Dubai Airport Show

24th Dubai Airport Show concludes on overwhelming response from aviation industry

Published on May 9th, 2025
7 Minute Read
24th Dubai Airport Show concludes on overwhelming response from aviation industry
  • Trade Show calls to effectively adopt and invest in new technologies to grab the huge growth opportunities in airport projects
  • More than 6,000 attendees from 30 countries; 140 exhibitors and 150-plus buyers from 70 organisations from 30 countries
  • Several companies signed joint venture and collaboration deals
  • 2026 edition of Airport Show to be held on May 12 to 14, 2026 at Dubai World Trade Centre
  • Airport Show hosted more than 3,500 meetings under Business Connect Programme

The 24 edition of Dubai Airport Show 2025, which received overwhelming support from the aviation industry from all over the world, concluded at Dubai World Trade Centre today with a call to effectively adopt and invest in new technologies to grab the huge opportunities offered by the massive airport expansion projects in the region.

The 24th edition is marked by three days of fruitful discussion sessions, displays of innovative technologies, agreements and memorandums of understanding that will contribute to shaping the future of the aviation industry.

The Show attracted more than 6,000 attendees, indicating overwhelming articipation by all stakeholders in the industry in the wake of overall positive sentiment of growth in the aviation industry.

More than 140 exhibitors from 22 countries participated in the exhibition with the presence of over 150 buyers from over 70 organisations from 30 countries. The trade gathering hosted more than 3,500 meetings under its popular Business Connect Programme.

Being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, Airport Show is organized by RX, a global company that organizes about 350 events across the world, to provide participants valuable insights into issues and technologies shaping the airports in the ever-evolving competitive global business landscape.

May Ismail, Event Manager, Airport Show, said: “I express my deep appreciation to all our strategic partners for the great success achieved by the exhibition in its current session, and we have begun preparing from now to make the next session an exceptional one in every sense.”


Several agreements were signed by the participating companies on joint ventures, collaborations and service expansion.

The Airport Show was the venue to announce the awarding of a contract by Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP) to Smiths Detection to deploy state-of-the-art checkpoint scanners throughout Terminals 1, 2, and 3 of Dubai International Airport.

DAEP is the agency responsible for the design, master-planning, infrastructure development and construction of Dubai’s aviation sector.

The leading annual exhibition dedicated to the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region witnessed wide participation from industry leaders and international and regional experts, in conjunction with optimistic expectations for the growth of the global aviation industry, specifically the Middle East, as the industry is expected to achieve a new record in the number of passengers and airport expansions.

The Airport Show platform was chosen by leading operators, experts and regulators to discuss issues and challenges and suggest remedial measures so that the industry players can chart their future business strategies to fully grab the growth opportunities.

The co-located events, Global Airport Leaders’ Forum (GALF) and Women in Aviation Middle East Conference, attracted more than 70 aviation leaders and expert speakers in 30 sessions.

This year’s Airport Show is opened in the wake of the Middle East and neighbouring regions experiencing a significant surge in airport expansion projects, driven by a robust recovery in global aviation and optimistic projections for passenger growth. With expectations to handle approximately 1.1 billion passengers annually by 2040 — up from 405 million in 2019 — the Middle East is investing heavily in infrastructure to meet this demand.​

The 12th Global Airport Leader’s Forum (GALF) was designed to take forward the aviation knowledge- enhancement agenda with keynote speeches from Lt. Gen. Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), HE Ahmad Ali Belqaizi, Executive Director, Aviation Safety and Environment Sector, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) Mr Abdulla Al Shamsi, Director of Engineering, Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP).

This year’s new attractions include the GSE Zone, Airport Tech Pavilion, and Airport Design Hub.

The Airport Show is designed to serve the US$1 trillion airport development market in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region.

The Show hosted a series of high-level strategic sessions featuring top decision-makers and regional and international aviation experts. The discussions focused on bold, forward-looking solutions to address increasingly congested skies, rapid expansion, and the integration of cutting-edge technologies, smart air traffic management, the evolving role of next-generation airports as integrated logistics hubs, and the challenges of incorporating air taxis and autonomous aircraft into existing aviation ecosystems.

Participating in a presentation at GALF, Talal Al Hammadi, Vice President of Air Traffic Development at Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans), shared Dubai’s vision for adopting artificial intelligence and unified traffic systems for both manned and unmanned aviation, and highlighted the ambitious expansion of Al Maktoum International Airport as a real-world testbed for future aviation innovations.

As in the past, this year’s event enjoyed strong backing of key aviation authorities and organizations, supported by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Airports, Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects, Emirates Airline and Group, dans and dnata.

Airport Show 2025 in Dubai witnessed an unprecedented African presence, with official delegations, airlines, and airport operators from more than 10 African nations presenting ambitious visions and large-scale infrastructure projects in the aviation sector, extending through 2030.

Leading industry players have come on board as event partners and sponsors. Amadeus leads as the event’s Strategic Partner, with Schneider Electric joining as Technology Partner. Gold Sponsor WAISL has joined sponsors Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans), Smiths Detection and ADB SAFEGATE.

The ATC Forum benefits from the support of both Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans) and Global Air Navigation Services (GANS), while the Airport Security Forum is backed by Dubai Police and the National Guard.

Additionally, Airport Show 2025 is collaborating with several leading associations, including the Women in Aviation Middle East Chapter, the Contractors Association, the Supply Chain and Logistics Group (SCLG), and the Dubai Airline Operators Committee (DAOC).

Several leading companies showcased their products and processes.

TOTO participated in the Airport Show in collaboration with Al-Futtaim Contracting, its authorized distributor for UAE and KSA.

Katarzyna Żmudzińska
Kasia is an ATM consultant with international experience in technical and regulatory projects gained in consulting companies - Think Research (UK) and EY (Brussels), as well as organisations like European Commission (DG MOVE), Eurocontol and ICAO and most recently a market intelligence expert with FoxATM.
Subscribe to Newsletter