A major event on the global aviation scene spanning across both military and civil aviation, is the biennial Airshow at Dubai. Covering all segments of the aerospace industry, this Airshow is among the largest aerospace events in the Middle East and is viewed as strategically the most important aerospace exhibition for the Armed Forces of the UAE. This year, this iconic event, is scheduled to be held from November 17 to 21 at the Dubai World Central which is regarded as Dubai’s airport of the future. The Dubai Airshow 2019 is expected surpass the figures of the previous edition in 2017. A comprehensive preview of the Dubai Airshow 2019 by Ayushee Chaudhary of SP Guide Publications is included in this issue of SP’s Aviation.

Dr Vivek Lall, a US citizen of Indian origin, is a world renowned personality in aerospace and defence, now working with Lockheed Martin. He has held various key positions with his last stint as Chief Executive of Strategic Development at General Atomics. He is one of the senior-most persons of Indian origin in the US in an aerospace and defence sector. This issue of the magazine carries a detailed profile of Dr Vivek Lall’s illustrious career, his achievements and his contribution to the aerospace industry.

A major achievement by Embraer, the aerospace major of Brazil, is the successful development of the KC-390, a mediumlift, twin engine military transport aircraft. The project was launched in April 2009 and the aircraft undertook its maiden flight in February 2015, less than six years after the launch of the project. This is a remarkable achievement indeed and an example for the Indian aerospace industry to emulate. A report on the development of the KC-390 by Air Marshal B.K. Pandey (Retd) has been included in this issue of SP’s Aviation.

On October 22 this year, Business Aviation received infusion of new life by way of the entry of the G700 business jet from Gulfstream into the global market. This new flagship model was unveiled by Gulfstream at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Business Aviation Convention Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) at the Las Vegas Convention Centre and Henderson Executive Airport. Built on the company’s decades-long investment in research and development, the G700 is being called the harbinger of a new era for Gulfstream as well as that of the business aviation sector. A report on the G700 by Ayushee Chaudhary figures in this issue of the magazine.

One segment of the aviation industry the world over that has immense potential for growth as a financially lucrative business venture is the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) segment. In the Asian region particularly, while profit margins may be razor thin with the region’s commercial air carriers, the returns and growth prospects for MRO industry appear to be consistently healthy. Fuelling the demand is the rapid increase in the number of low-cost carriers which, by their very nature, outsource maintenance to eliminate overhead, keep costs low and ticket prices competitive. This issue of the magazine carries an analysis of this subject by Byron Bohlman.

All this and more in this issue of SP’s Aviation. Welcome aboard and we wish you many happy landings!

Jai Hind!