Commercial Show of Strength Expected at Dubai

Airbus’ presence at the 2017 Dubai Airshow will be headlined by the A350-900, which has secured at least seven customers across the Middle East and North Africa. These include Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, which is awaiting the delivery of 40 A350-900s and 22 stretched A350-1000s. Airbus will also display the A319, as well as the A400M and C295 military airlifters.

The Be-200 multipurpose amphibian was designed by Beriev Aircraft Co., but until recently was produced by another part of Russia’s United Aircraft Corp., Irkut, at its Irkutsk Aviation Plant. Production has now moved to Beriev’s factory in Taganrog, which delivered its first aircraft for primary customer Emercom, Russia’s ministry for emergency situations, in January.

Boeing’s reengined 737 MAX will be on display at Dubai in the form of a 737-8 operated by local airline FlyDubai. The Emirates sister carrier ordered the aircraft at the 2013 show and became the first Middle East airline to operate the latest 737 when it took delivery of the first of 76 -8s at the end of July.

With a 30-aircraft order from Etihad Airways and the potential for an eventual widebody-twin competition at Dubai-based Emirates Airline, Boeing is taking a 787-10 out of its flight-test program to bring it to the show. The “double-stretch” 787-10 first flew at the end of March and is scheduled to enter service in the first half of 2018.

Having made its Dubai debut at the 2015 show, Bombardier’s C Series is returning to the Middle East buoyed by the announcement that Airbus plans to take control of the program toward the end of 2018, bringing its sales, procurement and support muscle. The larger CS300 version of the all-new 100-150-seat narrowbody aircraft will be on display at Dubai.

Embraer will have only its business jets on show at Dubai, but two of those will be aircraft used for pilot training by United Arab Emirates-based airlines: one of five Phenom 100Es flown by Emirates Flight Training Academy at Dubai World Central Airport and one of four Phenom 100Es flown by Etihad Flight College at Al Ain.

Sukhoi’s Superjet 100 will return to the Dubai show still in search of customers in the Middle East, and with a reorganization underway at home in Russia that is merging Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co. with Irkut, developer of the new MC-21 narrowbody, to create an Airbus-style Civil Aviation Division under government-owned United Aircraft Corp.