Celebrating the UAE
On the 2nd December 2011, two weeks after the Dubai Airshow, the United Arab Emirates celebrates its 40th Anniversary. The signing of the UAE constitution took place on 2nd December 1971. This year the Dubai Airshow will join in the build up to these historic celebrations. Continue reading >>
Prior to 1971 the UAE was known as the Trucial States inreference to a 19th-century truce between the United Kingdom and several Arab Sheikhs. The name Pirate Coast was also used in reference to the area's emirates from the 18th to the early 20th century. It was formed from the group of tribally organized Arabian Peninsula sheikhdoms along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf and the north-western coast of the Gulf of Oman.
In the early 1960s, oil was discovered in Abu Dhabi, an event that led to quick unification calls made by UAE sheikdoms. Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan became ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966 and the British started losing their oil investments and contracts to U.S. oil companies. The British had earlier started a development office that helped in some small developments in the emirates. The sheikhs of the emirates then decided to form a council to coordinate matters between them and took over the development office. They formed the Trucial States Council; the council was terminated once the United Arab Emirates was formed.
In 1968, the United Kingdom announced its decision, reaffirmed in March 1971, to end the treaty relationships with the seven Trucial Sheikhdoms which had been, together with Bahrain and Qatar, under British protection. The nine attempted to form a union of Arab emirates, but by mid-1971 they were still unable to agree on terms of union, even though the British treaty relationship was to expire in December of that year.
Bahrain became independent in August and Qatar in September 1971. When the British-Trucial Sheikhdoms treaty expired on December 1, 1971, they became fully independent. The rulers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai decided to form a union between their two emirates independently, prepare a constitution, then call the rulers of the other five emirates to a meeting and offer them the opportunity to join. It was also agreed between the two that the constitution be written by December 2, 1971. On that date, at the Dubai Guesthouse Palace, four other emirates agreed to enter into a union called the United Arab Emirates. Ras al-Khaimah joined later, in early 1972.
Termed emirates because they are ruled by emirs, they are Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjahand Umm al-Quwain. The capital is Abu Dhabi, which is also the country's center of political, industrial and cultural activities.
In just 40 years the United Arab Emirates has achieved unprecedented change and growth to become one of the leading Middle East countries and it can now participate in world matters on a level playing field.
The Dubai Airshow has always been used as a barometer to showcase the growing aerospace industry in the middle east and this year we will look back over thelast 40 years and look ahead to the next 40 years to see how far the middle east aerospace industry has come in the UAE and what some of the plans are for the future.
Below we feature just a few companies and achievements in the UAE aerospace industry over the last 40 years.
The Airline Industry
Emirates Airline started in March 1985, just 26 years ago. It is the largest airline in the Middle East and the seventh-largest airline in the world in terms of international passengers carried, and the largest in the world in terms of scheduled international passenger-kilometers flown. It is also the seventh-largest in terms of scheduled freight tonne-kilometres flown (sixth in scheduled international freight tonne-kilometres flown).
Etihad Airways was established as the national airline of the United Arab Emiratesin July 2003 by Royal (Amiri) Decree issued by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. It started with an initial paid-up capital of AED500 million. Services were launched with a ceremonial flight to Al Ain on 5 November 2003. On 12 November 2003, Etihad commenced commercial operations with the launch of services to Beirut, and has gone on to become the fastest growing airline in the history of commercial aviation.
In the last decade the UAE has joined the Low Cost Carriers boom and seen the launch of several low cost airlines.
Air Arabia launched in October 2003 with a head office in Sharjah. The airline is the first and largest low cost airline in the Middle East, Air Arabia operates scheduled services to 46 destinations in the Middle East, North Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia and Europe to 22 countries from Sharjah, 11 destinations in 10 countries from Casablanca and 5 destinations in 5 countries from Alexandria.
flydubai was founded on March 19, 2008. As of April 2011, the Flydubai fleet consists of 17 Boeing 737-800 aircraft with an average age of 1 year, some of which are leased. They are all equipped with 189 passenger seats in a high-density all-economy class cabin layout. The airline already flies to 37 destinations across the region with more routes being added every month.
UAE Air Force and Defence
The United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF) was established in 1968, when the Emirates were still under British rule. Since then, it has undergone a continual reorganization and expansion in terms of both capability and numbers of aircraft. Currently, the UAEAF has around 4,000 personnel and operates approximately 368 fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
2007 marked the culmination of the largest procurement programmes ever undertaken by the UAE Air Force, with the final deliveries of the 80 F-16E/F Block 60 "Desert Falcons" and approximately 60 upgraded Mirage 2000-9, giving the air force a considerable multirole capability.
According to a new study by Frost & Sullivan, the Middle East market for military aircraft and air-defense systems, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, is expected to generate revenues of nearly $63 billion by 2020, a new study says. It estimates that the annual military air procurement in the region will surge from 2011-15 and reach $3.96 billion in 2020.
The Airport
Dubai International Airport celebrated its 50th Anniversary in October 2010 and is now the 4th busiest airport in the world. In May 2011 they announced that they will be the busiest airport in the world by 2015. Passenger traffic has increased at an average annual rate of 15.5%. The number of passengers travelling through Dubai’s two main airports is expected to increase to 98.5 million by 2020.
The figure is more than double the 47.2 million passengers Dubai Airports recorded in 2010.
Dubai Airports owns and operates both of Dubai’s airports – Dubai International and the currently cargo-traffic only Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International.
Concourse 3, Dubai International’s dedicated A380 facility, is set to open in 2012, when Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International will also start passenger services.
Fujairah International Airport is considered to be one of the most important pillars of commercial activity in the Emirate. It is a major line of communication connecting Fujairah with the outside world. The airport started to function in 1987. It is the fifth airport in the U.A.E. and the only one on the East Coast. This together with the seaport, creates a vital position for the re-export trade between the states of East Asia and Europe, as it is near to both.
It has established a new executive terminal and is looking to achieve around 10 per cent share of the UAE business jet market.
It is also positioning itself as the UAE’s aircraft dismantling centre as it invests hundreds of millions of Dirhams in its infrastructure. is positioning itself as the UAE's aircraft-dismantling centre as it invests hundreds of millions of dirhams in infrastructure development. While the country's larger airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are hubs for passenger and cargo movements, the northern emirate airport has been gradually expanding its private charter or business jet revenues and is now looking into non-aeronautical business streams. The airport is building long-term aircraft parking for up to 50 aircraft, with space for two to four aircraft dismantling.
The Supply and Manufacturing Industry
Mubadala Aerospace is helping to establish Abu Dhabi as a global aerospace hub, a cornerstone of the Emirate’s economic diversification strategy, through long-term, capital intensive investments.
It has entered into collaboration agreements with world-class aerospace and aviation companies to leverage the expertise necessary for a high tech, end-to-end technology and manufacturing base that offers both state-of-the-art facilities and a global reach
Mubadala has unveiled its plans to build a composite aerostructures plant. Mubadala is investing $161m in the first phase of the plant and by completion of the three phases will have invested $500m in the facility.
The plant will manufacture hi-tech aerostructures composite components and assemblies in the Emirate. The plant will initially manufacture components such as spoilers and flap-track fairings then evolve into developing primary structures. The innovative lightweight components are substantially weight-saving, which contributes towards making the aircraft more efficient and cost-effective.
Training and Education
As the aersopace industry in the Middle East grows at a rapid pace it is often hard to keep up with the growth and this always impacts on staff recruitment and training. In the UAE they have the added issue of Emiritisation to consider.
Organisations such as Higher Colleges of Technology and Emirates-CAE Flight Training Centre are just some of the establishments set up to train the aerospace professionals of the future.
Higher Colleges of Technology is the largest higher education institution in the UAE, with 17,500 Emirati students. Their Center of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (CERT) is involved in strategic alliances with a number of large multinational organisations in developing a diverse range of business and technology solutions including for the aerospace industry.
Emirates-CAE Flight Training provides aviation-related courses for commercial carriers in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia, primarily aimed at flight deck crew and airline maintenance personnel.
The joint venture between Emirates Group and CAE Inc of Canada, ECFT, as the joint venture is known, is the first facility of its kind in the Middle East to be qualified to both Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards. The 14-bay centre houses 10 full-flight simulators.
Middle East Business Aviation
After the Airshow in 2003, the organisers decided to create a dedicated business aviation event, in 2005, the day before the Dubai Airshow the first MEBA (Middle East Business Aviation) event took place as a one-day conference. From this event six years ago the show has now developed into the 3rd largest business aviation show in the world attracting up to 500 exhibitors and over 60 business jets on the static park.
Also six years ago, the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) was launched, founded and headed up by Mr Ali Al Naqbi who is also the Head of Finance at the Presidential Flight in Abu Dhabi. In those six years Ali has spearheaded the growth of the MEBA event, the association is using their weight and IBAC support to lobby for better flying rights, prices and other issues on behalf of the business aviation industry in the Middle East. It’s the first aviation association of its kind in the region and is growing in numbers of members every day.
Another sign of the growth in business aviation in the region is by looking at the number of FBOs that have set up, particularly in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Dubai now has four FBOs and Abu Dhabi with the launch of Al Bateen as a business airport in 2008 now has four also.
