Middle East & North Africa

A popular feature of each day's flying display is the appearance of the Chinese twin turboprop regional airliner, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) MA600.

Nearly 2,000 new passenger and freighter aircraft will be needed in the Middle East by 2030.

ExecuJet and Saudi's National Air Services' subsidiary NasJet have partnered to open a new FBO at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.

Delays in the software development of the fly-by-wire systems for the Legacy 450 and Legacy 500 will not delay the entry of the aircraft on to the market, according to Embraer's Claudio Camelier, vice president market and product strategy.

Britain's Gama Group is to expand its services into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Lufthansa Technik has signed a second completion contract for a Boeing 747-8, sealing the deal with an undisclosed customer here at the Dubai Airshow.

Oman Air has signed an order for six Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, completing an arrangement with Boeing and Kuwait-based leasing company ALAFCO.

Honeywell has signed a maintenance cost agreement with flydubai worth more than $20 million over 10 years.

The fastest selling airliner in aviation history – the Airbus A320neo – received another massive vote of confidence, from Kuwait-based international Aviation Lease & Finance Company (ALAFCO).

Comlux, the aviation group, has a signed a commitment for an Airbus ACJ321 – the first ever placed with Airbus for the type – expanding the Airbus corporate jet family.

The UAE is to get five Total Eclipse very light jet (VLJ) aircraft following the GCAA certification for the type yesterday.

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.