The Dubai Airshow will open its doors to industry personnel, service members, and media from the aerospace industry in one month. The show will be one of the first significant aerospace events to happen since the beginning of the pandemic, and as such, may be slightly different from usual.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been a while since one of the major commercial aviation airshows was held. Last year Farnborough was canceled, with Paris following suit this year. As such, we're eagerly awaiting the Dubai Airshow, offering an opportunity for the industry to get together after a challenging two years.

What to expect from the Dubai Airshow

There will be a lot going on at this year's installation of the Dubai Airshow. All of the usual components will be present. Expect a range of aircraft to be on display, from the mighty Emirates A380, right down to smaller single-propeller aircraft.

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Of course, many of these aircraft will be available to see up close on the ground in an opportunity not typically found at the major airports such jets frequent. Another highlight of the show each year is its daily flying program. Typically, Emirates opens the show with a flypast from an A380 with Al Fursan, the UAE's air force display team. In 2017 this also included the Boeing 777 as you can see from the video below:

Airline orders

A considerable part of the big airshows is the orders that are placed by airlines. Most of these are from the EMEA area in Dubai, given the show's location, though we could see some from further afield as shows haven't been happening for a while.

Discussions between plane makers and airlines take place behind closed doors. However, there is always a rush of excitement when Boeing or Airbus schedule a press conference at short notice to announce a large order.

A350-900_EMIRATES
Aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350 are key to Emirates' future plans. Photo: Airbus

When the show was last held in 2019, it generated $54.5 Billion in sales. While commercial aircraft make up a large part of this, other things such as military aircraft, equipment, services, and more are also included. Airbus secured 220 orders and commitments, while Rival manufacturer Boeing clocked 97. At the time, it was dealing with the 737 MAX grounding, making sales of its only narrowbody difficult.

Slightly different to previous years

Of course, this year's Dubai Airshow will be slightly different from previous years. While the COVID-19 pandemic has calmed down significantly, it hasn't disappeared completely. With this in mind, mask-wearing will be non-optional, while social distancing will be expected. Cleaning will occur at the show multiple times a day, with temperature screening for those entering the premises.

Dubai Airshow, Airbus, Boeing
The show is held a the Dubai World Central airport to the south of the city. Photo: Airbus

As a media partner of the Dubai Airshow, Simple Flying will be at the airshow to report on the latest news from the show.

Will you be attending this year's Dubai Airshow? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!