Middle East & North Africa

Mubadala Aerospace and Boeing cemented their developing relationship with the signing of two agreements at the show.

ALAFCO - the Kuwait-based international Aviation Lease and Finance Company - has finalised a purchase order for 50 A320neo Family aircraft and taken options for 30 more to be finalised by year end.

Bombardier stressed the importance it puts on Middle East potential by using the Dubai Airshow to unveil its full-scale CSeries demonstrator fitted with cabin and flight deck.

ExecuJet Middle East has won the Bombardier authorised service facility excellence award it was announced at the show. ExecuJet's Dubai facility won the international award.

British engine maker Rolls-Royce has won a US$280 million order from Garuda Indonesia Airlines for Trent 700 engines to power four Airbus A330s.

Two rulers – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, UAE prime minister and vice president of Dubai and King Juan Carlos of Spain – led a delegation of senior officials as they opened the Dubai Airshow.

Quest Helicopters has unveiled the first member of a new family of innovative new rotorcraft at the Dubai Airshow.

With the tug of a red ribbon, HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces and chairman of Mubadala, released the drapes to reveal the Italian designer style of the P180 Avanti II 'Cacciatore di Stelle' (Star Hunter), from Piaggio Aero.

Airbus has created a new business unit – Airbus Corporate Jets.

Russian companies are heavily represented at the Dubai Airshow and they're demonstrating big ambitions for this region.

The UAE's national formation aerobatics team, Al Fursan (the Knights) is making its debut as a full seven-aircraft team at the show.

The Rolls-Royce Trent 700 that powers Airbus's A330 wide-body airliner has become the 'workhorse of the Middle East' according to the engine's programme director Rosie Toogood, speaking to Show Business.

CFM International is enjoying the second-highest orders year in its history, according to the company's president and CEO, Jean-Paul Ebanga.

European turboprop airframer ATR is exhibiting at the Dubai Airshow (stand: C400) in the wake of a record year for sales.

Engines OEM Rolls-Royce has won an order from Saudi Arabian Airlines, worth up to US$500 million, to provide engines and after-sales 'total care' support for a previously announced order for four Airbus A330 aircraft, plus four options.

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation's (HBC) response to the 400XT is to ramp up its 400 and 800 XPR programme offerings.

Raytheon has completed the development and testing of a new 'WiPak' method of wirelessly integrating its Paveway family of laser-guided and dual-mode (laser/GPS) bombs.

Wing Commander Dicky Patounas, the commanding officer of No3 (Fighter) Squadron, Royal Air Force, spoke at the Dubai Airshow and described his most memorable combat mission during recent operations over Libya.

Nextant Aerospace, manufacturer of the 400XT– the reengineered Beechjet 400A/XP light jet – has appointed Dubai's Action Aviation as exclusive distributor for the type in the Middle East, India and the UK.

Gulfstream has announced that the final performance specifications for its upgraded Gulfstream G200 variant – the G280 – will exceed the capabilities originally announced at the programme's launch in 2008.

Jet Aviation has bolstered its service offerings across the Middle East.

ExecuJet Europe (stand: E370) and Shell Aviation are to open a new FBO in Frankfurt.

OnAir has appointed Dassault Falcon Service (DFS) as an official reseller partner of its in-flight connectivity solution for the Falcon 7X.

The mission integration division at L-3 Communications is showing its Spydr multi-sensor surveillance aircraft testbed at the Dubai Airshow.

Bombardier Aerospace is to establish a commercial aircraft regional sales and marketing office in Dubai to serve the Middle East and Africa. The facility will be located in the Dubai Free Zone near Dubai International Airport.