In Pictures

Gallery|In Pictures

Dubai Air Show opens as Israel attends for the first time

This year’s exhibition is expected to be more muted than in the past, due to COVID restrictions on flying and travel.

Russian Air Force aerobatic team the "Russian Knights" in Sukhoi Su-27 aircraft release flares as they perform aerial manuevers during the 2021 Dubai Airshow. [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]
Published On 15 Nov 2021

Dubai’s biennial Air Show opened on Sunday, with aviation and defence companies hoping to clinch billions of dollars in deals at an exhibition that is expected to be quieter than in the past due to the subdued state of flying and travel amid the COVID pandemic.

It comes as an opportunity for the hard-hit aviation sector – traditionally the star of the five-day aviation trade show that is expected to attract more than 80,000 visitors. The airline industry as a whole is recovering from last year’s roughly $138bn net loss.

The exhibition will also see the participation of defence and military hardware from countries like the US, Russia and Israel.

More than 100 companies from the US, including defence firms Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, will showcasing their products at one of the the biggest shows in the Middle East.

Israeli companies displayed their hardware for the first time at the show, following Israel’s normalisation of diplomatic ties with the UAE last year. The state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries company showed off a range of manned and unmanned naval and aerial drones.

A woman walks past a Beechcraft AT-6 Wolverine light-attack aircraft as the crew installs a device to its wing at the Dubai Air Show. [Jon Gambrell/AP Photo]
Advertisement
Attendees stand by the ramp leading to the Boeing 777X demonstration aircraft. [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai, inspects the open cockpit of an F-35 Lightning II multirole combat aircraft. [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is greeted upon his arrival at the Dubai Airshow. [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]
Israeli military personnel view helicopters in flight during the Airshow. [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]
A female attendee inspects the open cockpit of a military aircraft. [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]
Advertisement
A pilot sits in the cockpit of an Airbus ACJ320 corporate jet aircraft. Airbus took a mega-order for 255 single-aisle A321 aircraft, the European plane-maker said in a statement, on the first day of the air show. [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]
A Boeing CH-47 Chinook twin-engined tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter of the UAE's Joint Aviation Command (JAC). [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]
The Desert Sting DS-16 precision-guided glide weapon by Halcon, a part of the EDGE advanced technology group for defence, is on display at the 2021 Dubai Airshow. [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]
A weapon system at the booth of EDGE advanced technology group for defence. [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]
The "Reach-S" unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or drone) at the booth of EDGE advanced technology group for defence. [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]
SKYLOCK's handheld Anti-Drone System is displayed at the 2021 Dubai Airshow. [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]
More than 80,000 visitors are expected at the November 14-18 Dubai Airshow, which will be held with mandatory masks and social distancing, officials said. [Giuseppe Cacace/AFP]