Dubai Airshow 2015: Delegates predict drop in new jetliner orders
Low oil prices and conflicts in the Middle East could cast a dark cloud over the Dubai Airshow which opens today, as plane makers brace for a slowdown in new orders.
Delegates predict that the biennial event, which is running for five days, will see a drop in major commercial order announcements as Gulf airlines take stock after expansion.
"A lot of airlines have bought aircraft to capture the same growth," Ben Moores, senior analyst at IHS Aerospace, Defence & Security, said.
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It comes after three years of record jetliner orders.
In 2013 there were 400 orders, and industry analysts have since said this isn't repeatable.
But Major General Ibrahim Nasser Al Alawi, commander of the UAE Air Force and Air Defence, said over $206bn (£137bn) in orders were booked at the 2013 Dubai air show, adding: "This year’s air show is on course to be even bigger and better."