 95 additional wide-body aircraft – including Boeing 777-9s, 777-8s, and 787s – on the opening day.
Powering the airline’s growth plans, it also placed an order worth $6bn for 15 additional Airbus A350-900 jets during the airshow.
Ethiopian Airlines Group signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for 11 additional Airbus A350-900s to be added to its existing fleet, confirming its position as Africa’s biggest A350 customer.
It also announced an order of 11 787-9 Dreamliners and 20 737 MAX 8 aircraft, with options for 15 and 21 additional jets, respectively.
Latvian airline airBaltic also confirmed an incremental order for an additional 30 A220-300s, which will make it the largest A220 customer in Europe, and Boeing and flydubai announced an agreement for the purchase of 30 787-9 Dreamliners, among other significant deals.
Tawazun Council, the independent government entity that works closely with the Ministry of Defence and security agencies to maximise value through acquisition systems, signed AED23.06bn ($6.3bn) worth of contracts with local and international companies.
These included a deal with HALCON to procure ammunition worth AED2.14bn.
With an increased focus on space and future technologies at the 18th edition of Dubai Airshow, the UAE Space Agency used the event as a platform to unveil the timeline of the journey of the MBR Explorer, the spacecraft for the Emirates Mission to Asteroid Belt (EMA).
Other key announcements include an MoU between the Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) and EANAN, a UAE technology company leading the next evolutionary step in transportation through advanced air mobility (AAM) solutions.
Meanwhile, Dubai Airports, operator of the world’s biggest international hub, announced a milestone partnership with Intelak Hub, the premier innovation incubator dedicated to the travel, tourism, and aviation sector in Dubai.
