The Emirates Boeing 777 and A380, joined by aircraft from UAE carriers Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia soared through the skies in a spectacular flypast this afternoon, kicking off the 2021 edition of the Dubai Airshow. Spectators and avid aviation enthusiasts were in for a treat as all of the aircraft were joined by seven of the UAE’s air display team, Al Fursan, set in an arrow formation, with their signature smoke trails in the colours of the UAE: red, black and green.
Together, the flypast was a large and colourful start to the Dubai Airshow flying display programme, and celebrated the UAE’s advancements and leadership in civil aviation and aerospace.
The Emirates B777-300ER display aircraft was emblazoned with the bespoke ‘United Arab Emirates 50’ livery, embodying the Golden jubilee of Emirates’ home and hub, the UAE. The Emirates A380 featured the head-turning Expo 2020 Dubai livery with the special ‘Dubai Expo’ and ‘Be Part of the Magic’ messages running across both sides of the fuselage.
The special fly-past started with an Etihad 787 which flew at an altitude of just 700 feet, and accompanied by Al Fursan’s air display team. It was trailed by an Emirates Boeing 777, hovering above the crowds at just over 900 feet, followed by an A380 at 1,100 feet, an Air Arabia A320 at 1,300 feet, and a flydubai Boeing 737 at 1,500 feet, marking the start of the Dubai airshow. The vertical separation altitudes between all of the aircraft was 200ft.
The commercial and air display formation was then trailed by a military formation, and all aircraft flew past the Dubai World Centre (DWC) runway.
The Emirates aircraft were operated by a number of seasoned Captains and First Officers at the airline. Leading the Boeing 777-300ER was Captain Ahmad Bin Huzaim, Captain Michael Schreiber, and Captain Dave Kilian. Commanding the A380 was Captain Mubarak Al Mheiri supported by Captain Christopher Gauci and Captain Alistair Reid.
The aerial display, flawlessly manoeuvred, involved months of thorough planning and robust collaboration between multiple stakeholders including numerous teams at Emirates as well as the other UAE carriers, the UAE Ministry of Defence, UAE Military, Emirates pilots, Flight Operation Managers and Air Traffic Controllers working together with the Dubai Airshow Flying Control Committee and both aviation authorities (DCAA and GCAA). The teams worked together across every element of the aerial display, taking into account air traffic patterns at different times of the day, areas over flown, in addition to weather and wind conditions.
