Boeing has expanded its growth plans within the Middle East’s aerospace industry at the just-concluded Dubai Airshow with strong customer and partnership announcements.

“The 2015 Dubai Airshow has been very positive for Boeing as we strengthened alliances with partners, secured key commercial airplane orders and met with senior government leaders and customers,” said Charlie Miller, vice president, International Corporate Communications. “This show has been especially important to us as it coincides with our centennial celebrations. The agreements we announced help to bolster a growth trajectory for our second century.”

At Dubai South headquarters, Boeing collaborated with the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Emirates and Etihad Airways to deliver a three-day student workshop that ran in parallel to the air show with the aim of attracting UAE youth to the industry.

“We all have an opportunity to shape the future, which is why Boeing invests in high-quality, engaging education programmes,” said Bernard Dunn, president, Boeing Middle East, North Africa & Turkey. “We hope this program and the others Boeing is engaged in will make learning fun in new and more interactive ways.”

Boeing reinforced its commitment to the UAE with a Memorandum of Agreement with Dubai South that set out the company’s plan to establish its Middle East headquarters in the city’s Aviation District in 2017.

Additionally, Boeing and Tawazun Precision Industries (TPI), a subsidiary of Emirates Defense Industries Company (EDIC) signed a significant contract to manufacture complex metallic machined parts for tactical aircraft at TPI’s new treatment facility, currently under construction in Abu Dhabi.

Boeing also announced a joint venture with Tata Advanced Systems to manufacture aerostructures and collaborate on integrated systems development opportunities in India. A manufacturing centre of excellence will initially produce aerostructures for the AH-64 Apache helicopter and compete for additional manufacturing work packages across Boeing platforms, both commercial and defence. – TradeArabia News Service