A sizeable delegation from Qatar Airways will head on Sunday to the UAE to participate in the Dubai Airshow which opens there the same day and runs till November 17, a spokesman for the carrier said here yesterday. “Qatar Airways will have a formidable presence at the Dubai Airshow which is the showpiece event on the international aerospace calendar,” he said in a statement to Qatar News Agency. Qatar Airways, as part of its rapid expansion plans seen this year, will make a major announcement at the show, he added. The Dubai Airshow is organised under the patronage of Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, and in co-operation with Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Airports and the UAE Armed Forces. The world’s major airlines, manufacturers, suppliers and top management executives congregate at the show which is in its 22nd year. This year’s show is billed to be the biggest with more than 1,000 exhibitors and nearly 55,000 trade visitors, an almost 4% increase from the previous show in 2009, organisers said. Airshow organiser F&E Aerospace’s managing director Alison Weller, said, “The Dubai Airshow is bigger than ever this year and this is reflected in the variety of aircraft, both civil and military, on display and in the flying display.” The daily flying demonstration will display a full complement of both civil and military aircraft, including the Eurofighter Typhoon, Boeing’s F18 Super Hornet and Dassault’s Rafale fighter. Making its Middle East debut is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and it will be joined on the static display park, among others, by the Pakistan Airforce’s JF17 Thunder fighter, the Bell/Boeing V-22 Tilt Rotor, a unique aircraft that can perform both vertical take-off and landing and short take-off and landing, the AAI’s Shadow 200 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), the Apache MH-60 helicopter and an array of business jets from companies such as Gulfstream, Bombardier and Cessna. For the first time ever, and reflecting the 40th anniversary of the UAE, the flying display will open with the country’s own aerobatic team - Al Fursan - which will fly Alenia Aermacchi aircraft. The display will also feature the Patrouille de France aerobatic team, flying the Alpha jets. The Doha-based carrier which recently retained the Best Airline award in the Middle East and Africa presented at the 2011 Business Traveller Asia Pacific Awards in September, now flies to 109 destinations globally. Voted by readers of the prestigious monthly magazine targeting frequent travellers, Qatar Airways beat stiff competition to pick up the coveted award for the second year running at a ceremony in Hong Kong attended by leading figures from across the hospitality industry. Recently named Airline of the Year by industry audit Skytrax, Qatar won the Business Traveller award for the first time last year. The award further recognises Qatar Airways’ strong commitment to travel excellence as voted by the people who regularly ply the skies on business travel trips – frequent flyers, the spokesperson said. Gulf Times

Follow us on our social media channels: @ILQlive @ILQlive @ILoveQtr ILoveQatar