Opening Day of the 2025 Dubai Airshow Dubai Airshow for 2025 is now underway having commenced on the Monday, 17th of November at the Dubai World Central (DWC). The show will continue through to the 21st of the month. The show opened to thrilling air displays with a UAE formation flypast then a demonstration by Fursan Al Emarat. They were operating their newly re-equipped Chinese Hongdu L-15 advanced jet trainer aircraft seen for the first time in action at the show.
Apart from the thrilling airshows on the opening day there was alot of news that emanated from the show on the commercial, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), Business aviation spectra of the aviation industry. Boeing had a successful opening day with the announcement that they garnered additional orders for the Boeing 77X from longstanding customer Emirates Airlines. That order expands their new acquisitions for the type by 65 airplanes (777-9). Additionally it revealed that it is working on a derivative specific for Emirates as well.
Joby is also at the show becoming the first international eVTOL company to display at the Dubai Air Show. Joby had their S4 demonstrator in the flying display at the show on the first day. Many eVTOL companies are targeting these Middle Eastern companies to break in and enter service with their respective aircraft. There is a reason why Archer aviation had desert trials in the UAE that they recently concluded. Others look to Saudi Arabia's early adoption of AAM as a way in. Joby wants to enter service in the UAE in 2026.
A very interesting entrant came via Honda. Honda Aircraft Company has a solid footing in the VLJ segment in business aviation but they do not have a presence in the AAM...until now. They used the Dubai Airshow to introduce their AAM eVTOL to the market. The question people will be asking is whether Honda waited for the right time to enter the market or if they are too late. On the positive side, they would have been able to see the struggles that early-adopters had especially relating to battery technology and resulting issues with battery density, endurance and stability (fire/thermal runaway issues). What is at the show is a cabin mock-up of the proposed aircraft. Additionally Honda has flown a sub-scale demonstrator before so they are not exactly starting from scratch. Their view is that the 2030s is the time frame they see for entry into service because of the lack of available infrastructure being developed or already in place for vertiports, charging etc. The proposed craft will be a four person cabin with the ability to fly over 400km. Their path will likely be with a hybrid powertrain.
The UAE does not only want to be a hub for AAM but they also want to be part of it in terms of manufacturing aircraft too. To this end, Abu Dhabi-based company Lodd has introduced a hybrid-electric cargo drone called the Hili. There is a mock-up of the Hili at the advanced air mobility hall of the show but their company has already conducted hover tests at Emirates Falcon Aviation in Al Ain a few days ago on the 13th November. It wont be pure electric as it will combine traditional combustion with electric to provide hybrid power offering a range approaching 700 km while hauling a payload of approximately 250 kg.
On the commercial side of the industry, specifically freighter segments, Air China Cargo has made an order for the Airbus A350F. This 6-aircraft order has placed Air China Cargo at the top of the order list for companies from the Chinese mainland. This latest new order takes Airbus' A350F program to 74 aircraft via 12 known customers. It should be noted that the A350F still has not flown as yet but customers are clearly sold on the potential this variant will have for their operations.
COMAC is at the show with two of their major products in the single-aisle COMAC C919 and a business jet variant of the COMAC C909 (what was previously known as the ARJ21). COMAC has been having a difficult time entering the international market with the C919 with the very strong international presence of Airbus and Boeing. However, COMAC has the C929 which is a 250 to 320 seat aircraft and would more squarely compete with products from Airbus like the A330neo and the Boeing 787.
Dassault is in attendance at the show with the display of the Falcon 8X and the Falcon 6X. The Falcon 6X is particularly appealing to customers simply because of the comfort in spaciousness of the passenger cabin. This aircraft has one of the largest passenger cabins of purpose-built business jets. Dimensions include 6.5-feet high and 8.5-feet wide. This translates to internal cabin volume of approximately 1,843 cu ft.
On the other hand, the Dassault Falcon 8X is the current longest range executive jet in Dassault Falcon's arsenal. With a range of approximately 6,450 nautical miles, the 8X easily handles trans-oceanic flight and with 3-engine reliability. It also has a large interior cabin but its range is the star-point for Dassault Falcon. However, when the in-development Falcon 10X enters service, the 8X will be dethroned as the longest range Falcon. At this point in time, the Falcon 10X has a range of 7,500 nautical miles. ***
