Dubai Airshow Unlikely To See Big Deals Of 2007

ADAM SCHRECK

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Organizers of the Dubai Airshow are putting on a brave face ahead of this year's event, the economic meltdown and a bleak commercial aviation backdrop aside.

Exhibitor numbers are up, they say, as are advance bookings and the size of the exhibition hall for the biennial event, which starts Sunday. Regional first-time flights by aircraft like the F-22 Raptor and Eurofighter Typhoon fighters are another draw.

What no one is talking about, however, is matching last show's record-breaking order total of $155 billion — a figure that spotlighted the Middle East as an important growing source of business for aerospace and defense manufacturers.

The theme among plane and weapons makers this time around: lowered expectations.

"We're not expecting a lot of orders," Habib Fekih, president of Airbus' Middle East operations, told The Associated Press on Thursday. "Deals will not be the main driver of the show."

The last Dubai Airshow saw jaw-dropping orders from the region's fast-growing carriers, such as hometown favorite Emirates and Qatar Airways.