AEROSPACE workers in Deeside will be hoping for a confidence boost at the Dubai Air Show being staged next week.

The biennial show is the third-largest event of its kind in the world and an important barometer of how the market is developing in the Middle East.

Airbus – which builds the wings for all its jets at its Broughton complex, near Chester – is expected to unveil some orders at Dubai.

Arabian sources suggest Saudi Arabian Airlines may order 58 more Airbus A320 and A330s as part of the company’s efforts to modernise its fleet and meet global challenges.

Qatar Airways is reportedly expected to announce a number of deals at the show while more details of Russia’s new state-owned carrier Rosavia’s plans for an order of more than 50 single aisle aircraft may also be received.

Airbus hopes to deliver a similar number of aircraft in 2010 as it does this year amid a gradual recovery in the global aviation industry that has started now and will reach its completion in 2011.

John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer, said the recent slump in air travel “doesn't look that bad” compared to previous industry downturns.

“History never repeats itself but I think you'll agree that history tends to rhyme,” he said referring to the recoveries in air travel demand that followed the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the USA and the 2003 SARS crisis in Asia.

The European aircraft manufacturer will provide a forecast in January of its deliveries in 2010.

Two years ago, the show was a record breaker with some massive orders placed by Middle Eastern airlines.

Emirates Airlines announced an order for 120 A350XWBs and 11 A380s in a deal valued at £17bn. State-owned Dubai Aerospace Enterprise announced it will buy 100 Airbus planes while Air Arabia said it would buy up to 49 Airbus A320 aircraft.

But since then fuel costs have soared and airlines worldwide have reported huge losses and made cutbacks.

Airbus and its American rival, Boeing, have both seen orders drop this year.

The European manufacturer is actually behind its US rival in terms of raw new orders, but has been significantly less affected by cancellations – 23 cancellations against 149 orders. Boeing has received 181 orders for new aircraft but also revealed 111 cancellations, many for its much-delayed 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

2010 will be a big year for transport in Dubai with the first flight scheduled to take off from Al Maktoum International Airport.