DUBAI: Dubai Airshow 2019 was officially opened on Sunday by Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Around 1,288 exhibitors and more than 87,000 trade visitors over the next five days are expected to visit the airshow. More than 160 countries including Pakistan are participating in the mega-event. Pakistan’s Super Mushshak training aircraft is also on display at the airshow but unfortunately the pride of Pakistan JF-17 Thunder is not present in this year’s airshow.
Many aviation enthusiasts specially Pakistanis and Chinese were little dejected when they didn’t find the state of the art fighter aircraft JF-17 in this year’s show. The fighter plane had been participating each time regularly in Dubai airshows for the past ten years.
Not only in Dubai but JF-17 Thunder has successfully been participating in various reputed air shows all over the world so its absence is being felt among the aviation fans. This year, Super Mushshak is also not participating in aerobatics show.
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Defence Production Zubaida Jalal also visited Pakistan pavilion and met engineers of Super Mushshak at the site of the airshow on the first day. She lauded the efforts of Pakistani engineers of developing state of the art aircrafts in Pakistan.
Speaking with The News, Zubaida Jalal said that Pakistan has received three times more foreign exchange this financial year by exporting defence related products. “More than $200 million (Rs31 billion) has been earned by defence production’s export and this amount would increase in coming years”, she informed at the sidelines of the airshow.
Former Pakistan Army’s chief General (retired) Raheel Sharif also visited Pakistan Pavilion and Saudi Pavilion in the show.