Dubai Airshow to return in 2021, discuss future of the aviation sector

Dubai Airshow will be held as a live physical event from November 14-18, 2021, it has been confirmed.

With a range of new features confirmed, the 17th edition of the event will focus on new avenues for the global aerospace industry, which has been hit hard by the pandemic this year.

Experts from multiple facets of the industry will be coming together to strategise and navigate through the new challenges thrown by Covid-19.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) report, despite the headwinds, the aviation industry will start to see growth again in the second half of 2021, depending on the re-opening of borders, the availability of the vaccine across the globe and a combination of severe cost-cutting strategies and an increase in travel demands.

Among the new features will be a focus on technology.

The technology showcase, a new addition to the airshow, will display all the new tech available for implementation in the industry including 5G, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and a possible $40bn revenue-maker, blockchain.

Another new feature, Vista, will encourage and nurture startups within the industry with the help of key industry leaders and investors.

Badr Al Olama, executive director of Mubadala Aerospace and a member of the Dubai Airshow’s advisory board stated: “The impact of digital transformation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the sector has been profound and we expect these elements to be key parts of the industry’s future recovery.”

In the coming months, Dubai Airshow also plans to launch a new advisory board with the help of the defense services marketing council (DSMC) to focus on the development of talent and skills, the next generation of women in aerospace, and the industry morale post-pandemic.