Dubai Airshow 2027: The Exhibitor’s Guide to DWC (15 to 19 Nov)

Dubai Airshow 2027 runs 15 to 19 November 2027 at DWC, the Dubai Airshow Site at Al Maktoum International Airport. The 2025 edition drew close to 250,000 attendees, more than 1,400 exhibitors from 98 countries, 20 country pavilions and around AED 23 billion in announced deals. The 2027 edition adds roughly 8,000 square metres of exhibition space, the largest footprint the show has had.

If you are reading this in late 2026, you are early, and that is the point. Space at Dubai Airshow, particularly chalets and outdoor plots, is committed twelve to eighteen months out. The exhibitors who get the position they want are deciding now, not next summer.

Dubai Airshow 2027 at a glance

• Dates: 15 to 19 November 2027 (five days)
• Venue: DWC, Dubai Airshow Site, Al Maktoum International Airport
• Organiser: Informa
• Scale (2025): ~248,000 attendees, 1,400+ exhibitors, 98 countries, 20 country pavilions, ~AED 23bn in deals
• 2027 change: approximately 8,000 sqm of additional exhibition space
• Sectors: commercial aviation, defence, space, MRO, business and general aviation, aircraft interiors, airport technology
• Strategic partners: DAEP, DCAA, Dubai Airports, UAE Ministry of Defence, UAE Space Agency

When and where is Dubai Airshow 2027?

Dubai Airshow 2027 takes place 15 to 19 November 2027 at the Dubai Airshow Site at DWC, part of Al Maktoum International Airport. The show is biennial, running in odd years, and is organised by Informa.

You will see conflicting dates in circulation. Some listings show 14 to 18 November and others 17 to 21 November, which was the 2025 slot. The official show site lists 15 to 19 November 2027, and there are also third-party pages advertising a "Dubai Airshow 2026", which does not exist. Confirm dates against the organiser before committing travel or freight.

The location shapes everything about exhibiting here. DWC sits roughly 45 kilometres south of central Dubai and is not served by the existing metro network, with Expo Metro Station the nearest stop. Visitors park at Al Maktoum Airport and use continuous Park and Ride shuttles to the site, and exhibitors have dedicated parking with a loop shuttle. For your team, that means longer daily transit than a Dubai World Trade Centre show and accommodation decisions that need making early.

Who exhibits and who attends?

Dubai Airshow covers the full aerospace spectrum: commercial aviation, defence, space, MRO, business and general aviation, aircraft interiors and airport technology. The 2025 edition brought together more than 1,400 exhibitors from 98 countries alongside a static display of nearly 200 aircraft.

The audience is unusual in its mix. Alongside airlines, manufacturers and defence contractors, the show anchors government and procurement attendance through partners including Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Dubai Airports, the UAE Ministry of Defence and the UAE Space Agency. Emirates and flydubai have historically used the platform for major fleet announcements, and the 2025 edition closed with around AED 23 billion in deals.

One practical characteristic worth planning around: Dubai Airshow is a relationship and signalling event. Major agreements are announced publicly during the week, but equipment enquiries frequently follow weeks later. That changes what the stand needs to do. It is a platform for high-level meetings and visible positioning rather than a venue for closing on the aisle, which is why chalets and private meeting capacity matter more here than at a typical trade fair.

What are the exhibiting options?

Dubai Airshow offers four distinct formats, and choosing the wrong one is an expensive mistake to correct later.

Space only is raw floor space that you fill with a bespoke stand built by a contractor of your choice, with the option of adding an upper deck. It gives the most control over design and the strongest brand presence, and it carries the longest lead time.

Show-ready stands are small to medium stands where the basic structure comes as part of the price. You supply graphics, displays and any fittings. This removes the need for a contractor and suits first-time exhibitors or companies testing the show.

Hospitality chalets are self-contained units overlooking the static display, fitted out by a contractor of your choice. For companies whose objective is senior-level meetings with delegations, airlines and government buyers, the chalet is often the primary asset and the exhibition stand is secondary.

Outdoor space allows large exhibits, mock-ups and vehicles, with the ability to build your own structure around them. This is how defence and large equipment exhibitors show hardware that will not fit or does not belong in a hall.

Many serious exhibitors combine formats: an indoor stand for presence and product, plus a chalet for the meetings that actually move deals. Budget for that combination early rather than discovering the need for it once chalets are gone.

What does exhibiting at Dubai Airshow cost?

Orchestra prices every project after a briefing, based on scope, materials, venue and location. Floor space, chalets and venue technical fees are set by the organiser and the venue, and must be confirmed with them directly.

The organiser quotes space, chalets and outdoor plots on enquiry rather than publishing a rate card. Your total is space or chalet rental from Informa, plus the build, plus services. The formats below are set out by footprint and lead time, which are the two variables that shape planning.

• Compact space only (18 to 36 sqm): 10 to 12 weeks. Best for established suppliers wanting a branded presence.
• Mid to large space only (36 to 100 sqm): 12 to 16 weeks. Best for OEMs, primes and companies running demos.
• Chalet fit-out (unit dependent): 10 to 14 weeks. Best for delegation meetings and senior hospitality.
• Outdoor build (variable): 14 to 20 weeks. Best for vehicles, mock-ups and large hardware.
• Country pavilion (150 to 1,000+ sqm): 9 to 18 months. Best for trade bodies and national delegations.

Build budgets depend on venue, season, finish level and structure. Our exhibition stand cost guide sets out how build costs are put together, including venue technical fees and the costs most exhibitors miss.

Two cost factors are specific to this show. Outdoor and airport-site builds carry requirements that hall builds do not, covered below. And November in Dubai sits inside peak season, so contractor labour, hotels and logistics all price accordingly.

Why is building at an airport site different?

This is the section that separates Dubai Airshow from every other show in the region, and it is where inexperienced contractors get caught out.

DWC is not an exhibition hall. Large parts of the show are temporary structures and outdoor plots on an active airport site, which changes the build in several ways.

Outdoor structures face different engineering. Anything built outdoors deals with wind loading, ground fixing on airfield surfaces, and sun exposure that affects materials, adhesives and graphics. A design that performs indoors at DWTC can fail outdoors at DWC.

Heat and power. Outdoor and chalet environments need cooling that indoor halls provide by default. Air conditioning load, generator or mains supply and cable routing all have to be planned rather than assumed, and they are a real budget line.

Airport site access. Build-up on an airport site runs under stricter access control than a conventional venue, with vehicle passes, security screening and restricted movement windows. Freight scheduling has less flexibility than at a city venue, and a missed slot is harder to recover.

Distance. At 45 kilometres from central Dubai, every site visit, every forgotten item and every crew movement costs more time than a DWTC build. Contractors who have not worked the airshow site consistently underestimate this.

Better Stands applies. Dubai Airshow is an Informa show and participates in the Better Stands programme, with the goal that all exhibitors reach Bronze, meaning structure, walls, platform, furniture, equipment and lighting are reused between events rather than discarded. Custom builds need to be engineered for reuse from the outset. Our MRO Europe guide covers how the same programme works at Informa’s aviation shows in Europe.

When should you book?

Work backwards from 15 November 2027 and the timeline is longer than most exhibitors expect.

• Now to Q1 2027: book space, chalets and outdoor plots. Chalets and prime outdoor positions commit first. Country pavilions should be in procurement by now.
• Q1 to Q2 2027: appoint your contractor and start design. Large outdoor and double-deck builds start here.
• Q2 2027: confirm the meeting programme. Delegation and buyer diaries fill well before the show, so chalet meeting slots need booking in this window.
• Q3 2027: design finalised, structural and venue approvals submitted, fabrication begins.
• September to October 2027: freight, customs, final approvals.
• November 2027: build-up under airport site access rules.

The constraint that catches people is not fabrication capacity. It is that position, chalets and outdoor plots are finite and allocated in the order companies commit. With an additional 8,000 square metres in 2027 there is more room than in 2025, but the best positions are still the first to go. Our space booking service handles that stage specifically.

Planning a Dubai Airshow stand

Orchestra Media has delivered more than 1,200 international exhibition projects across over 100 countries in 20 years, specialising in defence, aerospace and technology, for clients including Boeing, Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney, SAAB, Jetex and Saudi Aramco. We build from 9 square metres to 1,500+ square metres, including island stands, peninsula configurations and national pavilions, which covers every format this show offers.

Aviation and aerospace is core work rather than an occasional sector: stands for Rolls Royce and Pratt & Whitney, a 540 square metre immersive lounge for Jetex at EBACE Geneva, Falcon Aviation at MEBAA, and Delta Flight Products at AIX. On the defence side, our team has built at the World Defence Show in Riyadh and Eurosatory. You can see the detail in our success stories .

For anyone bringing a national delegation, 20 country pavilions took part in the last edition, and our national pavilion organiser guide covers budgets, tender process and delivery timelines for that specific type of project. Booth design and construction runs from brief through approvals to handover, and extra services cover booth personnel, on-site operations and content. For companies running a multi-show calendar that also takes in IDEX 2027 in January, the Global Alliance programme keeps one design language and one point of accountability across markets.

Plan your Dubai Airshow 2027 presence

The exhibitors who do well at DWC are the ones who booked position early, briefed a contractor who has actually worked the airshow site, and planned the meeting programme rather than relying on footfall.

If you are exhibiting at Dubai Airshow 2027, book a free consultation and we will map your space, your stand or chalet and your build timeline in one conversation.