Posted by Courtney E. Howard
AVIONICS INTELLIGENCE REPORT, 6 Dec. 2011. The dust has finally settled following an exciting and busy Dubai Airshow, but the optimistic tone set at the show has yet to die down, reveals Executive Editor Courtney E. Howard in her latest video log. Aircraft sales soared at the Dubai Airshow, growing the demand for modern avionics. The five-day airshow closed with record attendance (56,548 all told) and logging $63.3 billion in aircraft, maintenance services, and flight training orders.
Flight training was a major draw this year, with an aviation academy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) acquiring technology for a new training center for high school graduates.
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, from Bell Helicopter and The Boeing Company, made its debut at the show and drew international attention. And why not? The V-22 Osprey is a unique joint service, multirole combat aircraft using tiltrotor technology to deliver the vertical performance of a helicopter and the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft. It can take off, land, and hover like a helicopter, but, when airborne, it can transition to a turbopropairplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight.
Michael Andersen, deputy director of the Bell Boeing V-22 Program revealed at the show that several governments have requested information and follow-up visits.
The belle of the ball, however, was the Airbus A320neo—winning orders from a major airline in the Persian Gulf, two international aircraft leasing companies (one in the U.S., and the other in Kuwait), and a U.S.-based low-cost carrier. John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer – customers, reveals that the A320neo provides longer range, lower seat mile costs, lower fuel burned, and more efficiency than the A320, and the A320neo family has accumulated 1,420 firm orders and commitments since its launch last December.
The Dubai Airshow brought with it a wealth of announcements and transactions—so much so that this report is just scratching the surface. Be sure to visit Avionics-intelligence.com for all your avionics news.
