DUBAI FORESAW CHANGE IN AVIATION BUSINESS– DUBAI AIR SHOW-2017 WAS MORE COMMERICIAL THAN DEFENCE– HAS INDIA MISSED THE AVIATION & MRO BUS– DID INDIA’S AVIATION MINISTRY SELL OUT TO MIDDLE EAST LINES ?

Ranjit B Rai from Dubai Air Show .

This is an overview Part 1 of Dubai Air show after joining the dots of a news report on Aviation consultant Deepak Talwar and his NGO who was an Aviation Middle Man Consultant in UPA Times and helped Aviation Minister allot slots to Mid East airlines in the “Indian Open Skies policy”. It drove Indian Airlines and Air India down. Feed back welcome.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai inaugurated the 15th Dubai Air Show from 12th November in cool sunny weather in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces who visited India as guest of PM Modi and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. Abu Dhabi is cash rich with oil and supports the Emirates but has a healthy competition with Dubai which allows excellent and a freer tourist regime and for holidays, Conferences and employment. Beer was freely served at the show, not allowed at Indian shows easily.

The well organised bi-annual flawless, accident free with massive military and civil flying displays every afternoon was held over five days at Dubai Air Show 2017 from 12th November. Su-35 made an amazing debut while UAE, China, Russia and even Pakistan’s JF-17 showed off. IDF met pilots personally and exchanged notes and Pakistanis were free in talk over relations in next post..

DAS was a large aviation exhibition equaling Singapore Aerospace though Space segment was limited. Israel and Iran were absent for diplomatic reasons. Dubai attracted over 600 registered exhibitors and some few hundred floaters/sellers from 60 countries, over 50,000 trade visitors and many shapely hostesses at stalls and 600 international and regional media (12 from India looking for ads) were at the show. The show was lavish in the Chalets.

The Dubai Air Show was fielded for the second time at Dubai’s sprawling new Al Maktoum Greenfield International Airport 30 km from the City Centre which promises to become operational for civil use soon, and the large spaces and the buildings around Al Makhtoum are coming up fast, and are being planned as an MRO and aviation hub of the future for burgeoning aviation business 7 % growth in the East and only 3.6% in the West and Dubai is getting geared for it.. A high speed metro line is under construction. Most Western companies and China have shown interest and invested as it is close to the Jebbel Ali Duty Free SEZ. There is happiness no large MRO has come up in India as one was planned at Nagpur, now and International airport. Nagpur is en route ideally East and West, which is another story connected with absconding Lt Cdr Sankaran and Abhishek Verma who was charged.
Indians are therefore the most hosted by Western foreign companies as India is one of the highest importers and lowest exporters of aviation and defence business. No wonder aviation and defence companies hug Indians like Trump does PM Modi looking for business, and now his stated, “Indo–Pacific Dream” with India leading the QUAD in Indian Ocean Region over taking Obama’s Pivot. But QUAD is still a talking shop with no military alliance which Trump and Tillerson want with India.

All this while India watches its flagship airline Air India that flies President, Vice President and PM Narendra Modi on his many jaunts with pride to show the Flag making huge losses and announces privatization but is unable to progress. Its talked about at shows as India’s loss has been others gain as Indian air passenger traffic has grown with its economy and foreign airlines have gained the most. The name Deepak Talwar comes up at Dubai.

The show recorded an order book of over $30 billion led by Boeing in surprise announcements by Emirates for 40 -987s and Fly Dubai for 737s leaving Airbus waiting for it’s A-380 orders. Dubai hotels were full and taxis occupied. UAE led by Dubai looks to expand in civil aviation which has overtaken Defence business world wide and the show depicted that. Defence Business is now conducted directly with Governments most times by leaders like PM Modi did the 36 Rafale deal with PM Hollande overnight , and with President Putin at BRIC at Goa.

Calidius a UAE company surprised many when a Dubai/UAE designed and built d gleaming black Air Force propeller Trainer B-450 made a demonstration flight . The pilots of UAE Air Force who have been trained on Hawks by IAF and now fly F-16 Block 60 reported that is will be cheaper that the Pilatus IAF imports. It has made UAE proud to say India’s HAL is still trying for a HTT-40 and Pilatus said HAL is not supporting them to Make more in India. So India will import more it seems and a RFI is out.

Hence no big defence deal was announced and the $ 30 billion was announced at the show led by Boeing for its commercial division was the talk of the show. It was stated by one commentator as the “President Trump price for trade” for friendship with USA in the turbulent Middle East, where Iran (Shia). Lebanon, Yemen, Russia and Syria and even rich Qatar( Sunni) are ranged against Saudi Arabia, Turkey and UAE and GCC. Surprisingly Iran is helping Houthis to fire C 802 missiles as far as Riyadh and IDF has studied Iran’s capability in forthcoming Navy Diary 2018 to be released nearer Navy Day 4th December. Jordan is going to be the loser and Pakistan is playing games. USA is tempting UAE to buy F-35s. Part 2 Next post.