Dubai Airshow 2021 took off with Saudi military companies, international big players participation

An Orion-E unmanned combat aerial vehicle on display ahead of Dubai Airshow 2021. Getty

• Major Saudi companies participating in five-day event to showcase products, services

RIYADH: Major players in the aviation industry are set to showcase their products and services at the Dubai Airshow that begins today.
More than 85,000 visitors are likely to attend the five-day event that brings aviation, aerospace, space, and defense industries together.
It will be attended by over 370 new exhibitors and representatives from almost 150 countries. There will be civil and military delegations from more than 140 countries and the event will feature 20 country pavilions.
Andre Martins, partner, Oliver Wyman, said: “The Dubai Airshow will be a great event to reconnect the key industry leaders. Stakeholders will be keen to understand the latest perspectives on the recovery and rebuild of the aviation industry, along with airline growth and sustainability plans, scale-up production plans from suppliers as well as innovations.”
The General Authority for Military Industries, General Authority of Civil Aviation, and the Saudi Aerospace Co. will all be in attendance at the event.
Other Saudi companies present will be Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI); Advanced Electronics Co., Saudi Arabian Airlines, OxfordSaudia Flight Academy, and GDC Middle East.
Describing GAMI’s purpose of participating in the airshow, Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al-Ohali, the authority’s governor, told Arab News: “One of GAMI’s objectives has been to be the main representative of the military industries sector internationally and introduce this promising sector and the opportunities that it provides.
“During our participation in international events, several agreements and partnerships have been signed, which will be reflected in the military industries sector in the Kingdom and its national economy.”
SAMI CEO Walid Abukhaled echoed similar views, as he said: “We are looking forward to capitalizing on Dubai Airshow 2021 to further our business growth objectives and contribute to Saudi Vision 2030’s goal of localizing more than 50 percent of Saudi Arabia’s military spending by the end of the decade.”
To a question about the impact of COVID-19 on the defense industry, he said it has in the past remained largely unsusceptible to international shocks.
“But, the repercussions of COVID-19, however, posed challenges to the industry, with global supply chains coming under immense pressure in the face of lockdowns, border closures, and mobility restrictions. Nonetheless, businesses like SAMI soon reconsidered their strategies to maintain resilience and continue to deliver on their contracts and mandates,” Abukhaled said.
Commenting on the airshow, Ziad Al-Musallam, president and CEO of AEC, said: “We look forward to an excellent opportunity to showcase our engineering, manufacturing and MRO capabilities along with our solutions in C4I, cybersecurity, air operations centers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). It will also be an excellent forum to explore new opportunities for driving innovation and transfer of technology, in line with the Saudi Vision 2030 goals to localize more than 50 percent of the military spending.”