Dubai Airshow Report 2009
how do you top an event that broke airshow records in 2007 when it generated $155 billion worth of business in just five days– roughly equivalent to the gr

how do you top an event that broke airshow records in 2007 when it generated $155 billion worth of business in just five days– roughly equivalent to the gross domestic product of Hungary or Kuwait for an entire year? Fairs & Exhibitions surely never expected the 2009 Dubai Airshow to top its predecessor in terms of sheer monetary value, and indeed the final orders tally–valued at $14 billion–came to less than 10 percent of the 2007 total.

Nonetheless, the show, staged November 15 to 19 in the United Arab Emirates, was by no means a pedestrian affair. Rather, it was a fair reflection of the fact that the Middle East remains just about the only region of the world still achieving significant growth in air transport and where governments are ramping up defense capability across the board.