Dubai Airshow: mega orders, Gulf airlines and what to expect as a spotter

When multibillion-dollar orders run across the news tickers in November, chances are good that they come from the desert. In a few decades, the Dubai Airshow has grown from a regional trade show into one of the aviation industry’s most important meeting points – and into the stage on which Emirates and flydubai present their fleet plans. This guide explains how the show came about, which orders have defined it, how it runs and how you plan a visit sensibly as a spotter.

Dubai Airshow: the short answer

The Dubai Airshow is an international aviation trade show held every two years in November at Dubai World Central airport. Manufacturers, airlines, suppliers, air forces and authorities meet there for five days. There is a large static display, a daily flying program and conferences. The show is best known for big orders from the Gulf airlines. The 2025 edition ran from November 17 to 21, and the organizer announces the next for November 15 to 19, 2027.

In the calendar of the major shows, Dubai has a fixed place. The Paris Air Show at Le Bourget is also held in odd years, in June. The Farnborough International Airshow and ILA Berlin alternate with them in even years. Anyone interested in new products therefore has at least one major show every year. An overview of the European events can be found in the guide Airshows in Europe.

From Arab Air to a world show: the history

The roots of the show lie in 1986. At that time, the organizer F&E staged a small trade exhibition for civil aviation at the Dubai World Trade Centre, called Arab Air. Three years later, in 1989, the first edition under the name Dubai Airshow took place, then at Dubai Airport. According to information on the show’s history, around 200 exhibitors and 25 aircraft came together – a modest event from today’s perspective.

As early as 1991, the date changed: Because of the Gulf War, the show moved from January to November and acquired a clear military focus. The November date has remained to this day. As Dubai rose to become a hub between Europe, Asia and Africa, the show grew too. Emirates, founded in 1985, developed into the largest operator of the Airbus A380 and one of the most important customers of the Boeing 777. Many of these fleet decisions were made public at the home show.

By now, the show no longer takes place at the city airport. It has its own grounds at Al Maktoum International airport in Jebel Ali. This airport started cargo operations in 2010, and the first passenger flights followed in 2013. Through 2021, the Tarsus group organized the show. Since 2023, Informa Markets has been the organizer.

Year	Milestone
1986	Arab Air trade show at the Dubai World Trade Centre
1989	first Dubai Airshow at Dubai Airport, around 200 exhibitors and 25 aircraft
1991	move from January to November, military focus
2013	record order book, Emirates orders 150 Boeing 777X and 50 A380
2023	first edition under Informa Markets
2025	edition from November 17 to 21 with new mega orders from Emirates and flydubai

Mega orders: why Dubai makes the headlines

Orders are placed at every major show. Dubai stands out anyway because entire fleet generations are awarded at once here particularly often. The reason lies in the Gulf airlines’ business model. They bundle traffic through a hub and need many large, long-haul-capable aircraft for it. How that works is explained in detail in the article on the business model of Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad.

The best-known orders of past editions:

• 2013: Emirates announced the largest order of the show: 150 Boeing 777X plus options and 50 more Airbus A380. The show’s entire order book was considered a record at the time. That put the 777X program firmly on course.
• 2017: Emirates ordered 40 Boeing 787-10, and flydubai committed to taking 175 Boeing 737 MAX. Indigo Partners signed a letter of intent for 430 Airbus jets.
• 2019: Emirates opted for 50 Airbus A350-900 and 30 Boeing 787-9. Air Arabia from Sharjah ordered 120 aircraft of the A320 family.
• 2023: Emirates ordered 90 more 777X, plus 15 A350-900 and five additional 787s. flydubai ordered 30 Boeing 787-9 and thereby bet on widebody aircraft. Airlines such as SunExpress, airBaltic, Ethiopian Airlines and EgyptAir also announced orders.
• 2025: Emirates confirmed an order for 65 Boeing 777-9 including GE9X engines with a stated list value of 38 billion US dollars and increased the A350-900 order by eight aircraft. flydubai announced an order for 75 Boeing 737 MAX.

After the 2023 order, around 205 777X were already in the airline’s order book, split between the 777-9 and the 777-8. With the 2025 order, the number has grown further. Emirates took delivery of its first A350 in November 2024. As of October 2026, actual deliveries, especially of the 777X, depend heavily on certification progress at Boeing. You should therefore always look up concrete dates with the airline or manufacturer.

For spotters, these orders have a practical side. What is ordered in Dubai shapes the world’s airports years later. The Emirates A350 and the flydubai 787 are such cases. If you want to know how to tell the new types apart, the guides A350 or Boeing 787? and Telling the Boeing 777 and 787 apart will help.

What you see at the show

The Dubai Airshow is broader than the order announcements suggest. Roughly speaking, the offering can be divided into four areas.

Static display: On the apron, airliners, freighters, business jets, military aircraft and helicopters stand side by side. Manufacturers such as Airbus and Boeing often show their newest types there, frequently in the customer livery of the host airlines. If you want to see Emirates or flydubai jets up close, this is a rare opportunity.

Flying program: Every day there are demonstrations. These include fighter jets, transports, helicopters and aerobatic squadrons. Teams that have already performed in Dubai include the Al Fursan of the United Arab Emirates Air Force, the Patrouille de France, the Red Arrows and India’s Surya Kiran. Which teams and aircraft actually fly at an edition is only decided shortly beforehand.

Military part: Thanks to its location on the Gulf and the partnership with the UAE Ministry of Defence, the show has a strong defense focus. In 2023, for example, the F-15QA and Chinese J-10s of the “August 1st” aerobatic team debuted there, and in 2025 the Sukhoi Su-57 flew, among others. How strongly individual countries are represented depends on the political situation and changes from edition to edition.

Conferences and special areas: Around the halls, trade conferences run on topics such as space, airport operations, sustainability and air traffic management. They are less interesting for spotters, but quite so for aviation fans with an eye on the industry.

The venue: Al Maktoum International

Dubai World Central airport is located in Jebel Ali, about 37 kilometers southwest of the city center, and is the heart of the Dubai South development area. The main runway 12/30 is 4,500 meters long. In everyday operation, DWC is known mainly for cargo, a few passenger connections and business aviation. Emirates’ big scheduled operation continues to run through Dubai International (DXB).

That will change in the long term. In April 2024, Dubai presented plans for a new passenger terminal at DWC, with an investment volume of 128 billion dirhams and a final build-out stage with five parallel runways. After completion, Emirates and flydubai want to move all their operations to DWC, and DXB will then be closed. Completion of the expansion is not expected before 2035. Until then, DWC as a show venue remains above all one thing: a generous site with plenty of room for the exhibition and flying program.

For planning, that means: The show grounds are quite far from the city center. The trip by taxi or rental car takes much longer than the distance alone suggests, depending on traffic. Whether shuttle buses exist is announced by the organizer for each edition. During show week, expect traffic jams on the access roads.

Planning a visit: access, travel and timing

Unlike ILA with its public days, the Dubai Airshow is primarily a trade show. The target audience is exhibitors, airlines, authorities, delegations and trade visitors. How access for private individuals is regulated, whether there are ticket categories and which age limits apply is set by the organizer anew for each edition. Do not rely on reports from previous years but check the conditions on the official website before you book flights and a hotel.

The November date is climatically favorable. The extreme summer heat is over, but it is still warm and sunny during the day. On a large apron without shade, that adds up quickly. Drink enough, bring sun protection and a hat, and plan breaks in the shade or in the halls. Tips for long days in the sun are in the article Plane spotting in summer, and the packing list from the Airshow day checklist works for Dubai too.

Photography: light, heat haze and rules

At a show with lots of aircraft, the equipment question is quickly answered. For the static display, a standard or wide-angle zoom is enough, and for the flying program you need a telephoto zoom. Two points set Dubai apart from European shows.

Heat haze: Even in November, asphalt and concrete heat up strongly during the day. With long focal lengths over long distances, the image quickly turns soft. It is best to shoot in the morning and late afternoon. For shots across the apron, it helps to move closer instead of zooming in even further. More in the guide Avoiding heat haze.

Light: In November in Dubai, the sun stands quite high at midday and contrasts are harsh. When photographing demonstrations, pay attention to which side of the display line you have the sun behind you. For propeller aircraft and helicopters, choose longer shutter speeds so that rotors and propellers do not look frozen. You will find the basics in Photographing airshows.

Rules: In the United Arab Emirates, strict requirements apply to photos around airports and security-relevant facilities. On the show grounds, photos are normally part of the program. But watch for notices at stands and at military equipment and respect photo bans. Outside the grounds, at fences and roadsides, you should be very restrained. What you need to know is in the article Photography at airports in the UAE.

Safety in the flying program: the 2025 accident

Flying demonstrations always carry a residual risk, even in strictly regulated programs. On the last show day in 2025, November 21, an Indian Air Force HAL Tejas crashed during an aerobatic demonstration. The pilot was killed. The flying program was interrupted and resumed after about two hours. The Russian Knights flew a missing man formation in honor of the pilot.

For spectators, such a moment is hard to process. But it also shows how important the safety distances and display lines prescribed at big airshows are. How such rules came about in Germany after the Ramstein air show disaster of 1988 is described in our background article. On site, always follow barriers and staff instructions.

Show plus spotting: combining Dubai properly

The real strength of a trip to the Dubai Airshow lies in the combination. At the show, you see new products, prototypes and military aircraft. At the hub Dubai International, normal operations carry on in parallel, with Emirates A380s and 777s, flydubai 737 MAX and many carriers from Asia, Africa and Europe. Abu Dhabi with Etihad Airways is also easy to reach from Dubai.

How to go about it there, which spots are interesting for spotters and what to watch out for is described in the guide Plane spotting in Dubai. Precisely because the rules on site are stricter than in Europe, preparation pays off. If you want to travel with other spotters, you will find ideas for organizing in Spotting group trips and tours.

Dubai compared with the big European shows

Criterion	Dubai Airshow	Paris Air Show	Farnborough	ILA Berlin
Cycle	odd years, November	odd years, June	even years, July	even years, June
Venue	Al Maktoum International (DWC)	Le Bourget Airport	Farnborough Airport	BER Airport, Schönefeld exhibition grounds
Focus	Gulf airlines, mega orders, defense	mega orders, European industry	mega orders, industry	industry, space, defense
For private visitors	mainly a trade show, conditions per edition	public days at the end of the week	one public day at the end of the week	public days at the weekend

The dates and admission rules of the European shows change from edition to edition, so the table’s information is meant as a typical pattern. You will find detailed portraits in the articles on Paris, Farnborough and ILA.

Conclusion

The Dubai Airshow is the showcase of Gulf aviation. Here Emirates and flydubai have announced fleet decisions that become visible at airports around the world years later – from the 777X to the A350 and flydubai’s 787. For spotters, the show is a special destination: new products, military and aerobatics on one site, plus reliable weather and the chance to combine the visit with spotting days in Dubai. You should clarify access and photo rules early, though.