Fierce competition in Dubai international exhibition

Dubai, UAE, hosted the International Aviation Exhibition in which 500 companies from 31 countries participated. The exhibition was an important occasion for the participating countries to exhibit their most advanced products that included all kinds of planes, including fighter planes.

The exhibition was a good opportunity for competition among the participating countries to signing a great number of deals and agreements. Dubai had hosted a similar exhibition in 1995 but this year's exhibition was characterized by its scope and great number of participants to the extent that it has become one of the premiere exhibitions like the one hosted by Singapore.

The organizing committee of the exhibition tried to reduce the military participation, but the nature of the aviation industry imposed itself. Civil aviation represented 60% of the total participation while military aviation accounted for 40%.

The exhibition also witnessed political intervention from some ministers in the Western countries who tried to use their contacts and political clout to finalize deals. Western embassies in the UAE also made intensive lobying efforts to win some of the deals, a fact that testifies to the heated the competition among the participants.