China's homegrown C919 jet makes Middle East debut at Dubai Airshow

China's C-919 passenger jet has made its Middle East debut this week at the 2025 Dubai Airshow, one of the world's most influential aviation gatherings, with two units on display alongside a C-909 aircraft.

The Dubai Airshow, running from Monday to Friday, attracted over 1,500 exhibitors and more than 148,000 industry professionals from 98 countries taking part this year.

For China, the airshow is becoming a crucial platform to demonstrate the country's aviation and defense capabilities, and potentially forge multi-billion-dollar partnerships.

From commercial jets and drones to space technology and green-energy engines, this year's event has seen the debut of numerous Chinese exhibitors and products.

"This year actually is the first-time presence of AECC (Aero Engine Corporation of China) at Dubai Airshow and also the largest, most comprehensive and diverse overseas exhibition of China's domestically-developed engines. We showcase a lot of products, and many of them are towards the sustainable aviation development trend," said Zhou Leimin, a project manager of AECC.

A C919 brought by its manufacturer, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), performed flying demonstrations during the show. A second one, operated by China Southern Airlines, is on static display, drawing representatives from airlines, leasing companies, and engineering firms.

The C919 is China's first domestically-manufactured commercial aircraft. Designed to rival the Airbus 320s and Boeing 737 series, it features significant competitive advantages, including a sound safety record, fuel efficiencies, and sustainable use of aviation fuel.

With supply-chain delays impacting both major Western manufacturers, industry insiders see an opportunity for COMAC and other Chinese aviation companies to gain market share in the Middle East.

"We have invested heavily building our robotic and integrated supply chain. This allows us to offer our partners some incredible value, predictably and reliably, while others are facing delays. We can provide at scale, deliver timelines and consistent support, which is very important for the airlines in the Middle East as they look to expand and modernize their fleets," said Li Xiaoliang, general manager of United Aircraft Group, a Chinese leader in Unmanned aerial vehicle production.

China's presence in the Dubai Airshow also reflects its growing partnerships across the Middle East, especially in civil aviation, defense, aerospace and space cooperation. From passenger and military jets to tiny drones, there is a distinct buzz around Chinese aviation products.

"This is the smallest drone on the airshow. So, it can do surveillance. And we are the first one to develop this kind of system, and the second one around the world to develop such a nano UAV system. It's for surveillance," said Chen Hongqiang, CEO of Huaqing Innovation Shenzhen Co. Ltd.

China's homegrown C919 jet makes Middle East debut at Dubai Airshow

China's homegrown C919 jet makes Middle East debut at Dubai Airshow

The price of aluminum, a key industrial metal used in automotive manufacturing, construction and packaging, has been climbing as production cuts in the Gulf region, logistical constraints and Iranian attacks on two regional producers over the weekend tightened supply.

On March 31, the benchmark London Metal Exchange (LME) three-month price for aluminum rose to 3,535 U.S. dollars per metric ton, a year-on-year increase of around 40 percent.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that they launched missile and drone strikes on aluminum plants in Bahrain and the UAE that are linked to the U.S. military and aerospace industries, in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iranian steel factories.

Emirates Global Aluminium issued a statement saying that its Al Taweela site in the Khalifa Economic Zone in Abu Dhabi was severely damaged after Iranian strikes, with some employees injured.

Aluminum Bahrain confirmed in a statement on Sunday that some of its facilities were struck by Iranian attacks, resulting in injuries to two employees.

The two aluminum plants have a combined annual output of 3.2 million tons, more than half of the approximately 6 million tons of aluminum produced every year by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states.

The region is a key source of aluminum supply, accounting for about 9 percent of global production.

Goldman Sachs on Tuesday raised its LME aluminum price forecast from 3,200 U.S. dollars to 3,450 U.S. dollars per ton for the second quarter of 2026 after the attacks on the facilities.

Goldman Sachs also predicted a global primary aluminum market supply deficit of 570,000 tons in 2026, a sharp turnaround from its previous forecast of a 550,000-ton surplus.

Analysts point out that the aluminum market is currently facing multiple shocks, with shipping in the Strait of Hormuz disrupted, aluminum production facilities in the Gulf damaged or even shut down, and production in other parts of the world currently limited.

The impact will also spread to downstream enterprises in the coming months, with higher-cost aluminum alloys, primarily used in the aerospace, automotive, and construction industries, facing the most constrained supply, analysts said.

The Gulf region has long been a significant source of these high-end products, particularly for the European market, and also supplies manufacturers in the United States.

Aluminum prices climb as effects of Middle East tensions spread through global economy