The Gulf emirate of Dubai on Sunday, November 4 raised the curtain on the first international airshow since the September 11 terror attacks, with more than 450 companies from 33 countries participating.
Dubai 2001 was inaugurated by the Defense Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum. The global air industry crisis has lowered participation in the show, with a 10 percent reduction in the exhibition space, but the big names of the industry are present in force, including Boeing, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Dassault and Bae.
The Dubai airshow bills itself as the third biggest in the world after Britain's Farnborough and Le Bourget in France. The president of the Dubai civil aviation authority and chairman of Dubai's Emirates airline, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Said Al-Maktoum, on Thursday said the Middle East market was big enough for the "show to go on". He promised "big surprises" during the airshow. The specialized press expects Emirates to announce new orders for aircraft and engines. — (AFP, Dubai)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
