Dubai

Dubai Heli Show was very quiet, which was not unexpected during a recession period that has hit Dubai particularly hard. However, the relative lack of visitors to the show had an unexpected bonus: It gave manufacturers and operators plenty of free time to talk to journalists, which the press used to good effect.

There are five major operators in this area: Aero Gulf Helicopters, based in Dubai, Heli Dubai, part of the Dubai Air Wing, and Abu Dhabi Aviation and Falcon Aviation, both based in Abu Dhabi, and Gulf Helicopters, based in Doha in the State of Qatar. All the main manufacturers are represented in the area, including Sikorsky, Eurocopter, Bell, and Agusta Westland...