The mechanics and bolts of post-pandemic trade loomed large over Sunday's first significant aerospace event since the coronavirus crisis, as planemakers unveiled new freighter plans at the Dubai Airshow.
Airbus and Boeing plan to build the West's first all-new flying juggernauts in 25 years as the worldwide pandemic boosts e-commerce.
Airbus was knocking on the door of one of the industry's go-to patrons for new plane launches, Steven Udvar-Air Hazy's Lease Corp, industry sources claimed.
And, for the best-selling small passenger jets, the founder of Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air was also observed in Dubai preparing to place an order with Airbus four years after participating in a group of airlines that struck a record deal at the same event.
According to Reuters, Wizz was in talks with Airbus to purchase at least 100 additional jets in September.
According to industry newspaper The Air Current, Air Lease is set to be one of the first customers for a long-haul A350 freighter, along with an unnamed cargo company.
Airbus declined to comment during Sunday's launch of the Dubai Airshow, the Middle East industry event's first day. Wizz and Air Lease did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
An A350 freighter would compete with a potential cargo variant of Boeing's 777X passenger series, a twin-engined replacement for the soon-to-be-decommissioned 747.
Boeing has not yet unveiled the cargo variant, but analysts believe it will do so soon as it negotiates with potential purchasers, including Qatar Airways, the world's largest cargo carrier.
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, who is embroiled in a dispute with Airbus over the condition of its A350 passenger planes, stated in June that the country was in talks with Boeing over a possible 777X freighter.
Freighters have supplanted big passenger jets in traditional dealmaking at the showcase event. The industry attempts to put on a brave face following the loss of two years of passenger growth due to the global travel slowdown induced by the international travel slowdown COVID-19.
Compared to the passenger sector, air freight is rising as customers purchase more online, and global supply chain restrictions restrict the quantity of cargo that can be moved.
Delegations of the Army
Additionally, converted passenger jets are benefiting from the freight boom. On Sunday, Icelease, based in Reykjavik, announced an order for 11 converted Boeing 737-800 freighters.
Magnus Stephensen, Chief Operating Officer, said demand for freighters would continue to grow even when passenger jets grounded by the epidemic resume flight, reintroducing previously underused capacity in their cargo holds to the market.
"The COVID pandemic has changed the cargo environment for good," he explained. "E-commerce has entirely changed the outlook."
Military officials also assembled as diplomats report that Gulf states and neighbors are beginning to doubt Washington's commitment to the area after the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Washington is the primary security partner of the six Gulf Arab governments, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. However, European states have moved to bolster their influence.
Lieutenant Officer Gregory Guillot, the United States' top air force general in the Middle East, said on Saturday that the US was committed to the region but that its "size and presence could adjust" could change depending on what happened elsewhere.
Israel is making its first public appearance at the event since establishing diplomatic relations with the UAE last year.
Russia is scheduled to demonstrate its Sukhoi Su-75 "Checkmate" fighter, a competitor to the United States' F-35 that the UAE is purchasing as part of an agreement with Washington following diplomatic relations with Israel.
The Emirati contract has stalled as US lawmakers push for greater oversight of arms deals, including assurances that weapons shipments to Middle Eastern countries will not jeopardize Israeli security.
