Wings from Wales, designs from Bristol and engines from Derby have fresh orders after a busy week at the Dubai Airshow. The government says a string of Airbus deals led by Emirates, Etihad and Flydubai is worth billions to the UK and secures thousands of roles in advanced manufacturing.

Ministers say 34 newly ordered widebody aircraft will be powered by Derby‑built Rolls‑Royce engines, while the Airbus jets across these announcements carry UK wings - designed at Filton in Bristol and manufactured at Broughton in North Wales. That is steady work for shop floors, test bays and apprenticeships far beyond the factory gates.

For Northern suppliers the pull‑through should be real. Machine shops in Lancashire and West Yorkshire, precision forgings around Sheffield and Rotherham, electronics in the North East and coatings specialists across Teesside all feed Airbus and Rolls‑Royce programmes. Many of these firms don’t grab headlines, but they feel the order book first.

Trade Minister Sir Chris Bryant called the announcements “a big win for British manufacturing” and said ambition is paying off. His department casts the week as proof that a modern Industrial Strategy and the government’s Plan for Change can still draw investment into talent and tooling outside London.

Alongside the aircraft deals, UK Export Finance has issued an Expression of Interest for up to $3.5 billion - roughly £2.7 billion - to back British bids into Dubai’s $35 billion (about £27 billion) Al Maktoum International Airport project. If progressed, opportunities span consultancy and design, construction and manufacturing, and airport technologies from security to operations.

The orders deepen an already busy trading lane with the UAE. Government figures show UK‑UAE trade hit a record £24.8 billion in 2024, with more than 14,000 British firms exporting each year and over 5,000 maintaining a presence in the market. The UK remains the largest source of foreign investment stock in the Emirates, while the UAE is the biggest Gulf investor in Britain.

Order‑wise, Emirates added eight A350‑900s; Etihad firmed six A330‑900s, seven A350‑1000s and three A350F; Flydubai signed a memorandum for 150 A321neo; Ethiopian confirmed six A350‑900; Silk Way West took two more A350F; and there were further memoranda with Air Europa for up to 40 A350‑900s and with Libya’s Buraq Air for 10 A320neo. Every one of those Airbus frames puts UK content to work.

As ever, delivery is where promises are tested. Energy costs, skills and certification timelines will decide how much of this potential becomes guaranteed work on Northern benches. Airbus employs around 12,000 people in the UK and Rolls‑Royce about 22,000, and ministers say wings and engines support roughly 30,000 high‑skilled jobs across the country.

For SMEs in the supply chain, the practical checklist is already writing itself: secure long‑lead materials, plan for capacity on machining and inspection, and talk to colleges now about additional apprentices for 2026 starts. The orders help, but margins are won on throughput, quality and cashflow discipline.

Separate to the aircraft news, Sir Chris Bryant used the Dubai trip to advance UK‑GCC trade talks that ministers say could lift bilateral trade by 16% and add more than £1.6 billion to UK GDP. If that lands, it would open another route to market for Northern exporters alongside the immediate uplift from the Airshow.